aeroic
Active member
So I did a fair amount of tube testing today and module swapping around.
DLX - Had 2 Chinese to start off in there. Nice warm, smooth sound, but not enough bite on the top end. Tried a Jan Philips 5751 in V1, and a Tung Sol 12ax7 in V2, and holy crap that module came alive. The chinese were a bit too gainy in that module, as I lost a fair amount of headroom with them. The Jan Philips 5751 in V1 made that module smooth still but really make it very organic and warm, with that chimey / sparkly top end known from Fender amps. The Tung Sol in V2 made the module a bit thicker and deeper, with tight and responsive lows / mids.
COD - Tried the 5751 in V1 and TS 12ax7 in V2, and wow, that amp came alive. That combo brought in some lows that I've always been missing with that module. But not sub, rumbly lows. Moreso low mids. Did the same with respect to headroom and tone. Any fender based module, I'd recommend the JP 5751 in V1 and TS 12ax7 in V2. I did a lot of other preamp swaps to get to this point, and I will have to say, that's the best both of those modules sound!!!
EG3/4 - (I did change the cap from a 250pf to a 500pf a while back, and am liking that. I will probably get a 625 and a 750pf and try those out sometime, but I'm really liking the 500pf). I had started off w/ two chinese here. I just changed V2 to a Tung Sol 12ax7, and it lit up a lot too! The chinese in V1 makes it very smooth and organic, while the TS in V2 really helps beef it up just a bit, and make it growl!
EG5 - I have had a Chinese in V1 and a Ruby 12ax7a in here for a LONG time and have been loving it. I tried a Chinese in V1/V2 and didn't like it compared to what I started with. Adds too much mids, and makes the module too mushy. I then tried 2 Ruby 12ax7a's and it lost that smoothness from what I started with. Actually lost a lot of its punch too. Note to self...Ruby's don't sound good in V1
. I then tried a Chinese in V1 and a Tung Sol 12ax7 in V2. Wow, it pulled the mids down just a hair (which i really liked!!) and again, brought the "beef" and punch that I didn't have before. I swapped back and forth from Chinese (v1) / Ruby (v2) to Chinese (v1) / Tung Sol (V2) about 4-5 times and jammed on them. I will have to say, the Chinese / Tung Sol really made that module even meaner!!!
I'll have to say, I'm really digging Tung Sols in V2 a lot. 4 out of the 4 modules I tested up to this point responded REALLY REALLY to the TS's in V2. The Fender based modules sounded great w/ 5751's in V1, and the higher gain modules sounded great w/ TS's in V2. I will have to say, so far for me, lower gain modules sound great w/ 5751s and higher gain modules sound great w/ Chinese 12ax7a's in V1, and the Tung Sol 12ax7 is a great tube for V2.
Just thought I'd share. Don't flame me for changing the EG3/4 again please. I'm happy that's all that matters!
Eric
DLX - Had 2 Chinese to start off in there. Nice warm, smooth sound, but not enough bite on the top end. Tried a Jan Philips 5751 in V1, and a Tung Sol 12ax7 in V2, and holy crap that module came alive. The chinese were a bit too gainy in that module, as I lost a fair amount of headroom with them. The Jan Philips 5751 in V1 made that module smooth still but really make it very organic and warm, with that chimey / sparkly top end known from Fender amps. The Tung Sol in V2 made the module a bit thicker and deeper, with tight and responsive lows / mids.
COD - Tried the 5751 in V1 and TS 12ax7 in V2, and wow, that amp came alive. That combo brought in some lows that I've always been missing with that module. But not sub, rumbly lows. Moreso low mids. Did the same with respect to headroom and tone. Any fender based module, I'd recommend the JP 5751 in V1 and TS 12ax7 in V2. I did a lot of other preamp swaps to get to this point, and I will have to say, that's the best both of those modules sound!!!
EG3/4 - (I did change the cap from a 250pf to a 500pf a while back, and am liking that. I will probably get a 625 and a 750pf and try those out sometime, but I'm really liking the 500pf). I had started off w/ two chinese here. I just changed V2 to a Tung Sol 12ax7, and it lit up a lot too! The chinese in V1 makes it very smooth and organic, while the TS in V2 really helps beef it up just a bit, and make it growl!
EG5 - I have had a Chinese in V1 and a Ruby 12ax7a in here for a LONG time and have been loving it. I tried a Chinese in V1/V2 and didn't like it compared to what I started with. Adds too much mids, and makes the module too mushy. I then tried 2 Ruby 12ax7a's and it lost that smoothness from what I started with. Actually lost a lot of its punch too. Note to self...Ruby's don't sound good in V1
. I then tried a Chinese in V1 and a Tung Sol 12ax7 in V2. Wow, it pulled the mids down just a hair (which i really liked!!) and again, brought the "beef" and punch that I didn't have before. I swapped back and forth from Chinese (v1) / Ruby (v2) to Chinese (v1) / Tung Sol (V2) about 4-5 times and jammed on them. I will have to say, the Chinese / Tung Sol really made that module even meaner!!!I'll have to say, I'm really digging Tung Sols in V2 a lot. 4 out of the 4 modules I tested up to this point responded REALLY REALLY to the TS's in V2. The Fender based modules sounded great w/ 5751's in V1, and the higher gain modules sounded great w/ TS's in V2. I will have to say, so far for me, lower gain modules sound great w/ 5751s and higher gain modules sound great w/ Chinese 12ax7a's in V1, and the Tung Sol 12ax7 is a great tube for V2.
Just thought I'd share. Don't flame me for changing the EG3/4 again please
. I'm happy that's all that matters!Eric
