In guitar and bass amps, tungsol 12ax7 is well balanced and low microphonics with ample gain. After installing thousands of tubes, here are my three top picks and why. It is great to recycle but i kept my tube testers and still working on these. Some of the tube amp designs of the last 60 to 70 years have oozed so much aural and visual mojo that. Everything you ever wanted to know about output tubes. Aspen pittman, passed away august 10, 2019 from injuries suffered from an automobile crash in southern california the day before. Basic theory a 21stcentury approach to understanding preamp, power amp, and power supply design. Alltube circuits, uses any of 25 output tubes and a variety of preamp tubes without rebiasing, effects loop with blend, classic styling, highquality speakers. Both the head and combo versions are excellent on nearly every measurable quality marker. Groove tubes was started in the late 1970s by aspen pittman, who had a lifelong fascination with tubes and tube tone.
This is the best tube amp book i have yet bought so far. Circuit simulation a deep dive into spice tube amp modeling. Many tube amp owners, unaware of the facts, are overly cautious, guarding the heart of the amp the power tubes like a mother hawk watching over her eggs. Although some people refer to them as power tubes, i feel output is far more fitting.
As the signal passes through, preamp tubes influence the various eq stages found in your amp, such as distortion, gain boost, tremolo and reverb. Preamp pondering having covered the basics of the power amp, it is time to consider the preamp. Dougs tubes vacuum tubes for guitar amps and hifi audio. Due to the higher vacuum of a 6ca7 over a soft vacuum el34, these tubes should have a much longer life in guitar amp usage than an el34. Tungsol 12ax7 is one of the top choices for upgrading stock 12ax7 tubes in both audio and guitar amps.
Good reference book for explaining tubes, and how tube amps work, plus it covers lots of tubes amps that are available. When you drive a signal into clipping as highgain preamp tubes do, you lose a lot of information, says mark baier of victoria amp company. Sarris custom tube amps handmade tube amplifiers since 1992. I would think more tubes would be better but please enlighten me. With with a good tube amp, you can typically play the guitar with the volume all the way up, heins said. The first computers were vacuum tube based and took up rooms while vacuum tubes are considered outdated by. With that being said, at least you know what to expect. A guide to basic tube amp maintenance guitar world. For over 30 years, groove tubes have been trusted and demanded by touring professionals and their techs around the world. Groove tubes started in southern california, and through innovative design, rigorous selection and testing, gtpowered amps have rocked the world in some of the most famous rigs ever played from studio to stage. Im plying through a 4 watt amp at practice volumes. Books, tutorials, and technology for guitar amplifier circuit design. Very hard to find used by jerry garcia late in his care. Identifying speaker or power tube problems so youre band is going on in an hour.
An alltube carvin v3, equipped with five 12ax7 preamp and four el34 power tubes. At tonal tubes we sell power, preamp, and rectifier tubes for your guitar or hifi amplifiers. Your buddies can take a look in the back of your amp and there wont be any doubt that you are the man. Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps ethe tube amp booke is now even better. Other amps use 12au7 or 12at7 tubes, which are similar to the 12ax7 but have lower gain. All tube circuits, uses any of 25 output tubes and a variety of preamp tubes without rebiasing, effects loop with blend, classic styling, highquality speakers. The following guidelines should be taken into account. Backbeat books the tube amp book deluxe revised edition. Because of this, 12ax7 is found in majority of guitar, audio and recording tube amps. Unfollow tube amplifier kit to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. My top choice had been the winged c but as of late 20, the tube is no longer in production. Please see photos for detailscondition and email me with any questions. There is something about the glow of hot glass and the imposing sight of weighty iron through the grille that seems to sum up so much of whats cool about the electric guitar.
Would the preamp with five 12ax7 tubes just be that much better sounding and capable of greater distortion if there is a grind control. Tube combo guitar amplifiers 220 tube guitar amplifier cabinets 4 tube guitar amplifier heads 2 tube guitar amplifier stacks 27 tube guitar power amplifiers 3 tube guitar power attenuators 1 tube guitar preamps tube mini guitar amplifiers 2 search refinement options. Nor, at 280lb in its flight case, is it likely to go walkin. Ive been experimenting for years working to find the right mix of good sounding and reliable el34 tubes to stock here at the shop.
Pittmans the tube amp book has sold more than 140,000 copies worldwide which is a strong testament on the value of this book. The power amp considerations are important since the power tubes affect the overall output in terms of headroom and breakup, but its the preamp that really does most of the tonal shaping of the amp. Tubes valves at one point, before the in invention of the transistor, practically all electronic devices were tube based. Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps, the tube amp book is now even better. The use of a 12ay7 in the front end a lowergain tube thats a direct replacement for a 12ax7, which maintains integrity for the next stage, and other things, all contribute to avoiding. The following is a systematic troubleshooting guide for when this happens. They are new and unused with original, unopened boxes. Reviews for the deluxe and revised edition mention that the image quality on schematics is poor. Everything you need to know about 12ax7 tubes tubes for amps.
Discussion in marshall amps started by htaylor, apr 5, 2012. There are two fuses in a hidden slot just under the electical plug. In a way, an amp purchase is a much tougher decision than an electric. I recommend this book for anyone repairing tube amps. Get 2% off your entire order with code 2off sign in or create an account. In a way, an amp purchase is a much tougher decision than an electric guitar. Now, groove tubes are the mostused tubes in guitar amps and a favorite of tone aficionados.
Supplier of vacuum tubes for guitar, audio, and recording applications. Versatile, affordable, and all the flavor of what we love about marshall, the dsl series is simply one of the bestvalue guitar amp purchases on the market. Im just wondering how many tubes is good to have in a preamp if one was to use a solid state power amp with a tube preamp. Youre setting up your gear and something is wrong with your ampmaybe. Tubes are not as fragile as eggs, but like hatchlings, they do need some tender loving care. This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a. When its set for distortion, not metal distortion but rock distortion, and you roll back your volume knob, you can get the amp to clean up. In most amp circuits, it is common for each stage to be controlled by one preamp tube. Groove tubes guitar amplifiers for sale in stock ebay.
Z, fender, gibson, hiwatt, marshall, matchless, mesaboogie, orange, vox. The sharper preamp signal sent to a power tube with more headroom will allow for a cleaner tone at more volume before the sound distorts or crunches. This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material with a. Im trying to change tubes to get a crisper sound on the preamp side and add head room on the power side. If your a gt fanboy, then this book is really for you. In the golden days of vacuum tubes, 12ax7 was used for more than just audio signal amplification. Preamp tubes take the small signal from your pickup and amplify it to line level. Tungsol 12ax7 is not the highest gain tube, but thats what makes it good sounding, with good note separation and lowmids that isnt overwhelming. Ive been experimenting for years working to find the right mix of good sounding and reliable 6l6 tubes to stock here at the shop. Original groove tube trio preamp in very good condition has a few case scratches on it, but thats about it. Has been recently serviced by a local boutique amp builder, and everything checked out fine. These are generally much smaller than power amp tubes and serve the main function of shaping the overall character and tonal characteristics of your guitar sound. This web site is the most practical way to introduce a number of guitar tube amp and audio tube amp projects for those who not only like tube amps as musical.
However, its true, this book is truly a commercial for grovetubes. While there are many different types of preamp tubes, the most common type is the classic 12ax7. Aspen pittman has produced various versions of the tube amp book over the years this is the 1991, a 703 page trade paperback weighting in at a little over two pounds. Get this book for the extensive collection of schematics and cool amp pictures, ignore the sales pitches and especially the tech info, as much of it is incorrect. Getting the pair moved into my listening room required. The amps have a reputation for a high consumption tubes, maybe due to a hot bias. In life tests so far, at least a 40% increase could be easily expected. Sep 01, 2003 this is the best tube amp book i have yet bought so far. You have to give up some of that when you are going with technology that is a old as in a tube amp. Get the guaranteed lowest prices on groove tubes preamp tubes instruments at musicians friend. This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a comprehensive az section covering all the great tube amp manufacturers, with histories, photos and information. Most guitarists are fairly fanatical about the tube amp. This fascination led to aspen and a team of technical experts to reevaluate the way tubes were tested and matched.