Yet Another Preamp Tube Roll Question- Roadster

[Big_Al]

I know it has been asked a thousand times (a couple from me) but I would like some help with preamp tubes for my Roadster. I will be rolling some tubes this weekend and I need some advice for a good starting point for my Roadster. I play rock & metal and looking for a nice crunch without being buzzy. Every time I try swapping tubes I tend to forget what the previous arrangement sounded like and cannot decide if I really sounds any better. I have looked at the tube assignments and concentrate on the tubes for channel 3 & 4 while keeping Chinese tubes in V3 and V5. The Tung RI in V1 does nothing for me and I believe a Mesa labeled SPAX7 sounded better. I am running stock MB 6L6's.
Also, the tubes I have are from Musicians Friend so the tubes have not been evaluated but the I do have a Mullard and another TS coming in Friday from Dougs that are high gain. Giving a TS high gain another try for V1.

Tubes I have:

-Several MB labeled 12AX7 tubes and one SPAX7
-(1) Tung Sol RI (Dougs hg)
-(1)Mullard RI (Dougns hg)
-(2)Tung Sol RI (off the shelf)
-(1)JJ EC83s
-(5)EH 12AX7
-(1)Sovtek 12ax7 (WA?)..was recommended for V6
-(1) MB Russian 2 (yeah, I know it is a EH).

I do like the sound of the EH but I tried two (forgot the tube positions) and it was too fizzy.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

For whatever it's worth, I still run my Roadster head with stock Mesa Boogie Russian 2s (yeah, they are suppose to fail in the cathode follower positions, but so far so good). I only replaced V1 with a Mesa SPAX7, and I like the change. Poweramp wise, a quartet of matched Winged C 6L6s...

 

[Big_Al]

I have been considering the winged c, they will probably be my next tube purchase.

 

[Big_Al]

What position would be good for the Mullard?

 

[bendo]

I used have a Roadster, however, my DC3 pre-amp is very similar. I use the Mullard re-issues in V2 and V3 (for my lead channel). They just sound full and tight. Not harsh at all. Sound really full and have a very "live" sound stage. I got the DC3 to replace the Roadster as it was just too heavy (yes I know, 2 channels doesn't compare to 4). But! I have a switchable EQ, Channels, and Reverb, so I really have 4 channels . This is the same tube cocktail I used in my Roadster, and have been using for a while now. Sometimes swap the TungSol in V1 with a Mesa SPAX7 if I can't get a hold of a TungSol quickly.

I run this in my DC

V1 TungSol 12AX7 / V1A Clean V1B Lead
V2+V3 Mullard Reissue 12AX7 / Lead Channel
V4 Phillips JAN 12AT7 Black Plate / Clean Channel
V5 Mesa 12AX7 (EH) / Reverb Driver
V6 Mesa 12AX7 (JJ) / P/I

You have to look at the plate construction to determine which tube the Mesa Branded 12AX7 is. They are using:

Chinese - Penta 12AX7 <--- they used to use these for EVERYTHING
Russian 2 - EH 12AX7 Electro Harmonix (SPAX7s are usually just a low noise version of one of these)
Russian - JJ 12AX7

They have used others, but, those are the ones I know of, and have confirmed with Mesa.



I can't really comment on how this would sound in your amp as mine has been recapped, and all of the Orange Drops upgraded to 600V 5%, and several of the IC caps changed to Orange Drop 400V 10%. My Power amp Filter caps have also been replaced with Sprague Atoms, and new Mesa Power Supply filter caps fitted as well. Several Pots and resistors have also been changed.

However, all of this was done to make my amp sound more like a rectifier with REALLY good reverb. And that was accomplished beautifully. I play Hard Rock (Foo Fighters, Post-grunge) and Classic Rock. My main motivation for the changes was to rid my amp of the buzziness it had. I was able to remove the buzziness before the recap. The recap was just done out of boredom, and a desire to make the reverb sound better. The Pots were changed to give the output control the same feel as I used to have on my Roadster.

 

[Big_Al]

Thanks Bendo for taking the time to write that up...I will give it a try (minus the Phillips Jan that I do not have).

 

[wolf]

If you want more open in "your face" sound with serious crunch with soldano-like clarity try this combo...
V1 Tung sol or EHX
V2 Sovtek WC
V3 Sovtek WC
V4-5 ????? Does not matter
V6 Sovtek LPS

V2-3 are most important tubes (at least in dual/triple recto)...I´ve tried almost every possible tubes for those positions but I always returned back to sovtek WC´s... They´ll bring some fresh air to your sound...

 

[MrMarkIII]

The best advice I can give is to change one tube at a time, then listen, then switch back to the original, then listen again.
Rinse and repeat. Start with V1.
It's the only way.
Taking notes with pencil and paper helps, too. All them little bottles start to look the same after a couple, ya know what I mean, Vern?

 

[Big_Al]

Gotcha on the one at a time.

Played this past weekend at pretty high volumes and everything sounded pretty good with Mesa SPAX7 in V1, Mesa Russian II in V2 and Sovtek LPS in V6. Made me realize that I have not been experimenting at playing volume when changing out tubes at home.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[knotts]

I just got a cocktail as recommended by Doug for my Roadster. About a year ago I put in a Tungsol in V1 and . I was messing around last week and just wasn't happy with Channel 3 vintage mode. I mostly play classic rock with my band, but venture into everything from Hank Williams Sr. to more modern stuff. I decided to do something about it.
V2 - Penta Labs
V3 - Ruby 7025SS
V4 - Penta Labs
V5 - Ruby 7025SS
V6 - Sovtek LPS

I should hopefully have them by my rehearsal on thursday. I'll be sure to post my results.

 

[knotts]

Finally got the chance to put int he tubes and play the amp. I'm pretty happy with Doug's recommendations for the style of music that I play. I can't say that the changes were dramatic, but definitely all for the better. I can hear my guitar cutting through the mix better. There's a touch of clarity across all channels and it helps the amp shine a little more.

There was a scary moment. I had a few minutes before we started practice so I popped out the power tubes and started changing the preamp tubes a little quicker than I would have liked. When I was done I flipped the switch and there was no sound. I quickly flipped the switch off, pulled out the power tubes and started checking what I screwed up. I popped off the V2 cover first and found that the top of the tube was broken off and there was a chunk of glass missing from the top of the tube. I was smart enough to by 1 extra of each tube so I put the replacement in and was up and running. I think the tube may have been defective, but I can't rule out that maybe I was a little rough with putting the cover back on. It all ended well thanks to Doug.