a42
Full Member
Posts: 130
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Post by a42 on May 14, 2006 10:33:36 GMT -7
I recently purchased some NOS tubes from Mike K. for my Maz. They arrived yesterday and when I took the original tubes out I was surprised at the lineup:
V1 - Sevtlana V2 - Sovtek 12AX7-LPS V3 - Chinese 12AT7 V4 - Sovtek 12AX7-WB V5 - Svetlana
The LPS in V2 and the Svet in the PI kinda threw me -- not what I was expecting to see at all. Anyone seen this particular lineup?
I bought the amp new but I did have to send it back to the Dr. to have a noise problem fixed. (I don't recall all the details.)
And I had a local tech take a look at it for a 'ticking' problem that turned out to be a loose nut on the face plate. I suppose it's possible that they swapped some tubes around and put something back wrong.
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Post by username on May 14, 2006 17:53:11 GMT -7
those are the tubes that came with my new Maz 38
but the line up was this...
V1 - Sevtlana V2 - Svetlana V3 - Chinese 12AT7 V4 - Sovtek 12AX7-WB V5 - Sovtek 12AX7-LPS
you can use that 12AX7-LPS V2 I'm pretty sure..I did, to see what it sounded like..but I found that I like the 5751's better in that spot..for now
I got rid of that 12AX7-WB ..like Myles said..
went I got my 38,
I swapped tubes all around to hear how it effects the tone..
I got some NOS from Mike also..
this is the line up I have now...
Loads of clean headroom and beautiful tone , clean at high/low volume, bottom end huge..
V1.. NOS JAN GE 5751 (Balanced) V2.. NOS JAN GE 5751 Blackplate V3.. the China 12AT7 V4.. Sovtek 12AX7LPS..I did have the Tung Sol Reissue 12AX7 there recently V5.. NOS JAN GE 5751 (Balanced)..I did have the Sovtek 12AX7LPS recently
What I think is amazing with this Maz 38..
is all the different ways to swap the tubes and get great tones..
Its hard to get bad tones out of this...wonderful tone machine
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Post by ke4unr on May 15, 2006 9:31:46 GMT -7
I just put new tubes in my Maz 18 NR combo Friday.
I purchased the amp new and have only had it a week. It came with:
V1 - JJ ECC83S V2 - JJ ECC83S V3 - Sovtek 12AX7LPS (PI) RA54 rectifier GT-EL84S #6 duet
I replaced the following:
V1 - Svetlana 12AX7 V2 - Svetlana 12AX7 JJ GZ34 rectifier
The 5A54 had already developed a rattle, so I was glad to get it replaced with what I believe is a much better tube for that spot anyway.
I left the Sovtek 12AX7LPS in the PI and the power tubes in place.
But, this really woke my amp up!!
I had been having the "midrangey" problem that Dr. Z mentions in one of his notes in his section of the forums.
Now I can say that it really is hard to find a bad tone from one of these amps!
Ray K.
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Post by mazmaster on May 17, 2006 14:01:18 GMT -7
I just put new tubes in my Maz 18 NR combo Friday. I purchased the amp new and have only had it a week. It came with: V1 - JJ ECC83S V2 - JJ ECC83S V3 - Sovtek 12AX7LPS (PI) RA54 rectifier GT-EL84S #6 duet I replaced the following: V1 - Svetlana 12AX7 V2 - Svetlana 12AX7 JJ GZ34 rectifier The 5A54 had already developed a rattle, so I was glad to get it replaced with what I believe is a much better tube for that spot anyway. I left the Sovtek 12AX7LPS in the PI and the power tubes in place. But, this really woke my amp up!! I had been having the "midrangey" problem that Dr. Z mentions in one of his notes in his section of the forums. Now I can say that it really is hard to find a bad tone from one of these amps! Ray K. Hey Ray, Glad you found a simple solution to your low-mid issue. I've tried that tube lineup too, as well as *dozens* of others. I found the JJ-GZ34 too stiff, which reduced the smoothness of OD pedals. For some reason, the GT-5AR4 was the smoothest, richest sounding rectifier I've tried. I know it's just a Sovtek that GT sorted/tested, but Sovteks from other distributors did not sound quite as good. Weird. Whatever works, right? Anyways, the only problem I had with the Svet 12AX7s was that they didn't quite have enough gain for the FD2s I was using at the time. A trio of Tung Sol 12AX7s solved that issue completely and really added a nice, airy, 3-D quality, but didn't have the mid-emphasis of the ECC83 that you didn't like. You may want to try those too or a mix of those with the Svets. I am using three OCDs in a loop switcher right now and they have more gain than the FD2, so I should probably revisit the Svets myself, which are definitely sweet-sounding tubes. One last change I made was going to a #4 rated GT-EL84-S. I found them to be smoother and less harsh than the #6s. They also seem to sustain better with pedals, even at low volumes. I know Z used to ship with the #4 standard a while back but switched to #6 due to headroom complaints. But, I still have tons of headroom for my applicaton. Have fun! Dave
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Post by ke4unr on May 18, 2006 7:23:58 GMT -7
Hey Ray, Glad you found a simple solution to your low-mid issue. I've tried that tube lineup too, as well as *dozens* of others. I found the JJ-GZ34 too stiff, which reduced the smoothness of OD pedals. For some reason, the GT-5AR4 was the smoothest, richest sounding rectifier I've tried. I know it's just a Sovtek that GT sorted/tested, but Sovteks from other distributors did not sound quite as good. Weird. Whatever works, right? Anyways, the only problem I had with the Svet 12AX7s was that they didn't quite have enough gain for the FD2s I was using at the time. A trio of Tung Sol 12AX7s solved that issue completely and really added a nice, airy, 3-D quality, but didn't have the mid-emphasis of the ECC83 that you didn't like. You may want to try those too or a mix of those with the Svets. I am using three OCDs in a loop switcher right now and they have more gain than the FD2, so I should probably revisit the Svets myself, which are definitely sweet-sounding tubes. One last change I made was going to a #4 rated GT-EL84-S. I found them to be smoother and less harsh than the #6s. They also seem to sustain better with pedals, even at low volumes. I know Z used to ship with the #4 standard a while back but switched to #6 due to headroom complaints. But, I still have tons of headroom for my applicaton. Have fun! Dave Hi Dave, It was just a matter of reading and following the good Dr.'s "prescription." Thanks very much for the rundown of the tubes you've tried and are using. I'm in the early stages, and my goal is to try some different tubes when I can...so I'm listening! I'm also starting to go through my pedal selection. I'm using what I was with my Classic 30. I like what I hear, but there is room for improvement since this amp reacts differently, of course. Btw, I've got my pedals in a small rack patched through a MIDI switcher. Another hold over, which I like. But, I'm seriously thinking of building up a more simple pedalboard for easier grab and go. Probably like most folks, I'm running my amp set clean with a bit of hair. It sounds just great at low guitar volumes. Very smooth and harmonically rich. I leave my Humphrey Audio compressor on all the time. It is a very transparent pedal! Anyway, a pure joy to play just like that. But, I boost it up with either one or both of my overdrives. I get some nice crunch to singing lead tones without any breakup or other nasties. I'm playing around with boost pedals now which in combination with the others sends it just over the edge (no pun intended). I'm still exploring, but having a great time doing it! My ears are telling me that I'm getting plenty of preamp gain with the Svetlana's. But, I'd like to try some Tung Sols also. Just curious, have you tried any Jan 5751's in V1, V2 and/or PI? I have some NOS ones in my tube stash and plan to give these a try soon. Karma for you for the helpful post! Thanks again, Ray K.
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Post by mazmaster on May 19, 2006 9:45:18 GMT -7
Hey Ray, Glad you found a simple solution to your low-mid issue. I've tried that tube lineup too, as well as *dozens* of others. I found the JJ-GZ34 too stiff, which reduced the smoothness of OD pedals. For some reason, the GT-5AR4 was the smoothest, richest sounding rectifier I've tried. I know it's just a Sovtek that GT sorted/tested, but Sovteks from other distributors did not sound quite as good. Weird. Whatever works, right? Anyways, the only problem I had with the Svet 12AX7s was that they didn't quite have enough gain for the FD2s I was using at the time. A trio of Tung Sol 12AX7s solved that issue completely and really added a nice, airy, 3-D quality, but didn't have the mid-emphasis of the ECC83 that you didn't like. You may want to try those too or a mix of those with the Svets. I am using three OCDs in a loop switcher right now and they have more gain than the FD2, so I should probably revisit the Svets myself, which are definitely sweet-sounding tubes. One last change I made was going to a #4 rated GT-EL84-S. I found them to be smoother and less harsh than the #6s. They also seem to sustain better with pedals, even at low volumes. I know Z used to ship with the #4 standard a while back but switched to #6 due to headroom complaints. But, I still have tons of headroom for my applicaton. Have fun! Dave Hi Dave, It was just a matter of reading and following the good Dr.'s "prescription." Thanks very much for the rundown of the tubes you've tried and are using. I'm in the early stages, and my goal is to try some different tubes when I can...so I'm listening! I'm also starting to go through my pedal selection. I'm using what I was with my Classic 30. I like what I hear, but there is room for improvement since this amp reacts differently, of course. Btw, I've got my pedals in a small rack patched through a MIDI switcher. Another hold over, which I like. But, I'm seriously thinking of building up a more simple pedalboard for easier grab and go. Probably like most folks, I'm running my amp set clean with a bit of hair. It sounds just great at low guitar volumes. Very smooth and harmonically rich. I leave my Humphrey Audio compressor on all the time. It is a very transparent pedal! Anyway, a pure joy to play just like that. But, I boost it up with either one or both of my overdrives. I get some nice crunch to singing lead tones without any breakup or other nasties. I'm playing around with boost pedals now which in combination with the others sends it just over the edge (no pun intended). I'm still exploring, but having a great time doing it! My ears are telling me that I'm getting plenty of preamp gain with the Svetlana's. But, I'd like to try some Tung Sols also. Just curious, have you tried any Jan 5751's in V1, V2 and/or PI? I have some NOS ones in my tube stash and plan to give these a try soon. Karma for you for the helpful post! Thanks again, Ray K. Ray, I haven't tried any 5751s in the Maz 18. I have a couple on hand, which I've tried in my Allen Accomplice which needs the lower gain to keep the preamp from breaking up too early. But, in the Maz, I needed that extra gain the Tung Sols have, although I'm curious about trying the Svets again (like I mentioned above) since I'm using higher gain pedals now. I really liked the *tone* of the Svets in the Maz. They're definitely a good match for this amp. Hey, glad you're having fun with the amp! Dave
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