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Post by snappinnecks on May 3, 2008 19:33:31 GMT -5
I replaced all of the noisy JJ tubes that came with the Nitro due to one power tube going out and one pre amp tube whistling.
I went with what I have experience with and have liked in Bogners and Randall RM100s. I put Shuguang 12AX7A pre amp tubes and a matched set of Shuguang EL34Bs in it. The tubes are new so it is going to take a couple of days for them to soften up. I like the tone I'm getting so far. It is very similar to the JJs, but a little fuller. The Shuguang tubes let the amp breathe more IMO. It has a little more bass and grit. It still has the Splawn sound, but is way quieter. No more whistling, fizzing, crackling, or popping. My Nitro kinda sounded like a campfire while on standby. Now it is totally silent. There is still a mild hum. The best part I only spent 68 bucks total with shipping for the pre and power tubes. They are basically Ruby tubes since Ruby rebrands them. Two thmbs up for an all Chinese Nitro! ;D
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Post by windsen on May 3, 2008 19:35:24 GMT -5
haha. i ordered some shuguang 9th gen pre's for my nitro. looking forward to hearing those in this amp. i've heard nothing but great things about them.
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Post by snappinnecks on May 3, 2008 19:42:35 GMT -5
You'll like em bro. They give it a more defined sound. A tad less gain, but definition is worth it. The thing I like is you can get them on Ebay mega cheap.
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Post by LooseCannon on May 3, 2008 21:00:54 GMT -5
By more grit do you mean they are brighter or have more upper mids? And how come they have less gain? Aren't the shunguang pre's high gain tubes?
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Post by snappinnecks on May 4, 2008 18:41:07 GMT -5
Shuguang pre's are high gain, but not as high as the JJ's on steroids that come in the Nitro. I found the JJ 83's to be a little too much and the amp lost some of it's clarity. I put JJ 81's in it and it did clear it up a tad, but not as much a the Shuguangs. It's not brighter at all and is more balanced. I used a real hot pup, so the slight gain loss is a plus. As far as grit the amp sounds even meaner. I biased the tubes at 31MA and it seems to be perfect. The clean has more chime which I prefer, but some like neutral or generic clean so they can add more effects. All the tubes need a little more time on them to smooth out more, but like I said before I'm liking an all chinese Nitro.
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Post by magh8 on May 5, 2008 16:02:02 GMT -5
Shuguang pre's are high gain, but not as high as the JJ's on steroids that come in the Nitro. I found the JJ 83's to be a little too much and the amp lost some of it's clarity. I put JJ 81's in it and it did clear it up a tad, but not as much a the Shuguangs. It's not brighter at all and is more balanced. I used a real hot pup, so the slight gain loss is a plus. As far as grit the amp sounds even meaner. I biased the tubes at 31MA and it seems to be perfect. The clean has more chime which I prefer, but some like neutral or generic clean so they can add more effects. All the tubes need a little more time on them to smooth out more, but like I said before I'm liking an all chinese Nitro. did you check all your powertubes?what readings did you get?I tried getting mine to 31MA and ended up with 31,26,26,24?I got an 8 MA diff between 2 tubes when I brought it up to 31ma.originaly the one closest to the PI was 30 and the farthest from it was 22MA.I tried swapping them around and no matter where it is that one is way high??? |
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Post by snappinnecks on May 5, 2008 21:14:34 GMT -5
I don't think that you will find 4 tubes that are exactly the same. After you put the tubes in and bias the hottest one to 30-32 MA play it for a week and then check the bias again. I put some serious time on the tubes on Sunday doing some tracking. I checked the bias today and it was 1 MA lower than when I intially biased it. I cranked the hottest back up to 31MA. The other tubes range from 29-31. 2 MA difference is not bad. I think more than 10 MA difference may cause some tone or balance issues, but don't quote me on that. I think you should be fine as long as your hottest tube isn't reaching more than 34-35 MA.
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Post by snappinnecks on May 5, 2008 21:16:30 GMT -5
Oh yeah my 3 good JJKT77's were 40, 32, 36 when I checked them before I put the EL34's in. I think the JJ's were on the verge of a meltdown.
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Post by windsen on May 9, 2008 11:10:22 GMT -5
holy crap, i got my shuguang 9th gen pre's in earlier this week and just popped them in my nitro during my lunch break. WOW!!!! i didn't know pre's could make such a big difference. i'll post a review and such in a bit...but yea...wow!
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Post by snappinnecks on May 9, 2008 18:42:12 GMT -5
I told ya bro. Its like night and day in the Nitro. I started using the Shuguangs when Doug Reynolds (Director for Randall Amps) told me about them. They are very clear and articulate pre amp tubes. I have used them in many different brand amps and they always make the amp sound better. I don't know why, but they do. A tad less gain IMO, but its not even noticable really since you are concentrating on the new clarity of the amp. I'm glad you like them.
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Post by magh8 on May 9, 2008 22:13:22 GMT -5
do you remember the seller you got them from.I almost bought some yesterday...
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Post by magh8 on May 12, 2008 21:20:00 GMT -5
i ordered a set from dougs...
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Post by snappinnecks on May 13, 2008 6:41:01 GMT -5
Sorry bro. I got them off of Ebay. I think the seller is in China.
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Post by magh8 on May 13, 2008 14:33:20 GMT -5
no problem bro...
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Post by magh8 on May 13, 2008 15:59:23 GMT -5
Sorry bro. I got them off of Ebay. I think the seller is in China. oh yeah,happy B-day you chinese tube using motha fkuh...lol |
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