preamp tubes help!

[T-Town]

What preamp tubes should I use in a Marshall tsl head? I'm looking for a 80's metal to modern sound. [img]/images/graemlins/help.gif[/img]

[MetalGrasshopper]

Re: preamp tubes help!

12AX7 (ECC83)...standard preamp tubes.

[T-Town]

Re: preamp tubes help!

What brand is the best for this type of sound?

[Chuckracer]

Re: preamp tubes help!

The differences in tube sounds are subtle at best, and really much more noticable in high end gear. There aren't any "this tube is good for this and this tube is good for that" rules.
Expirement.

[MetalGrasshopper]

Re: preamp tubes help!

I prefer JJ tubes myself...The ECC83S is nice

[jtr]

Re: preamp tubes help!

Mullard if you can find them are the best but they haven't made them since mid 70's.

[Twisteramps]

Re: preamp tubes help!

the 'best' tube is pretty debateable. Let me see what I can dig up here (somewhere in this mess I have some Chinese 12ax7A that are 9th generation, some 'silver special' chinese, some real mullards, maybe even a telefunken and soem JJs, USA GEs, RCAs and others. We're in the same town, if I can find em you can come over and we can plug em in and see what happens.

Pete

[spencer4hire]

Re: preamp tubes help!

Pete that is too cool of you to make that offer. You rock!

[CZSER]

Re: preamp tubes help!

You should try different brands, at each channel's gain tube. Cathode followers & phase inverters are not so determinative in the final sound.
At this time I've tried Sovtek 12AX7 WA(don't like them due to its "harshness"/bright) & Haltron 12AX7 A, which are supposed to be NOS, but like GT, Haltron was in the seventies a labeler, not a builder. Haltron 12AX7 A: far better than Sovtek 12AX7 WA, more detailed, warm, less microphonic, less noise & higher gain, many a Vox AC30 still have the original Haltron ECC83's inside.
A Friend uses Electro Harmonix 12AX7 EH, end he is very happy with their tone. My opinion, diffent tubes brands make different sound, not as dramatic as "80's sound or modern sound", just in the warmer/harder, detailed/less detailed, and the other items I compared Haltron tubes.
Try different brands at different sockets, even a 12AT7 for less gain/smoother tone of the channel where it is attached(or at the phase inverter also).

[T-Town]

Re: preamp tubes help!

Yes indeed Pete rocks. I went over to his house some time back to pick up a guitar....He took the time to look at my marshall, and I got to hear one of the twister amps. So HELL yes I would love to bring the marshall back over sometime just let me know. Billy