Tube comparrisons in Preamps???

  • Thread starter Thread starter WERNER 1
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WERNER 1

WERNER 1

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I'm not sure if I'm in the right section or not for this, but I'll throw it out there any way. :)

I've got a SP VTB-1 preamp, and was kicking around the idea of swapping out tubes for a different or better sound. I see there is another post of similar content on this forum, but I was wondering about this preamp specifically.

I've got a pretty good selection of current production 12AX7's as I do a lot of tube swapping with all of my Guitar amps. I've found that changing the preamp tubes can have a very significant change in the over all sound and character of the amp, but I don't know if this will translate over to a mic preamp or not.

Has anyone experimented with swapping out different tubes in mic pre's?

Tubes I have on hand:

All are 12AX7's

GT-M
GT-R
Tungsol
EI gold
JJ803s
Sovetek LPS
Sovetek WA
EH
Ruby


Thanks in advance for all your help on this!!

Rick
 
Ok, I'm not "feelin' the love" here.........am I in the wrong forum for this? :(

I can't believe as anal as a lot of folks are on here about their sound and all the tweaking of this and that that goes on, that no one has messed with changing out tubes??.............

Rick
 
Well, to be honest, your idea is pretty much along the same lines as tweaking a couple of extra horses out of a Chevy Sprint - sure you can do it, but what's the point?
 
Since you've got the preamp and you've got the tubes, the only way you'll really know the answer to your question is to pop the top off the preamp and try it for yourself. same as you did experimenting with your amp. Then tell *us* what it sounds like!
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
Well, to be honest, your idea is pretty much along the same lines as tweaking a couple of extra horses out of a Chevy Sprint - sure you can do it, but what's the point?
Click to expand...


More like testing out different performance tires on your car but you are running them all flat.
 
The thing is, you can hear differences between tubes even in low voltage designs. It's not as pronounced, but it is still there. Since he already has the preamp and all the different tubes, seems like a fun afternoon's project to try them all out and compare. Good harmless fun for all! :p
 
I figured you guys would get me on that one after I re read my original post..:) ........The thing is I havn't had time to set up my "studio" yet,...even though I've purchased everything that I need. I'm taking some vacation time in a couple of weeks and hopefully I'll be able to set aside a day to dedicate to getting everything set up.........Then I will be testing the tubes out in the preamp. :D

I'll post my results here.

Thanks for all of the input so far!!

Rick
 
Well??????????? It's been hours!!!! What's taking so long???????????? :D :D :D :D :D :D

Seriously, I'd like to know what you find....
 
you shoud really try some NOS/used old prod. tubes. i'm not sure how much impact they'll have on a mic-pre, i know they for sure make a difference in my guitar amps.

mullard
brimar
telefunken
RCA
Amperex
westinghouse
sylvania
ge
raytheon
..to name a few.
 
I've been reluctant to try "NOS" tubes as for one they are more expensive as a whole, and two, ...I'm afraid I might like what I hear-----> which will lead me back to point "1". :( :)

I originally thought this whole preamp tube thing was a farce to begin with, but I decided to do some testing for my self to put the myth to rest........ Man was I in for a rude awakening! There's almost a science to it as tubes that sound good in some amps don't always sound good in others.

One of the best current production 12AX7's for a clean channel in my opinion is the Tungsol........very warm and chimey! But on amps where the clean and lead channels share the tube, I sacrifice the clean channel for a better lead tone.........usully using a JJ803 or an EH........and as before different amps react differently to these changes/swaps.

Any good lines on some NOS stuff at decent prices???

I know a few guys who swear by the Brimar (?)

Rick
 
on ebay, many deals can still be had on preamp tubes. you're going to pay top-dollar for mullards, brimars, telefunkens (unless you're able to spot some relabelled ones that slip under the radar). it's the audiophiles that boost these prices to ridiculous heights, not guitar players. :)

many deals can be had on GE's, Sylvania's, some RCA's.

let me put it this way, after i heard the difference of using NOS/used tubes in my vintage Hiwatt's and Fender Bandmaster--i invested $1K in preamp tubes (mainly 12ax7/ecc83). for that $1K i was able to get around 105-110 tubes--some were mullards that i paid $20 or more each, some were GE's that i ended up getting for $3 each. if you average it out, i paid about $10 per tube. that's what you pay for a typical new production tube, and less that the "premium" ones like the groove-tubes mullard copy etc.

again, i have yet to explore NOS/used in my Brick mic pre--but i can assure you that they do make a difference in guitar amps, especially vintage ones.

you really should hunt down some deals and try a couple out for yourself.
 
Since you've got so many you should just sell me a couple :D

I'm sure that I'll move into that area in do time, but some of my amps are down right expensive to retube! (I've got 2 - Carvin Quad X 4 Channel Tube preamps that have 9 12AX7's.....EACH! :eek: ----- Only the first 4 effect the sound though :) )

Thanks for all of your input and info on this!!

Rick
 
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