Preamp Tubes: Long plate vs short plate?

[lv]

What are the differences in tone, gain, microphonics, etc.?

Thanks

 

[rockon1]

Tone-subjective
Gain- same relatively speaking
Microphonics- susceptability greater Bob

 

[Timbre Wolf]

To elaborate a bit more on what Bob said...

The tone will vary from type to type (manufacturer and time period/construction type).

Gain also varies. But most long black-plate versions will break up easier than their gray plate siblings.

I find there to be a quality of clarity that is associated with long-plate preamp tubes. The longer the plate, the greater the clarity/articulation.

Long-plate preamp tubes can also tend to be more microphonic than short-plate versions. It sometimes helps to move them down the line (from V1 to V2), or use an otherwise fine microphonic tube as the phase-inverter.

- Thom

 

[Roe]

use a short plate in v1 in order to minimize microphonics and a long plate in PI in order to get maximum punch

 

[INX]

I put 4 Mullard long plates in my dad's Rivera M60 over the weekend.

Dear god, such richness, definition, attack, sustain, warmth, all the buzz words.

One just cannot stop playing that amplifier now.

 

[doublee]

I have had good luck with microphonic long blackplates by using a tube damper,

and then if that doesnt work then I take it out of V2 (DR) and move it to a simpler amp like Princeton or Champ and they seem to be fine, or else as said above move it down the line in the DR....although I hate to IMO waste a nice blackplate that way....

 

[eyeball987]

I put 4 Mullard long plates in my dad's Rivera M60 over the weekend.

Dear god, such richness, definition, attack, sustain, warmth, all the buzz words.

One just cannot stop playing that amplifier now.

I have owned 3 Rivera's, including an M60, and found them all to take to tube changes well. I was surprised how easily I could pick out the tonal differences in the pre's that were loaded up.