Finally bought myself a new amp! PEAVEY!!!

[RitchieDarling]

But I have no idea what to buy. Bass amps I know. Guitar amps? I have no clue. So, toss me some suggestions. The guitar is a Ricky 360 6-string type a la Roger McGuinn. And I prefer a clean sound with just a bit of reverb and/or chorus.

Ritchie

P.S. No tubes please. I loathe tubes!

[candid_x]

Junior,

I’m not familiar with your specific amp, but I wouldn’t let a bad review on Harmony discourage you from enjoying your new amp. There’s lemons in all but the best hand wired amps, and some of the low cost imports coming out of the east are fantastic values.

On your volume, if I understand correctly, if your master volume’s on 5 (of 10), and your gain is 4 (of 10), on a 50 watt 6L6 amp, it probably should be plenty loud. But each amp’s gain structure is different; plus all the extra features they pile into the amp can all effect gain and volume levels.

Someone mentioned speakers and tubes, and I agree that they can make a huge difference in the tone your amp will produce. The Eminence line has some great speakers, and they’re not that expensive. I prefer them over what Celestion is importing these days. My 50 watt amps are loaded with JJ 6L6’s, and I love ‘em. Groove Tube’s GT6L6GE is another great sounding output tube, imo. For an inexpensive re-tube of your 12AX7 preamp tubes, JJ ECC83S is a good place to start. You can get all boutique-kee with NOS tubes later, if you become a tone freak. I’ve tried a number of Eminence’s speakers, including their Patriot Series, and chose the Wizard and Legend GB128, which sound amazing together.

But the main thing for now, I think, is to relax and have fun with your new amp. From what I’ve read, it kicks ass!

[peterd79]

i have this amp and i love it... i'm actually swapping out the tubes tomorrow in time for church... my 412 is insane... and last sunday it sounded incredible... i hope the new tubes takes it over the edge with tone and clarity!

[candid_x]

Great points, Gary. Tubes are the first place to look for a problem, especially after being kicked cross country by UPS.

Tubes and speakers also take a fair amount of playing time to break in.

Side notes:
Using a balanced triode tube in your phase inverter spot can really open an amp up.
V1 tube shapes an amp's tone, so it's the place to experiement. The other V spots should be something stable, not exotic. I'm a big fan of JJ ECC83S in the gain stages, and they're inexpensive. Avoid the JJ ECC803 long plate tube in combos and in gain stages, as they tend to be microphonic. In a head, they can sound great in V1, especially if you're looking to fatten the tone up. (Just sent one to my son for his Marshall DSL 2000, and he loves it.)

Hope this tube talk doesn't derail the thread...

[Junior]

Good point guys

It indeed was driven all across the country to get to my place.

But I don't want to do anything by myself. I'll wait 'till I get and experienced man to help me out.

Thanks a lot, you really helped me!

[fsmith]

Originally Posted by RitchieDarling

But I have no idea what to buy. Bass amps I know. Guitar amps? I have no clue. So, toss me some suggestions. The guitar is a Ricky 360 6-string type a la Roger McGuinn. And I prefer a clean sound with just a bit of reverb and/or chorus.

Ritchie

P.S. No tubes please. I loathe tubes!

If you want built in chorus and reverb I'd suggest the Roland Cube Series. You're choice on size, they have a 15, 30, 60, or the MicroCube. They have built in effects and sound really nice.

Excellent cleans and it can get dirty as all get out if needed.

fred

[peterd79]

tubes...tubes...tubes

I am a worship leader at my church and play electric guitar... i want to swap out my tubes... im a tone junkie... and want to go with Groove Tubes... what do you think about replacing them 24 hours before a worship service... is that stupid? should i buy 'em and wait and install them on Monday so i don't screw up the tone for Sunday morning?

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Originally Posted by peterd79

tubes...tubes...tubes

I am a worship leader at my church and play electric guitar... i want to swap out my tubes... im a tone junkie... and want to go with Groove Tubes... what do you think about replacing them 24 hours before a worship service... is that stupid? should i buy 'em and wait and install them on Monday so i don't screw up the tone for Sunday morning?

In my experience it should not make a great deal of difference. If you are paranoid about it, it might be worth waiting until after your service.

[peterd79]

ok... thanks TIM...

im a bit paranoid about gear breakin down because of mods i've made...

i did a phase reverse mod on a strat once 10 minutes before i played... sounded funny... that only lasted for a song and it was back to the basics...

[candid_x]

Agree with Tim. I’d warm them up for 15 minutes, play through them awhile. If everything checks out, they should be good to go. If a tube is bad, you’ll know it right away. My only point about break-in period is that they generally sound better after some play time.

Curious which GT’s you’re installing.

fellow tone junkie

[peterd79]

i'm not sure what to put in... what do you reccommend?

[candid_x]

Peter,

Tubes and tone are a matter of personal preference. As I’ve mentioned, I’m very fond of the JJ 6L6 (I think your new amp uses 6L6?) in the output section. My second choice is Groove Tube’s GT6L6GE, which is Groove tube’s reissue of the old GE 6L6. But these are just my preferences for my tone. Make sure your output tubes are matched, and though I hate to say it, your amp should be rebiased when your output tubes are replaced.

For preamp tubes, I’m fond of the JJ ECC83S , which can be used in every V spot with good results. This combination generally produces some sweet harmonic content with very good highs and lows. For a more straight ahead sound without as rich of harmonics (imo), Electro Harmonix EH12AX7 is pretty popular among Marshall users. For high gain applications, many players like the Sovtek 12AX7LPS. Another good choice, though more spendy is the GT12AX7-M, which is Groove Tube’s reissue of the original Mullard. Whichever preamp tube you choose, it’s a good idea to order one with balanced triodes for your phase inverter spot.

It can get pretty complex if you get into it. I could recommend JJ’s across the board, and I think you’d like them, especially if you like some sweetness with your crunch.

I buy most of my tubes from Doug’s Tubes http://www.dougstubes.com . If you have questions about anything I’ve said here, Doug will gladly answer them. Or, you can ask here or email me directly. candid@frontiernet.net .

Hope this helps a little. It’s a bit of a hassle getting into tubes at first, but the results are worth it in spades.

Also, expensive doesn't always equal better. JJ's are pretty cheap, while reissues and NOS are not.

Bruce

[Filthy_Phil]

I'd love to get the time to have a side by side comparison play with one of those and my old Peavey Prowler.