Blues Jr Hiss

[brightblack]

Hey- I own a Blues Jr- I've been noticing a subtle hiss coming out of the speakers when I increase the drive channel on the amp- I haven't been using any effects just the occasional Wah pedal and my guitar's volume and tone controls. I've read that a 12AY7 preamp tube could help, is this true?

Also, if this is the case, does anyone else besides Electro-Harmonix make 12AY7's?

[Blue Strat]

The noise may be normal (we can't hear how loud it is) or could be caused by a noisy 12AX7. If it's normal and you install a 12AY7, that's just like turning your gain control down. Once you turn the gain up to compensate for the lower gain 12AY7, you'll be back to where you started.

I recommend trying a couple of new 12AX7s and see if this helps. If not, you need to have backups and tubes for testing things like this anyway.