Could someone please tell me which tube positions have the greatest affect on tone for a 18Watt TMB? Mine is built on a Hammond chassis. I assume V1 has the greatest impact. But what about the others? I guess my point is that while I have plenty of very good vintage tubes lying around, I don't want to waste one in V3 if its not affecting the tone.
To take this a step further, what about the rectifier tube? Big impact or marginal? Currently I have a Sovtek in there. The power tubes are hex and V1 is a Telefunken while V2 and V3 are Amprex (all were Sovtek previously). Thanks in advance!
Which preamp tube positions most affect tone in an 18W TMB?
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frails
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Re: Which preamp tube positions most affect tone in an 18W T
You're right the first preamp tube has the most affect and sets stage. Use your best tubes there. Second preamp tube the next best, the third in a TMB is basically the driver tube for the power tubes, doesn't have to be highest quality.frails wrote:Could someone please tell me which tube positions have the greatest affect on tone for a 18Watt TMB? Mine is built on a Hammond chassis. I assume V1 has the greatest impact. But what about the others? I guess my point is that while I have plenty of very good vintage tubes lying around, I don't want to waste one in V3 if its not affecting the tone.
To take this a step further, what about the rectifier tube? Big impact or marginal? Currently I have a Sovtek in there. The power tubes are hex and V1 is a Telefunken while V2 and V3 are Amprex (all were Sovtek previously). Thanks in advance!
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rjgtr
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Actually, the driver tube should be a good tube. I've heard conflicting advise about which is the most important position. Alot of people say it is the phase inverter (or driver) since it affects all channels on an amp.
I personally think the first position has the most effect. But you can't put any old junk in another position and expect the amp to sound it's best. I think you've got a great combination in there now. There's no harm in moving the ECC83s (12ax7s) around and seeing what your ear tells you is best. I've also found mixing brands of tubes to produce great results.
So what I'm saying is the only rule is to try different tubes and let your ear tell you what you like best. I've even had two NOS tubes of the same brand where my ear liked one over the other.
The rectifier tube isn't as important to the overall tone of the amp, especially on an 18watt where the power supply is pretty stout. I wouldn't worry about that one at all.
I personally think the first position has the most effect. But you can't put any old junk in another position and expect the amp to sound it's best. I think you've got a great combination in there now. There's no harm in moving the ECC83s (12ax7s) around and seeing what your ear tells you is best. I've also found mixing brands of tubes to produce great results.
So what I'm saying is the only rule is to try different tubes and let your ear tell you what you like best. I've even had two NOS tubes of the same brand where my ear liked one over the other.
The rectifier tube isn't as important to the overall tone of the amp, especially on an 18watt where the power supply is pretty stout. I wouldn't worry about that one at all.
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