Feel free to ask Myles

[Dunxy]

Hi,

I have a couple of questions for some projects myself and a friend are working on at the moment, if you could offer any thoughs on any of them it would be great.

 

#1 I have recently aquired a rather old pa amp, powered by a couple of kt66's. Im going to replace all tubes with some nice nos'ers. Im curious as to what the following tubes do, it appears to have 2 seperate pre-amp sections. One has a 12ax7 and a 6aq5 and the other has a pair of 6au6 and one 6av6, i am familier with 12ax7's offcourse but the others i have no idea. Is there any say other options in place of the 6aq5,6au6's, and the 6av6 to maybe give me some extra gain, or even just improved performance? Or am i beating up the wrong bush?

 

#2 My mate has another old 10w pa amp that he wishes to convert to ss rectifier, the rectifier tube is a 6ca4,i have read it is easy enough to do but i havent been able to find any info to describe how to do it.

 

Sorry for the big 1st post.

Cheers

Dunxy

[rsf1977]

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by ThatBookGuy:

Hello there,

 

I would appreciate your thoughts on effects loops. I have a carvin sx combo with a buffered effects loop, and I know the conventional wisdom is wah and distortion should go straight into the amp and digital delays into the loop, what about tremolo pedals, whammy pedals and such? Loop or no? Thank you for your input!

 

John

John,

 

I personally do not like effects loops. If I want to use effects, I take a speaker out, run it to a box to covert it to line level and drive the effect rack, return to another amp for the wet side of things.

 

This is how we do it on Carl Verheyen's (www.carlverheyen.com) rig live.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Dunxy:

Hi,

I have a couple of questions for some projects myself and a friend are working on at the moment, if you could offer any thoughs on any of them it would be great.

 

#1 I have recently aquired a rather old pa amp, powered by a couple of kt66's. Im going to replace all tubes with some nice nos'ers. Im curious as to what the following tubes do, it appears to have 2 seperate pre-amp sections. One has a 12ax7 and a 6aq5 and the other has a pair of 6au6 and one 6av6, i am familier with 12ax7's offcourse but the others i have no idea. Is there any say other options in place of the 6aq5,6au6's, and the 6av6 to maybe give me some extra gain, or even just improved performance? Or am i beating up the wrong bush?

 

#2 My mate has another old 10w pa amp that he wishes to convert to ss rectifier, the rectifier tube is a 6ca4,i have read it is easy enough to do but i havent been able to find any info to describe how to do it.

 

Sorry for the big 1st post.

Cheers

Dunxy

I would need to know the amps and look at the prints.

 

There is a lot of rectifer info on my website.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

[rsf1977]

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

Thanks just placed the order at Groove Tubes!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

Thanks just placed the order at Groove Tubes!

I do the amps for the guys at the Mesa Hollywood store (their personal amps) and will trace a set for you like Jay's over there that I did for his Road King that I loved how they came out. Normally GT charges $10 per tube when I hand trace stuff as it takes about 15-20 minutes per tube when you get lucky enough to not have to go through a lot of them. I will do this at no charge as you are part of this forum. I do the same thing for folks on the Z Forum or the Carl Verheyen forum. I no longer do this for folks on HC or The Gear Page or any other forum.

[rsf1977]

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

rather foolish question for you haha. when I run the EL34LS tubes I use the dual recto in "EL34" mode correct?

[rsf1977]

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by rsf1977:

Originally posted by myles111:

quote:

---

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

Thanks just placed the order at Groove Tubes!

I do the amps for the guys at the Mesa Hollywood store (their personal amps) and will trace a set for you like Jay's over there that I did for his Road King that I loved how they came out. Normally GT charges $10 per tube when I hand trace stuff as it takes about 15-20 minutes per tube when you get lucky enough to not have to go through a lot of them. I will do this at no charge as you are part of this forum. I do the same thing for folks on the Z Forum or the Carl Verheyen forum. I no longer do this for folks on HC or The Gear Page or any other forum.

---

Thanks Myles that's awesome!!! I placed the order already and in the comments asked for "6" rated tubes as recommended by Myles Rose so you know which order is mine lol. Thanks again!

[brown iLT]

hi, i asked this question in another thread and was sent this way so here goes....

I use a Selmer Treble 'n' Bass 50 Mk II head with a Fender 2x12 cab and i use an epiphone riviera with humbuckers. Effects wise i have a Blues Driver, Jekyl & Hyde overdrive/distortion, Digital delay, analog delay, reverb and a russian big muff. The problem i have is that if the volume pots on my guitar are at 10 then i seem to be using the amps full headroom so when i stomp on any distortion or overdrive there is no increase in volume, the signal just gets more dirty (but in quite a horrible sounding way). The only thing i can do to solve this issue is turn the pots down on my guitar to about half way (5-6), this rectivfies the dynamics issue but makes my guitar sound weedy.

Is there a better solution to the problem? i have considered buying an MXR master gain pedal to make my guitar quieter but will this make the signal sound equally weak? i dont know much about it but would likning the inputs of the amp together help (know as 'jumping'(?) i believe).

 

the amp was fully serviced just a couple of weeks ago and the the valves were all tested and deemed in perfect working order.

the amp doesn't have master gain, and i have the volume/gain setting on between 2 and 3 of 10.

i can turn up my amp volume as high as it goes and the cab still performs, it gets really loud and sounds really good, its just when i try to send the amp more signal it cant handle it.

any help anyone has would be most apreciated.

 

thanks, Brown

[Caevan O’Shite]

Hey, Myles, wouldn't you know it-

 

-the latest issue of Guitar Player magazine (ever hear of 'em?) has a "Relics" article reviewing an old Jim Kelly amp with four 6V6's and a 30 watt/60 watt High/Low power switch.

 

Turns out, "F.A.C.S." stood for, "Foot Actuated Channel Switching". An external, piggy-back L-pad attenuator was automatically switched in whenever the "lead/overdrive" channel-1 was selected.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks!

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

rather foolish question for you haha. when I run the EL34LS tubes I use the dual recto in "EL34" mode correct?

Yes, in the EL34 mode and they will run hotter than the stock EL34 tubes that run too cool and grainy in these amps generally.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Caevan_O'Shite:

Hey, Myles, wouldn't you know it-

 

-the latest issue of Guitar Player magazine (ever hear of 'em?) has a "Relics" article reviewing an old Jim Kelly amp with four 6V6's and a 30 watt/60 watt High/Low power switch.

 

Turns out, "F.A.C.S." stood for, "Foot Actuated Channel Switching". An external, piggy-back L-pad attenuator was automatically switched in whenever the "lead/overdrive" channel-1 was selected.

Jim Kelly amps were so cool. It's a shame they are no longer made.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by brown iLT:

hi, i asked this question in another thread and was sent this way so here goes....

I use a Selmer Treble 'n' Bass 50 Mk II head with a Fender 2x12 cab and i use an epiphone riviera with humbuckers. Effects wise i have a Blues Driver, Jekyl & Hyde overdrive/distortion, Digital delay, analog delay, reverb and a russian big muff. The problem i have is that if the volume pots on my guitar are at 10 then i seem to be using the amps full headroom so when i stomp on any distortion or overdrive there is no increase in volume, the signal just gets more dirty (but in quite a horrible sounding way). The only thing i can do to solve this issue is turn the pots down on my guitar to about half way (5-6), this rectivfies the dynamics issue but makes my guitar sound weedy.

Is there a better solution to the problem? i have considered buying an MXR master gain pedal to make my guitar quieter but will this make the signal sound equally weak? i dont know much about it but would likning the inputs of the amp together help (know as 'jumping'(?) i believe).

 

the amp was fully serviced just a couple of weeks ago and the the valves were all tested and deemed in perfect working order.

the amp doesn't have master gain, and i have the volume/gain setting on between 2 and 3 of 10.

i can turn up my amp volume as high as it goes and the cab still performs, it gets really loud and sounds really good, its just when i try to send the amp more signal it cant handle it.

any help anyone has would be most apreciated.

 

thanks, Brown

Brown,

 

The Selmers are amazing amps but were not high gain amps so to speak. You should have plenty of headroom.

 

Were the tubes checked on a tube checker and did they meet spec? Were they the right tubes for the amp?

 

V1, V2, V3 should all be short plate ECC83 tubes.

 

I use the ECC83S in these amps.

[shood]

Hi Myles,

 

I have become very interested in Cornford amps since seeing your blurb on them on the "World's Best Amps" section of your website. Specifically, I am very interested the Carrera (and to a lesser extent the Harlequin - all thing being equal I would rather have reverb and an effects loop, not to mention the UniValve-esque ability to use various power tubes).

 

Unfortunately, there are no dealers anywhere near Phoenix, so I have been unable to try one out. What do you have to say about the Carrera and/or Harlequin (or Cornford amps in general)? Tone wise, can you compare/contrast them to other amps with 20 or fewer watts?

 

(My research has identified the Carmen Ghia, MAZ 18, MINI Z, UniValve, Kingsley Deluxe, and Vox CC-AC15 as other possibilities for my next amp, to be used for blues/rock - with an emphasis on good tones at moderate volumes)

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by shood:

Hi Myles,

 

I have become very interested in Cornford amps since seeing your blurb on them on the "World's Best Amps" section of your website. Specifically, I am very interested the Carrera (and to a lesser extent the Harlequin - all thing being equal I would rather have reverb and an effects loop, not to mention the UniValve-esque ability to use various power tubes).

 

Unfortunately, there are no dealers anywhere near Phoenix, so I have been unable to try one out. What do you have to say about the Carrera and/or Harlequin (or Cornford amps in general)? Tone wise, can you compare/contrast them to other amps with 20 or fewer watts?

 

(My research has identified the Carmen Ghia, MAZ 18, MINI Z, UniValve, Kingsley Deluxe, and Vox CC-AC15 as other possibilities for my next amp, to be used for blues/rock - with an emphasis on good tones at moderate volumes)

Paul Cornford's amps are all wonderful. They are all different and not a slacker in the bunch.

 

The two amps you are looking at are actually quite different but both great. The Carrera is full of all sorts of features ... power reduction, tube swappage, etc and is a great small gig or great studio amp.

 

The "harley" is a standard that has been around longer and is a classic amp in it's own right.

 

Trying to figure which is the better amp is impossible ... something like what is better, blue or green.

 

All the Cornford amps are built amazingly well. They are in the class of amps I describe as:

 

.... amps that you will pass down to your grandkids even if you don't have any kids at the moment."

 

One the amps you also mentioned:

 

This is just my personal take by the way ....

 

Carmen Ghia - happens to be my favorite amp in the world and my most played, borrowed, and requested amp.

 

MAZ 18 - One of the most versitile amps out there and if it costed twice as much would still be a great deal. I play with a fellow with one of these and when I do I use a Super Reverb at his request. The Maz 18 buries my SR in the house mix.

 

MINI Z - I would not use this live ... it is a very agressive amp and does not have much clean headroom. But ... a great studio tool or mic'd in a live rig and switched to for overdrive parts it is pretty fun.

 

UniValve - Great studio tool but I do not use the amp live. It is also a GREAT preamp to feed a big clean amp like a Fender Twin Reverb from it's transformer isolated line out jack.

 

Kingsley Deluxe - These are nice amps but I have only limited time with them.

 

Vox CC-AC15 - I have not played these. I played a lot with the CC AC-30 and it is a lot of bang for the buck but things like tube changes for their tonal characteristics will be harder to notice in a complex front end amp of this type. Then again, the CC AC-30 sounds and plays really nice with the stock tube compliment.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Myles,

 

Your advice helped me to get the sound that I wanted... now I'm wondering about a tweak. I've lived with it for a while, ready to try something similar but different.

 

My UniValve... Mesa 6BQ5, GT12AY7 (input), Mesa 12AX7-A (driver).

 

What would you change and why?

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

[picker]

Myles,

I got the 5751 for my Goblin, and didn't notice much difference in the reponse. Then I noticed one of the 6V6s had a hole in it's glass. I have no idea how that happened, the amp hasn't been anywhere but the store and my apartment.

 

But anyway, I replaced the 6V6s with a set of Groove Tube Gold Series 6V6Ds, with a rating of 6, and I left the 5751 in the V1 slot. Man, what a difference! The Electro Harmonix 6V6GTs it came with sounded raggged and nasty in comparison. The amp no longer breaks up too soon, even in the 5 watt mode. But the clean sounds are complex and interesting instead of sterile and grainy. Overall, the amp seems noticeably louder and cleaner, but still has more than enough gain to break up easily if I want it to. I am very pleased.

 

I noticed on the Groove Tube packaging it says that GT tubes rated 8-10 break up even later than the 4-6s, and I wondered what you thought of using those tubes for an amp like the Goblin. It seems like a low wattage amp like that needs a tube that will give it some clean headroom to keep from breaking up too much when you push it. What do ya think?

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Bill@Welcome Home Studios:

Myles,

 

Your advice helped me to get the sound that I wanted... now I'm wondering about a tweak. I've lived with it for a while, ready to try something similar but different.

 

My UniValve... Mesa 6BQ5, GT12AY7 (input), Mesa 12AX7-A (driver).

 

What would you change and why?

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

Bill,

 

Trying to answer that would be like me trying to compare blue and green.

 

One setup I like for a very hard rock tone is a 12AX7M in V1, ECC83S in V2, and a 6V6 in the output tube ... then crank it!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Picker:

Myles,

I got the 5751 for my Goblin, and didn't notice much difference in the reponse. Then I noticed one of the 6V6s had a hole in it's glass. I have no idea how that happened, the amp hasn't been anywhere but the store and my apartment.

 

But anyway, I replaced the 6V6s with a set of Groove Tube Gold Series 6V6Ds, with a rating of 6, and I left the 5751 in the V1 slot. Man, what a difference! The Electro Harmonix 6V6GTs it came with sounded raggged and nasty in comparison. The amp no longer breaks up too soon, even in the 5 watt mode. But the clean sounds are complex and interesting instead of sterile and grainy. Overall, the amp seems noticeably louder and cleaner, but still has more than enough gain to break up easily if I want it to. I am very pleased.

 

I noticed on the Groove Tube packaging it says that GT tubes rated 8-10 break up even later than the 4-6s, and I wondered what you thought of using those tubes for an amp like the Goblin. It seems like a low wattage amp like that needs a tube that will give it some clean headroom to keep from breaking up too much when you push it. What do ya think?

I do not like high rating tubes in most guitar amps as they are not as touch sensitive. But ... if you are somebody like Zakk Wylde and get tone from pedals and want the back end to have a lot of clean headroom then high numbers are good.

 

 

I have no idea what a 6V6 "D" is .... that is not one of our 6V6 types other than D = matched duet but there would be another letter.

[picker]

Well, it was a duet and I got the number off the box, so maybe "D" wasn't intended as an identifying nomenclature?

What is the Gold Series? Another means to the end of getting more gold?

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Picker:

Well, it was a duet and I got the number off the box, so maybe "D" wasn't intended as an identifying nomenclature?

What is the Gold Series? Another means to the end of getting more gold?

Gold series are dynamically matched. Silver series are not matched at all.

 

What does it say on the tube itself?

[picker]

The tubes say "GT6V6C", and handwritten on them is the number 6, and the letters IDC. I am still very happy with the way they sound. But, I remembered something a friend of mine told me once. He said that it would be easy to convert an amp set up to use 6V6s for 6L6s. Was he right, and what would be the resulting change in performance?

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Picker:

The tubes say "GT6V6C", and handwritten on them is the number 6, and the letters IDC. I am still very happy with the way they sound. But, I remembered something a friend of mine told me once. He said that it would be easy to convert an amp set up to use 6V6s for 6L6s. Was he right, and what would be the resulting change in performance?

Your 6V6 tubes are the Chinese variant.

 

You can use 6L6's in a 6V6 amp but the impedance of the output transformer is wrong and the heater current is two times as high which can strain many 6V6 amps power transformer.

 

I do not recommend this.

[Funk Jazz]

Hey Myles:

 

i just bought a Kendrick Black Gold 15. it has dual single-ended Class A self-biasing output stages that each drive their own speaker. so each side can take a variety of output tubes.

 

what tube combinations would you recommend to start out with for tone tweaking?

 

maybe you could recommend one tube set that leans towards early breakup, and one that leans towards clean headroom?

 

thanks!

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Funk Jazz:

Hey Myles:

 

i just bought a Kendrick Black Gold 15. it has dual single-ended Class A self-biasing output stages that each drive their own speaker. so each side can take a variety of output tubes.

 

what tube combinations would you recommend to start out with for tone tweaking?

 

maybe you could recommend one tube set that leans towards early breakup, and one that leans towards clean headroom?

 

thanks!

Sorry to just cut and paste what I have said many times before but this is still my take on these questions when they are this general....

 

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.

 

On rating numbers:

 

Basically, a #1 will distort sooner, and a #10 later. If, for example,

with a mid range tube, say a #5, makes your amp start to break in the

output section at a volume setting on the amp of "4", then with a lower

number tube, like a #2, your amp would have a same sort of break into

output distortion at say a volume setting of "3". With a higher tube,

such as an #8, then you amp would stay clean to about perhaps "6" on

the volume.

 

High rating numbers are not more or less powerful, they just distort

later. These are preferred by heavy rocker that want maximum clean

output, as they get their distortion and tone from effects or pedals.

These are not as touch dynamic.

 

Low number tubes are very touch dynamic, and more suited for a

lot of folks, for smaller venues and recording.

 

Most folks prefer the 4-7 range tubes, as they are the closest in character

and touch to what the amplifier designer had in mind. They are also the most

versatile.

 

On scale conversions:

 

On Fender amps, output tubes in newer amps are

color coded. The scale is:

 

Blue = GT 1-3 rating

White = GT 4-7 rating

Red = GT 8-10 rating

 

On Mesa Boogie amps there are six color codes.

All of them are in the GT 4-6 range. These amps

have a fixed bias to staying in this range is the

same as Mesa tubes.

 

Mesa vs Groove Tubes scale

 

Red 4

Yellow 4

Green 5

Gray 5

Blue 6

White 6

 

The list of current GT preamp tubes is here:

http://www.groovetubes.com/tubes_list.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=107

 

The list of current GT output tubes is here:

http://www.groovetubes.com/tubes_list.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=108

 

The list of fun things and things like bias tools is here:

http://www.groovetubes.com/groovetoys.cfm?Category_ID=30

 

The rest of the GT product line can be seen from the first page

of the GT website from the pull down menus.

[rsf1977]

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks?

--ryan

 

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

 

I do the amps for the guys at the Mesa Hollywood store (their personal amps) and will trace a set for you like Jay's over there that I did for his Road King that I loved how they came out. Normally GT charges $10 per tube when I hand trace stuff as it takes about 15-20 minutes per tube when you get lucky enough to not have to go through a lot of them. I will do this at no charge as you are part of this forum. I do the same thing for folks on the Z Forum or the Carl Verheyen forum. I no longer do this for folks on HC or The Gear Page or any other forum.

Hey Myles I just tried the tubes out and they sound great I always thought ELe4s would sound thinner and more trebly but these sound think and tight, much tighter then the KT66HPs I had they dont have as much bass but it seems like all the EL34 bass is usuable it's really got a thump on palm mutes. I find it odd that most Dual Rect owners don't even want to go near EL34s is it just this brand of tube that works this well?

[Caevan O’Shite]

Saaaaaay, Myles-

 

If you had a "blackface" Fender Pro Reverb 2x12 that was all-original stock (except for necesary things like filter-caps)-

 

-but needed tubes, an output-transformer, and speakers-

 

-what tubes, O/T and speakers would you put in there for yourself, and why?

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by rsf1977:

hey myles, I wanted to try some EL34s in my Dual Rectifier, could you recommend some for high gain rythym stuff ala metal/harcore thanks?

--ryan

 

GT E34LS in a #6 rating.

 

I do the amps for the guys at the Mesa Hollywood store (their personal amps) and will trace a set for you like Jay's over there that I did for his Road King that I loved how they came out. Normally GT charges $10 per tube when I hand trace stuff as it takes about 15-20 minutes per tube when you get lucky enough to not have to go through a lot of them. I will do this at no charge as you are part of this forum. I do the same thing for folks on the Z Forum or the Carl Verheyen forum. I no longer do this for folks on HC or The Gear Page or any other forum.

Hey Myles I just tried the tubes out and they sound great I always thought ELe4s would sound thinner and more trebly but these sound think and tight, much tighter then the KT66HPs I had they dont have as much bass but it seems like all the EL34 bass is usuable it's really got a thump on palm mutes. I find it odd that most Dual Rect owners don't even want to go near EL34s is it just this brand of tube that works this well?

The E34LS is a much stronger tube with much more plate mass than other EL34 tubes. The E34LS is used by a lot of rock folks ... Slash, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Joe Perry, Steve Stevens and a lot more. It is also a 30 watt tube and all other EL-34 tubes, including the JJ E34L, are 25 watters.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Caevan_O'Shite:

Saaaaaay, Myles-

 

If you had a "blackface" Fender Pro Reverb 2x12 that was all-original stock (except for necesary things like filter-caps)-

 

-but needed tubes, an output-transformer, and speakers-

 

-what tubes, O/T and speakers would you put in there for yourself, and why?

I'd use one of two ....

 

6L6GE .... as they were one of the originals

 

6L6R2 (real Svetlanas) as they were tooled off off the Sylvania STR 387 which was the other original tube.

 

Both are great. I have each of them in these amps for clients and it boils down to personal taste at the moment of selection.

 

In either case I use a #6 rating and bias at 30mA.