Author Topic: TUBE PROBLEM: Changing Mesa Boogie tubes (Read 4947 times)

B2G · « **on:** November 23, 2008, 11:23:08 AM »

hey guys! i'd really appreciate if you could help me out yet again with another problem.. tubes!! i currently have a Mesa Boogie mark iv and it has 4 Mesa 6l6's and 5 Mesa 12ax7's! for a long time i've been itching to change the tubes to refresh the tone of the amp but the problem is i cant get a hold of new Mesa Boogie tubes to these specs and its really hard for me to contact someone who could get me a set..

i was wondering, you guys think it would be okay to use other brands of tubes for my amp(ex: jj tubes, ruby tubes, etc.)?

im kinda new to the tube field so i hope you guys could help me out

thanks a lot guys!

here's a pic of my "wrecking ball" Bertha!

enjoy!

demoboi · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2008, 11:38:15 AM »

yah. I guess you can use any other brand of tube as long as it is 12ax7.

Phil · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2008, 12:41:48 PM »

Quote from: B2G on November 23, 2008, 11:23:08 AM

hey guys! i'd really appreciate if you could help me out yet again with another problem.. tubes!! i currently have a Mesa Boogie mark iv and it has 4 Mesa 6l6's and 5 Mesa 12ax7's! for a long time i've been itching to change the tubes to refresh the tone of the amp but the problem is i cant get a hold of new Mesa Boogie tubes to these specs and its really hard for me to contact someone who could get me a set.. i was wondering, you guys think it would be okay to use other brands of tubes for my amp(ex: jj tubes, ruby tubes, etc.)? im kinda new to the tube field so i hope you guys could help me out thanks a lot guys!

here's a pic of my "wrecking ball" Bertha! enjoy!

when changing power tubes, make sure you get MATCHED QUADS. You can use any other preamp tubes as long as they are all 12ax7s.

mrbrownstone · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2008, 12:58:20 PM »

and dont forgt to have the poer tubes biased to your liking...mang raul does it well btw

deltaslim · « **Reply #4 on:** November 23, 2008, 01:39:38 PM »

Actually, Mesa Boogie does not and never made tubes. Neither has Groove Tubes, for that matter. They, like many current brands, just outsource to East European or Chinese factories and rebrand them. Often their value-add is in the rigorous testing or burn-in process. But those factories produce the same quality of tubes for other, cheaper brands.

Feel free to try other brands. I think there's a list of tube sellers on the FAQ but tubestore.com has a very easy menu interface.

CARABAO · « **Reply #5 on:** November 23, 2008, 02:16:10 PM »

OT: B2G, do you bring your amp to gigs? Ang laki!

caloyburger · « **Reply #6 on:** November 23, 2008, 02:47:40 PM »

Quote from: deltaslim on November 23, 2008, 01:39:38 PM

Actually, Mesa Boogie does not and never made tubes. Neither has Groove Tubes, for that matter. They, like many current brands, just outsource to East European or Chinese factories and rebrand them. Often their value-add is in the rigorous testing or burn-in process. But those factories produce the same quality of tubes for other, cheaper brands.

Feel free to try other brands. I think there's a list of tube sellers on the FAQ but tubestore.com has a very easy menu interface.

+1

Of the tubes you mentioned I think JJ's would be your best bet. Based on my experience with their EL84's they are high quality, reliable, and best of all affordable. I'm not sure on how they do on the 6L6's but I'm certain their quality remains consistent throughout all types.

Here's an article from Eurotubes (JJ dealer) on their take on Mesa's. Too techy for me but perhaps you can it digest much easier than I:
http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-n.htm

Their Mesa re-tube kits. I like it that they add a short description of what to expect from each combination. Saves you from possible buyers remorse:
https://ssl.eurotubes.com/cart/index.php?page=view_submenu&category_id=6

Also locally I think epektos.com just brought in some fresh JJ's. You can check it out in the classifieds (I'm not affiliated with the seller in any way). Hope this helps!

Bart · « **Reply #7 on:** November 23, 2008, 02:50:05 PM »

Plus one on what the other guys said. Also, preamp tubes (12A_7) tend to last longer. It may not be necessary to change them at this point, save you some money. You can also use any brand and swap them anytime you want to experiment with tone/headroom.
Sayang, me 3 akong generic, unbranded 12AX7 dito. Kung hindi lang milya milya layo natin, bigay ko na lang sa 'yo.

Phil · « **Reply #8 on:** November 23, 2008, 03:19:06 PM »

I get all my tubes at Doug

www.dougstubes.com

demoboi · « **Reply #9 on:** November 23, 2008, 05:06:30 PM »

Bad experience in tube depot. I purchased tow NOS 6021(for my SD Twintube classic) sub minitures and after 2 months it was starved or something. Total gain and output was decreased. Good thing SD sent me two 6021 for FREE as in FREE. Pati shipping free. And nag offer pa sila na I could send it sa kanila(well I'm planning to let my friend bring it to US to save shipping) and have it fixed or replaced and they would ship it back for free again. medyo OT na.

geetar_geek79 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 23, 2008, 05:24:15 PM »

boogies are fixed bias. delta is right. the mesa tubes are just re-badged sovteks. but they pick the tubes that is close to their specs/tolerance, then badge them as mesas. somebody mentioned it, jj's are your best bet. they also sell the whole set for that amp.

that's a nice amp!

deltaslim · « **Reply #11 on:** November 24, 2008, 08:33:44 AM »

I found JJ 6L6s kyna cold and stiff. But maybe that's because I like the classic American 6L6 tone from GE, RCA, etc. For metal, 'cold and stiff' might just be what the doctor ordered.

Their EL84s are great tho!

Phil · « **Reply #12 on:** November 24, 2008, 09:09:37 AM »

Quote from: deltaslim on November 24, 2008, 08:33:44 AM

I found JJ 6L6s kyna cold and stiff. But maybe that's because I like the classic American 6L6 tone from GE, RCA, etc. For metal, 'cold and stiff' might just be what the doctor ordered.

Their EL84s are great tho!

... true the JJs has that modern tone to it.

siore · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2008, 09:36:22 AM »

Mesa Boogies are fixed bias. If you read Randall Smith's short write-up about biasing at the end of Mesa manuals, you'd find out why it's a good idea to order direct from them. Quality control. They're very adamant about it. They go to extreme lengths to screen out their tubes, not just to match them, but also make sure that they run hot in your amp. No more biasing.

http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/mesboogtub.html

leech · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2008, 09:45:07 AM »

You can get tubes in Robinsons Pioneer. Thay have JJ's, Tungsols etc.... thats where I get mine.

BAMF · « **Reply #15 on:** November 24, 2008, 02:22:02 PM »

Quote from: mrbrownstone on November 23, 2008, 12:58:20 PM

and dont forgt to have the poer tubes biased to your liking...mang raul does it well btw

Mesa Boogies typically are fixed bias types and have no bias adjustment.

B2G · « **Reply #16 on:** November 25, 2008, 11:46:50 AM »

Quote from: leech on November 24, 2008, 09:45:07 AM

You can get tubes in Robinsons Pioneer. Thay have JJ's, Tungsols etc.... thats where I get mine.

what store po dun ser?

thanks guys for the info!!

leech · « **Reply #17 on:** November 25, 2008, 03:23:55 PM »

Quote from: B2G on November 25, 2008, 11:46:50 AM

what store po dun ser?

thanks guys for the info!!

nyak! Kinetic yung store.

mrbrownstone · « **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2008, 04:54:22 PM »

so would it be ok if the quads aren't match?

deltaslim · « **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2008, 06:14:52 PM »

Quote from: mrbrownstone on November 25, 2008, 04:54:22 PM

so would it be ok if the quads aren't match?

it would be ok in the sense that the amp would "work" and make "sound" but you'll be compromising tone quality and tube life.

skunkyfunk · « **Reply #20 on:** November 26, 2008, 11:23:11 AM »

Your amp has a problem. Just give it to me.

rogeryu · « **Reply #21 on:** November 26, 2008, 07:19:28 PM »

Vacuum Tube 6L6GC matched quad

http://epektos.com/catalog/90270c5d-17be-428d-8204-30703444af81.aspx

P 3,300 plus 150 LBC pay it through Globe G-Cash. Darating nlang sa iyon within two days.

abyssinianson · « **Reply #22 on:** November 27, 2008, 04:16:52 AM »

sure - just make sure they are specd to your amp. i am currently using some NOS RCA longplates and JJ ECC83s tubes in my Mark 4 and Tremoverb to smooth out the lead channel tone. I like em so far.

Phil · « **Reply #23 on:** November 28, 2008, 06:07:23 AM »

Quote from: deltaslim on November 25, 2008, 06:14:52 PM

it would be ok in the sense that the amp would "work" and make "sound" but you'll be compromising tone quality and tube life.

+ one quintillion

markflo · « **Reply #24 on:** November 28, 2008, 06:27:36 AM »

my long time favorite power tubes are the SED 6L6GC ones. For now though, I'm using Groove Tubes 6L6GE. They sound really close but compared to the SED pair I have (without rebiasing) they run about 2mA hotter. I don't really hear much of a difference between these two

of the 6L6s I've tried

Ruby 6L6GCMSTR (chinese) - Loud and powerful! Ballsy Clean and OD
GT 6L6S aka JJ 6L6 - torres engineering.com nailed the description perfectly. "soft od tone". I'm assuming they mean 'smooth' of course. Coz that's what it sounds like. Rebias is needed for this one as it tends to run colder when you replace the stock tube without rebiasing.

GT6L6GE & SED - Well balanced. Tremendous harmonics & overtones. My overall favorite.

I heard the 6L6EH are pretty nice too though I've personally never tried it. Seems like a good bang for the buck tube

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Author Topic: TUBE PROBLEM: Changing Mesa Boogie tubes (Read 4947 times)