NOS 12ax7 Preamp and 6L6GC Power Tube Review

[wta]

RIGHT!!! This forum has been such a HUGE help getting my two Dual Rectifier Tremoverb 2x12 Combos' tone into peak position I wanted to repay with an indebth review of my current NOS tube setup. I've had a chance to get my new tubes and spend some quality time with them and my tone has at least doubled in quality from the stock Mesa preamp/power tubes which didn't sound bad at all to start btw. Here's what I've got loaded at this point...

NOS Preamp Tube...
V1 and V2 - NOS RCA 12AX7 ECC83 Long Grey Plates rectangle getters
V3 and V4 - NOS Raytheon long blackplate round getter halo
V5 and V6 - NOS Sylvania 12AX7 Tube Long Grey Plates halo getter copper grid posts

Vintage (but NOT NOS) Power Tubes...
2- 6L6GC DUET GE 'CLEAR TOP' OO SIDE GETTER FROM 64 FENDER in one of my Tremoverbs and
2 - Tung Sol 6L6GC Black Plate tube pair with bottom DD getter's w/ copper support rods in the other

- I run a TC Electronic G-System which runs my signal in stereo through ONE of the preamps and through the power section of both of the 2x12 Combos.
- One has V30s and the other Eminence Governors both running at 50Ws.
- My guitar of choice is my Gretch 6129T loaded with Filtertrons which are the clearest pickups in the WORLD, if you want to hear all of your string super clearly these pickups are a must imho.
- As I said the Mesa stock 12ax7 and 6L6GC tubes did sound exceptable BUT when a/bed with NOS tubes they paled in comparison. The new setup is MUCH clearer, bigger, wider and denser with chunkier chunks, more sparkling highs and very clear yet creamy dense mids. No flub or harshness whatsoever and very balanced through the freqs.
- The amps are on the silicone diode mode and bold/full power setting (50W due to reducing power tube count from 4 to 2) and the signal is TIGHT, immediate and yet with a moderate level of clean overdrive an excellent sustain.

Here are my amps setting in time O'clock numbering...

Channel.....Gain......Treb.....Mids.....Bass.....Pres.....Reve.....Mast.....FX Loop
Clean.........12.5......11.5.....1.5.........1.........1..........9........2.5......Send-11.5
Lead..........2..........11.5......12.5.......3.........8..........0........2.5.....Master - 12

Over all the clean channel has a vintage vibe to it and the lead channel is the bullseye of what I look for in a modern rock channel, tight, dense, big bottom end and a high end that’s liquid and cuts through without sounding harsh.
I still have on the way some RTF 12ax7 preamp tubes which I’ll be trying out in the V3 and V4 slots but if I can get a better tone that what I’ve just dialed in I may not survive the process!!!

Hope that helps, feel free to ask me anything but most of KEEP ROCKIN!!!

 

[topcat0399]

I too hope to have such a "break through".

Maybe the Tungsols I'm getting from you will move me in that direction. If not - the search continues.

So.... why are you getting rid of the tubes you have for sale? Just curious.

 

[wta]

I too hope to have such a "break through".

Maybe the Tungsols I'm getting from you will move me in that direction. If not - the search continues.

So.... why are you getting rid of the tubes you have for sale? Just curious.

I bought A LOT of tubes! Way too many to keep them all but I wanted to try out a variety knowing that everyone's tone is going to be difference and I want to find mine and the only way I felt I could do that in any short period of time was to buy as many different flavors and start mixing and matching. I read alot off of this forum and others trying to get a feel for what each tube may do sonically and narrowed things down to about a dozen types and just started ordering. I haven't found a "bad" sounding tube because I did my research and only ordered tubes that had a fighting chance at working in my rig. The tungsol cryos you're getting sounded great for their price but they're up against the best tubes in the world. Just flavors of icecream at this point and to my tastes certain flavors win out over others ;-)

 

[topcat0399]

I too hope to have such a "break through".

Maybe the Tungsols I'm getting from you will move me in that direction. If not - the search continues.

So.... why are you getting rid of the tubes you have for sale? Just curious.

I bought A LOT of tubes! Way too many to keep them all but I wanted to try out a variety knowing that everyone's tone is going to be difference and I want to find mine and the only way I felt I could do that in any short period of time was to buy as many different flavors and start mixing and matching. I read alot off of this forum and others trying to get a feel for what each tube may do sonically and narrowed things down to about a dozen types and just started ordering. I haven't found a "bad" sounding tube because I did my research and only ordered tubes that had a fighting chance at working in my rig. The tungsol cryos you're getting sounded great for their price but they're up against the best tubes in the world. Just flavors of icecream at this point and to my tastes certain flavors win out over others ;-)

cool. I'm in the process of building my tube collection - I'll let you know here how I find the TS to be. Be patient - I don't just stick em in and play for a few minutes to judge. I use them in the world for a while before I decide.

Cheers.

 

[wta]

I too hope to have such a "break through".

Maybe the Tungsols I'm getting from you will move me in that direction. If not - the search continues.

So.... why are you getting rid of the tubes you have for sale? Just curious.

I bought A LOT of tubes! Way too many to keep them all but I wanted to try out a variety knowing that everyone's tone is going to be difference and I want to find mine and the only way I felt I could do that in any short period of time was to buy as many different flavors and start mixing and matching. I read alot off of this forum and others trying to get a feel for what each tube may do sonically and narrowed things down to about a dozen types and just started ordering. I haven't found a "bad" sounding tube because I did my research and only ordered tubes that had a fighting chance at working in my rig. The tungsol cryos you're getting sounded great for their price but they're up against the best tubes in the world. Just flavors of icecream at this point and to my tastes certain flavors win out over others ;-)

cool. I'm in the process of building my tube collection - I'll let you know here how I find the TS to be. Be patient - I don't just stick em in and play for a few minutes to judge. I use them in the world for a while before I decide.

Cheers.

Ya, takes time...

 

[wta]

My rig is sounding amazing with the tubes mentioned above but I've still got some some tubes coming in that I wanted to give a try just to feel them out and today I got 2 VOS RCA 12ax7s short blackplates. The position I really wanted to try them for was my V1 and V2 positions to get that vintage clean feel. So anyway sprayed'em with some contact cleaner, stuck'em in and was so excited to hear what magic was going to happen in my studio! CRAP, CRAP and more CRAP!!! Crappy pit of hell sonic waste came through the speakers and I almost needed a bucket if you know what I mean... I only had a few minutes to try them before I had to head for dinner (the amp was very warm by this point in the day) so I janked them, put back what I had and left in disgust. The guy who sold them to me said they were tested 130/130 on both so I've got to have a close look at them tommorow... :-(

 

[wta]

Yup, one of the new VOS RCA blackplates had some output problems. Don't understand how they can test at full strenght and still sound SO bad! I'll be getting a refund...

 

[94Tremoverb]

Yup, one of the new VOS RCA blackplates had some output problems. Don't understand how they can test at full strenght and still sound SO bad! I'll be getting a refund...

Because tube testers don't test them at the full voltages and currents you get in a guitar amp. Sometimes, these are actually above the maximum design ratings for the tubes, although most tubes (especially NOS) comfortably exceed the ratings and it doesn't matter in practice. (This is especially true of the screen voltage ratings in power tubes, which are exceeded in many tube amp designs, usually without causing problems.) Nor do they test for tone, or microphonics.

So tube testers - while they will show up a definitely bad tube, and are useful for matching or checking basic electronic performance - don't tell you that a tube is definitely *good*, or will work reliably in a guitar amp, or will sound good, or not be microphonic... none of which you can tell from tester results. A tube can easily 'test good', and appear to have strong performance, but sound crap or fail outright when you put it in a guitar amp. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous sellers know this full well and will describe *known* bad tubes as 'test good', if they do. Not saying your seller necessarily is one, hopefully you will get a refund.

 

[wta]

Yup, one of the new VOS RCA blackplates had some output problems. Don't understand how they can test at full strenght and still sound SO bad! I'll be getting a refund...

Because tube testers don't test them at the full voltages and currents you get in a guitar amp. Sometimes, these are actually above the maximum design ratings for the tubes, although most tubes (especially NOS) comfortably exceed the ratings and it doesn't matter in practice. (This is especially true of the screen voltage ratings in power tubes, which are exceeded in many tube amp designs, usually without causing problems.) Nor do they test for tone, or microphonics.

So tube testers - while they will show up a definitely bad tube, and are useful for matching or checking basic electronic performance - don't tell you that a tube is definitely *good*, or will work reliably in a guitar amp, or will sound good, or not be microphonic... none of which you can tell from tester results. A tube can easily 'test good', and appear to have strong performance, but sound crap or fail outright when you put it in a guitar amp. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous sellers know this full well and will describe *known* bad tubes as 'test good', if they do. Not saying your seller necessarily is one, hopefully you will get a refund.

This is my second go around with this seller, he got one out of two the first time so I sent the both back and the replacements again are one out of two. He's offered a refund but I still have to ship them back to him which is time and a few bucks shipping... I told the guy what the application was, they really should be tested in a amp with some decent output capibility and by that cleared as a "good" tube.