so many tubes no little knowledge.

[ricksconnected]

hey guys.


im wondering what tubes you guys would choose to put in a JCM 900 head if it were yours
and why. im talking brand of tubes. im sure you guys know more about tubes than i do
any know what brands work best in JCM 900'S and why.

i just talked with a guy that said my filter caps should be good for at least 20 yrs, even without the amp being played. your thoughts on his comments?

 

[Masliko]

What is it,you dont like about your current tubes?this will help others recommend some.If you dont know what you dont like about them ,just buy lots and roll them.


Are you after a particular sound?or do you just want the best tube on the planet, according to someone else?



I've had a few of those heads and i personally prefer EL34's BUT i know many who prefer the 5881's which are a smoother sounding tube in my opinion,the guys into pop punk etc dig these.

About what brands to use,you will have to ask someone else...I have the same filter caps in, that came with my MKIII and it rocks.My brother has a 1991 900 with same filter caps in.

If your a musician, just leave it alone until they sound bad or fail,if your a gear geek, you can always change them for the sake of it.


I've seen 900's,hit walls,fall off trucks without road cases,kicked over and beer spilled into them many times(oohhh the tubes) in the early 90's & work first time,everytime-they are quite tough.I cant speak for the RE's,but i imagine they would take it too.

 

[ricksconnected]

yeah im looking for brands. mine came with EL34's

 

[Adrian R]

yeah im looking for brands. mine came with EL34's

Dude I've tried TONS of different tubes over the years...and in the end...for the most honest Marshall sound...for my ears anyway, are the Tungsol EL-34Bs, if you can afford them...or a close second are Chinese Shuguang/Sino EL-34B..which are more affordable.

For preamp tubes stay away from Sovtek...with the exception of the 12AX7LPS..EH makes decent preamp tubes for the money...and of course the Tungsols are great as well. JJs, for me anyway, are a second..but are still decent. But if you really want some good sounding preamp tubes...get the old ones...GE, Sylvania...etc...they really sound the best and last forever.

 

[ricksconnected]

Adrian,

where do i get older tubes at? any NOS stores?


anybody else have a though on tube companies?

 

[Cradlefish]

Adrian,

where do i get older tubes at? any NOS stores?


anybody else have a though on tube companies?

I've many tubes and have been into tubes for the past 15 years. As for production tubes. I don't think there are any of them that I like anymore. Winged C power tubes were my favorite and still are. Marshall use to use them exclusively on their amps until they stop making them last year or two years ago. Their prices have skyrocket. Insane prices. If you still have them in your Marshall keep it. NOS tubes like Adrian said are the finest. You can't get that 3D sound from any tube other than NOS. You can find them on ebay for solid deals. You just have to do your homework. Dealers are exremely expensive.

 

[ricksconnected]

im trying to do my homework right here actually. lol
thats what spawned this post.

 

[EADGBE]

Does it use EL34s? If yes, I'd go with the regular JJ EL34s. For preamp tubes I'd go with Groove Tubes' ECC83-S. It's also made by JJ. Nice high gain preamp tube.

 

[ricksconnected]

yeah EL34'S. i just looked through the screen and saw that the pre tubes are Grove tubes. can tell what my power tubes are. im gonna go look.....

 

[ricksconnected]

ok so i just found out my el34's are svetlana electron devices
EL34 made in russia 03/04

my pre tubes as stated are grove tubes.

i dont know enough about tube to know if these are good enough or what

 

[Steeveejay]

Don't ditch those tubes !
There's much to say about switching and swapping tubes , but nobody gives biasing a mention . you might have right there the best set of EL34's on the planet , but if you don't bias them to their optimal operating point you wouldn't know it. Biasing is the first step to tweaking amps. ( as long as you first learn to work safely). Here is a link to some usefull info and a bias sim to play with ..
https://www.tubedepot.com/pages/bias-point

 

[ricksconnected]

wow thank you steeveejay. yeah i gotta learn to do this stuff myself.
do you know the tubes i speak of?

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Yep I have a few of those around. Quite good tubes!! They are the company that made the Winged -C- tubes. You may find preamp tubes make more of a difference tonally unless you are really pushing the power tubes.

 

[ricksconnected]

jethro

the pre amp tubes are grove tubes. anything better to use?

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Groove Tubes are made by some one else, hand tested and labeled. I think the current trove might be JJs as are Mesa so same diff. Never played a 900 but have a look at Tung Sol, high gain, fairly quiet, or any Chinese made like Ruby. JJs (GT) are fine also. Sadly you gotta change some, listen, keep rolling them until you find what really works for you. It's a subtle difference as well, not night and day. See Adrians comments above!
Electro Harmonix, Sovtek, JJ, Mullard RI or try to find some old stock tubes, those are my favorite. Bulletproof and sound great.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Rick it seems like you have good tubes, at least by brand name. Until you get the tools and learn to bias it yourself I would take the amp to a tech and have them go over the amp, clean and check everything out, check the tubes you have are good and set the bias for you. You may find this is all you need to do right now and will be good money spent and affordable.

 

[ricksconnected]

Rick it seems like you have good tubes, at least by brand name. Until you get the tools and learn to bias it yourself I would take the amp to a tech and have them go over the amp, clean and check everything out, check the tubes you have are good and set the bias for you. You may find this is all you need to do right now and will be good money spent and affordable.

this is what im thinking too. i just want to learn to do the basics myself.
if i had a good book im sure i can get the job done with no real issues.
its like taking your guitar to a tech. why in the heck would somebody do that?
i do understand if your a new player but if you have been playing for a while
i just dont get it. your paying a guy/gal to set up a guitar basically to their
likings but for you to play. nobody knows how a guitar should feel for you
other than yourself. only you the player can tell when its perfect for you. follow
me on this?

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I agree with you. BUT, if you are unfamiliar at all with high voltage circuits - I do not know your background- biasing an amp without a socket probe can be a potentially dangerous thing. It's not just about the theory, it's doing it. Good to learn, I bought a Eurotubes probe that gives me idle current plus plate voltage and I don't have to stick small meter probe ends or alligator clips to live tube pins.
PV can be 450 + volts...
If your power tubes are good and still sound good, I'd use 'em those are good tubes!!

 

[Ken]

In a JCM 900 4100 I'd buy the cheapest tues I could find since all power tubes are good (some are better) and the preamp tubes do nothing for the overdrive in that amp since it comes from diode clipping. So just get the name brand preamp tubes: Tung-Sol, EH, Ruby, etc.

If you want to spend stupid money, do it on the power tubes, not the preamp tubes.

Ken

 

[Steeveejay]

wow thank you steeveejay. yeah i gotta learn to do this stuff myself.
do you know the tubes i speak of?

Yeh , Groove tubes are good, They are a company that buys by the tonne from different factories , but what make them a quality item is that they are burnt in ,tested ,and graded for their destiny . Like , hi gain not quite as hi gain and they grade for cleans. they also do a trace to make sure each triode in the leetle bottle are nice and similar , naturually you pay a premium for the service which is worth it to know you wont get a dud.. and power amp tubes are also matched . eg the bias ratings are similar/same for all four or 2.. Hey and be carefull if you buy N O S from ebay.. check seller reputation and stuff. i have bought stuff said to be good , and the only good was sound it made when it hit the #$%?in wall !
Make a couple of pedal kits and get an understanding of how they work and progress as you come to understand circuits and signal paths and their schematics . A lot of nice people on this forum will encourage you for nothin more than a little respect and gratitude dude ....
A wise guy once said " I read,and I forget , I see ,and I remember, I do, and i understand" something about theory and practice i think.