Feel free to ask Myles

[sgriff]

Have you had a chance to check out the Rivera Quiana 212 amp? I'm going to check one out this weekend and and wanted to get as much feedback as possible. the vintage /modern function in particular. I'm into vintage stuff but need the flexibility at times.

[rsf1977]

Hey Myles I got a 12AX7 MPI from Groove Tubes. I play in CGCFAD with alot of gain through my Dual Rec. And I put that tube in and it was like my amp woke up. The sound seemed to come together like a geneal increase in definition. It sounded great, thanks.

 

Ok I was looking into some NOS tubes the Mullard ECC83 and the Mullard CV4004. Whats the differences between these 2 tubes. And I read this site (http://www.tubeman.com/item9.htm) that the Mullard CV4004 tubes aren't good for guitar amps. Just wanted an opinion?

 

what would be your opinion on a Matched EH12AX7 vs. a Matched Mullard CV4004 in the phase inter slot in the Dual Rec?

[kolya]

Hi myles, just joined this forum and you seem too know your s!*t, so please help me with something if you can. I use EMG 89's/85's thru a Boss DS1, usual effects(delay,EQ,etc) and compression at the last stage-currently the tiny POD-thru a Fender Twin Rev with Celestion speakers. Now, with recording things are almost fine, I have near enough the sound I want which is based on a live recording of Living Colour's 'postman' track on their 'Bi' single, released 6/7 years ago-a huge focused sound in all regions with considerable sustain and distortion, Compression creating alot of this I feel-but when I play live or in a rehearsal studio I find it hard to get all the points of the sound! I've come to the conclusion I'm going to have to spend alot of money to get such a sound, or is possible to get it by changing just the amp, just the speakers or simply by buying a great compressor??? I've no idea! Apart maybe by getting in-touch with Vernon Reid, but how would he remember?!!! Thanks

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by sgriff:

Have you had a chance to check out the Rivera Quiana 212 amp? I'm going to check one out this weekend and and wanted to get as much feedback as possible. the vintage /modern function in particular. I'm into vintage stuff but need the flexibility at times.

Check it out ???? ... I play one a few times a month that belongs to a close friend. Prince and his guitarist also are using Quiana's as well as the guitarist for Madonna.

 

I love the amp, as it has two voicings, British (channel 1) and USA (Channel 2). I love Ch 2, probably because I am OLD ( 52 ) and stuck in the Fender / Marshall / 60's thing. Channel 2 gives you all the Fender sounds, and then for the younger guys, Channel 1 gives you the Marshall thing.

 

There is boost on each channel two, but somebody my age would never use that

 

They are terrific amps, but don't get too distracted by only the sound, look at their construction too, its pretty terrific.

 

Myles

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

Hey Myles I got a 12AX7 MPI from Groove Tubes. I play in CGCFAD with alot of gain through my Dual Rec. And I put that tube in and it was like my amp woke up. The sound seemed to come together like a geneal increase in definition. It sounded great, thanks.

 

Ok I was looking into some NOS tubes the Mullard ECC83 and the Mullard CV4004. Whats the differences between these 2 tubes. And I read this site (http://www.tubeman.com/item9.htm) that the Mullard CV4004 tubes aren't good for guitar amps. Just wanted an opinion?

 

what would be your opinion on a Matched EH12AX7 vs. a Matched Mullard CV4004 in the phase inter slot in the Dual Rec?

rsf1977....

 

Glad you are happy ... that is the reaction of most folks

 

In the phase inverter position, we are looking for current drive and not voltage gain. The PI is not part of the tone generation stage, so the use of an NOS nice Mullard etc, would not be of any sonic benefit, but as a stock off the shelf tube, it may sound great as it is probably closer in the match of the two sides, as back then there was much better QC.

 

I know a lot of folks using NOS 4004's in the tone generation stages that love them, so I guess its a matter of preference.

 

Myles

[rsf1977]

Hey Myles does anyone make Tube carrying cases or anything like that to keep tubes protectected for travel or just to get rid of those boxes

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by kolya:

Hi myles, just joined this forum and you seem too know your s!*t, so please help me with something if you can. I use EMG 89's/85's thru a Boss DS1, usual effects(delay,EQ,etc) and compression at the last stage-currently the tiny POD-thru a Fender Twin Rev with Celestion speakers. Now, with recording things are almost fine, I have near enough the sound I want which is based on a live recording of Living Colour's 'postman' track on their 'Bi' single, released 6/7 years ago-a huge focused sound in all regions with considerable sustain and distortion, Compression creating alot of this I feel-but when I play live or in a rehearsal studio I find it hard to get all the points of the sound! I've come to the conclusion I'm going to have to spend alot of money to get such a sound, or is possible to get it by changing just the amp, just the speakers or simply by buying a great compressor??? I've no idea! Apart maybe by getting in-touch with Vernon Reid, but how would he remember?!!! Thanks

Your biggest problem is effects and pedals in the front end of a Fender.

 

Guitar pickups are high impedance low output devices, while effects and boxes are low impedance high output devices. This high output causes the preamp stage of most amps to become overloaded, and voila ... there goes your headroom.

 

A compressor in the front end really helps, and old Dyna Comps work pretty nicely, even the reissue ones work fine.

 

Myles

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

Hey Myles does anyone make Tube carrying cases or anything like that to keep tubes protectected for travel or just to get rid of those boxes

I am sure somebody must do that, but I don't know who off the top of my head.

 

I use a shoe box stuffed with paper .... not too high tech....

 

Some folks I know use foam camera cases.

 

Myles

[jetboy]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

Hey Myles I got a 12AX7 MPI from Groove Tubes. I play in CGCFAD with alot of gain through my Dual Rec. And I put that tube in and it was like my amp woke up. The sound seemed to come together like a geneal increase in definition. It sounded great, thanks.

 

Ok I was looking into some NOS tubes the Mullard ECC83 and the Mullard CV4004. Whats the differences between these 2 tubes. And I read this site (http://www.tubeman.com/item9.htm) that the Mullard CV4004 tubes aren't good for guitar amps. Just wanted an opinion?

 

what would be your opinion on a Matched EH12AX7 vs. a Matched Mullard CV4004 in the phase inter slot in the Dual Rec?

check out www.kcanostubes.com or www.watfordvalves.com for different opinions of the CV4004.

 

I'm currently using a CV4004 in V1 of my BadCat Cub and like it very much, V2 is a JAN NOS GE 12AX7WA. I like those better than either the OEM Sovteks or the various JJ ECC 83's although the JJ's are better than the OEMs

[sgriff]

Sound hole pick up(the one that covers the sound hole entirely) VS. the bar styled pick up. Sound quality and feedback are my concerns. Any comments on these matters? Also does anyone know of an acoustic forum like this one.

[dave251]

Originally posted by sgriff:

Sound hole pick up(the one that covers the sound hole entirely) VS. the bar styled pick up. Sound quality and feedback are my concerns. Any comments on these matters? Also does anyone know of an acoustic forum like this one.

www.acousticguitar.com

 

Tons of info on acoustic pickups and such. JUst use their search engine. Several e-articles too....

[Dave da Dude]

Is it possible on my Randall Pro-Tube 1000 (has a bias switch for 6L6 or EL34) to set up a parallel rung (of the circuit) for another set of power tubes with a (ON/OFF) switch and an On/Off switch for the exitsing circuit?

 

This is to switch from one type of tube to another while they are still hot.

 

Maybe just a pipe drean.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Dave th Dude:

Is it possible on my Randall Pro-Tube 1000 (has a bias switch for 6L6 or EL34) to set up a parallel rung (of the circuit) for another set of power tubes with a (ON/OFF) switch and an On/Off switch for the exitsing circuit?

 

This is to switch from one type of tube to another while they are still hot.

 

Maybe just a pipe drean.

I think you are making things too hard .... buy a second amp and use an A/B/Y switch.

 

Myles

[MMazurek]

Hey Myles, could you recomend a few tube amps for my next purchase. I need them for a home studio to record with. Looking for versatility a wide variety (don't mind getting multiple amps either).

 

I HAVE: Mesa Dual Rectifier Trem-o-verb; THD Univalve (with a few different tubes); Fender Vibrolux; Mesa 4x12 slant w/vintage 30's; Marshall slant w/greenbacks.

 

Any ideas for next on the list???

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by MMazurek:

Hey Myles, could you recomend a few tube amps for my next purchase. I need them for a home studio to record with. Looking for versatility a wide variety (don't mind getting multiple amps either).

 

I HAVE: Mesa Dual Rectifier Trem-o-verb; THD Univalve (with a few different tubes); Fender Vibrolux; Mesa 4x12 slant w/vintage 30's; Marshall slant w/greenbacks.

 

Any ideas for next on the list???

Talk about a HARD question !

 

Okay ....

 

First off, your Trem-o-verb is one of the best amps Mesa ever made. I prefer it to the Dual and Triple rectifier as it does have a nice reverb and tremolo. So ... you are great there already.

 

The Vibrolux is another winner, and I have a Deluxe Reverb but prefer your amp in ways of my personal taste to mine, so you have that base covered. If you can find a used Groove Tubes STP-G guitar preamp, you can forget the emulator function (although it works great for direct recording) and just plug in a speaker only, as its a great 25 watt amp in its own right, based on the Deluxe (same transformers) but has an extra high gain stage that can be switched in or out (more gain than my Mesa Mk. 1) and can used 6V6's or EL-34's. It also has mid boost, a mid control, presence, and tone controls that really work. Perhaps you can find one on E-bay or something. They were originally $1000+, but I would think you could find one for less than $500.

 

The Univalve is the most used amp in my studio, and my most borrowed amp by FAR! Just make sure you have a great 6L6, or a few ( I use a Svetlana, 6L6B/5881 Sovtek, GE, a EL-34B (Tesla/JJ), a JJ EL-84 in the THD adaptor, a chinese 6550C in the low and high setting, and the most popular setup is a Electro Harmonix or RCA 6V6 with a JAN Philips 12AX7 in V1 and a JAN NOS 12AT7 in V2.

 

A good open back 1x12 cabinet .... the Mesa cabinets work great and are not all that expensive.

 

I also put the Univalve on top of a Fender Deluxe Reverb and use the Jensen P12R in that cabinet.

 

A THD 2x12 cabinet .... perhaps the nicest cabinet I have ever heard, and much nicer than my Marshall 4x12 cabs, with more outout, more low end and much wider dispersion.

 

If you want the AC-30 sound in the studio or the Matchless DC-30 sound, stick with the Univalve with the EL-84 JJ tube unless you have tons of cash. The DC-30 is a great amp, but the AC-30's need tender care to keep running at their best.

 

A nice range of effects is pretty much a must have, but look for a Lexicon PCM-70 used on Ebay, a few Rane SM-26 submixers, etc.

 

For the true Marshall sound, the reissue 50 watt model 1987 is terrific.

 

A Fender Twin Reverb is also standard issue in a lot of cases, but their new Pro, which has a single Jensen C-12N, has classis clean black face in channel clean mode, and has less phase cancellation than the 2x12 Twin Reverb, with all its magic .... and a VERY high gain channel to boot. Its a versitile amp that a lot of my clients are into these days. Its one of their new amps, so they do not have the inflated prices of some of the vintage amps and are discounted at places like Guitar Center and Musicians Friend etc.

 

For the high gain 80's and 90's sound, if you have any money left, a Peavey 5150 or 5150 II.

 

If you have money left, a Roccaforte Amp. These are "Marshall" amps taken to the highest level that an amp can be taken to, with the finest construction and components that you can imagine. You can also make money by renting these out to performing folks as they are hard to come by and pretty amazing amps. You can see more about these at www.roccaforteamps.com I think ... hope I got the URL right.

 

Then lastly .... Microphones, the most important part of any studio. Dynamics, condensors, FET and tube mics .... you need them all.

 

Hope that was of some benefit ... all based on personal preference, so feel free to ignore any part of this or all of it

 

Myles

[MMazurek]

Thanks Myles, every word was of some benefit.

(the tube info as much as the amp issue)

 

I've got mics covered (414's, sm57's, 421's, royer ribbon, 451's, sm81's, atm25, d112, beta52, Lawson tube mic, etc...)

 

TIME TO GO SHOPPIN!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by MMazurek:

Thanks Myles, every word was of some benefit.

(the tube info as much as the amp issue)

 

I've got mics covered (414's, sm57's, 421's, royer ribbon, 451's, sm81's, atm25, d112, beta52, Lawson tube mic, etc...)

 

TIME TO GO SHOPPIN!

NICE MIC COLLECTION! Well, at least no money there to spend for a while

 

By the way, i LOVE 451's ! ... and ribbon mics for vocals are the only way to go if you are as old as I am or want to smooth out somebody who had the style of Janis Joplin!

 

Good luck with your studio, and if you are close to L.A., or here for a visit, drop me a line and I will be happy to show you around.

 

Myles

[hechtdavid]

The ET: It exhibits the same problems after swapping tubes back to the old Svets, so I don't think its a tube problem. The amp works, but I'm reluctant to use it right now because of the hot bias I have to run just to get the balance to 0. I noticed when I first removed the Svets that the bases were discolored from the heat. I'd rather not run the GT 6L6GE's and burn them up too quickly since they're a bit on the pricey side. I'm assuming its time to take it in to the local amp tech. Any hypotheses?

 

Thanks again

 

David[/qb]

David ....

 

Well, if the same problem shows up with the svets, then its something in the amp.

 

Perhaps a resistor failed that in in the bias balance circuit. It could be a number of things, but its an area easily trouble shot.

 

Get it over to Fender shop, as these amps have a pretty long warranty.

 

Drop me a line to keep me in the loop if you want me to talk to your tech.

 

Myles[/QB]

 

Hi Myles,

 

Here's an up-date on the Evil Twin: I took it to my local Fender amp tech and he checked it out - looking for failed resistors etc.. and said that he could find nothing wrong with it. The amp checked out OK and that it was just a function of the tubes - GT 6L6GE's (GT rating #7). The balance is set properly at 0 but the lowest I can set the bias is around 72mV (with the bias pot fully counterclockwise). Everything seems to be working properly and the amp sounds great. Should I still be concerned that I can't dial in a lower bias, or is this one of those *if it ain't broke, don't fix it* situations?

 

Thanks again

 

David

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Dave th Dude:

Myles,

 

I went to www.tubesandmore.com as you recommended and they have QUITE a few books on tube amps.

 

Are there any that you can recommend for a neophyte like myself that wants to understand how the amp works and what type of tubes to put where?

 

Dave

Dave,

 

The basic standby is our own Aspen Pittman's book, "The Tube Amp Book" .... about three pounds and close to 800 pages !

 

Myles

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by hechtdavid:

The ET: It exhibits the same problems after swapping tubes back to the old Svets, so I don't think its a tube problem. The amp works, but I'm reluctant to use it right now because of the hot bias I have to run just to get the balance to 0. I noticed when I first removed the Svets that the bases were discolored from the heat. I'd rather not run the GT 6L6GE's and burn them up too quickly since they're a bit on the pricey side. I'm assuming its time to take it in to the local amp tech. Any hypotheses?

 

Thanks again

 

David

David ....

 

Well, if the same problem shows up with the svets, then its something in the amp.

 

Perhaps a resistor failed that in in the bias balance circuit. It could be a number of things, but its an area easily trouble shot.

 

Get it over to Fender shop, as these amps have a pretty long warranty.

 

Drop me a line to keep me in the loop if you want me to talk to your tech.

 

Myles[/QB]

 

Hi Myles,

 

Here's an up-date on the Evil Twin: I took it to my local Fender amp tech and he checked it out - looking for failed resistors etc.. and said that he could find nothing wrong with it. The amp checked out OK and that it was just a function of the tubes - GT 6L6GE's (GT rating #7). The balance is set properly at 0 but the lowest I can set the bias is around 72mV (with the bias pot fully counterclockwise). Everything seems to be working properly and the amp sounds great. Should I still be concerned that I can't dial in a lower bias, or is this one of those *if it ain't broke, don't fix it* situations?

 

Thanks again

 

David[/QB]

 

David,

 

I have a problem with the techs logic.

 

First off, GE #7's are even well within Fender's rating scale, the same as their mid range "white" tubes.

 

Second, the GE's are 25 watt tubes, the same as the stock Fender 6L6B/5881 tubes.

 

If you have the same problem with the Svets and the GT's, I would find a different Fender tech and find out what the problem is. You don't want to eat up a new nice set of tubes because something may be wrong in the bias circuit.

 

You should be able to bias at 60mA per pair, and then balance the two pairs for 0-2mA of difference.

 

Regards,

 

Myles

[jazzcaster]

Hello Myles,

 

I have no question, I just wanted to mention how much I appreciate your forum and the professional advice and help that you offer people. You helped me a while back with my new Fender Pro Reverb, and it's been singin' ever since. I often check in here for my "amp educating" and am never disappointed. You have no idea how refreshing it is to read (and get!) some intelligent, accurate technical advice without an overbearing or sarcastic tone. And it requires a lot of talent to communicate those things to the many non-technical people, over the internet, to boot! Your mom should be proud of you!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by jazzcaster:

Hello Myles,

 

I have no question, I just wanted to mention how much I appreciate your forum and the professional advice and help that you offer people. You helped me a while back with my new Fender Pro Reverb, and it's been singin' ever since. I often check in here for my "amp educating" and am never disappointed. You have no idea how refreshing it is to read (and get!) some intelligent, accurate technical advice without an overbearing or sarcastic tone. And it requires a lot of talent to communicate those things to the many non-technical people, over the internet, to boot! Your mom should be proud of you!

Thanks for the compliments. As far as my mom, I think she's about 76 now, and I did way too many "weird" things in my past to try to cheer her up now

 

By the way .... when you had your Pro Reverb issues, I was working on two of them for a group I was supporting. By the time I was done, I went out and bought one of my own. The clean channel is everything my Twin Reverbs are, but with the single Jensen 12 and the lack of phase cancellation, it is even more impressive with a Rickenbacker 12 string than the Twins. The deeper cabinet is also nicer than the Twin for a lot of things I do.

 

The gain channel .... too much for me .... more than my Mesa Mk 1 .... I guess I am too old .... but a lot of my under 40 friends love it

 

Myles

[RoughDraft]

Hi Myles,

 

My dad had some old tube radios and amps around, and I found a few nice preamp tubes in there. There were telefunkens, amperex, and ITT which ive never heard of. I was comparing them , putting each in V1 of my Hellhound. I couldnt hear a major difference, but i think that was due to sucha long time between hearing them. How would i go about changing tubes quickly? But so far the telefunkens sounded smoother than my EH 12ax7, and the amperex had a little more gain. The Hellhound is a single channel amp, what is V2 for? ALso how would i be able to put EL-34s instead of 6l6's in it? Ive found mods for Marhshalls and Fenders, but not for the Hellhound. Ive done mods to other amps before. Thanks

 

Jon

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by RoughDraft:

Hi Myles,

 

My dad had some old tube radios and amps around, and I found a few nice preamp tubes in there. There were telefunkens, amperex, and ITT which ive never heard of. I was comparing them , putting each in V1 of my Hellhound. I couldnt hear a major difference, but i think that was due to sucha long time between hearing them. How would i go about changing tubes quickly? But so far the telefunkens sounded smoother than my EH 12ax7, and the amperex had a little more gain. The Hellhound is a single channel amp, what is V2 for? ALso how would i be able to put EL-34s instead of 6l6's in it? Ive found mods for Marhshalls and Fenders, but not for the Hellhound. Ive done mods to other amps before. Thanks

 

Jon

Jon,

 

Swapping preamp tubes and hearing the differences is a matter of playing style and touch. If one just plays at the same level or with the same touch, a lot of this is harder to hear. Also, audio memmory is the most difficult and short term. It is best to hit the standby switch and have somebody pull and replace V1.

 

If you start doing complex chording with hitting of other single or double strings while the chord is still ringing, then you hear the difference pretty nicely. At higher levels, the sound stage and sound image is much wider, as much as 25 degrees with a lot of the NOS tubes, even the moderately priced JAN Philips and GE's .... they just made them better back then .... carbonized nickel plates (look at an RCA 6V6 Blackplate sometime).

 

Regards,

[rsf1977]

I tried the new Groove Tube GE6L6 in my dual rectifier the other day and it stsrted humming so I tried switching back to my original Svetlanas that I had no problem with and the hum didn't go away? So I tried flipping the amp between channels, with and without the effects loop, between the tube and silicone diode rectifiers. Nothing removed it. It doesn't really seem to get louder with volume or gain just a constant humming. Any suggestions?

[RoughDraft]

Thanks Myles.

 

How can I change my tubes from 6L6's to El-34's. THanks

 

Jon

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

I tried the new Groove Tube GE6L6 in my dual rectifier the other day and it stsrted humming so I tried switching back to my original Svetlanas that I had no problem with and the hum didn't go away? So I tried flipping the amp between channels, with and without the effects loop, between the tube and silicone diode rectifiers. Nothing removed it. It doesn't really seem to get louder with volume or gain just a constant humming. Any suggestions?

Try swapping your first preamp tube ( V1 ) with one of the others, and if that does not work, go down the line.

 

Let me know what happens.

 

Myles

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by RoughDraft:

Thanks Myles.

 

How can I change my tubes from 6L6's to El-34's. THanks

 

Jon

Jon ....

 

In what type of amp?

 

In some amps the increased heater current requirement of an EL-34 may be an issue.

 

The output impedance of these two tubes is different, so that will be a bit of a factor, that does not matter to most folks.

 

Usually, all that is required is a bias adjustment fot the different tubes.

 

Myles

[rsf1977]

Ok Itried doing the preamp tubes one by one and still had the same problem so I swapped them all with the original mesa 12AX7s. And the problem seemed to stop. So now I'm gonna go through each EH12AX7 in the V1 to see if I can find the bad one(s), thanks for the help.

 

Ok power tube question when I flip from standby into the on position I noticed the 6L6s kind of gave off a slight blue kinda glow. I noticed it in the 3 seperate sets of 6L6s I had (Svetlana, EH, and Mesa) is that normal or a problem?

 

Thanks again!

 

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by RoughDraft:

Thanks Myles.

 

How can I change my tubes from 6L6's to El-34's. THanks

 

Jon

Jon ....

 

In what type of amp?

 

In some amps the increased heater current requirement of an EL-34 may be an issue.

 

The output impedance of these two tubes is different, so that will be a bit of a factor, that does not matter to most folks.

 

Usually, all that is required is a bias adjustment fot the different tubes.

 

Myles

[rsf1977]

Oh Myles is there anyone in the NYC or New Jersey area that is good at repairing Mesa Boogie Amps, if I should need repairs at some point?