Neilo Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I read somewhere about replacing the tubes in my Hammond XK3 with a pair of 12Ax7 tubes. Don't understand the tech side of things. What will this do for me? I'm always looking for ways to improve my sound but don't want to do something if it's going to have little or no effect. I've had the XK3 for a couple of years, and for what it is, I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 It changes the tone. The new manufacture tubes tend to roll off some of the highs and lows so the tone isn't as full as it can be and the overdrive can be a little fizzy because of that. Here is a link: https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/1183787/1 There is a lot of information in this thread regarding trying different tubes (starting near the bottom of page 3). Old 50's/60's era tubes sound the best (IMO). I have had a 12AT7 in the V1 socket feeding into a 12BZ7 in the V2 socket for over 2 years now and it sounds fantastic (to me). I've had at least a dozen different pairs of tubes in mine during the 2 - 3 years before that. Mostly used tubes I bought on eBay. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilo Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 thanks so much for the reply and the thread. Sounds like this might be something I should try...as long as I can get it back together!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 It takes about 5 minutes at the most. The 4 screws across the back and the 4 small headed screws to the left and right of the drawbars (2 on each side) come out. The larger headed screws near the ends stay in. The lid then just lifts up. The clips slide off the tops of the tubes. The lid is a bit of a tight fit so be careful reinstalling it and make sure the metal tabs are lined up inside the frame of the XK-3 or you could scratch the paint a little. As long as you are in there you might as well replace the backup battery. It is on the main board. You would need to lift the cover off of that. It is a CR2032 battery. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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