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Post by zoppotrump on Oct 9, 2007 23:32:42 GMT -7
hi myles, i have a z28 head with stock tubes. the amp tends to sound a little harsh and shrill, when i turn the treble more then 10`o clock. is there a tube combination i could try, to get a more pleasent sound, with nice harmonic highs, that don´t pierce your ears ? i play a dr. z cab loaded with 2x12" weber bluedog alnicos 50w. my standard settings are volume 10-11`o clock, bass 11´oc clock and treble around 10-11´o clock. i also got an maz jr. but whith this amp i don´t have any problems. I play straight country and prefer an rather clean sound ( inbetween redd volkaert and brad paisley ) thank you in advance for any advice take care zoppotrump )
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Post by (8^D) on Oct 10, 2007 11:39:58 GMT -7
What kind of gitt'r you playing (specifically, pups - hum/single/p90)?
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Post by Telemanic on Oct 18, 2007 13:59:28 GMT -7
Well Myles is THE one to ask about that for sure, but i can tell ya that with mine ( early 4-10 ) i was getting a little harshness in the upper mids/treble. Way back then mine came with the EH 6V6's, which i think had some reliability issues, but anyway i replaced them with some NOS and it helped quite a bit. I know you might not think about the power tubes in this case, but it can help a lot because of the prominence of the power section in this and most of the Doc's amps! I went with some Brimar GTY's from KCA, ..... very creamy and rich in the upper register. They are slightly darker tho. Some of my faves are the good ole GE's if you want real open chimey American tone, but warm too, and they're still really cheap compared to RCA BP's. Next i dont know if your running a 5751 or 12ax Pi, probably for cleanish the 5751, those are more limited for choices but definately try a few nos makes, and ya might for kicks try a 12ax7 in there. It may or may not be a bit gainy-er but with the right tube that can also mean warmer Plus there are so many choices available. Lastly for the EF86, definitely nos is the only way to go for now i think. I have about 15 different ones and while they are all pretty similar, there are differences in texture and brightness with careful listening. Those ya pretty much just gotta do some trial and error. Start a stash of tubes and you'll be amazed at were you can take your tone from day to day depending on your mood! Good luck!
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Oct 21, 2007 10:26:25 GMT -7
I've got a Z-28 that used to be the least favorite of all my Z's (that's a relative statement- I love them all). I got a get of the Brimars from KCA as well and found them too dark for my taste. I play a rather bright swamp ash bodied maple board Strat with Fralin Vintage Hots and 6100 frets. I like to run the Z-28's treble control full up and couldn't with this guitar or my P-90 Hamers. I then got a set of NOS GEC's, biased them to 24mA, and instantly the Z-28 went from least used to right near the top. It's like a mini Route 66 now. There was still an upper midrange thing I didn't like- and recently I found out what it was. I started trying different cables- I had been a long time George L user. I got a Evidence Audio Lyric HG and the harshness was totally gone. Then, still not satisfied 100% with the Lyric's attack, I got some Van den hul cables from Mark at Lava Cable. WOW. Best tone and "feel" I've had in 25+ years of playing guitar. If there was ever any doubt about the effects of cables on tone, they're gone now.
Phil
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Post by myles on Oct 22, 2007 9:50:23 GMT -7
The 6V6EH is actually a very reliable tube but some might not care for the tone.
The biggest issue to me in the stock amps was when the Sovtek EF86 was used as that was about all that was available short of NOS at the time. This is a harsh and unreliable tube.
A good NOS tube in the V1 EF86 position will do wonders. If you want to go the next step then a good 6V6 NOS output set. Make sure the phase inverter (V2) is a nice long plate tube with proper output and not weak as typically found these days and you will have a spectacular amp that is very pedal friendly as well.
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Post by myles on Oct 22, 2007 9:51:20 GMT -7
I've got a Z-28 that used to be the least favorite of all my Z's (that's a relative statement- I love them all). I got a get of the Brimars from KCA as well and found them too dark for my taste. I play a rather bright swamp ash bodied maple board Strat with Fralin Vintage Hots and 6100 frets. I like to run the Z-28's treble control full up and couldn't with this guitar or my P-90 Hamers. I then got a set of NOS GEC's, biased them to 24mA, and instantly the Z-28 went from least used to right near the top. It's like a mini Route 66 now. There was still an upper midrange thing I didn't like- and recently I found out what it was. I started trying different cables- I had been a long time George L user. I got a Evidence Audio Lyric HG and the harshness was totally gone. Then, still not satisfied 100% with the Lyric's attack, I got some Van den hul cables from Mark at Lava Cable. WOW. Best tone and "feel" I've had in 25+ years of playing guitar. If there was ever any doubt about the effects of cables on tone, they're gone now. Phil Phil .... side note on your Lava Cable mention.... I have to agree with you here, great stuff.
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Post by zoppotrump on Oct 25, 2007 3:21:56 GMT -7
hi myles, thank you for your advice ( you others too )... as asked for my guitar, i play a crook custom tele with fralin and i play pretty clean sounding, with a tiny, tiny little hair at the end. i live here in germany, and here you don´t have such a varity of tubes to chose from. what would you recommend in case i can´t get my hand on nos tubes... ? thank you in advance zoppotrump )
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Post by myles on Oct 25, 2007 8:42:18 GMT -7
hi myles, thank you for your advice ( you others too )... as asked for my guitar, i play a crook custom tele with fralin and i play pretty clean sounding, with a tiny, tiny little hair at the end. i live here in germany, and here you don´t have such a varity of tubes to chose from. what would you recommend in case i can´t get my hand on nos tubes... ? thank you in advance zoppotrump ) On your side of the pond hit www.watfordvalves.com as they are great folks with a lot of selections.
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