wilzgt
Full Member
I plumb for Z-Tone !
Posts: 151
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Post by wilzgt on Mar 17, 2006 10:20:36 GMT -7
Hi---I'm a new member and a lover of Dr Z amps! I own a Mazerati head and use a Z 1x12 open back cabinet with it.
I was wondering if any of you tried to add more gain to your amp with different tubes?
My amp has a great clean character that I love. I might later on try to change tubes to get a heavier sound through the tubes if it's possible.
Presently, I use a Maxon OD808 and a HAO Rust Driver to push the amp. It's cool to play clean rhythm and then push the amp on leads this way.
Any advice and experience is appreciated! Thanks!!!
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Post by Tom the Guitar Guy on Mar 17, 2006 10:34:26 GMT -7
I tried some Ei 12ax7 tubes for a while - they were definitely "gainier" sounding than the JJ's that I eventually stayed with. Also, changing the 5751 in V2 to a 12ax7 helps as well.
Hope this helps.
tomtheguitarguy
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Post by myles on Mar 17, 2006 11:19:17 GMT -7
I tried some Ei 12ax7 tubes for a while - they were definitely "gainier" sounding than the JJ's that I eventually stayed with. Also, changing the 5751 in V2 to a 12ax7 helps as well. Hope this helps. tomtheguitarguy Ei's are generally less gainy than the ECC83S but since there are a lot more highs and the tube is brighter this may be perceived as higher gain. Then again .... the Ei's are all over the scale so you may have gotten a gainy one compared to the average. DATE TUBE B+ volts BIAS volts mA actual TC (gm) actual mA spec TC spec gp Comments 12/12/2002 7025 Ei 250 -2 0.7 1200 1.2 1600 0.013 Silver plates continued. Quiet due to very low ouput and gain. For somebody wanting a lower gain (like a 5751), this may be an idea, but it does not have the current drive of a 5751 or 12AT7. 0.4 950 0.01 0.6 1130 0.013 0.6 1160 0.013 0.5 1090 0.012 0.5 1040 0.011 0.7 1070 0.012 0.5 970 0.011 0.5 990 0.011 0.6 1040 0.012 Average Output/TC 0.6 1064 46.67% <- Output average compared to spec tube High mA % 0.7 58.33% <- Range above of spec tube highest tube Low mA % 0.4 33.33% <- Range below spec tube lowest tube Average gp 0.0118 Average gain 90.17 Tolerance Range 25.0% 25% <- Lower number is best I don't think this makes much sense as the formatting got trashed in the transfer but.... The average current output of the Ei is a full 50% down from RCA/GE book spec on average.The 5751 will also give you less gain and more clean headroom in the phase inverter. You may have had a weak 12AX7 in there. A good strong 12AX7 in V1 and V2 will raise the gain and crunch at a given volume knob setting in the Mazerati as this amp is very responsive to tube changes.
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Post by Tom the Guitar Guy on Mar 17, 2006 15:35:02 GMT -7
That's interesting Myles. Perhaps it was the high end I was hearing. The guy who sold them to me told me that they were higher gain, so I just went on that - and perhaps I just "heard" what I was told.
Thanks! tomtheguitarguy
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Post by foxx on Mar 17, 2006 16:43:12 GMT -7
Hey tomtheguitarguy, Myles and I were discussing this issue in the Ask the Experts forum, and he had also said to try new output tubes with a rating of 2-3 for more tube saturation and breakup. He told me that 2 12ax7's in both V1 and V2 would make the amp aggressive and not as responsive. I have tried the 2 12ax7's and did not like it at all. I have not tried new output tubes with a lower rating yet, and may just get a Mini Z instead. If you try the lower rating, I would love to hear what your thoughts are. Thanks Foxx
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2006 16:59:44 GMT -7
Hi Foxx, I have tried lower rated GT tubes in my amps before. I had a Fender Dual Professional that had higher rated GT about a 6 or 7 on their scale. I had to have them replaced and the only ones they had at my local store were low rated ones. They totally changed the character of the amp. The amp was darker overall and brokeup earlier. I also found them to be not as 'tight' as the higher rated Groove tubes. It was not what I was looking for for I needed high headroom, but if I wanted earlier breakup, man these would do the trick. It sounded down right mean with my lespaul and the amp cranked. Unfortunately I was in a R&B band and was wanting more soul clean rather than more of an aggressive rock sound. GT's rating system totally works!
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Post by Tom the Guitar Guy on Mar 17, 2006 17:53:13 GMT -7
Hi Foxx, I have tried lower rated GT tubes in my amps before. I had a Fender Dual Professional that had higher rated GT about a 6 or 7 on their scale. I had to have them replaced and the only ones they had at my local store were low rated ones. They totally changed the character of the amp. The amp was darker overall and brokeup earlier. I also found them to be not as 'tight' as the higher rated Groove tubes. It was not what I was looking for for I needed high headroom, but if I wanted earlier breakup, man these would do the trick. It sounded down right mean with my lespaul and the amp cranked. Unfortunately I was in a R&B band and was wanting more soul clean rather than more of an aggressive rock sound. GT's rating system totally works! I had similar experiences going with the lower rated GT's as well. Dang! Just plain forgot about the GT tubes' rating system. Doh! tomtheguitarguy
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Post by foxx on Mar 18, 2006 21:19:04 GMT -7
i like my mazerati, thinking about a Mini, real soon! Don't need to swap tubes in the rati, just an a/b box
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