Retube using Doug's Cocktail

I've been having some weird problems with my Ace, and when I was getting a blown speaker kind of tone, I decided to start with the tubes. I got the Doug's set for the amp this time and followed the recommendations as to what position the preamp tubes go in. It seems to have taken some of the "hair" off the tone if that makes any sense. It may have lost a little edge, but I am sure I can EQ it back in.

If you are looking to tame the highs a little you may like these tubes. Honestly, the amp sounds good no matter what I put in it. I wouldn't say its worth the money to experiment, but if you need a retube, or you are almost but not quite there, it seems to be a good choice.

I'll have to check them out for real at my show tomorrow night. I was planning on using my 6505+ combo, but the rest of the band has been reminding me of how much they love the sound of the Ace....

Nice. After speakers, tubes can make an HUGE difference.
Probably about the best money you can spend on a Stiletto is gonna be the five bucks on parts to make the bias adjustable.
Not only will the ability to adjust the bias make every set of powertubes run at their best, it'll also allow you to use ANY powertubes you want.
In most high gain Mesas a cold biased power section using modern production tubes works.
For the more "vintage" or "British" sound, a properly biased power section running vintage European glass is always going to sound more "legit".

Of course, that "British" sound isn't for everyone and if you like more edge and hair, maybe not for you.

Let us know how you like the new bottles after the gig.

I'm a huge fan of the Brit sound and feel. The Ace has been my only gigging and amp for band practice since 2007, and I think I was taking it for granted. I got the 6505 recently really cheap and have always wanted one. While I love the sound and feel, it made me appreciate what I have in the Stiletto. The dynamic response, the clarity, and the tight focus of the Ace is incredible. I think that I forgot what I had because I was so used to having this awesome tonal response that cut through the mix like butter. I had the Peavey out for a few gigs and got it tweaked into the mix, but when I brought the Ace back everyone was relieved, mostly because they said it was part of the sound of the band. It is so perfect in a live situation.

The set sounded good. I did notice that I had to turn my presence and highs up a bit. My singer mentioned that my low notes weren't cutting but the high notes sounded good. The cleans were improved. I think they were a little more sparkly and balanced.

All in all, if I spent a majority of my time sitting in front of this amp playing at home or I was doing studio work, I would probably have a little more to say about the tubes, but I use the amp to play at bars, where, depending on the place I am hearing the amp behind me, the monitor to my right and possibly (or sometimes primarily) through the mains. As long as my tone is cutting through, sounds right and there are no issues I'm happy.

My best advice: if you have the combo, take the amp out of the housing. It takes 5 minutes and will save you bent preamp tube pins as well as broken preamp tubes when you can't get the shields back on. Believe me, I speak from experience!

Hey Guys!
I've been using the Doug's Tubes mix of preamp tubes for quite a few years in my Deuce. I like 'em and haven't bothered to try anything different lately.
A few years ago I did switch out the V1 Tung-Sol with a NOS RFT. Man, I loved what that tube did! The problem was, that old brittle German glass cracked right in the socket within a day or so and the tube went pffft!. I went through three of those RFTs in a matter of weeks trying to get them to work. At roughly $60.00 a pop that really cut into my beer fund. :evil: