Rollin.....

[GuitarGuy08]

Hello all,

Rolled 16 different RCA 12AX7 Blackplates in my Rivera to find the best balance/combination. I needed the amp/tubes to have a balanced, lush sound, that is also transparent. This was quite the task, I found. You would be amazed at how each tube will accent different frequencies. Also, the individual gain factors and balance of each plate. Some tubes sounded better in specific positions, etc. Fortunately, I only have 3 input slots to mess around with.

I finally have a trio, in the proper order/positions, to achieve what I was seeking. The speaker demo recording will begin to take place again and my Avatar speaker thread will be alive once again.

It's crazy how picky you can be if you want. Maybe something would sound really great and kilelr for a clean strat, but not work so much on the dirty channel by accenting too much in the bass or something. If you get too much gain going on, you'll find that everything has a sharp/gainy edge to it, which can be great or bad, depending on what you are seeking. I am extremely fortunate to hava that stash of RCAs lying around.

I went through several Long Grey-Plate variants but landed on Blackplates again every time, so I just went all BPs.

What a wonderful, time consuming thing this has been.


After the speaker comparisons, I may do some tube comparisons since I have several on hand, we shall see!


You guys ever find that specific tubes just sound better? Or that certain tubes don't work when mixed in certain order?

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

Hello all,

Rolled 16 different RCA 12AX7 Blackplates in my Rivera to find the best balance/combination. I needed the amp/tubes to have a balanced, lush sound, that is also transparent. This was quite the task, I found. You would be amazed at how each tube will accent different frequencies. Also, the individual gain factors and balance of each plate. Some tubes sounded better in specific positions, etc. Fortunately, I only have 3 input slots to mess around with.

I finally have a trio, in the proper order/positions, to achieve what I was seeking. The speaker demo recording will begin to take place again and my Avatar speaker thread will be alive once again.

It's crazy how picky you can be if you want. Maybe something would sound really great and kilelr for a clean strat, but not work so much on the dirty channel by accenting too much in the bass or something. If you get too much gain going on, you'll find that everything has a sharp/gainy edge to it, which can be great or bad, depending on what you are seeking. I am extremely fortunate to hava that stash of RCAs lying around.

I went through several Long Grey-Plate variants but landed on Blackplates again every time, so I just went all BPs.

What a wonderful, time consuming thing this has been.


After the speaker comparisons, I may do some tube comparisons since I have several on hand, we shall see!


You guys ever find that specific tubes just sound better? Or that certain tubes don't work when mixed in certain order?

So, You like the RCA’s for clean tones, not for higher gain, right?

 

[GuitarGuy08]

So, You like the RCA’s for clean tones, not for higher gain, right?

Incorrect, the RCA Blackplates KILL with gain. The BPs hold together the most of any tube when gain is a factor. This is one of the most deciding factors for me, as I primarily play heavier music. RCA BPs will distort faster than other tubes but always retain the core/fundamental tone of the guitar throughout. I can stack on gain, and still have that clarity.

Now, if you are talking about Greyplate variants, those can be hit or miss as far as OD/Clean tones go.

Example: Mullards are always great for OD but I find them lacking for effects or for clean use.

 

[GuitarGuy08]

Fuzz Audio's description of the RCA Blackplate is pretty dead on IME:

"RCA 12AX7 black plates' distorted sound is legendary, with lows, mids, and highs all staying more defined than any other tube. If you like fuzz, or play heavy rock and roll- the black plate is for you.

That being said, black plates can be a tad noisy and if you are trying to avoid noise, these may not be a great choice. Likewise, if you play clean.. these should not be considered as they reduce headroom (breakup sooner) and again, can be noisy."



My amp has a crazy high headroom channel, so I can't speak on them not being as good for clean, because they are absolutely STUNNING for clean in this amp. The RCA BPs make my guitar 'sound the biggest'. Since my amp is basically a 60s Blackface and 50s tweed on the clean channel(s), they marry together extremely well with the 1950s tubes.

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

Glad you found your holy grail of tone, GG08.
That’s wonderful!

It’s a great feeling when we find our own magic sauce for killer tones