Mark IV tubes

I was thinking of trying some different tubes in my Mesa. I usually use Mesa tubes, and just want to try something different. People have recommended the JJ tubes that Eurotubes carries. Does anyone have an opinion of these one way or the other? I know everyone has a preference as far as tubes go but is there anyone that could make any other recommendations for someone who likes metal?

The JJ High Gain re-tube kit Mark IV is a nice choice. I found it helped me milk a little bit more gain from the Lead channel.

However be advised that when run at really high gain settings, the Mark IV will eat preamp tubes for breakfast. I usually get at least 12 months out of a good 12AX7, but my Mark IV ate two JJ's within 3 months: V3 and V4, which are the gain stages for the Lead channel. In other amps (three Riveras and a Marshall) my JJ's lasted over a year.

^^ So true! I put in JJ's Hi-Gain Kit in my Mesa Mark IV too. I had a preamp tube in V3 blow out in 5 months (I don't even play that much!). The thing I thought was weird is that my stock Mesa tubes lasted 3 years and never blew out! I physically removed them to put in the JJ's and was sorry I did. The JJ's sound fine, don't get me wrong. But I always seemed to get a very inconsistent sound from them. I don't know, maybe it's my imagination. I've decided to stick with Mesa tubes for all my Mesa amps from now on.

I play freequently, and the short preamp tube life with the JJ's will not be acceptable. I am guilty of driving this amp pretty hard (metalhead) and would need something with a better lifespan. Mesa is shipping Chinese tubes now right? Any opinion on the TungSol/Sovtek? Also, what do people think about using combinations of power tubes like 6L6/6V6 in the B + C slots with EL34 in the class A's? Thanks for any help, I'm new to experimenting with tubes.

metalmaster said:

Mesa is shipping Chinese tubes now right? Any opinion on the TungSol/Sovtek?

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Mesa is currently shipping amps with the Shuguang 6L6-GC (a.k.a. STR 440) installed. IMHO, the Shuguang tube is the best currently manufactured 6L6-GC for use in Mesa amps. It is a copy of the Philips/Sylvania 6L6-GC, which is the tube that was used in the original Boogie tube. The Shuguang 6L6-GC blows the Sovtek 6L6WXT+ (a.k.a. STR 430) out of the water. The STR 430 is too scooped! It basically renders the midrange control unusable on Rectos.

Got my power tube situation squared away. Gonna try the JJ 6l6GC. I guess the question I am left with is, when using my MarkIV wide open what is the longest lasting 12ax7 with some decent gain and bite? Thinking about Tung-sol, unless anyone can steer me in a better direction. What vendor can anyone reccomend? Thanks so much in advance, plase don't respond with a sarcastic 'Mesa tubes'. I hope to get to the heart of this pre-amp tube mystery some day....

i can't imagine wanting or needing more gain with the mark IV... up until now i've used the stock mesa 6L6 STR 420's with more than enough gain, even for metal. it is kind of tricky finding out how to get the most gain out of the mark IV, but i've found that the treble and presence knobs on the lead channel act almost like additional gain knobs... when you have the treble knob set at 8 , the gain knob set at 8, and the drive set between 6 and 8, it will rip your face off ... the presence knob adds gain also but it is not as drastic as the treble knob. since i have the treble knob cranked up pretty high for that extra gain, and the bass and mids set a lot lower, i correct the imbalance with the graphic EQ by rolling the 6000 hz slider way down. you probably know all of this though, since it is pretty well covered in the MK IV manual under 'controls'

If you want the longest lasting tube try the Mullard 10M. They are out of production but were rated to last over 10,000 hours. You see them on e-bay once in a while. They come in a special box and everything. The only drawback is price. They tend to be some of the most expensive Mullards. Mullards already can fetch upwards of $100/piece. I think the last 10M I was watching went for about $200. Something to consider though is that your guitar amp will strain the tube more than components of the same period so expect maybe 6,000 hours. This is still way more life than anything currently in production.