preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

[PoisonGodmachine]

you guys have pretty much convinced me to get selvania power tubes .and thats fine....but its been a year and half ..and ive done some pretty stupid things like leave my amp on for 2 or 3 days on standbye....i know im an idiot but i am only 17 and kinda space out sometimes....the ***** still works and shit...well everything except the effects loop for some reason..im taking it to get fixed in a couple of weeks...hopefully nothing is too messed up....oh by the way its a 5150 ....so i guess that goes to show you there pretty tough amps...i mean..leaving it on for so long... so you guys can b**** me out for being a retard...or ....you could tell me everything is gonna be fine..and what kind of preamp tubes i should..get..there all stock..so if you could please give me some opinions ......thank you

[JerryP]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Save your money and get JJ or Svetlana power tubes. Sylvania's are gonna cost more and the JJ's work great. Doug's Tubes has them cheap. He does a great job of matching and ships fast. I use the JJ's in the 5150's I mod. I like to mix preamp tubes. I use EH, Chinese, and JJ 12AX7's. I get them from Doug too. Preamp tubes generally last much longer than power tubes. If you have a tech around that has a tester you can have them tested. If the amp still sounds good they're probably still alright.
Jerry

[toddstaples]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

For a 5150, sovtek 12AX7WA...... At least in the first position......

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

I'd look to maybe the Tesla/JJs for that app. Although somewhat dark, they generally sound nice. And in such a high gain amp, they may ditch some of the buzzy sound they are known for. I had Tesla preamps and Power tubes in one and liked it a lot.

The cheaper Chinese would likely be a bit too buzzy for it. And the Sovteks probably too brittle.

[PoisonGodmachine]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

I am getting svetlana power tubes. That was a typo...sorry it looks alot like I wrote sylvania.

[slayer]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

I am still useing my VHT Silver Specials in my 1993 VHT Pittbull CLX-100, they were the best pre-amp tubes ever made, very high quality high gain Chinese made tubes, they seam you can`t kill them!! Jack.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Yeah, I have a couple that came in my VHT 2150, and they are VERY good sounding. Well, one out of the two is stellar, and the other is poo poo.

[PoisonGodmachine]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

now when i go to get this thing biased.....do tell the guy just to bias the power amp section of the amp..or do i just say..bias my amp to 39-40 milliamps..........its kinda a stupid question but i dont know jack about this stuff..

[JerryP]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Originally posted by PoisonGodmachine:
now when i go to get this thing biased.....do tell the guy just to bias the power amp section of the amp..or do i just say..bias my amp to 39-40 milliamps..........its kinda a stupid question but i dont know jack about this stuff..

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The only thing that gets biased is the power tubes. Just tell him you want it biased, he'll know what to do. As far as where it needs to be set, there's no set value that works on all amps. Each amp needs to be biased based on the voltages and tubes in that amp. The 5150 doesn't have an adjustable bias from the factory so you'll need to have the bias cicuit modified if you want it biased properly. From the factory the bias is set at around 15ma. Way too cold for good tone.
Jerry

[Twisteramps]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Svets are decent tubes, but 6L6 RCAs or Sylvanias will sound better imho... and they will last much longer.

Preamp tube wise... the chinese 'silver specials' sound good, but they sure don't beat mullards! Again, just my opinion. The Chinese SS tubes are high gain, but the mullards are 'high tone'. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Pete, Are you still coming across any old stock tubes like you were and testing them for sale?

I'll figure that the reason the other tubes get mentioned, is that they're readily available. The Mullards etc are harder to get for most people.

[Twisteramps]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Originally posted by Cleveland Metal:
Pete, Are you still coming across any old stock tubes like you were and testing them for sale?

I'll figure that the reason the other tubes get mentioned, is that they're readily available. The Mullards etc are harder to get for most people.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I believe www.kcanostubes.com has mullards and all sorts of rare tubes. Yeah, you pay more up front, but they last longer and to most people sound better. Ebay is an option if they really test the tubes - hard to tell for sure if you don't have a tester of your own. I lucked into a large stash of tubes, and still have some... but I'm holding onto what I have now for use in my custom amps.

Pete

[Soloist1]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

Mullards are definitely the most musical that I have tried. Think David Gilmore or Brian May. Vox used to use Mullard as stock tubes. Not sure if they still do.

[PoisonGodmachine]

Re: preamp tubes.....? do i need to change them?

so do i say anything to the guy about how hot i want the tubes burning? or do i just leave it up to him?