Mesa Quad preamp tube replacement advice

The Boogie Board

Help Support The Boogie Board:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mnewland1

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2013
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi, I currently have all groovetubes in my quad preamp. I do not plan on replacing the tubes anytime REAL soon but when I do eventually, I would like some advice on what tubes to use and where. I would really like for the non-clean channels to be as high gain as possible, of course with retaining good tone obviously. i am new to tube amps really, so sorry if I haven't given enough info but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Matt
 
Hi mnewland1,

Do you know which type GTs, Chinese, Russian (EH or Sovtek)? The reason that I ask is that they all have different sound, and if you like the sound that you have now, or do you want a change? Typically, the Chinese are warmer clean, and less edgy for a smooth distortion. The EH are bright/sparkly clean, with edgy distortion. The Sovtek are more neutral clean with fairly edgy distortion.

I personally like GTs, and if you like the sound that you have, stick with them, but I am always trying different tubes. If the GTs are Russian, then the current MB 12AX7 might do quite well in all positions. The current MB 12AX7 are JJs, but thoroughly tested to weed out the bad ones. If the GTs are Chinese, you might want to try some Tung Sol.

The only real way to know if any particular tube suits you is to get a few different ones and try swapping. Preamp tubes are plug and play. The guitar and amp used will also make a difference as to the sound that you will get.
 
Back
Top