Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

[jgcable]

I want to retube my little Studio .22
Does anybody have any experience in retubing this amp? What do you suggest?

[bluebullet]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

i re tubed my mesa subway rocket which should be similar to your .22 i went with jj's from eurotubes and they sound really good i went with the high gain preamp tubes a balanced preamp tube for v4 and el84's that were rated for early breakup you can send him a email and tell him what kind of amp you have and what kind of music you play and he will make a recomendation

[Chuckracer]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

I like the EH's in mine.

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

chuck, what kind of sound were you going for?

[Chuckracer]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

Well, either I'm deaf, or tubes don't make much difference in the .22's. I tried the JJ's and thought they were a little harsh...brittle. The only other tube I've run in it are the EH's. Smoother break up, more girth. "Girthy". It was a subtle difference, though.

I'm also running a JAN 5751 in V1, EH's in the rest with a balanced triode in the PI slot. I like the 5751 in V1. Calms down the distortion a little. Makes it less...spattery, I guess. I run my pre at 7.

I'm not going for any sound I can reference by pointing to anybody elses sound. Just want what sounds good to me.

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

I would like to tone the gain down on mine. I usually have the gain set around 5. I would like to make the amp more balanced between the lead and rhythm "channels". I guess basically what I am looking for is less gain with a little more smoothness but more punch and girth. More like a Mark II. I am pretty sure the tubes are original and my Studio .22 is a very early one so it is most likley early 80's. I would figure even a stock tube change would freshen her up. I just LOVE this amp. Out of every amp I have ever owned it is by far my favorite. It is the only amp I have ever owned that actually has its own personality.

[Chuckracer]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

I really like the 5751 tube in V1. I did the same thing in my SLO, with great results there as well. Highly recommended.

.22's are cool. Mine is an early one as well, and I think you are right, there is a sonic difference between the early metal toggle ones and the later rocker switch amps. I had both at the same time and was able to A/B them through the same cab. Gimme an old one! The schematic is VERY different.

Cool amps. Unfortunately, I may have to sell mine if the Peters is as cool as it should be.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

i've got the next step up (.50 cal) and i run a mesa spax7 (there high gainer with the rubber sleeve)in V1 and the EH pres in the rest. currently i have sovteks in the power section. think i should change them out to something eles?

[Twisteramps]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

I should have some clips recorded soon of my EL84 .50 running EH, JJ and Mesa (sovtek) power tubes.

Pete

[jgcable]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

I am gonna wait until I hear Pete's clips.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Mesa Studio 22 tube suggestions

It may be a little while until I do the .50 clips, since I have the soldano coming in tomorrow. *!* If you look in the thread list, there's one I put up with EL84 comparison clips on an amp I built that only uses one, and is pretty cranked, so you can hear the 'tube tone'.

Pete