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Post by rvf263 on Nov 29, 2013 19:46:01 GMT -7
I sent my KT45 in to Dr. Z to get re-tubed but didn't request any brand/type of tube yet.
I play classic blues/rock/jazzy blues, and would like, not the most expensive, but a high quality reliable tube for the music I play.
What tubes are you guys/gals using in your KT45, and for what type of music?
Any tube recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Nov 29, 2013 21:45:47 GMT -7
I'd trust Doc to put in what sounds good to his ears - they do a pretty good job at it!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2013 22:09:00 GMT -7
▲▲▲ Like
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Post by southmusic70 on Nov 30, 2013 7:01:07 GMT -7
There seem to be a number of people on the Forum who think the Doc's amps need work done to improve them, even right out of the box.
I disagree.
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Post by rvf263 on Nov 30, 2013 8:32:59 GMT -7
I bought the KT45 used, played it a couple times and it sounded great, Played it again and the volume dropped significantly. I didn't want to mess with it so I sent it to Dr. Z to have it checked out and make sure everything is right. I'm assuming or hoping there's a tube bad and he just re-tubes the amp. The EL34's were winged C's but the logos were very faded and the plastic guide pins were broke off but the glass part still intact. I thought maybe the tubes were old. The amp itself is older, an "L" series. I'm not opposed to Dr. Z's choice of tubes I just thought there may be better tubes for certain types of music. I shot him another email with the type of music I play so I should be good to go.
I would like to try the 5v4 rectifier tube that Dr. Z likes for smooth Blues tones. Anyone using that tube?
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Post by southmusic70 on Nov 30, 2013 14:02:09 GMT -7
I use the EHX 5u4 in my KT, and it sounds good. I know that some people go with a ss rectifier, but having always used tube rectification, I'm probably too old to change.
I have 4 Z amps, and although each one does a number of things well, I would probably use my Route 66 for blues-type playing as opposed to my KT45 because the Route gives up its overdrive way before the KT, which stays clean way up the knobs. For clean playing the KT is supreme, and it swallows pedals in a wonderful way.
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Post by schultz on Dec 3, 2013 7:07:33 GMT -7
I put Siemens EL34's in mine w/ the solid state rectifier (with no issues) it's biased just right. I also replaced the stock EF86 with Telsa EF806 and used a JAN 12AX7 too. I'm playing through a 2x12 with Celestion Golds...Man I just love this amp!
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Post by rvf263 on Dec 3, 2013 14:35:19 GMT -7
I use the EHX 5u4 in my KT, and it sounds good. I know that some people go with a ss rectifier, but having always used tube rectification, I'm probably too old to change. I have 4 Z amps, and although each one does a number of things well, I would probably use my Route 66 for blues-type playing as opposed to my KT45 because the Route gives up its overdrive way before the KT, which stays clean way up the knobs. For clean playing the KT is supreme, and it swallows pedals in a wonderful way. I bought this amp on a whim from my buddy not knowing too much about it. After reading more, I realize it's very clean, very loud, and a great pedal platform.
My thoughts are to use my weber 50w mini mass to tame the loudness in order to reach that "sweet spot" at a comfortable level.
I also have some decent pedals I'd like to try out with the KT to see where that takes me.
I'll be playing through a closed back Avatar 2x12 with Eminence Red Fangs.
For not having too much experience with Z amps, I have to say, I'm really excited and have very high expectations of the KT45.
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Post by rvf263 on Dec 3, 2013 14:49:24 GMT -7
I put Siemens EL34's in mine w/ the solid state rectifier (with no issues) it's biased just right. I also replaced the stock EF86 with Telsa EF806 and used a JAN 12AX7 too. I'm playing through a 2x12 with Celestion Golds...Man I just love this amp! Thanks for the tube info. That sounds like a great combination. I'd love to experiment with the tube selection and will be calling Dr. Z in a couple days to discuss my options. They received my amp yesterday so hopefully I'll hear some good news soon.
Can you describe some of the tones you can get with your KT45 now vs. the previous tubes?
What volume levels are you playing your amp at?
Thanks!
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Post by schultz on Dec 4, 2013 10:19:49 GMT -7
First off, Congratulations! and anyone please correct me if I am wrong about any of this as I'm not an amp tech by any means... I think the stock tubes are fine in the KT-45 I replaced the stock Russian power tubes because I had one go microphonic when I got the amp (used). I chose the matched Siemens not knowing that they don't have that high a power rating and the solid state rectifier places a greater demand on the power tubes than a tube rectifier (5AR4), however I had it biased properly and so it's not a problem. I definitely would not use the Siemens EL34's with a solid state rectifier without a proper bias! It would be less of an issue with a tube rectifier but you should still bias it with any power tube or rectifier swap. I believe the stock EF86 is a good one and probably sounds about the same as the Tesla "EF806" I replaced it with, although it's always good to have a spare as they are harder to find laying around than other tube types. The EF86 /EF806 is the first tube (V1) in the circuit so it probably has the most impact on the tone. That being said, I noticed the amp sounds very smooth and more even now, maybe a bit warmer as well with the tube changes. I like the solid state rectifier because it is a cleaner, tighter sound to my ears and I have a Swart AST if I want sag and early breakup. The KT-45 is my clean amp. With the C. Golds it is even tighter, cleaner sounding. I tried it with a few other speakers (Ragin' Cajun's, etc) and the difference was pretty astounding...Much more bluesy with the other speakers in my opinion. I think speaker selection will have a bigger impact on tone with this amp than tube choice. I prefer the straight up sound of this amp as a clean type platform personally. I'm curious to see what the other Celestion speaker choices would sound like but am quite happy with the (2) Golds. I play it with the volume about 11:00 - 2:00 / treble 12:00- 2:00 / bass 11:00 -1:00 but I am constantly experimenting with different settings..full open sounds just amazing with about the best breakup of any amp I've ever played! It only gets louder to a point then it starts to open up (around 2:00 at least to my ears). I play in a rehearsal space so volume isn't an issue The KT-45 has become my favorite amp in this setting although my buddy, who is a much better player typically uses it at much lower levels (9:00) and loves it set that way. It's a fantastic amp for recording as well and loves pedals. I got lucky and got my KT-45 head in a trade and everyone who plays it just loves the way it sounds (and these guys have lots of very high end amps). It's raw, unflavored, pure goodness...(lol)
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Post by schultz on Dec 4, 2013 10:57:10 GMT -7
The beauty of the KT-45 is in it's versatility. I like it for surf, country, rock, blues, jazz, everything.
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Post by southmusic70 on Dec 4, 2013 11:28:28 GMT -7
Yes, I used mine last week on a big band job with my Heritage archtop and got excellent results.
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Post by rvf263 on Dec 4, 2013 18:48:01 GMT -7
Thanks for the info shultz, it will definately help me when I chat with Dr. Z soon about my options.
I wasn't aware that the Seimans EL34 had lower power rating, I need to find out what other EL34's are good and have a lower rating as well.
The other thing that intrigues me is the lower efficiency speaker to tame the volume. I'll be starting a new thread about that soon.
Well, although I'm new to Z amps it seems I'm learning quite a bit.
Southmusic, that's awesome you used the kt45 at a big band gig, I bet it sounded great! I would have loved to hear that.
Thanks again everyone for all the help.
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Post by rvf263 on Dec 4, 2013 18:59:22 GMT -7
So, if I understand correctly, in order to tame some of the volume of the KT45 and still get to that sweet spot, there are several options to try:
1) Attenuator 2) Lower rated power tubes 3) Rectifier tube change, possibly 5v4 4) Low efficiency speaker
Any other suggestions?
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Post by southmusic70 on Dec 5, 2013 6:40:56 GMT -7
Run your guitar's volume control(s) between 5 and 7.
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Post by schultz on Dec 5, 2013 9:32:09 GMT -7
if I were to get an attenuator, I would be looking very hard at one of these: Alex's Attenuator
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Post by rvf263 on Dec 5, 2013 10:47:40 GMT -7
if I were to get an attenuator, I would be looking very hard at one of these: Alex's Attenuator I have a Weber 50w mini mass I'm going to try, hopefully that gets me there.
I heard great things about the Alex attenuator and actually sent him an email not long ago but never pulled the trigger.
I was reading his thread over on TGP today and it's saying he's out of business, that's a real bummer.
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Post by southmusic70 on Dec 5, 2013 16:53:37 GMT -7
Rvf,
One other thought:
I know that it may seem strange to be using a KT45 in a big band situation, but a number of jazz players in the past used Fender Twin Reverb amps. Why? Clean headroom. I set my guitar (archtop) volume on 3 or 4, amp between ten and noon with t and b about ten. That way I get a good percussive rhythm sound and for solos can go up to about 6 on the guitar with plenty of volume but still stay below the threshhold of feedback.
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Post by rvf263 on Dec 8, 2013 7:10:48 GMT -7
I think that's an important factor that I sometimes forget about; use the guitar volume control wisely!
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