Looking for suggestions on Renegade Head tubes

  • Thread starter Thread starter Len Rabinowitz
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Len Rabinowitz

Len Rabinowitz

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Guys:

Kinda feel like just having some fun and playing around with the tubes in my Renegade. What's in there now is whatever came stock and it sounds good. But- always fun to play around and see what happens! Looking for some ideas. Here is what I have on hand for tubes to fool around with.

Preamp tubes:

Electro-harmonix 12ax7 made in Russia (2)
Ruby HG ecc83s also says jj on it
gt ecc83s
Ruby HG 12ax7
Penta Labs 12ax7a made in china
Sovtek 12ax7wa (6)
Something that looks like a 12ax7 but has no markings at all on it!

Power tubes:

3 sovtek 5881wxt made in Russia says egnater on front
3 ruby el34 bht
2 gt 6l6 c 9 red
2 ruby 6v6gts
2 tung sol 6v6 gt

I'm guessing that the ones I have 2 of are a matched pair, but I can't say for sure. Don't know about the ones I have three of. How much does this matter?

All suggestions welcome. Thanks!
 
Hey Len, I have a considerable amount of material I have printed off and been studying and from what I have read based on the tubes you have I recommend trying out this combo its very similar to what I am now running in my Renegade and my tone on both channels is quite nice to say the least..

Power tubes: 6l6 in clean side and El34's in gain side.

Preamp:
V1- Electro-harmonix 12ax7 (a russian tube and according to all I have read the best tone of the tubes you have...supposedly...)
V2- Electro-harmonix 12ax7
V3- Gt-Ecc83 (the highest consistent gain ratings of your tubes selection, thus the drive channel) also try switching these around with the EH in V1 and V2 apparently EH are all over the map with QC ?.
V4- Gt-Ecc83 (the highest consistent gain ratings of your tubes selection, thus the drive channel) also try switching these around with the EH in V1 and V2 apparently EH are all over the map with QC ?.
V5- Ruby Ecc83 (I dont use the effects loop and dont know if it affects the tone otherwise, but I have high gains in mine and my amp sounds great..so ?
V6 P.I.- Penta labs 12ax7a (this is a Chinese 12ax7..which should smooth out the clean channel as alot of info suggest they have a smoother tone.)

I would also recommend buying 2 Tung Sol 12ax7's and place them in the V1 and V2 postions especially if you run your effects straight into the front of the amp and use the clean channel mainly like I do....these are very highly rated and musical tubes and have changed my amp considerably for the better, strangely they are cheaper than most other 12ax7's and quieter as well.

This is based on the mega reading and little bit of swapping I have done which though I dont have a ton of experience I have good ears and I am very obsessed with details and tone so...give it a shot and report back...may or may not be it for you each tube really is its own just as each person is so who knows....but its an educated suggestion anyway.

This is what Im running and I am not very tempted to mess with it...though I probably will ...lol

Im running my effects straight into the front using the clean channel ... all tone and control settings are exactly as the manual shows on the Channel 1 Pristine setting.

Power tubes: stock Ruby 6l6's and El34's

Preamp:
V1 Tung Sol 12AX7 (said to be one of the most musical tubes)
V2 Tung Sol 12AX7
V3 GT 12AX7-R3 (Russian bright and articulate supposedly, a bit grainy...probably gonna switch it out to an Ecc83 or Mullard.. Ecc83 is on its way now..)
V4 GT 12AX7-R3 (probably be switching this out to an Ecc83 or Mullard)
V5 GT 12AX7-R3 (again dont know how if the effects loop affects tone when not being used but this is what I have in there...still learning..
V6 P.I. GT 12AX7-C (Chinese and said to smooth out the tone...alot of Marshall guys dig it apparently)
 
Cool! That might actually be what I ended up with - I'll check and give it a shot. Thanks!
 
Went with your suggestions- sound great! Very rich cleans and very drive-y overdrive. Only thing I didn't do was, although I already had the Ruby EL34's in, I had Sovtek 5881's in rather than 6L6's. Since I didn't feel like re-biasing I left the Sovteks in. Might try it later though. Thanks!
 
Glad to hear its working out for you Len,

I just wanted to note that I cant stress enough how much better the Tung Sol 12ax7's in V1 and V2 sound not to mention there only like 12 or 13$ a piece so do yourself the favor of picking some of those up you'll thank yourself ...the cleans will be so much richer...even my better half noticed it and said how beautiful my amp sounded....Im going to pick up half a dozen to try in other spots and just to have them around....
 
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