tremoverb tube recommendations?

[CraigSuperLead]

I just picked up a tremoverb (thanks localmotion411!). Great amp!

I think I may go ahead and get some fresh tubes for it. Any suggestions?

Also, what's everyone's opinion on el34's vs. 6L6's in this amp?

Thanks very much for the help!

Craig

 

[John Phillips]

I have NOS GE 6L6s in mine, along with GE 12AX7s, apart from V5 and V6 which are JAN/Philips 12AT7s. This increased the depth and detail of the sound quite a lot. I'm not sure how much was due to the power tubes - not none though, since I could hear the difference between the GEs and Sylvanias fairly clearly.

I prefer the 6L6s. EL34s do help if you're really trying to nail Marshall sounds - which it will - but make everything else a bit grainy, IMO, especially the cleans. Not bad, and it's nice to have the option. In theory you can also run 6V6s in it with the bias set to EL34, using the Spongy mode and tube rectifier, but I haven't tried it.

 

[localmotion411]

Craig, glad you like it! I wish I could've picked it up but I've been thinning the herd.

I personally would stick to 6L6s versus EL34s. I think they sound sweeter when driven and usually have a tighter bottom end, in my limited experience. Mesa will of course recommend their Mesa-branded tubes, and I might go that route myself. I had a Bogner Ecstasy that needed new tubes so I put some Winged C EL34s and some NOS preamp tubes and wasn't satisfied with how it sounded. Called Bogner and they said to put the recommended Chinese tubes in it, which I did, and it sounded killer, so sometimes it pays to listen to the maker.

YMMV

 

[CraigSuperLead]

thanks for the responses!!

By the way, Has anyone had any luck with knocking it down to 50 watts? And how do you do that... just pull 2 tubes and a rectifier tube, then knock the speaker impedence down to 4? (it's currently on 8).?

thanks!

 

[macmax77]

to tell you the truth i had a Tremoverb since 93-94.
I will have the same amp in about 30 days.

I tried every tube you could think of and it always sounded better with the Mesa Tubes.
Besides the Mesa Tubes lasted forever and i just changed them for the heck of it, but went back to them.I am talking Preamp tubes.

I loved the Tremoverb with 6l6's (6l6's aremy main tubes in a Tverb, best sounding tube in The TVERB and for me in many amps)but i also tried the JJ's E34L's, those are great in a TVerb.

Hope this helps

 

[macmax77]

thanks for the responses!!

By the way, Has anyone had any luck with knocking it down to 50 watts? And how do you do that... just pull 2 tubes and a rectifier tube, then knock the speaker impedence down to 4? (it's currently on 8).?

thanks!

Two tubes out, spongy-can't remember the other thing i did....
But i would leave the 4 tubes in since there is not really a change in volume, but maybe lacks of body

 

[stratton]

to tell you the truth i had a Tremoverb since 93-94.
I will have the same amp in about 30 days.

I tried every tube you could think of and it always sounded better with the Mesa Tubes.
Besides the Mesa Tubes lasted forever and i just changed them for the heck of it, but went back to them.I am talking Preamp tubes.

I loved the Tremoverb with 6l6's (6l6's aremy main tubes in a Tverb, best sounding tube in The TVERB and for me in many amps)but i also tried the JJ's E34L's, those are great in a TVerb.

Hope this helps

I've had mine for 3 years or so, and most of the time I've had the JJ E34Ls in it as recommended by Bob at Eurotubes. They sound great, but no doubt the clean sound suffers a bit and renders blues mode unusable, IMO.

The amp was essentially new when I bought it used with very few hours on it. I bought a new recto 4X12 cab for it, and as the two have more hours on them, it's gotten to be a very sweet rig. I still have the Mesa 6L6s in it I'm going to try again with some new settings that work great in vintage high gain mode.

 

[John Phillips]

By the way, Has anyone had any luck with knocking it down to 50 watts? And how do you do that... just pull 2 tubes and a rectifier tube, then knock the speaker impedence down to 4? (it's currently on 8).?

Yes, that's correct.

I don't think it sounds as good though.

I tried every tube you could think of and it always sounded better with the Mesa Tubes.

I can't think of any preamp tube I like less than the standard Mesa-labeled Russian 12AX7. Totally muddy, flat and dull. They can kill the tone of any amp.

The Chinese ones aren't so bad... but they still have a slight undefined fuzziness to them. Not even close to decent old-production ones.

This is of course personal taste though .

 

[CraigSuperLead]

thanks again guys! I'll probably stick with the 6L6GE's, then.

By the way, I'm really liking this amp... I've never, ever had good luck with a mesa, but this one is sounding great so far!


Craig

 

[macmax77]

Yes, that's correct.

I don't think it sounds as good though.

I can't think of any preamp tube I like less than the standard Mesa-labeled Russian 12AX7. Totally muddy, flat and dull. They can kill the tone of any amp.

The Chinese ones aren't so bad... but they still have a slight undefined fuzziness to them. Not even close to decent old-production ones.

This is of course personal taste though .

Remember i am talking 1993-94 and that batch used by Mesa was better than what they sell now, i think they changed were they used to buy em from.

 

[macmax77]

I've had mine for 3 years or so, and most of the time I've had the JJ E34Ls in it as recommended by Bob at Eurotubes. They sound great, but no doubt the clean sound suffers a bit and renders blues mode unusable, IMO.

The amp was essentially new when I bought it used with very few hours on it. I bought a new recto 4X12 cab for it, and as the two have more hours on them, it's gotten to be a very sweet rig. I still have the Mesa 6L6s in it I'm going to try again with some new settings that work great in vintage high gain mode.

Mine was a Combo, and the exactly same amp will be mine in a few days, can't wait to get it back.
It is just a flight to the caribbean to get it back, hahahhahahaha.

It was modded (By Voodoo Amps), but i might send it back to Mesa to get it back to 93-94 specs.As it was when i bought it new.

 

[John Phillips]

Remember i am talking 1993-94 and that batch used by Mesa was better than what they sell now, i think they changed were they used to buy em from.

Yes, more than once, but I still don't like any of them. Mesa haven't had any good tubes since they stopped the GE preamps and Sylvania 6L6s IMO.

I've never kept one Mesa tube in any Mesa amp I've owned, except when selling them or when I just don't have better ones to hand - my T-verb still has Mesa (Russian) 5U4s... which will be gone as soon as I can be bothered to find something else. It's also a '94 but those aren't the originals, just what was in it when I bought it last year.

 

[AdmiralB]

Remember i am talking 1993-94 and that batch used by Mesa was better than what they sell now, i think they changed were they used to buy em from.

Mesa was using mostly Chinese tubes then. Preamp tubes and 6L6s, with Russian rectifiers.

 

[pedrohead]

Sorry to resurect this thread from a year ago

But I'm in a similar quandry as I have the same Tremoverb DR combo and have been coming up lame in tube selection lately. Tried a new set of Mesa's (probably the Russian stuff mentioned, didn't likey), tried a new set of JJ's from Eurotubes (the whole thing re-tubed, still with 6L6s, too soft, didn't like). Really liked it when I initally got it 7-8 years ago (maybe still with the "Chinese" tubes mentioned).

What tubes would I be looking for (preamp/poweramp) to get back to that "Chinese" spec? I don't know specific brands that are what you're referring to as "Chinese". Thanks.

 

[myles111]

I prefer 6L6s in these amps and if you use the Mesa tubes go with the blue or white color code only. The red and orange codes run way too cold (amp is grainy) and the green and gray still run on the cool side.

One of my favorite tubes for this amp is the real winged C svets. A good tube vendor such as www.kcanostubes.com or www.dougstubes.com can supply a proper mid range design spec tube. A GT #5-6 tube meets design spec (or at least it used to prior to the sale of GT to Fender)

Mesa scale Groove Tubes scale
Red 4
Yellow 4
Green 5
Gray 5
Blue 6
White 6

 

[crzyfngers]

i have to agree with the ge 6l6's. the cleans sound better, the drive sounds fatter. to me anyhow.

 

[pedrohead]

Thanks for the recommendation guys.

Any thoughts on the preamp tubes?

 

[stephen sawall]

I did not know Fender has GT.

Any link to hear part of the story.

Thanx

 

[macmax77]

Yes, that's correct.

I don't think it sounds as good though.

I can't think of any preamp tube I like less than the standard Mesa-labeled Russian 12AX7. Totally muddy, flat and dull. They can kill the tone of any amp.

The Chinese ones aren't so bad... but they still have a slight undefined fuzziness to them. Not even close to decent old-production ones.

This is of course personal taste though .

remember my amp was a 93-94 amp
i also used the spax7's in 1st position.

 

[myles111]

I did not know Fender has GT.

Any link to hear part of the story.

Thanx

In the top part of the main page body at http://www.groovetubes.com/