replacing tubes in tube amps....

[jkhuri44]

gday all,

does anyone know if replacing the tubes on my Mesa Boogie dual rectifier with different tubes will make much of a difference or not???

(it sounds pretty sweet now)....but just wondering if a tube change willbe really noticeable...


if i can...where can i buy really good tubes to fit into my amp and what brands would they be?

Cheers guys...

Jamil.

[Kris]

Hi Jamil,

Seems to me if you like the sound of a Boogie then you would leave it alone. If you want it to sound like a vox , for example, then buy a vox. If you want to get an SM58 with slightly more bass, then buy a mic that is built with that in mind. Know what I'm saying? Seems like you're wanting the most miniscule "enhancements" for some of the most classic, tried and tested gear around.

It begs the question... why?

[jkhuri44]

no reason other than curiousity....

i like screwing around with stuff...and when it comes to boogie, ive heard people say older one's are better than new ones..i dont know why, but thats where the question came from...

i also ask because, when it comes to high gain amps, in Sydney maybe...or even australia...we dont have many outstanding options...

in USA for example, you can try out amps like VHT, Bogner, Soldano, (Matchless Hi Gain), Rivera hi gain etc etc..

so why i ask is because im seeing how much better the boogie can get, thats all.....

[Kris]

fair enough.

if you want to try out various sorts of gear contact Gary Brokenshire at Backline Australia. If he doesn't have the exact thing you're after he will certainly try to get it in for you. You'd have to hire it of course but it's probably less expensive than continuous mods to existing gear.

[Simon B]

In australia we have a few amp makers that make outstanding amps.... being in sydney I suggest going for a drive to river music in windsor and trying some reynolds valvart amps, or any amps Pete has in his amp room he makes amps to how you like them, and one of the nicest guys I have ever met
http://www.reynolds-valveart.com.au/

Or going to stagedoor productions and checking out a Ledford amp, It is one of the best amps I have heard and the head goes for less than $1700, Mine is due soon
http://www.ledfordamps.com/

for more details about guitar amps especially aussiestuff check out this forum

http://www.guitargear.net.au/discussion/index.php

Then some other aussie amp makers include Bj who is in brisbane, he pretty much makes amps to how you like it

Ulbrick, sherlock, labsystems, swd, made in victoria

I would say a sherlock fathead and a ledford, do hi gain, alot better than mesa.

[Andy W]

Also with Boogie amps, there is no bias adjustment. If you use other valves, they can work but only the ones with the boogie badge are within the realms of what you need for no biasing. As far as old vs new boogie, I have used Boogies for years now and have to say that they are one of the most consitent amps I have ever heard.

As for the Ledford.... Play it..... You'll love it, then you'll need to find a couple of grand to have the cake too. Those things are everything you thought a Boogie should be!

[heathen]

One thing you may want to consider is, have you ever had a good electrical engineer ( who specialises in guitar amps) go over it and check it out? Most of the newer amps have soldering jobs which are not generally top notch. A really good friend of mine now deceased was a master at getting amps to sound amazing, basically he'd just replace any crap quality pots and/or re solder them properly also all the inputs and outputs. Also he had a mega collection of valves and was an expert at selection.
Any signal loss due to these issues will drastically reduce your amps performance, big time. Also I was unaware Boogies have no bias adjustment, as biasing valves is where a lot of the amp tone comes from. Whether its sharp and brutal or more fat n warm. This is how my mate described it to me years ago. You really want to know what sound you want before you start changing components or you could be at it forever. Just my thoughts.

[jkhuri44]

Gday guys,

yes...what you are talking about was exactly what i was trying to get at...

enhancing what we already have....i like the sound of the Boogie...i was just wondering as i wrote above whether adjustments like tubes and stuff would help....and now apparently as you've typed, checking the electronic build quality helps...

re: biasing, they write something about that in their manuals, like "it doesnt make a difference blady blah"...and since im no electrician, i cant agree or disagree....:P

thanks for that though...

[peat]

im guessing your dual rec has 6L6's in it

you could try EL34's or a combination of the both

i think your only other alternative is the 6V6
seeing that you cant bias a mesa amp easily


you can bias a mesa amp
ive read about people modding them and putting in a rotary knob for bias

they say you can run a dual rec hotter and get slightly warmer tone and more gain (like you need more gain anyway)

but yeh
you should mess around with other things i think
like pickups, strings etc....
you will notice the differenece more than changing tube types imo

[Peter Knight]

Get a 5150.