[psymetal]

maybe somebody that knows about tube amps could help me.ive got a fender deluxe 3 months old that started making this hum/squeeling sound last nite intermitantly even when i switched it to standby.it does have the stock grovetubes.is this something that a bad tube would do, it was on for about 4 hours when it did this?

 

[psymetal]

well i took it back today and it definiantly was one of the power tubes.im switching to electro-harmanix 6l6's and having it rebiased. has anybody ever had such a short life span on their tubes?

 

[3fingers]

yes. I have had poor luck with Chinese made tubes. I hate the lack of reliability of them. I have had a few go bad in different amps. They may be affordable initially, but in the long run, not worth the risk. It's a terrible feeling when it happens. Now I use Svetlana and when I have the cash..I stock up on some NOS RCA's. The latter being expensive, but they last forever and have incredable power in the 6550 variation. Count yourself lucky. A bad tube (or one that blows out) can damage the amp. This is the first time I have heard of a Groove Tube going bad. I guess it's a fluke because they are generally great tubes as well. To be honest, have that amp looked over. Also, possibly invest in a power conditioner. You could have sags/surges in your line quality. Give us a progress report on how it comes along.

 

[psymetal]

thanks 3 fingers i have it in the shop now and will have it back in a week or so and will post results.groove tubes are made in china and the usa ,fender uses the cheapest ones (chinese) :icon_frow . i guess i will see what the russian made electro-harmanix sound like

 

[Badams]

You know Groove tubes are just cheaply made tubes from what used to be Soviet Block countries. All they do is put their name on em and charge the hell out of you for the honor. Same with EH. Theres no tubes being made in the US .Its either Soviet Block or China.You're right. The old American made,also British and German tubes are killeer

 

[psymetal]

as it seems the russian tubes are BETTER than the chinese that my amp came with. it just bothers me that they only lasted 3 months.well it gives me a chance to play more with my vox ad15vt.

 

[psymetal]

got my amp back today and can hear a difference with the new tubes. definantly better tone. i like my vox ad15 but the fender kicks its ass.

 

[Badams]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Tube amps at times can be a bit of a pain
but they're the only way to go in my opinion. I did own at one time an old SS Standel 2x12 and it truly did sound sweet.It had the nicest sounding reverb that I believe I've ever heard.The tank was probably between 17"-19" long and 5.5"-6" wide. Some of the reverb tanks that Fenders using these days look like the belong in a Mattel See And Say or a Playscool toy.

 

[psymetal]

thanks badams .actually this fender has a nice big reverb and sounds good . i sold recently a marshall valvestate 8280 that had the tinyest reverb i have ever seen, and sounded weak. i plan on changing out the preamp tubes as well soon and doing a mod on the volume control replacing it with one that doesnt blast loud at 1, and then later putting a celestion then we will be rockin! :rock:

 

[Guest]

chop stix

You know what they say about Chinease food (you are hungry 1/2 hour after you eat)? The same is true with their tubes (useing them, not eating them).

The Chino tubes are known for good sound, Shhhoooooorrrt lift, cheap price. Thats what you get with forced prison labor camp quality control.

Groove tubes usually tell you if they are Chino tubes (even they know the Chinos are shit). Mostely, they are Russian, and I have even seen where they have Sovtek tubes relabeled GrooveTube with the Sovtek label still visible!

If you dont want to get the quality and longevity of NOS tubes, you are stuck with the major manufacturers: Sovtek, JJ Tesla, Svetlanna, ElectroHarmonix (nobody else is worth mentioning). The Sovteks are the best deal for the money, as they are the standard tubes for most Fender and Marshall amps (but they dont nescessarily sound the best).

I think that the Electroharmonix line of tubes is perhaps the best one-stop-shop tube brand you can get today. Their tubes generally are the highest in best sound (hishe and lows), longevity, lowest microphonics, and good priced. The 12AX7EH is the best, lowest microphonics 12AX7 you can get that not a NOS tube. They distort well, and are smooth and not grainy like the JJ 12AX7s.

Be sure if you require 6L6GC tubes you dont use 5881s or plain 6L6s: the GCs are rated for high voltages/disspiations. For example: the 6L6GC is the standard tube of the 5150 amp (plate voltage over 500 volts). If you stick the nice sounding 25-watt disipation 5881 in a 5150, you are sure yo generate 5,150.00 in repairs to you and your amp once those tubes blow.

I have a Peavey Butcher amp (PV made these beasts only for 12 months) I bought in 1986, and it puts 525 volts to those plates!!! That is voltage you expect on EL34s and 6550s, not a 6L6. I trust only Svetlanna SV6L6GCs or Sotek 6L6GC (WXTs) in that amp ONLY.

 

[psymetal]

afterspending a few weeks on this amp with the new electro harmonix power tubes rebiased slighty hotter, but still the stock chinese groove tubes. ive found out most of all that it sounds warmer at lower volumes, and that i dont get that jump quite as bad on the volume control between 0-1 (going from no volume too too much just by breathing on the knob).i seem to have more control of the sound overall . what would be the best affordable preamp tubes for classic rock that would'nt sacrafice the clean channel ? i dont use the dist channel at all because i use a boss ds1, boss sd1 super overdrive, and a digitech grunge petals to get any dist i could want.i like the sound of this amp but if i could get want a warmer brighter sound for not too much $ im game :icon_peac

 

[Guest]

Preamp tubes

I think the best GP tubes are the ElectroHarmonix.

The ElectroHarmonix 12AX7EHs are a good choice for an under 9.00/each tube. The have lots of definition (both highs and lows) for about any amp.

I find that most of the Sovtek preamp tubes are too dark sounding (for me), and the JJs, while great highs and lows, can suffer from unusable microphonics (high pitch whines and static sounds). I have hundreds of preamp tubes, and find myself buying the 12AX7EHs or high-end NOS tubes every time rather than use my 'other brands' I stock for repairs, replacements, and new builds (my stocks include JJ tesla, GrooveTube, Ei, Tungsram, Sovtek, and even Chino).

Now, 99 people may disagree with my love of the EH tubes, but I base that on my own observation, and having to re-replace tubes due to microphonics, 'wrong' sound, and price. I have not had an amp come back for re-warranty work that was tubed with ElectroHarmonix tubes (I hope that means they worked for the buyers! :doh: ).

I really like the Sovtek line as my 'gotta get it right first without testing' line of tubes. The EH tubes are slowly getting to be my first referral tube line, but right NOW, officially, I use Sovtek tubes, as they are the tube purveyor to Marshall, Fender, and everyone else.

I would not use Chinease tubes even if they were free. The bulk of amplifiers I have repaired have been from these cheap tubes going out and taking board parts with them resulting in sometimes over a hundred dollars of repair cost for customers.

The problem is that its not the fact Chino tubes are made as cheap as Bic lighters (use a little bit and pitch them), and they do accross the board sound great (Ruby Tubes like to use them). The problem with them is that Joe tube amp dude will spend 50.00 on power tubes and try to get every bit of life out of them. 30 years ago, tubes had lives of 5,000 to 30,000 hours, but today 2,000 of constant use will spank any modern tube (remember that if you work at a job 8 hours per day, 7 days per week, thats a little over 2000 hours: working musicians).

I would re-tube at around 1,000 of normal use, and half that for max volume users of any modern manufacturer. That way, you are never likely to run into board repairs from tubes Jubilee. :shock:

 

[Smellybum5150]

Hot rod deluxe fart....

Yeah

I had the same thing - went to Denmark St. London tried one bought it - had them ship it to my house in Scotland ('cause it's light but no hand lugguage!!)

anyway, I kicked up hell cause one month later it was crackling and then died - turned out the valves weren't seated properly so I got a replacement and the shop returned it to fender -

it take it your deluxe was made in mexico ? - mine was - wondered if it was a friday afternoon one ?!

Anyway new one is cool and that's over a year now with no problems at all.... hope that helps.


Smellybum :jot: