cpa2guitar
Gold Supporting Member
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- 405
Just got off the phone with Greg Germino and then Greg Levy at Hi Test Guitars, as I wanted to buy some NOS tubes for my new Lead 55LV that will arrive later this week. I ended up ordering a matched pair of Mullard EL34s, XF2, single getter; three Mullard 12AX7s; and one Amperex 12AX7.
Greg G. had told me that, if I ordered NOS tubes for the Lead 55LV, he strongly recommended Mullards; however, when I placed the order, Greg Levy asked me which Mullard EL34s, and I had no clue. So Greg L., who happens to know Greg G., asked me which period of Marshall was the amp that I purchased from Greg G. emulating. When I told him the amp's filtering is period correct for 68/69 JMP-50 specs, he knew which tube to recommend (it's such a pleasure to do business with people who really know their stuff).
Then Greg L. wanted to know whether I wanted the single getter or double getter. At this point, I'm thinking: "geez... I don't know, I just play 'em I don't build 'em...
" So another call back to Greg G, who told me to pick the cheaper of the two, as there is not much difference. The single getter was $25 cheaper and Greg L. had also mentioned the double getter was a bit rolled off in the top end compared with the single getter, so that made it a no-brainer - I went with the single getter.
Greg L. was fine with selling Mullard 12AX7s to me for v2 and v3, but he recommended the Amperex for v1. I went ahead and bought three Mullards, but also bought the Amperex to swap out the Mullard and Amperex in v1 to see which I prefer. Ultimately I'll have one to many 12AX7s, but I figure the one I end up not using in v1 of the Germino can be dropped into one of my amps from 65 Amps.
Greg G. had indicated Greg L. was one of the "good guys" in the NOS tube market, and after talking to Greg L., my instincts tell me Mr. Germino is right. Greg L. was certainly [FONT="]knowledgeable and very helpful.[/FONT] We shall see.
Finally, Greg G. encouraged me to play the Lead 55LV for two or three weeks or even a month before I drop in the NOS tubes. He indicated the Lead 55LV did not need NOS tubes to sound great, but he also indicated the NOS tubes he recommended will make a great amp sound even better. I'll have to post a report on this once I've spent time with the amp with both the stock tubes and the NOS tubes. This should be interesting. If the difference is as great as Greg G. indicated, I'll have to start saving to buy NOS tubes for my 65 Amps models.
Question: I forgot to ask Greg G. about this but I'm confident one of you will know the answer. On the Lead 55LV page of the Germino web site, it states:
"This is the Lead circuit used in original 68-69 JMP-50 1987 models... An incredible sounding amplifier with all the classic late 60's and early 70's sounds. Goes from a slightly crunchy clean to a thick smooth lead tone with just a twist of the guitar's volume control. This is the sound of the famed 1968/69 plexi 1987 model at it's very best." (emphasis added)
I'm a bit confused about what "1987 model" means in this context. Is this amp emulating a 1987 reissue of the 1968/69 plexi, or does it mean something else?
Thanks,
Kirk
Greg G. had told me that, if I ordered NOS tubes for the Lead 55LV, he strongly recommended Mullards; however, when I placed the order, Greg Levy asked me which Mullard EL34s, and I had no clue. So Greg L., who happens to know Greg G., asked me which period of Marshall was the amp that I purchased from Greg G. emulating. When I told him the amp's filtering is period correct for 68/69 JMP-50 specs, he knew which tube to recommend (it's such a pleasure to do business with people who really know their stuff).
Then Greg L. wanted to know whether I wanted the single getter or double getter. At this point, I'm thinking: "geez... I don't know, I just play 'em I don't build 'em...
" So another call back to Greg G, who told me to pick the cheaper of the two, as there is not much difference. The single getter was $25 cheaper and Greg L. had also mentioned the double getter was a bit rolled off in the top end compared with the single getter, so that made it a no-brainer - I went with the single getter.Greg L. was fine with selling Mullard 12AX7s to me for v2 and v3, but he recommended the Amperex for v1. I went ahead and bought three Mullards, but also bought the Amperex to swap out the Mullard and Amperex in v1 to see which I prefer. Ultimately I'll have one to many 12AX7s, but I figure the one I end up not using in v1 of the Germino can be dropped into one of my amps from 65 Amps.
Greg G. had indicated Greg L. was one of the "good guys" in the NOS tube market, and after talking to Greg L., my instincts tell me Mr. Germino is right. Greg L. was certainly [FONT="]knowledgeable and very helpful.[/FONT] We shall see.
Finally, Greg G. encouraged me to play the Lead 55LV for two or three weeks or even a month before I drop in the NOS tubes. He indicated the Lead 55LV did not need NOS tubes to sound great, but he also indicated the NOS tubes he recommended will make a great amp sound even better. I'll have to post a report on this once I've spent time with the amp with both the stock tubes and the NOS tubes. This should be interesting. If the difference is as great as Greg G. indicated, I'll have to start saving to buy NOS tubes for my 65 Amps models.
Question: I forgot to ask Greg G. about this but I'm confident one of you will know the answer. On the Lead 55LV page of the Germino web site, it states:
"This is the Lead circuit used in original 68-69 JMP-50 1987 models... An incredible sounding amplifier with all the classic late 60's and early 70's sounds. Goes from a slightly crunchy clean to a thick smooth lead tone with just a twist of the guitar's volume control. This is the sound of the famed 1968/69 plexi 1987 model at it's very best." (emphasis added)
I'm a bit confused about what "1987 model" means in this context. Is this amp emulating a 1987 reissue of the 1968/69 plexi, or does it mean something else?
Thanks,
Kirk
