LOWER GAIN preamp tubes for Mark V?

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The Mink

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Hey Mark V people! I see there are various tube swaps out there for getting huge lead tones, but I'm looking for a specific effect: I've noticed that the Mark V channels 2 and 3 seem to go right from 'almost off' to 'distortion' without a smooth transition phase in between for those 'dirty clean,' 'edge of breakup' tones. I know this is not what this amp is famous for, but I just gotta believe it's possible! So here's what I want to know:

(1.) Are there preamp tubes that are generally lower gain, to increase the transitional 'overdrive' area between anemic and saturated?

(2.) Do the pot values render all this moot if unchanged? Is that where the problem is?

(3.) Will I still be able to get a decent amount of gain (say 2/3 of what was on ta before)?

Thanks in advance!
 
You could probably try rolling in lower gain tubes such as the 12AT7 ( Use a Jan/Phillips); read through the "saturation mod" thread. Channel two edge mode was designed for what you are asking. You could also try this: experiment with settings on channel three in extreme mode. It seems counter-intuitive because of the name, but you can get cleaner than expected tones out of it. Also be aware that the traditional eq (bass, mid, and treble) knobs also add gain (moreso than controlling eq, so back them off; and shape your eq with the graphic 5 band).
 
I find the EL34 power tubes in mine make it more classic and controllable for me.
 

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