Feel free to ask Myles

[southpawstrat]

Hey Myles:

 

I have a Mesa/Boogie F-100 head. I read on Tonedepot.com not to crank the bass on the eq past halfway because it will wreck the preamp. Is this true? Thanks in advance.

[FiremanJerry]

Carvin X-100B woes.

 

Hi Myles,

 

First off, thanks for being such a great guru to the rest of us, and being so willing to share your knowledge with us.

 

I have a Carvin X-100B that I love, but lately have been having a problem with the reverb unit cutting in and out and affecting my output and tonality. This is regardless of the footswitch being on or off. So far, the only way to get around it is to turn the reverb all the way down on the amp, which precludes me the option of using it at all. An email to Carvin evoked the response send it to a qualified tech. Is there any help you can offer? The schematic is available at Carvin.com or I could email you the pdf file if it would help. Thanks for all you do, Jerry

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by nonfcomm:

Myles,

 

Why do you recommend biasing the amp so low? Stock it is set at 60ma, but I typically set it at 52-56ma. Also, why do you like the KT66HP more than the 6L6GE?

 

Daniel

Daniel.........

 

The stock 60mA is the total for two tubes. I like 30 per tube, the same thing actially.

 

The 66 is more linear and has stronger mids than the GEs. It's just my personal preference.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite:

Merry Christmas, Myles!

 

(Figured you'd get this soonest on here, bud!)

 

Thanks for everything, you make the world that much cooler!

Caevan O'Shite..........

 

Thanks... have a Great New years

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by strat monk:

Hey Myles:

 

I have a Mesa/Boogie F-100 head. I read on Tonedepot.com not to crank the bass on the eq past halfway because it will wreck the preamp. Is this true? Thanks in advance.

strat monk..........

 

This is not true ... this is nonsense.

 

Happy playing no matter where your EQ is set

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by FiremanJerry:

Carvin X-100B woes.

 

Hi Myles,

 

First off, thanks for being such a great guru to the rest of us, and being so willing to share your knowledge with us.

 

I have a Carvin X-100B that I love, but lately have been having a problem with the reverb unit cutting in and out and affecting my output and tonality. This is regardless of the footswitch being on or off. So far, the only way to get around it is to turn the reverb all the way down on the amp, which precludes me the option of using it at all. An email to Carvin evoked the response send it to a qualified tech. Is there any help you can offer? The schematic is available at Carvin.com or I could email you the pdf file if it would help. Thanks for all you do, Jerry

FiremanJerry ..........

 

Jerry ........

 

Pull the RCA connectors from the tank and chassis, clean and lube the connector sockets. Also replace the reverb driver tube.

[southpawstrat]

Originally posted by myles111:

strat monk..........

 

This is not true ... this is nonsense.

 

Happy playing no matter where your EQ is set

Myles:

 

Thanks a bunch. I continued to play where I had my EQ set and am quite happy with my tone. I appreciate the answer.

 

Happy New Year ---stratmonk

[Hendmik]

Myles,

 

I'd like your advice. Firstly, I've read much of your back posts and have enjoyed your writing, candor, and the service you provide forum members. Thanks.

 

I recently purchased a 5150 combo to augment the needs of some of my recording clients. I bought it used and when I opened the box, the power tubes had fallen out and shattered. They were Fender 6L6's (I think are the 5881's?) from the previous owner. I obviously need to replace them and was hoping you could point me in the right direction.

 

I like a tight distortion (I demo'ed a Marshall AVT150 that sounded way too flabby when pushed) and a sharp, but not too bright tone. Since the 5150 is a bright amp anyway, should I go with a tube like the JJ 6L6 that I'm told is warmer sounding, or go with the Sovteks that I believe are what Peavey puts in them at the factory? Also, since the combo has a smaller cabinet, I have the feeling I'll need as much help getting a smooth bass sound as I can.

 

Hopefully this is enough info to lend me a hand.

 

Thanks again.

Mike

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by strat monk:

Originally posted by myles111:

strat monk..........

 

This is not true ... this is nonsense.

 

Happy playing no matter where your EQ is set

Myles:

 

Thanks a bunch. I continued to play where I had my EQ set and am quite happy with my tone. I appreciate the answer.

 

Happy New Year ---stratmonk

strat monk........

 

You are more than welcome .... happy playing and happy new year.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike Henderson:

Myles,

 

I'd like your advice. Firstly, I've read much of your back posts and have enjoyed your writing, candor, and the service you provide forum members. Thanks.

 

I recently purchased a 5150 combo to augment the needs of some of my recording clients. I bought it used and when I opened the box, the power tubes had fallen out and shattered. They were Fender 6L6's (I think are the 5881's?) from the previous owner. I obviously need to replace them and was hoping you could point me in the right direction.

 

I like a tight distortion (I demo'ed a Marshall AVT150 that sounded way too flabby when pushed) and a sharp, but not too bright tone. Since the 5150 is a bright amp anyway, should I go with a tube like the JJ 6L6 that I'm told is warmer sounding, or go with the Sovteks that I believe are what Peavey puts in them at the factory? Also, since the combo has a smaller cabinet, I have the feeling I'll need as much help getting a smooth bass sound as I can.

 

Hopefully this is enough info to lend me a hand.

 

Thanks again.

Mike

Mike,

 

The original tubes are usually Sovtek 5881WXT and if you want to use these, order in a #5 rating, the GT same tube is the:

 

http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1677

 

You would also want to check the bias, as Peavey overbiases their amps and they seem to run too cold for most of my clients.

 

These are sturdy tubes, but sonically, the 6L6S (JJ) is a better tube for most folks:

http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1680

 

The Svetlana is also an improvement:

http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1721

 

My personal favorite in these amps (and Soldano SLO folks are starting to love these too) are the KT66HP. These are warm and huge sounding:

http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1693

 

Tom Dunn uses the GEs in his amps:

http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1714 and these are considered by some to be one of the finest 6L6 tubes.

 

As I normally say in regard to tube picking:

 

Tube choice and selection is very much personal

taste and preference. You can find a document that

will go into this in great detail, and give you

information on tube types, characteristics, and also

on the rating system used by GT, conversion from

Mesa to GT and Fender to GT tables, matching information

and more.

 

http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com is the

website, and the document is the Tube Primer, v1.31

which has a link and button for download or viewing.

 

V1.31 is 47 pages and not too bad to download.

 

v3.20 is in two sections and about 200 total pages

total, if you want a LOT of info.

[telepaul]

I have a Fender Hotrod Deville 212. The #1 input is loose. I know this sounds like a simple problem, but this is my only eletric guitar amp, and I'm afraid of breaking anything. I took off the back panel to see if I could tighten it from in there, but it's incased....can you help me?

Also...what kind of amp is that in your avatar image...the half-stack with the Z on it?

 

...just wondering....

 

thanks in advance!

[1815]

I´m new here,...

Myles,do you have any idea on what type of tubes are used in the LANEY-tube fusion 200 series?..and what are the possible replacements

 

Thanks!

[FiremanJerry]

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by FiremanJerry:

Carvin X-100B woes.

 

Hi Myles,

 

First off, thanks for being such a great guru to the rest of us, and being so willing to share your knowledge with us.

 

I have a Carvin X-100B that I love, but lately have been having a problem with the reverb unit cutting in and out and affecting my output and tonality. This is regardless of the footswitch being on or off. So far, the only way to get around it is to turn the reverb all the way down on the amp, which precludes me the option of using it at all. An email to Carvin evoked the response send it to a qualified tech. Is there any help you can offer? The schematic is available at Carvin.com or I could email you the pdf file if it would help. Thanks for all you do, Jerry

FiremanJerry ..........

 

Jerry ........

 

Pull the RCA connectors from the tank and chassis, clean and lube the connector sockets. Also replace the reverb driver tube.

Thanks Myles I'll do that. I'm assuming V3 on the schematic is the Reverb Driver (I'm real rusty at schematics), since V1 & 2 look like pre-amps. I'll let you know how it went. Have a Safe and Happy New Year!!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by telepaul:

I have a Fender Hotrod Deville 212. The #1 input is loose. I know this sounds like a simple problem, but this is my only eletric guitar amp, and I'm afraid of breaking anything. I took off the back panel to see if I could tighten it from in there, but it's incased....can you help me?

Also...what kind of amp is that in your avatar image...the half-stack with the Z on it?

 

...just wondering....

 

thanks in advance!

telepaul...........

 

Your problem is a common one. Unfortunately, it is not as easy to fix as on some amps, as the jack is attached to a PCB assembly, and this needs to be resoldered. It is not a big deal, any decent amp tech can do this in short order, but the quality of the jacks used is not all that high. These amps are very cost effective and a great value for the money, but do have some limitations.

 

In that image is a Dr. Z MAZ Sr. I don't actually use that rig very much as it is too strong for most of the smaller venues that hack players like me play

 

Actually, I should change that avatar, as I tend to use a Ghia or Mazerati all the time.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by 1815:

I´m new here,...

Myles,do you have any idea on what type of tubes are used in the LANEY-tube fusion 200 series?..and what are the possible replacements

 

Thanks!

1815 ....

 

Sorry, I cannot help you, as I have not worked on that amp or even seen one.

 

Maybe look for a Laney web site.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by FiremanJerry:

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by FiremanJerry:

Carvin X-100B woes.

 

Hi Myles,

 

First off, thanks for being such a great guru to the rest of us, and being so willing to share your knowledge with us.

 

I have a Carvin X-100B that I love, but lately have been having a problem with the reverb unit cutting in and out and affecting my output and tonality. This is regardless of the footswitch being on or off. So far, the only way to get around it is to turn the reverb all the way down on the amp, which precludes me the option of using it at all. An email to Carvin evoked the response send it to a qualified tech. Is there any help you can offer? The schematic is available at Carvin.com or I could email you the pdf file if it would help. Thanks for all you do, Jerry

FiremanJerry ..........

 

Jerry ........

 

Pull the RCA connectors from the tank and chassis, clean and lube the connector sockets. Also replace the reverb driver tube.

Thanks Myles I'll do that. I'm assuming V3 on the schematic is the Reverb Driver (I'm real rusty at schematics), since V1 & 2 look like pre-amps. I'll let you know how it went. Have a Safe and Happy New Year!!

Jerry ....

 

Don't worry about the reverb driver or even the phase inverter at this point. Actually, V1 alone is resposible for 80% of the amps basic tone and gain.

 

Have a great new years!

[1815]

Myles,Thanks for...,..i just did a search about the Laney TF200 amp ..it uses one 12AX7 as a pre amp,...now the amp its working fine for 5 years now but,..what if i want to try another tube what would u recomend for a change,??..i play with a Telecaster ,seymour-duncan "Jerry Donahue" Pick-up´s and wanted to have a little more sustain on its clean channel without having to use a overdrive pedal,..how can i saturate a little more its clean channel??..

 

Thanks a lot on any help!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by 1815:

Myles,Thanks for...,..i just did a search about the Laney TF200 amp ..it uses one 12AX7 as a pre amp,...now the amp its working fine for 5 years now but,..what if i want to try another tube what would u recomend for a change,??..i play jazz/rock (mike stern,bill frisell,..)with a ESP Telecaster Ron Wood model,seymour-duncan "Jerry Donahue" Pick-up´s and wanted to have a little more sustain on its clean channel without having to use a overdrive pedal,..how can i saturate a little more its clean channel??..

 

Thanks a lot on any help!

1815 -

 

It would be nice to know "which 12AX7" it was. There are many.

 

It is probably a Sovtek 12AX7WA, so going to a 12AX7C would be a nice overall tube.

 

Since you are using Jerry Donahue pickups ... if you ever see him in concert or anywhere, say hello to him from me. He is a good friend, and his brother and I were very close when his brother was alive.

[1815]

Hi there Myles,..thanks for your help,really kind..i´ll try to dismantle my amp to see whats inside,there´s no easy access into the tube socket,hope i can put it all back together again...i´ve read a lot about peolpe changing the tubes and geting a better sound or tone,...

 

as for Jerry Donahue,i´ve never saw him play live or something,i wish i could some day,..where i live theres not so much live music going,..he´s just a "great" guitar player,..when i was a tennager starting on guitar,and thought at the time i was a bit more into hard rock music,i loved his sound/tone when he was in Fairport Convencion,"Live Convention" was a vynil i listened a lot while practicing,so years latter when dicided to change my guitar´s pick-up i went search into his tone,..kind of...on a more jazzy feel,..best choice really.

 

Good man,Thanks,...

[lg64strat]

Hi Myles,

 

I finally had a chance to play through a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30, and I have a question for you. Let me say first of all that I was using a strat with single coils. I found the clean channel to be extremely bright. Even with the neck pick up, I had to set the brilliance down to about 7, or 8 o'clock at the highest. Now that being said, I'll tell you that the amp was sitting up off the floor about a foot and a half, but it still seems way too bright even for the two factors mentioned. I've never heard anyone say that they thought the clean channel was too trebley. I also played a Hot Cat 15 and it was the same. Any way to tame the high end?

 

Thanks for your help.

lg64strat...

[nonfcomm]

Myles,

 

I recently ordered some tubes from Musician's Friend. I installed them in my amp and when the tremolo circuit in my amp is engaged, my amp makes a loud shooting noise like the amp was shorting out. I put the original tubes back in my amp and it worked properly. I sent an email to techsupport@groovetubes.com with the subject ATTN: Myles S. Rose. Thank you for your time.

 

Daniel Smith

[exactopposite]

i recall seeing some info on a new el84 tube from eh in a previous tube primer. are those tubes availible yet and if not when will they be availible?

i'm curious to know how they compare to jj el84's in terms of sound and reliability. right now i use jj el84's (#4)and 12ax7's in my crate v 1512. i really like the wasy it sounds with this configuration, but i'd give the eh a shot if they are decent tubes. i'm not so sure about trying the ei's since they are said to have a brighter sound and i like a somewhat dark tone.

so what's the scoop on the eh tubes?

[J J]

hey myles

i just recieved a check for 90$ from my aunt and i have another 100$. so im gonna put most of it into my guitar and amp.

 

Teahead told me about the THD Yellow Jackets and i was considering on buying one. Will this sound well with a telecaster?

 

Also i need a website where to buy these. If you could tell me where the cheapest place is maybe...

 

BTW i use a hot rod fender deville 212

 

thanks

[J J]

oh yea

how many of these babies do i need to get

do they go onto the little preamp tubes or the big ones (dont know the name)

 

big tubes: 2

preamp tubes: 3

 

thanks again

[Caevan O’Shite]

Originally posted by J J:

"oh yea

how many of these babies do i need to get

do they go onto the little preamp tubes or the big ones (dont know the name)

 

big tubes: 2

preamp tubes: 3

 

thanks again"

I'll field this one for ya, JJ; don't worry, I only answer questions here when I'm beyond sure that I've got a good answer, and Myles gave me the official Okey-Dokey to do so on his thread here. So...

 

Those THD Yellow Jacketts replace the power tubes- the "big ones"- and you'll need two for your DeVille. (The original tubes there in your DeVille are of the 6L6 variety; the "little ones", the preamp tubes, are 12AX7-types.)

 

And, as long as your amp is in good working order, you won't need to change anything else, or adjust anything, as they're self-biasing, being cathode-biased.

 

Teahead uses a Tele and loves his YJ's, and won't play out without'em!

[1815]

Originally posted by myles111:

 

"

..It is probably a Sovtek 12AX7WA, so going to a 12AX7C would be a nice overall tube."...

 

HI,..Myles,the tube model is.. ECC83---

 

http://www.laney.co.uk/flash/frameset.htm

 

What gives?..is that 12AX7C still a good option on replacement,does this fact make any difference??...

 

Thanks again,..

[J J]

sorry, but one last question

 

my amp is a 60 watt

will the yellowjackets make my amp loud enough for a good sized gig?

 

thanks again

[Caevan O’Shite]

Originally posted by J J:

"sorry, but one last question"

 

"my amp is a 60 watt

will the yellowjackets make my amp loud enough for a good sized gig?"

 

"thanks again"

Yeah, probably; Teahead reports that he uses his THD Yellow Jackett equipped Fender DeVille 2x12 for gigs, pushing it fairly hard for grind and growl; he even used to use a THD "Hotplate" attenutor between the amp and speakers, to reduce the overall volume, but has since gone without it as he prefers the tone without the Hotplate. I do not know if he ever needs to mic the amp, though.

[Drolaw]

Hi Myles,

 

I visited your amp blue printing page specifically your article about the differences about amp wattage. My question is about the "volume" differences between a 50 watt amp and a 100 watt amp.

 

If I play a Marshall TSL60 (thinking of buying one) and my bandmate plays through a Marshall TSL100 (he already has one) can I match his "volume" simply by turning my "volume" up?

 

We both play through a Marshall 4x12 with vintage 30's (280w output). Considering he never plays his "volume" above "3" on any channel I'm hoping the answer is yes. I cannot see spending a couple of hundred dollars more for a 3bd difference, if I can match his "volume" by simply turning my amp to "4" or "5". NOTE: I'm using the volume numbers as a reference only.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Jim

[jetboy]

hey Myles,

 

long time no questions (from me anyway )

 

quite a while back you helped me set up my badcat cub with some suggestions on nos tubes. Worked out great and I'm still using the preamp tubes.

 

This year I got the itch to get some more fendery type sounds and had been thinking univalve so I could adjust it to taste. I was ready to buy it when I came across a Carr slant v6, I really liked the tone and overall sound and was ready to trade the badcat for it but couldn't swing the deal dollar wise.

 

so back to plan "a" I got the univalve, played it at the store on a 2-12 cornford cab, it sounded a bit trebly but useable.

 

When I got it home all I had to run it with was a 1-10 weber c10nq open back or the badcats 2-10 celestions.

 

With the stock tubes I thought I was going to pierce and eardrum, it was that shrill. The only way I could get it under control was to pretty much turn the treble knob to "0" and the bass to "10", this is pretty much with any of my guitars but especially with my strat with kinman avn blues. this guitar does NOT have this problem with the badcat or any other amp I've run it into.

 

Is this normal with the stock el34? or is it the 10's I'm using? I was really shocked, I've been tweaking it and swapped preamp tubes (a 12at7 in v1 and an ay7 in v2) and I got to a reasonable sound but....

 

I guess what I'm asking is is it the tube or the speakers? I'm leaning toward the tube because even using the line out and direct recording it I'm still using teble at 9 o'clock and bass at 3 o'clock. I don't currently have any power tubes to swap into it so I guess I'm looking for a recomendation.

 

I've never owned an el34 amp before, would a 6l6 or kt66 be sweeter? or at least tame the treble?

 

I do plan on a 2-12 cab or at least a 1-12 cab in the future but I'm getting to the dollar amount that get's me back to a swap of the bad cat for the Carr slant v6. and that's a sound I'm having trouble getting out of my head (I really liked the Carr)

 

I just don't get it, after all the hype and subsequent backlash on the univalve I don't recall reading about anyone having this problem. most time people love'm

 

thanks in advance mark f/jetboy