Re: [Harp-L] To Gear Or Not To Gear



----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Boyd" <bboyd@xxxxxxxxx>
> I have to agree as I just put a Telefunken 6V6 and a Tungsol AU7 to
replace
> the JJ's in my Harp Gear 2 amp and it definetaly made a difference.


-----
I am primarily a guitarist, and this post reflects electric guitar tone on
my vintage amps.  I'm sure the tube selection also has an effect on Harp
tone as well, but my experience is with the single-coil strat and an early
'68 silverface Super Reverb that was modified to blackface specs back in
'72.

I periodically happen upon a cache of old tubes, and usually snap the whole
lot up for pennies.

It's really amazing just how different every tube is.  The newer tubes are
reliable, and it's good to keep the new tubes around so if one of the older
tubes 'goes south' at a gig, you can quickly swap it for the original new
tube and keep gigging.  I keep a small box inside the back of my amplifiers
with at least one complete set of replacement tubes JIC.

I remember when I found a cache of 1950 JRC Navy 12AX7s made by RCA and
began swapping them for the newer chinese tubes an amp tech had put into my
Super Reverb after recapping about 6 years ago.  I learned a lesson that...
always ask for your old tubes back.  I suspect he kept the originals for his
stash, anyway...

One by one, I swapped the new tubes for the NOS RCAs and WOW!  My Super got
warm and creamy and I would have never thought it could make that much
difference.  I thought my Super sounded pretty good.  I had no idea just how
"brittle" the tone was until I heard it with the new old stock milspec RCAs.

I later aquired a bunch of GE 6L6s from the late 1960s and swapped the newer
Rubys.  Now my Super has sustain like buttah, and rich overtones at 7 and
above like I never dreamed. Fortunately I had another tech show me how to
correctly bias output tubes using a VOM.

"So that's how the Super Reverb is supposed to sound!"  Yeah baby!

Even a NOS Mullard GZ34 was worth the $55 I spent.  Every tube has a
purpose, and every tube has it's own voice.

Many might not recognize the diference, but it's easy to notice when you
have a small amp like the champ.  Only one pre-amp tube.  Swap and listen.
Swap and listen.  Or if you have an oscilliscope, swap and see.  I test all
the NOS 12A_7's I get in my Kalamazoo2 to see which sound best using the
guitar.  I'm getting better at discerning the difference.

But using a hot vintage CM JT-30 or vintage Shure 520 in the Kazoo2 already
has so much gritty tone, it's hard to tell the difference between individual
12AX7s or 12AU7s.  It's easy to tell the difference between the two types,
with the 12AU7 having so much less gain than the 12AX7, but between each
individual tube, I guess it's getting somewhat overpowered by the mic's
tone.  I should probably try it with a SM58 to see.

Anyway...

I stand by my assertion.  Get great tubes to get great tone.

I repeat, "That's why NOS Mullards go for so much money.  And NOS
Telefunkens, and 1950's JAN s etc."  If there wasn't so much difference,
everybody would be using $15 Groove Tubes, huh?

And I'll bet that's why Sonny Jr. puts NOS pre-amp tubes in all his new
amps. [Comment? Sonny?]

Now, I have a question for the audiophiles here.  Has anyone tried the
cryogenically treated tubes?  New tubes that have been processed at -300
degrees F.  Do they have that warm rich creamy vintage tone?  Or are they
just more durable with less microphonics?


PEACE
Scott
Believe in Magic!





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