need expert help. Tubes for my fender deville

[Fetusborg]

hello all
i just bought a new fender deville 2x12 at GC, which will be my first tube amp actually.

so i dont have much experience with tubes and tube replacement, other than researching on the web.

i'd typically have to buy a set of replacement tubes, which are:
3 X 12AX7, 2 X 6L6, Solid State Rectifier
(all groove tubes)

but while testing out a used deville, this guy had some electro harmonix tubes, which sounded fat and fantastic on the drive channel. the clean channel was normal sounding.

anyway... anybody have experience with the electro harmonix tubes on a deville or fender amp? the bad part would be that i'd have to re-bias the amp, as they say. buying replacements is less hassle, of course.

ok, any input is cool
thanks

 

[Lt. Bob]

typically you wouldn't replace anything except the power tubes (6L6's)
Preamp tubes generally last for many years and you, of course, don't change a SS rectifier.
I haven't used those tubes in my Hot Rod deVille but I've heard nothing but good about the EH tubes in general.

 

[Fetusborg]

hum...
i didnt know that.

so i'd have to buy 2 GT 6L6B tubes. white writing.

those are the ones that were electro harmonix on this guys amp.
are these 2 tubes responsible for the drive channel?
(which sounded so lovely)
i thought the small preamp ones were for the drive

 

[Lt. Bob]

you are right, of course. It would be the preamp tube if it's only the drive channel. I saw that immediately after my earlier post.
What I should have clarified is that I was mainly talking about replacing tubes that were bad.
But you are absolutely right ..... if it's the drive channel then it's gonna be the 12AX7 and different tubes will absolutely sound different.
If the only difference between his amp and yours is the tube, then I'd get one exactly like the tube he has and try it.
12AX7's aren't too expensive.
If it were both channels I'd say the power tubes but in this case .... grab the pre-amp tube and try just that.
Also ..... if you end up only replacing the pre-amp tube .... then you DON'T need to rebias. That's only for changing power tubes.

 

[Fetusborg]

ahh nice.

well... i just made my move.

ordered a full set of tubes from www.eurotubes.com
the JJ ones.
plus the multimeter to bias the amp myself. according to the guy there, its quite easy, and i shouldnt pay anyone to do that.

total with shipping: 88 bucks

 

[starbuck26]

hmmm....

two things....

have you checked out the unofficial hot rod owner's guide? lots of great info on there... http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/

and second... I'm wondering why even bother with the drive channel? I'd have just put a tube screamer or some other OD pedal in front of the pristine clean channel. I use a fulltone OCD. It stays on all the time. When I want a clean tone I just roll back on the guitar volume a bit.

Let me know how those tubes sound on the clean, though. I'd be interested to hear the difference.

 

[Lt. Bob]

I'm wondering why even bother with the drive channel? .

just my personal preferences here .... I know a lot of folks don't like the way that drive channel sounds but on my Hot Rod deVille (4-10s) I liked the drive channel quite a bit and the more drive too.
Since I usually find I need at least three different distortion/overdrives to get thru a gig and 4 is even better; when I do use the Fender I just see it as 2 more dirty sounds or rather, 2 less pedals I need.
That's of course, when my deVille's working ... which is unpredictable enough that I don't use it anymore.
But when I did .... I liked what I could get out of using a light OD into the drive channel.