New Tubes for the V!

I'm always amazed at what a difference new tubes make.

I just slapped a new set of tubes in my Mark V. I've been on the fence about this amp since I got it, but now I'm starting to see what the fuss is about.

I did not use a 12AT7 in V4 or V6. I've never liked what they do to my tone.
I did buy a JAN Phillips Gray and Black plate 12AT7, just in case I want to go down that road later.

Here is what I ended up with (from Doug's Tubes):
Roadster Preamp Tube kit (6 preamp tubes)
V1 - Tung Sol Reissue with gain at 110/110
V2 - Ruby HG CZ (rebranded high gain JJ with gain at 115/115)
V3 - Ruby 7025SS HG (actually a Mesa Chinese 1 preamp tube with gain at 90/95)
V4 - Original V1 from the stock set of tubes (I figured this was the quietest tube out of the set)
V5 - Ruby 7025SS HG (actually a Mesa Chinese 1 preamp tube with gain at 100/105)
V6 - Ruby 7025SS HG (actually a Mesa Chinese 1 preamp tube with gain at 90/95)
V7 - Stock 12AX7 that came in this spot

Power Tubes - Ruby 6L6MSTR

I only had about 10 minutes to play the amp this morning after the swap, but wow! I like it a lot more now.
Channel 2 is not nearly as dark, and Channel 3 is much more useable and way less brittle sounding.
The clean channel seems to not have as much sparkle, but I haven't adjusted it yet.


Anyway.....I'm stoked about this amp now!

Will keep watching for updates on this one! Congrats on the upgrade!

Do the 7025SS HG tubes have the square getter? I do not recall seeing Mesa using the ones with the round getter but they may have done so when the Beijing factory closed down. They look very similar but are tonally different. The Mesa 12AT7 looks just like the 7025ss tube but may be Sino factory. Perhaps the Chinese tubes had similar design for the 12(??)7 or 7025 format. The latest Chinese tubes do not have the silver clips on the plates and are similar in design to the Russian tubes. I believe those would be the Ruby 12AX7AC7 which are not bad either, just a bit brighter.

If it sounds good, awesome and that is all that matters.

Not sure about the getters. I can check them out later today.

I used the V at practice yesterday. Just couldn't bond with it at all!
I really liked some of the sounds I got before we started playing, but once the drums and bass kicked in, I couldn't stand it.

We played for about an hour, I tried lots of settings........
Happiness returned when I reached over and turned on my Roadster!

Maybe because we're a 3 piece, I like the fuller sound of the Roadster.
The V was either too loud or not loud enough/not cutting through enough..........The Roadster was just right.


So......I'm probably going to trade the V for something or just sell it. At least I have a new full set of tubes for it once I get them out of the V!

Yeah, The Roadster will hold its own with a band. I run mine though a EV loaded OS Recto 412. That will always win in a mix. The JP-2C also kills through that cabinet. I have not run the Mark V through it in a long time. I loaded the V with the Beijing tubes along with the V4 mod. That is a beast especially though the EV speakers. (Updated my combo with the EV and the extension cab with the same). Running both combo and extension cab is as loud as the 412 with V30 if not louder so volume is not issue. However keeping things even for better balance is tricky.

In my band days it was also a three piece. That actually worked out well but I was using a Mark III combo and no other speakers but the EV black shadow. For some reason I found the V30 tends to sound thin when you add bass to the mix. With the EV speaker it is quite different. Even the CB G12M75 cut through the mix, even though they seem not as loud as the V30. The Mesa 212 cabs on the other hand sound huge and similar to the EV tone.

What cab were you running?

If you are having good luck with the Roadster, The JP-2C blends well with that amp and is a pure power house compared to the Mark V. I think ever since I got the JP-2C I spent more time trying to get the Mark V to match up. I think I got there recently and it was the Beijing 12AX7A V1, V3, V5, V6, V7, 12AT7 in V4 and Mullard CV4004 in V2. Stock power tubes coupled to an EV speaker. I can probably use the looper to run the Mark V and play the drums at the same time, and then jump onto the bass but I cannot play all at the same time without a little help from my friends. It has always been the Roadster for some reason. My friends have not met the TC-50 or the JP-2C yet. I spend more time at my friends house that at mine during the jam sessions.