Feel free to ask Myles

[Sauce]

Ahh great. Thanks loads Myles. Your constant patience and knowledge are very much appreciated.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Hmm interesting. Thanks a lot Myles. What about the 6BK7B's and the 6AW8A's?

 

 

Not used in rational guitar amps.

 

 

Well, I want a

very IRRATIONAL amp!!

 

Maybe, maybe a cross between a Tone King Galaxy, a Perplexing Plexi, and a Deizel, with weird discontinued tubes and old eliptical-shaped Gretchsh speakers in it... maybe that would be an irrational amp, huh?

[myles_rose]

Hmm interesting. Thanks a lot Myles. What about the 6BK7B's and the 6AW8A's?

 

 

Not used in rational guitar amps.

 

 

Stray too far from the "Holy Trinity" (Fender-Marshall-Vox) and you might be playing with no audience

 

 

 

Well, I want a

very IRRATIONAL amp!!

 

Maybe, maybe a cross between a Tone King Galaxy, a Perplexing Plexi, and a Deizel, with weird discontinued tubes and old eliptical-shaped Gretchsh speakers in it... maybe that would be an irrational amp, huh?

[Caevan O’Shite]

Now, that'd be irrationality in action!

 

Sorry to have hijacked this thread with such wise-@$$ posts, Myles!

 

[Junior 1]

Hi Myles,

I'm about to do my speaker swap on the G-DEC Jr. Can I install an extension speaker jack that would mute the internal speaker when I use it, or would I have to use the jack like the one in my Valve Junior. In the VJ the speaker has it's own 1/4 inch plug and you just unplug it when you want to use a different cab.

Thanks

Tony

[myles_rose]

Hi Myles,

I'm about to do my speaker swap on the G-DEC Jr. Can I install an extension speaker jack that would mute the internal speaker when I use it, or would I have to use the jack like the one in my Valve Junior. In the VJ the speaker has it's own 1/4 inch plug and you just unplug it when you want to use a different cab.

Thanks

Tony

 

Tony,

 

I would need to see how the speaker jack was wired in originally.

 

 

[Junior 1]

Hi Myles,

The G-DEC does not have a speaker jack. I'd like to install one, so I can use a larger cabinet, and mute the 8" speaker.

Thanks

Tony

[myles_rose]

Hi Myles,

The G-DEC does not have a speaker jack. I'd like to install one, so I can use a larger cabinet, and mute the 8" speaker.

Thanks

Tony

 

A decent tech could do that in a few minutes.

 

 

[awalsh]

Hi Myles,

I have a basic question about matching speaker wattage for two speakers and how it effects the amp.

 

I have a 65 watt music man combo with a 12" 100 watt jensen installed. I also have a close backed extension cab with a 12" jenson mod 70 watt speaker.

they're both 8ohms and the amp switches between 8 & 4 ohms, so the ohms are fine.

Is the amp being damaged in any way if the speaker wattage doesn't match? Will the amp work more efficiently with matching wattage in the speakers?(translate into sound better...subjective I know)

 

the volume seems to be similar, or at least i can't really hear a difference when they're both hooked up. I'm thinking about replacing the speaker in the combo with a matching jensen mod because that speaker adds a little grit which i like. But having two of that speaker might be too much, so I'd be happy leaving things alone as long as it doesn't hurt the amp.

 

any wisdom on this would be appreciated,

Alex

[myles_rose]

Hi Myles,

I have a basic question about matching speaker wattage for two speakers and how it effects the amp.

 

I have a 65 watt music man combo with a 12" 100 watt jensen installed. I also have a close backed extension cab with a 12" jenson mod 70 watt speaker.

they're both 8ohms and the amp switches between 8 & 4 ohms, so the ohms are fine.

Is the amp being damaged in any way if the speaker wattage doesn't match? Will the amp work more efficiently with matching wattage in the speakers?(translate into sound better...subjective I know)

 

the volume seems to be similar, or at least i can't really hear a difference when they're both hooked up. I'm thinking about replacing the speaker in the combo with a matching jensen mod because that speaker adds a little grit which i like. But having two of that speaker might be too much, so I'd be happy leaving things alone as long as it doesn't hurt the amp.

 

any wisdom on this would be appreciated,

Alex

 

Alex,

 

Just be careful that the amp's wattage does not exceed the speaker or cabinet rating or if you do be careful in regard to volume settings on the amp.

 

Always match the speaker impedance to the proper setting on the amplifier. This is critical in the aspect of not having the load of the speakers be lower than the amp setting. You may have a higher speaker load into a lower amp impedance setting safely (such as an 8 ohm speaker load into an amp setting of 4 ohms) but NOT the other way around. Using this setup you may notice a decrease in output but it is safe unlike using a 4 ohm cabinet with the amp set at 8 or 16 ohms.

 

 

 

 

[awalsh]

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

looks like you have a jensen mod speaker going into that amp in your avatar. I like the one i have. it sounds really well balanced and the british sound on top makes it sound really natural with overdrive pedals or the breakup of my music man amp. it's replacing a celestion 70/80 in the ext. cab, and i also tried a emminence Governor speaker in there. the jensen mod sounded best to me.

Cheers,

Alex

 

[myles_rose]

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

looks like you have a jensen mod speaker going into that amp in your avatar. I like the one i have. it sounds really well balanced and the british sound on top makes it sound really natural with overdrive pedals or the breakup of my music man amp. it's replacing a celestion 70/80 in the ext. cab, and i also tried a emminence Governor speaker in there. the jensen mod sounded best to me.

Cheers,

Alex

 

Alex,

 

The mod 70 is a pretty cool speaker in the deluxe reverb. It is more efficient than the stock speaker and has some of the British flair. I use them in a few of the Deluxe Reverbs I supply to folks.

 

 

[Caevan O’Shite]

While you're on the topic of these Jensen Mod speakers...

 

How do you think a Jensen Mod would sound in my Carvin 'Vintage 33' (a 1x12, with the GT "SAG" Hi-Gain tube-set & a Mullard-remake MPI in it)?

 

And, how about a pair of 12" Jensen Mods in an open-back cab for a vintage Silvertone 1482 "head"? (An unknown previous owner converted the 1x12 combo to a "head" sometime in its distant past.) It's a 2x6V6 affair with tiny little anemic transformers... I do not have a speaker-cab for it yet, but I think I want a 2x12 and I like the description above concerning the Mod's having a Brit flavor on top.(And, yes, I do know that I'll want to use a pair of impedances wired accordingly to yeild the correct impedance for the output-transformer.)

 

With both of these amps, I'll be wanting as much touch-sensitivity and clean-to-overdrive range with the guitar's volume-pot as possible; I play fingerstyle 100% of the time, and vary the cleanness to overdrivenness by my touch and rolling the guitar's vol'-knob up and down. I also prefer as much harmonic-swirl as I can get, as well.

 

(Hehh-hehh- I've been using the Carvin's "Soak"-channel almost exclusively, for clean as well as overdriven tones, just by setting it louder than I intend to play and rolling the guitar's vol. up-and-down like that... Nice, fat, warm, full clean-tones, and I never hit a switch!)

[myles_rose]

While you're on the topic of these Jensen Mod speakers...

 

How do you think a Jensen Mod would sound in my Carvin 'Vintage 33' (a 1x12, with the GT "SAG" Hi-Gain tube-set & a Mullard-remake MPI in it)?

 

And, how about a pair of 12" Jensen Mods in an open-back cab for a vintage Silvertone 1482 "head"? (An unknown previous owner converted the 1x12 combo to a "head" sometime in its distant past.) It's a 2x6V6 affair with tiny little anemic transformers... I do not have a speaker-cab for it yet, but I think I want a 2x12 and I like the description above concerning the Mod's having a Brit flavor on top.(And, yes, I do know that I'll want to use a pair of impedances wired accordingly to yeild the correct impedance for the output-transformer.)

 

With both of these amps, I'll be wanting as much touch-sensitivity and clean-to-overdrive range with the guitar's volume-pot as possible; I play fingerstyle 100% of the time, and vary the cleanness to overdrivenness by my touch and rolling the guitar's vol'-knob up and down. I also prefer as much harmonic-swirl as I can get, as well.

 

(Hehh-hehh- I've been using the Carvin's "Soak"-channel almost exclusively, for clean as well as overdriven tones, just by setting it louder than I intend to play and rolling the guitar's vol. up-and-down like that... Nice, fat, warm, full clean-tones, and I never hit a switch!)

 

 

It all boils down to personal taste and preference.

 

 

[ABGBrian]

Myles,

 

I'm from the bass forum and was told to post my question here about a problem I'm having with a '74 Ampeg B25B. I'd appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks

 

Here's the thread link

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1824211/page/1/gonew/1#UNREAD

[myles_rose]

Myles,

 

I'm from the bass forum and was told to post my question here about a problem I'm having with a '74 Ampeg B25B. I'd appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks

 

Here's the thread link

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1824211/page/1/gonew/1#UNREAD

 

Head over to your post .... I answered and hope it helps.

 

 

[Mudcat]

Myles,

I have a Music Man RP120. The reverb on this amp has never sounded right since I got it years ago(there were at least two owners before me). I have cleaned the contact points on the tank in & out as well as the in & out on the amp itself. The reverb still sounds very quiet and is almost inaudible unless cranked to 10 (still very weak on that setting). It appears that some work may have been done on the tank at some point. Do you think the solution to this problem is simply replacing the tank?

 

Thanks in advance!

[myles_rose]

Myles,

I have a Music Man RP120. The reverb on this amp has never sounded right since I got it years ago(there were at least two owners before me). I have cleaned the contact points on the tank in & out as well as the in & out on the amp itself. The reverb still sounds very quiet and is almost inaudible unless cranked to 10 (still very weak on that setting). It appears that some work may have been done on the tank at some point. Do you think the solution to this problem is simply replacing the tank?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

The problem could be the tank but could be what drives the tank or amplifies the return signal from the tank. Those parts are all solid state devices.

 

Tanks are not pricy and you might want to check this first. A tech can check the impedance of the tank and check for physical connection issues within the tank which are common.

 

 

[Zephyr]

Hey Myles I have a question for you regarding the Groove Tubes Marshall High-Gain Kit: http://www.groovetubes.com/SAG-MHG_Marshall_High_Gain_Kit_P1737.cfm

 

If I were to put this into say a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, would it negatively affect the amp, such as cause damage to the amp (either long or short term)?

 

And what kind of gain increase can I expect? Would it be like turning the dial on the amp from 4-6 let's say?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Dan

[myles_rose]

Hey Myles I have a question for you regarding the Groove Tubes Marshall High-Gain Kit: http://www.groovetubes.com/SAG-MHG_Marshall_High_Gain_Kit_P1737.cfm

 

If I were to put this into say a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, would it negatively affect the amp, such as cause damage to the amp (either long or short term)?

 

And what kind of gain increase can I expect? Would it be like turning the dial on the amp from 4-6 let's say?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Dan

 

The amp will become much more agressive for a few reasons ....

 

1. The stock tube in the first gain stage of the amp is a Sovtek 12AX7WC. These tubes average on a good day a gain of less than 75. The MINIMUM gain for the two tubes in the MHG kit is 85 and most are over 90 easily on one or both sides. So, right there you have 10% more gain PER SIDE over a stock tube at the minimum.

 

2. The phase inverter in V6 is a 12AT7 and replacing it with the 12AX7 MPI will bring the agressive nature even higher. No adverse effects and in fact, the amp will run a bit cooler as the 12AX7 has about ten times less current draw than a 12AT7. Therefore, a little more plate voltage available for the gain stage than before.

 

I have a lot of clients that use the MHG kit in Fender tolex era amps.

 

There is also a FHG (Fender High Gain) kit that uses the 12AT7 phase inverter as the stock amp uses but it will not be as agressive as the MHG kit.

 

As far as what happen at what volume setting ... this is like to explain how chicken tastes .... it is a personal observation. But I can say that the stock amp at "4" on the volume will change dramatically at the same setting with the MHG kit installed.

 

I made up two of these kits today and both were already spoken for. Currently there may be none in stock and they can take a few days to build.

 

 

 

 

[Zephyr]

Thanks Myles, but one question I left out of my original post regards all the tubes in th 65 Deluxe Reverb. I understand it has 4 12AX7s, 2 12AT7's, 2 6V6's, and a 5AR4 as a rectifier. Do the 12AX7's act as the preamp tubes for vibrato and normal channels, and does one 12AT7 drive the output while the other drives the reverb? Correct me if I'm wrong so far.

 

Now, If I were to replace all 4 four of the 12AX7's with the MHG kit, would that in theory increase the gain even further? Or is that just overkill?

[myles_rose]

Thanks Myles, but one question I left out of my original post regards all the tubes in th 65 Deluxe Reverb. I understand it has 4 12AX7s, 2 12AT7's, 2 6V6's, and a 5AR4 as a rectifier. Do the 12AX7's act as the preamp tubes for vibrato and normal channels, and does one 12AT7 drive the output while the other drives the reverb? Correct me if I'm wrong so far.

 

Now, If I were to replace all 4 four of the 12AX7's with the MHG kit, would that in theory increase the gain even further? Or is that just overkill?

 

There are only two places of gain/tone stage in these amps ... V1 for the NORMAL channel and V2 for the VIBRATO channel. V1 is not shared in any way by the VIBRATO channel as a side note.

 

You would use the 3 tubes in the kit in V1, V2, and V6 only.

 

For tube function look here:

 

http://www.kcanostubes.com/content/newsletter_details.asp?ArticleID=5

 

 

[Mudcat]

Myles,

I have a Music Man RP120. The reverb on this amp has never sounded right since I got it years ago(there were at least two owners before me). I have cleaned the contact points on the tank in & out as well as the in & out on the amp itself. The reverb still sounds very quiet and is almost inaudible unless cranked to 10 (still very weak on that setting). It appears that some work may have been done on the tank at some point. Do you think the solution to this problem is simply replacing the tank?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

The problem could be the tank but could be what drives the tank or amplifies the return signal from the tank. Those parts are all solid state devices.

 

Tanks are not pricy and you might want to check this first. A tech can check the impedance of the tank and check for physical connection issues within the tank which are common.

 

 

As always - thanks for your prompt & helpful reply.

[myles_rose]

Myles,

I have a Music Man RP120. The reverb on this amp has never sounded right since I got it years ago(there were at least two owners before me). I have cleaned the contact points on the tank in & out as well as the in & out on the amp itself. The reverb still sounds very quiet and is almost inaudible unless cranked to 10 (still very weak on that setting). It appears that some work may have been done on the tank at some point. Do you think the solution to this problem is simply replacing the tank?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

The problem could be the tank but could be what drives the tank or amplifies the return signal from the tank. Those parts are all solid state devices.

 

Tanks are not pricy and you might want to check this first. A tech can check the impedance of the tank and check for physical connection issues within the tank which are common.

 

 

As always - thanks for your prompt & helpful reply.

 

You are quite welcome

 

 

[WaterMan]

Hey Myles,

 

What do you think of the GT-12AX7-M in a Victoria amp, and are they still on backorder? I'm in the process of ordering some tubes from GT on-line and they indicate out of stock but more in Sept. so it's hard to tell.

 

Thanks!

[myles_rose]

Hey Myles,

 

What do you think of the GT-12AX7-M in a Victoria amp, and are they still on backorder? I'm in the process of ordering some tubes from GT on-line and they indicate out of stock but more in Sept. so it's hard to tell.

 

Thanks!

 

Which Victoria amp?

 

These are still out of stock and Mid November is when they might be back in stock. Online orders will be filled on an oldest order in basis.

 

 

[WaterMan]

Hey Myles,

 

What do you think of the GT-12AX7-M in a Victoria amp, and are they still on backorder? I'm in the process of ordering some tubes from GT on-line and they indicate out of stock but more in Sept. so it's hard to tell.

 

Thanks!

 

Which Victoria amp?

 

These are still out of stock and Mid November is when they might be back in stock. Online orders will be filled on an oldest order in basis.

 

 

I have a custom Regal that can use either one or two power tubes. Any thoughts on an NOS Tung Sol blackplate 12AX7 in comparison to the GT?

[myles_rose]

Hey Myles,

 

What do you think of the GT-12AX7-M in a Victoria amp, and are they still on backorder? I'm in the process of ordering some tubes from GT on-line and they indicate out of stock but more in Sept. so it's hard to tell.

 

Thanks!

 

Which Victoria amp?

 

These are still out of stock and Mid November is when they might be back in stock. Online orders will be filled on an oldest order in basis.

 

 

I have a custom Regal that can use either one or two power tubes. Any thoughts on an NOS Tung Sol blackplate 12AX7 in comparison to the GT?

 

I think personally that the M would be too dark in the Regal. An NOS Tung Sol is about as good as it gets ... or an NOT Raytheon or Mazda for that amp.

 

A cool place to get this sort of stuff is www.kcanostubes.com

 

 

[WaterMan]

Hey Myles,

 

What do you think of the GT-12AX7-M in a Victoria amp, and are they still on backorder? I'm in the process of ordering some tubes from GT on-line and they indicate out of stock but more in Sept. so it's hard to tell.

 

Thanks!

 

Which Victoria amp?

 

These are still out of stock and Mid November is when they might be back in stock. Online orders will be filled on an oldest order in basis.

 

 

I have a custom Regal that can use either one or two power tubes. Any thoughts on an NOS Tung Sol blackplate 12AX7 in comparison to the GT?

 

I think personally that the M would be too dark in the Regal. An NOS Tung Sol is about as good as it gets ... or an NOT Raytheon or Mazda for that amp.

 

A cool place to get this sort of stuff is www.kcanostubes.com

 

 

Ok, great. Thanks Myles, I've ordered from KCA before.

 

Since we're on the topic, one last question re power tubes. I currently use either an NOS RCA 6V6 and/or current issues Tung Sol 5881. Given the design of the amp (transformer voltage I'm told), it goes into overdrive pretty easily (and beautifully), which is great for most of my playing (blues). However, there are times I want a little more headroom. Which power tube would you recommend? I understand a lot of people like the GT 6L6 R2.

[myles_rose]

Hey Myles,

 

What do you think of the GT-12AX7-M in a Victoria amp, and are they still on backorder? I'm in the process of ordering some tubes from GT on-line and they indicate out of stock but more in Sept. so it's hard to tell.

 

Thanks!

 

Which Victoria amp?

 

These are still out of stock and Mid November is when they might be back in stock. Online orders will be filled on an oldest order in basis.

 

 

I have a custom Regal that can use either one or two power tubes. Any thoughts on an NOS Tung Sol blackplate 12AX7 in comparison to the GT?

 

I think personally that the M would be too dark in the Regal. An NOS Tung Sol is about as good as it gets ... or an NOT Raytheon or Mazda for that amp.

 

A cool place to get this sort of stuff is www.kcanostubes.com

 

 

Ok, great. Thanks Myles, I've ordered from KCA before.

 

Since we're on the topic, one last question re power tubes. I currently use either an NOS RCA 6V6 and/or current issues Tung Sol 5881. Given the design of the amp (transformer voltage I'm told), it goes into overdrive pretty easily (and beautifully), which is great for most of my playing (blues). However, there are times I want a little more headroom. Which power tube would you recommend? I understand a lot of people like the GT 6L6 R2.

 

This is totally a personal taste issue. I prefer the 6L6GE over the R2 but that is because I prefer the GE over the Sylvania STR 387 that is the R2 / (Winged C real Svetlana) design in many 6L6 amps. But that is my personal taste and the R2 is pretty great as well.