Triaxis tubes

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vandilization

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So I picked up a Triaxis that has the phat mod and it came with Fender tubes in it (not sure if they make their own or it's something rebranded) but I feel like something's missing in my sound. I play all kinds of music, so to give you an exact example of what I'm going for would be difficult, but I like my cleans to be low and clear, not too shimmery, muddy or sheer sounding. For my distortion, I play mostly alternative/hard rock (Chevelle-type distortion is ideally what I like and he plays through Mark IV's and V's, but I also like grunge type sounds like Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, hence why I got a Triaxis….versatility). I like to have clarity, but also like a good low end. I don't really delve into metal and only occasionally play classic rock and blues. I play through a Mesa 50/50 if that helps too, I know a 2:90 is ideal but I need to wait til my budget allows for it :?

Any suggestions? I get all kinds of different answers on what people suggest. I know it's obviously personal taste but I also know in my adventures to find my sound, the littlest things can make a huge difference.
 
There's a post about that (okay, probably one hundred in fact) called "retubing a 1:90 a triaxis" or something like that. Pretty cool answers there.
PErsonnaly I like :

5751 in V1 (RCA)
12AT7 in V2 (mullard CV4024)
12AX7 in V3 (Mullard RI)
12AX7 in V4 (Phillips JAN)
12AX7 in V5 (can't remember, EH probably).

This way you have clean cleans (12AT7), well defined LD2 modes (12AT7 + 12AX7), and a usable LD1 red (5751 + 12AT7, which tame the beast a little bit)
 
Thank you, I searched a lot of the previous posts but couldn't find any examples for the type of music I play or sound I wanted. This definitely helps.
 
I have kept Mesa tubes in mine as long as I've had her and I bought her new in 91 v 1 later upgraded to full midi implementation v2 and the Recto Mod. The tube for the Recto mod mode blew took a couple resistors with it or vice/versa and was replaced with a identical Mesa 12AX7. I've never felt a need to change out any of the others from the ones it came from the factory with, for either performance or tonal reasons. I've always gotten everything I needed from it, no disappointments.
 
What kind of music do you play? In my case, the tri came with Fender tubes (does anyone know what those are exactly?) so I'm not even sure if they match the Mesa tubes, which I believe are rebranded Sovteks.
 
Fender has used several brands of tubes over the years, before they bought GT, so now they use GT instead of putting their own label on. Many times the newest Fender labeled preamp tubes are some type of Chinese, or Sovtek, but they used some premium types at some point long ago, such as US made. The Chinese versions usually have a metal tab on the side of the Plates. If you could post a couple of good pics, someone might be able to identify them. The GT labeled tubes are similar, selected, tested and labeled from a variety of sources including Chinese, Sovtek, EH, JJ, and others. Mesa does the same thing, using selected brands, tested, that fall within certain parameters for use in Mesa amps, including Chinese and various Russian such as Sovtek, EH and JJ.
 
I did some rolling and settled with

V1: TungSol 12AX7
V2: EH 12AX7
V3: Sovtek 12AX7WA
V4: JJ ECC83S
V5: (can't remember)

Also put TungSol 12AX7 for both PIs in the 2:90 and EH as the input buffer. Love this tube, clear, warm, balanced.
 
I previously played through an Engl e530 and I put Tung-Sol tubes in it and loved it. I know this is obviously all personal preference but you're all definitely giving me a good place to start.
 
Here ya go: Retubing a TriAxis a 2:90

An amazing resource. I've used many of Timbre Wolf's recommendations.


vandilization said:
So I picked up a Triaxis that has the phat mod and it came with Fender tubes in it (not sure if they make their own or it's something rebranded) but I feel like something's missing in my sound. I play all kinds of music, so to give you an exact example of what I'm going for would be difficult, but I like my cleans to be low and clear, not too shimmery, muddy or sheer sounding. For my distortion, I play mostly alternative/hard rock (Chevelle-type distortion is ideally what I like and he plays through Mark IV's and V's, but I also like grunge type sounds like Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, hence why I got a Triaxis….versatility). I like to have clarity, but also like a good low end. I don't really delve into metal and only occasionally play classic rock and blues. I play through a Mesa 50/50 if that helps too, I know a 2:90 is ideal but I need to wait til my budget allows for it :?

Any suggestions? I get all kinds of different answers on what people suggest. I know it's obviously personal taste but I also know in my adventures to find my sound, the littlest things can make a huge difference.
Click to expand...
 
....

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=749
 
I actually PM'd Timbre Wolf because of that article and we worked out some suggestions that would be good for what I'm looking for, but I'm also using some of your suggestions as well. I most certainly won't know til I try everything out, but there's just so little options and so much time to do it in….strike that….reverse it :p
 
And to shimmilou, they were actually GT labeled Fender tubes if you were curious. I dropped a Mullard 1979 12at7 tube in the V2 spot and I already hear a difference. My rhythm channels are crisp and lead 1 red is actually more usable now. Now to just do some more experimenting once the rest of my tubes arrive :)
 

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