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Post by BritInvasion on Nov 25, 2012 17:10:39 GMT -7
^^ I wouldn't have guessed that! Thanks for the answer Myles!
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Post by randalp3000 on Dec 3, 2012 15:21:40 GMT -7
Hi Myles- I have a question about tube shields , like the ones that cover pre-amp tubes. I've heard for a long time that an amp is better off without them , supposedly sounds "better" that way. Is there any truth to that , is it one of those urban legends? Appreciate any insight! Actually, there is some truth to that. Tube shields are basically there to help keep the tube in place for more reason than anything else. You rarely see them in studio gear or hifi gear. The path of the electrons from the anode to the cathode is actually slightly bent by tube shields as they are grounded to the chassis at a different potential than either the anode or cathode and this adds one more factor into the mix which is not desired. Some very clean design amp will allow you to hear the difference with and without the devices. do they also add some capacitance which might roll of some of the top end? |
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Post by myles on Dec 3, 2012 15:23:49 GMT -7
Actually, there is some truth to that. Tube shields are basically there to help keep the tube in place for more reason than anything else. You rarely see them in studio gear or hifi gear. The path of the electrons from the anode to the cathode is actually slightly bent by tube shields as they are grounded to the chassis at a different potential than either the anode or cathode and this adds one more factor into the mix which is not desired. Some very clean design amp will allow you to hear the difference with and without the devices. do they also add some capacitance which might roll of some of the top end? No. |
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Post by lowbudget on Dec 6, 2012 8:29:10 GMT -7
Myles,
I have a strange hum coming from my amps when a guitar is plugged in that goes away when I touch the strings or when I touch an amp chassis bolt while holding the guitar. It's not quite as deep a tone as a regular 60 cycle hum but it's very noticeable. It makes no difference which amp or which guitar. P90s and single coils make no more noise than humbuckers. I've tried different outlets in the house, tried turning off lights, TVs, computers, you name it-no difference. I've tried power strips, direct into the wall, whatever I could think of, still no difference.
I know this usually indicates a grounding problem with the guitar, but all of my guitars? And no worse with single coils and P90s?
Since the problem is anywhere in my house and goes across all guitars and all amps I'm assuming the trouble is somewhere in my house's wiring.
Is there any known cure?
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Post by myles on Dec 6, 2012 9:45:29 GMT -7
Myles, I have a strange hum coming from my amps when a guitar is plugged in that goes away when I touch the strings or when I touch an amp chassis bolt while holding the guitar. It's not quite as deep a tone as a regular 60 cycle hum but it's very noticeable. It makes no difference which amp or which guitar. P90s and single coils make no more noise than humbuckers. I've tried different outlets in the house, tried turning off lights, TVs, computers, you name it-no difference. I've tried power strips, direct into the wall, whatever I could think of, still no difference. I know this usually indicates a grounding problem with the guitar, but all of my guitars? And no worse with single coils and P90s? Since the problem is anywhere in my house and goes across all guitars and all amps I'm assuming the trouble is somewhere in my house's wiring. Is there any known cure? Freddie, Yes, sounds like a ground issue in your house. Have the outlets checked (cheap devices to do this at most hardware stores). Have you tried a ground lift? Not as safe but something to try. You can also use a filtered power supply for your amps when at home. They are available from many places. |
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Post by lowbudget on Dec 6, 2012 10:49:22 GMT -7
Myles, I have a strange hum coming from my amps when a guitar is plugged in that goes away when I touch the strings or when I touch an amp chassis bolt while holding the guitar. It's not quite as deep a tone as a regular 60 cycle hum but it's very noticeable. It makes no difference which amp or which guitar. P90s and single coils make no more noise than humbuckers. I've tried different outlets in the house, tried turning off lights, TVs, computers, you name it-no difference. I've tried power strips, direct into the wall, whatever I could think of, still no difference. I know this usually indicates a grounding problem with the guitar, but all of my guitars? And no worse with single coils and P90s? Since the problem is anywhere in my house and goes across all guitars and all amps I'm assuming the trouble is somewhere in my house's wiring. Is there any known cure? Freddie, Yes, sounds like a ground issue in your house. Have the outlets checked (cheap devices to do this at most hardware stores). Have you tried a ground lift? Not as safe but something to try. You can also use a filtered power supply for your amps when at home. They are available from many places. Thanks as always Myles. |
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Post by myles on Dec 6, 2012 11:36:19 GMT -7
Freddie, Yes, sounds like a ground issue in your house. Have the outlets checked (cheap devices to do this at most hardware stores). Have you tried a ground lift? Not as safe but something to try. You can also use a filtered power supply for your amps when at home. They are available from many places. Thanks as always Myles. You are quite welcome |
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Post by Eddie on Dec 6, 2012 12:44:13 GMT -7
Myles,
Some of us in the MAZ Jr. section were talking about running the MAZ Jr. with a 5Y3 rectifier instead of the 5AR4. I seem to remember you saying that you like that setup sometimes with the MAZ. Can you elaborate on what is happening circuit-wise and what you personally hear tone-wise when running a 5Y3 in a MAZ Jr.?
Thank you.
Eddie
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Post by meanslide on Dec 6, 2012 13:11:06 GMT -7
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Post by myles on Dec 6, 2012 15:40:59 GMT -7
A good one is a great one. Does not matter smooth or ribbed for the most part. If one is cheaper than the other and both have good test specs go for cost. Sometimes most of the difference is hype and folklore in many cases.... RCA black plates vs gray plates etc. Silver face deluxe reverb vs black face is another one of those beliefs that in the case of the DR was not true, there was no difference. Folks got wise and the SF prices rose dramatically. They are a very bright tube and I normally do not care for them in most amps but in my own Ghia I have a smooth plate in V1. |
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Post by meanslide on Dec 6, 2012 16:10:13 GMT -7
Thank you for the info Myles. Your wisdom has helped me greatly in my tone search.
All I ever needed was a Ghia straight in to a Z Best! ;D
I'll give a Telefunken a try too.
Robert
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Post by myles on Dec 6, 2012 16:23:11 GMT -7
You are very welcome meanslide
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Post by gtrdave71 on Dec 16, 2012 7:46:24 GMT -7
Stang Ray help needed,
My Stang Ray sounds distorted and slightly microphonic. I have been thinking it sounds a little off, the past several weeks. At gig on Wednesday it got worse, sounds like its hooked up to a cheap overdrive ... it seems to get worse through the course of the evening
First I changed the power tubes, then rectifier tube, followed by the preamp tubes... no change. I checked the speakers, speaker cable and patch cable too.
Dave
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Post by myles on Dec 16, 2012 9:57:58 GMT -7
Stang Ray help needed, My Stang Ray sounds distorted and slightly microphonic. I have been thinking it sounds a little off, the past several weeks. At gig on Wednesday it got worse, sounds like its hooked up to a cheap overdrive ... it seems to get worse through the course of the evening First I changed the power tubes, then rectifier tube, followed by the preamp tubes... no change. I checked the speakers, speaker cable and patch cable too. Dave Dave, This could me many things and is pretty hard to diagnose in this way. I do not know where the amp has been, what it has been subjected to, if you were in cold weather and did not use the standby switch to cool down the tubes before going from a hot stage to a cold parking lot after a gig, etc. Microphonic generally indicates tubes and unless you put in new and TESTED / PROVEN / KNOWN GOOD IN THAT AMP tubes you are at the mercy of garbage at worst. At best the odds are stacked against you. In your amp the EF86 is the most likely suspect if tube related. |
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Post by gtrdave71 on Dec 16, 2012 14:35:20 GMT -7
The amp is about 4 years old. I play an average of 240 shows per year (closer to 300 this year)with it. I change the power tubes every 50 to 100 shows and I have re-tubed completely re-tubed it twice. I also changed out a bad rectifier about a year ago and replaced a bad set of power tubes recently. I play many gigs outside in extreme heat and ocaisionally extreme cold... nothing to cold recently though. I am also a nut about using stanby and good power coming from the wall. The tried the power tubes in another amp (they worked fine) I tried 2 backup EF86.
I guess my best bet is to get someone to look at it. Do you have any recommendations? I know some guys locally that have good reps.
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Post by myles on Dec 16, 2012 16:57:17 GMT -7
The amp is about 4 years old. I play an average of 240 shows per year (closer to 300 this year)with it. I change the power tubes every 50 to 100 shows and I have re-tubed completely re-tubed it twice. I also changed out a bad rectifier about a year ago and replaced a bad set of power tubes recently. I play many gigs outside in extreme heat and ocaisionally extreme cold... nothing to cold recently though. I am also a nut about using stanby and good power coming from the wall. The tried the power tubes in another amp (they worked fine) I tried 2 backup EF86. I guess my best bet is to get someone to look at it. Do you have any recommendations? I know some guys locally that have good reps. Dave, The best bet is to have somebody take a look. It sounds as if you did everything properly. If a show is about an hour or two, 50 hours is fine on the output tubes. If you don't notice a big improvement when output tubes are changed then you can go longer. If you do notice a big change you should change them more often. I have some folks that change EL84 output tubes every 10 shows, about 30 hours when you count sound check and some of the other antics in large venues. Then again, I have friends that go a year or more, on the road extensively, notice a difference but always have great tone. All personal preference in the end. EF86s can be very touchy and the Z amps are generally very NOT sensitive about them with the exception of your amp which is very much like a Vox AC30/4. Vox went to the /6 after having a lot of problems using an EF86. The /4 is still my personal favorite and the /6 or TB, as nice as it is, can't sound like the amp you have or the original AC30. One reason the AC15s sound so cool is they kept the EF86. Have your tech look for DC to ground leakage from a possible bad coupling cap in the front end. Caps go bad for no reason at times and this is one of the first things I would check if I had your amp on my bench. Good luck and feel free to post the end result. |
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Post by myles on Dec 26, 2012 8:56:25 GMT -7
Just wishing everybody a great 2013.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2012 13:17:53 GMT -7
Happy New Year to you too, Myles.
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Post by Eddie on Dec 26, 2012 14:32:14 GMT -7
Myles,
Some of us in the MAZ Jr. section were talking about running the MAZ Jr. with a 5Y3 rectifier instead of the 5AR4. I seem to remember you saying that you like that setup sometimes with the MAZ. Can you elaborate on what is happening circuit-wise and what you personally hear tone-wise when running a 5Y3 in a MAZ Jr.?
Thank you.
Eddie In case you missed this above, Myles. Thanks for your time. Eddie |
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Post by myles on Dec 26, 2012 15:06:26 GMT -7
Myles,
Some of us in the MAZ Jr. section were talking about running the MAZ Jr. with a 5Y3 rectifier instead of the 5AR4. I seem to remember you saying that you like that setup sometimes with the MAZ. Can you elaborate on what is happening circuit-wise and what you personally hear tone-wise when running a 5Y3 in a MAZ Jr.?
Thank you.
Eddie In case you missed this above, Myles. Thanks for your time. Eddie I answered this in a PM and also in an email for somebody. Here is the email response.... Hey Myles, I just recently upgraded from a mini z to a maz 18 reverb. Does changing the rectifier tube from a stock 5ar4 to 5y3 yield a lower wattage (lower overall volume)? If so how does the tone change and is it safe to run the 5y3? (i cant turn the volume up at home so i need to reduce the output) The voltages will be a bit lower, the amp will run a bit cooler, output tube life will be a bit longer and the amp will be a bit more dynamic and from my point of view even a bit more fun to play.No tone change and less volume change at the highest settings than you will probably be able to notice.
Totally safe in every way. Plug and play, no adjustment necessary or for that matter, even possible.The tubes in the maz are stock ones: V1: JJ ECC83S, V2: Sino 12AX7, V3: JJ ECC81, V4: Sovtek 12AX7WB, V5: Sovtek 12AX7LPS, V6/7: Electro Harmonix EL84 (matched pair), V8: Sovtek 5AR4 I feel tht the maz lacks the sparkling highs like the mini z, wht tubes should i swap in order to get the same tones as the mini z. (Mini Z: V1: JJ ECC83S, V2: JJ EL84) You will never get the same tones as the Mini Z. They are totally different amps.The Mini Z is sort of a one trick pony. The Maz 18 is one of the most versatile amps on the planet. But .... You can take a big step to improve things ....
Get rid of the horrid short plate ECC83S in V1. That is your main tone and gain stage. It is a very mid rangy tube, compresses very quickly especially with pedals and is somewhat dull. Get a nice NOS medium or long plate such as an RCA, Sylvania or one of the classics from Europe. Doug at www.dougstubes.com can help or Mike at www.kcanostubes.com can help too. Both of them great folks.
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Post by BritInvasion on Dec 26, 2012 15:10:56 GMT -7
Best wishes for a great New Year , Myles!
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Post by Eddie on Dec 26, 2012 16:19:04 GMT -7
Thank you so much, Myles. I have been really enjoying the 5Y3 in the MAZ. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on it.
Have a great New Year!
Eddie
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Post by "Z" Steve on Jan 18, 2013 20:47:22 GMT -7
Hi Myles and Happy New Years to you. I am trying to help another friend with his troubled amp, a 1x10 Rivera Clubster and it has 2 6V6's/3 12ax7's. One 6V6 is burning out and he has asked me to replace the power amp tubes and check his preamp tubes for him. I cannot find info for the correct bias or this amp - do you have a recommendation? It is a 25 watt amp.
Thanks, Steve
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Post by myles on Jan 19, 2013 10:45:42 GMT -7
Hi Myles and Happy New Years to you. I am trying to help another friend with his troubled amp, a 1x10 Rivera Clubster and it has 2 6V6's/3 12ax7's. One 6V6 is burning out and he has asked me to replace the power amp tubes and check his preamp tubes for him. I cannot find info for the correct bias or this amp - do you have a recommendation? It is a 25 watt amp. Thanks, Steve Send me the B+ voltage and I will give you a range in milliamps to use with a bias tool or probe. |
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Post by dixiechicken on Jan 21, 2013 13:16:54 GMT -7
Hi Myles - DC here!
What would be an acceptable idle current difference between the two KT66 power tubes in my Route66.
Presently with the original Groove Tubes it seem to be around 3.6 milliAmps.
Cheers: Dixiechicken!
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Post by "Z" Steve on Jan 21, 2013 17:51:07 GMT -7
Hi Myles. My friend chose to go straight to Rivera. I guess they have their power amp tubes numbered on the side  and you can get direct replacements from them without having to rebias. You may know where Rivera gets their tubes from but I discouraged him from getting them that way ( I had KCA lined up) - he chose otherwise.  Thank you though for all you do. |
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Post by myles on Jan 22, 2013 15:46:44 GMT -7
Hi Myles - DC here! What would be an acceptable idle current difference between the two KT66 power tubes in my Route66. Presently with the original Groove Tubes it seem to be around 3.6 milliAmps. Cheers: Dixiechicken! 20% is an industrial match. 10% is considered an audiophile match. You are probably at somewhere in the 30-35mA range so this is just fine. |
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Post by myles on Jan 22, 2013 15:48:56 GMT -7
Hi Myles. My friend chose to go straight to Rivera. I guess they have their power amp tubes numbered on the side and you can get direct replacements from them without having to rebias. You may know where Rivera gets their tubes from but I discouraged him from getting them that way ( I had KCA lined up) - he chose otherwise. Thank you though for all you do. Rivera does very nice matching on their tubes. KCA is terrific too. I rebias every time I change output tubes on a grid biased amp even if the tubes are rated in some way and supposedly plug and play. I like to adjust things in a range I prefer. |
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Post by aarondavis on Jan 27, 2013 14:20:49 GMT -7
*CARMEN GHIA / DIFFERENT RECTIFIERS*
Guys, I can't find a definitive answer. Is it safe to run other rectifiers in the Ghia? My best friends Ghia just stopped working and the 5Y3 rectifier isn't lighting up. Most likely this tube, but I only have GZ34's and a 5V4. One time I ran a GZ34 in it and it blew the fuse. Also possible it was just pushing too much voltage on bad tubes, but wanted to make sure its OK.
BTW, its a new one (May, 2012).
Thanks
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Post by myles on Feb 19, 2013 12:56:58 GMT -7
*CARMEN GHIA / DIFFERENT RECTIFIERS* Guys, I can't find a definitive answer. Is it safe to run other rectifiers in the Ghia? My best friends Ghia just stopped working and the 5Y3 rectifier isn't lighting up. Most likely this tube, but I only have GZ34's and a 5V4. One time I ran a GZ34 in it and it blew the fuse. Also possible it was just pushing too much voltage on bad tubes, but wanted to make sure its OK. BTW, its a new one (May, 2012). Thanks Yes, it is OK to use a GZ34 but if your EL84 tubes draw too much current, out of spec tubes, blowing a fuse is common. Personally I would stick to the 5Y3. If you want more power get a different amp, perhaps a MAZ 18. |
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and you can get direct replacements from them without having to rebias. You may know where Rivera gets their tubes from but I discouraged him from getting them that way ( I had KCA lined up) - he chose otherwise. 
Thank you though for all you do. 
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