G
guitarobert
Member
Well said! but..
I've had a good experience being able to experiment with different tubes and seek the advice of others here. Yes, speakers and guitars make more of a difference in the tone, but tubes are a lot easier and more affordable to change. I've definitely seen a difference among the different families of tubes (EL34, 6L6, 6550). There's a certain clean that can only be had with one, a certain growl with another, etc. For example, I'd have to go through a lot of guitars and speakers to find a combination that gives an EL34 the bell-like chime of a 6L6 on the clean channels. But a simple tube swap can make it happen. So it's valuable for us to share that here to help others go in the direction they're looking to go tonally.
Audio is a sum of its parts and knowing how the tubes contribute helps achieve a tonal goal given the guitars and cabs we already own.
I don't think the amp company should be held accountable for tube quality problems. Of course, the stock set should be a reputable brand of good durability, but after that I wouldn't expect Diezel to be held accountable for poor tubes once they're swapped out. I know it's hard for customers to figure out what the root cause of a problem is, but the first thing I would check is the tubes before blaming the amp. If we all know which tubes are most durable and give the sound we're seeking we would experience less tube related issues. The market can figure out and communicate who the reputable dealers and brands are and reward the ones that are good. The only way we'll figure it out and tell others is by trying them and posting our good/bad experiences. So I encourage everyone to try different tubes and post their thoughts.
If I have any complaint it's that there should be externally accessible bias measurement point, or clearance to attach bias probes to tubes, and externally accessible bias adjustment points on all amps. It's a pain having to take the amp out of the chassis to access a trimpot on the PCB and to give clearance to attach bias probes to the tubes. It also gives the potential for the amp to be damaged during the biasing process. The amps would probably all fare much better if we never had to open them up and remove them from the chassis. And this would let us experiment more easily.
I've had a good experience being able to experiment with different tubes and seek the advice of others here. Yes, speakers and guitars make more of a difference in the tone, but tubes are a lot easier and more affordable to change. I've definitely seen a difference among the different families of tubes (EL34, 6L6, 6550). There's a certain clean that can only be had with one, a certain growl with another, etc. For example, I'd have to go through a lot of guitars and speakers to find a combination that gives an EL34 the bell-like chime of a 6L6 on the clean channels. But a simple tube swap can make it happen. So it's valuable for us to share that here to help others go in the direction they're looking to go tonally.
Audio is a sum of its parts and knowing how the tubes contribute helps achieve a tonal goal given the guitars and cabs we already own.
I don't think the amp company should be held accountable for tube quality problems. Of course, the stock set should be a reputable brand of good durability, but after that I wouldn't expect Diezel to be held accountable for poor tubes once they're swapped out. I know it's hard for customers to figure out what the root cause of a problem is, but the first thing I would check is the tubes before blaming the amp. If we all know which tubes are most durable and give the sound we're seeking we would experience less tube related issues. The market can figure out and communicate who the reputable dealers and brands are and reward the ones that are good. The only way we'll figure it out and tell others is by trying them and posting our good/bad experiences. So I encourage everyone to try different tubes and post their thoughts.
If I have any complaint it's that there should be externally accessible bias measurement point, or clearance to attach bias probes to tubes, and externally accessible bias adjustment points on all amps. It's a pain having to take the amp out of the chassis to access a trimpot on the PCB and to give clearance to attach bias probes to the tubes. It also gives the potential for the amp to be damaged during the biasing process. The amps would probably all fare much better if we never had to open them up and remove them from the chassis. And this would let us experiment more easily.
Check out my video I posted yesterday, it's in this same forum. I also have a comparison video I posted between EL-34's and 6550's that may be on the 2nd pr 3rd page, not too sure, check them out and let me know what you think!
