kickaxeguitars Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Myles, let me start out by saying "THANK YOU" for your time and knowlege.. I've read through 1 1/2 hours of posts and you certainly seem to know what you're taling about. My question(s) to you concern my recent aquisition of a Peavey XXX 40 watt EFX Combo. 1) Peavey chose 2 Ruby 6L6 CM-ST for power tubes, and 3 EH 12 AX7 EH for pre-amp tubes. My only complaint is the amp is SO noisy. Is this generally a pre-amp tube or power amp tube issue? Is there a brand/model of either or you recommend that is ULTRA gain but not so noicy? 2) I am a Distortion/Gain Addict.. I like to peel paint off the walls with my gain (ala Dimebag Darrell) I see alot of tube comparisons that always reference Old Fenders or old Marshalls.(Nothing against old school guys here) but I never see or hear of comparisons for Nu Metal players when it comes to sheer gain and distortion. Is their a trendy tube (6L6) that is "all the rage" in the metal world? 3) My Peavey has a bias switch feature that allows me to swap out the 6L6's for EL 34's. a)genreally speaking, what is the "more Metal"/high gain tube? b)Is this factory bias switch accurate enough to run ANY EL34 regardless of brand/plate ratings etc? Thanks in advance for your expertise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 1) Noise is usually a preamp tube rather than power tube issue. However the 12AX7EH is known as a low microphonics tube which is probably why it was chosen by Peavey for that amp. If the amp is noisy with this tube, it's probably a design or construction issue (hey, it's a Peavey!) or a signal path issue. Maybe try a different guitar cord. Are you using AC powered effects in your signal chain? If you are, there might be a ground loop. 2) Myles' tube primer discusses this. It can be downloaded here. 3) The 6L6 is known for it's fairly balanced sonic range. Most often used in Fender amps and in modern high gain amps with a "scooped midrange" sound where a lot of low end is desired. The EL-34 has a pronounced upper-midrange and a tighter, less boomy low end. Used in most Marshall amps. Also breaks up more easily than a 6L6. Good for classic rock and metal tones. Think Judas Priest/early Van Halen rather than Metallica. The bias switch will get you in the ballpark and will avoid damage to the tubes and amp. Any additional tweaking by a tech would be purely for tonal reasons. (BTW I'm not Myles. If you want to reach him, you should post on the "Ask Myles" thread.) "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Yeah, Gabriel's right (of course!). (Just in case you didn't already know, click on the word "here" in answer #2 above.) There's almost always a problem with some noise with a high-gain amp, to a degree it comes with the gain. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickaxeguitars Posted March 6, 2006 Author Share Posted March 6, 2006 Thanks for the info Gabriel.. I use no effects at all (the Peavey has 9 built in digital effects and I don't use them either) I guess the noice "comes with the territory" One more question.. My speaker cabinet has 2 different inputs. The first one says "Top" 4/8 Ohm, while the second says "Bottom 8 ohms. Does it matter which one I plug the amp into? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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