The Tone King’s Tip of the Day – In search of a new tone – Should I change my tubes?
The Tone King | Sep 01, 2009 | Comments 9
Here’s
a Tone King Tip of the Day -
A lot of you write in about swapping tubes in search of a better or different tone. Here’s my .02 on that topic. If you are looking forsomething different – investigate a speaker swap before swapping tubes. Swapping tubes will give a less noticeable difference than swapping out or upgrading your speakers. Speakers have a huge impact on tone, and can either make an amp sing or choke. I personally look at tubes like a battery. There are good batteries, and there are crap batteries – but they serve a very particular purpose. Save your $$, and change your tubes when they need to be changed – don’t change them in search of a new tone. If you are dying to understand the nuances of tube tones – go on eBay, pick up a used THD Univalve – and you can swap till your hearts content. You (like me), may get very bored after a while, in that there’s better, more effective ways to change your tone. Just my .02. And, to be clear – I am not saying that different tubes don’t change your sound … they do. But, the sound (to my ears) is less noticeable than other things you can swap out.
Remember – a POWER tubes purpose is to amplify the preamp signal. The fact that you get warmth, added harmonics, etc. is a side-effect. The goal of the power section is to amplify the preamp section. Period. Think of it like this. Assuming you drink coffee – you clearly know the difference between Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. However, whether you use skim milk, whole milk or cream – you’ll still be able to tell what kind of coffee it is. Now – translate that into amps. A Marshall will always sound like a Marshall, irregardless of what kind of power tubes you use. A Fender will always sound like a Fender, and a Boogie will always sound like a Boogie. That’s your coffee. The creams you use are subtleties. You want to change your sound – like a battery, wait until the power tubes die – then fiddle. Don’t waste your hard earned bucks on swapping tubes thinking you’re gonna find the holy grail of tone. The holy grail of tone starts with YOU, not the gear. Remember – it’s always the wizard – not the wand!!!
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Filed Under: The Gear
If you purchased a new amp,and if it’s not a $3,000.00 boutigue type then I’d say change/upgrade the tubes because manufacturers usually do not install high end tubes unless it’s a boutique amp. I’ve always experienced better results. DEFINITELY change tubes on a used purchase. Matched,balanced and get it biased. If you bias on the hot side you’ll get more gain and less tube life. Then,plug into many different cabinets with different speakers and wattage ratings and you will definitely hear a difference each time. That’s the game,different tubes with different ratings and materials,different speakers with different materials and various wattage ratings,different pickups,diferent woods. I prefer to use the old standby Celestion 25 watt GB’s in Orange cabs for all my classic rock and metal. Works great. Those thick cabs really help project the trueness of the speaker. R&R BOY’S & GIRL’S.
thank you, you just helped me:
a) make up my mind
b) save more than 1000 bucks
for home recording, this little devil is all i need. Will fit perfectly with my SG reissue
rgds
Miguel
What ou say is true with some exeption. On the bogner alchemist, many people say it sounds too muffled, and many say their tone is excellent.
My sound was somewhat too compressed and not sparkly enough on the gain. I replaced all the preamp tubew with mesa 12ax7s, and what a bi difference! now you can hear the sizzle when youturn up the gain.
I have to agree. If you do feel the urge try different drastically different preamp tubes. I find JJ’s are worlds different from most other tubes. Some love them (I do), some find them cold and hate them. I agree though, speakers are huge.
Thanks TTK. You’re dead on. All the above is correct. Different tubes, whether new or old, will only subtly change your tone in a musical amplifier. The same holds true for custom modifications (also expensive unless you can do it yourself). Of course you may want the best quality tube you can afford that will get you closer to the sound desired. It could be a cheap tube or it could be a pricey one. Unfortunately, sought after tubes are expensive for a reason. You have to compromise and decide. Your tone will change more with different amps, settings and speaker combinations. But in the end your tone is a mix of instrument, electronics and you.
Bottom line…if you don’t like your amplifier’s sound, first change speaker(s) and/or lastly, get another amp.
Thanks TTK. Your dead on. All the above is correct. Different tubes, whether new or old, will only subtly change your tone in a musical amplifier. The same holds true for custom modifications (also expensive unless you can do it yourself). Of course you may want the best quality tube you can afford that will get you closer to the sound desired. It could be a cheap tube or it could be a pricey one. Unfortuneately, sought after tubes are expenive for a reason. You have to compromise and decide. Your tone will change more with different amps, settings and speaker combinations. But in the end your tone is a mix of instrument, electronics and you.
Bottom line…if you don’t like your amplifier’s sound, first change speaker(s) and/or lastly, get another amp.
As Fez Mey said, first . learn to play
and yes , this tube stuff , It is important to have good “new” tubes to get that little extra in the tone , but they last many ouers of playing , dont worry ! . and one more thing , you CANT say that you can get just a good tone out of something that´s not an all tube amp as you can get in a real amp , everyone that says that in a liar , the end ! 
even if it is a cheap tube amp , Personaly I play on a Peavy Windsor , and guess what ? I love it ! I am a real tone neerd ! I admit , Im poor ” 2 kids and a house ” but I got to have a real amp then i play in band and this peavy does the trick 
( I have an Blackstar overdrive in front) and that pedal is awesome !
That’s it! If you don’t have good tone in you, your gear doesn’t matter. If you think that it’s always the gear, you are sadly mistaken. I use a midarnage guitar though a POD XT and guess what… it sounds amazing 99% of the time. The aspect of gear making a sound is all in the player. There is gear that really portays certain sounds, but guess what, that’s it! If you don’t have good tone unplugged, then you won’t have it plugged in period!
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?