Valve Jr.

[Robo]

Cleans? Cleans are easy. Screw the cleans. 6V6's have a great distortion grind. Listen to some Neil Young! You'll hear 'em. They do have their own character' date=' but it's really not all THAT much different from an el84. Just not as brittle up top when you push 'em over the edge. But above all, BE SURE to get some matched JJ 6V6S for it. Those have the sweetest tones this side of NOS. Sovtek and EH 6V6GT's sound totally fugly in comparison.

 

Gil...[/quote']

I agree, I like 6V6s much better than any Euro tube. I haven't been that impressed with any EL84 amp as much. EL84s are shrill, fizzy and

middy for my tastes. A VJr with 6V6s may be just up my alley. Converting my VJr to 6V6 or 6L6 is the only mod I've considered for it.

[Robo]

duhvoodooman had one of the 1st VJ mod sites. He's probably well known here. Doug's boys will help ya' out and they're GREAT to deal with - fast shipping too.

Yeah, I really like Dougstubes. Fast too. I also have to vote for JJs, their preamp tubes aren't the best, but their power tubes are some of

the very best, new new stock around.

[Just Strum]

Yeah' date=' I really like Dougstubes. [b']Fast too[/b]. I also have to vote for JJs, their preamp tubes aren't the best, but their power tubes are some of

the very best, new new stock around.

 

Oh, I don't know about fast, it took them 12 minutes to respond to my e-mail.

[cGil]

I wish the gibson service folks were that quick. I sent 'em an email begging, no, make that groveling for schematics of the VJr Hot Rod and VSr schematics a couple days ago. Got back a mostly canned reply that basically said, we'll think about it. ;)

 

Gil...

[layboomo]

"I haven't been that impressed with any EL84 amp as much. EL84s are shrill, fizzy...."

 

I don't think this is a fair statement.....try a Budda twinmaster,Watkin's dominator or a good quality 18watt clone and I think you might change your mind. I wouldn't call any of those shrill and fizzy sounding amps.

[cGil]

Indeed! 18watt's rule! And they'll certainly turn your head around if you were thinking Marshalls couldn't do clean tones with gobs of warmth and sparkle.

 

Gil...

[Billy Hell]

Well I for one appreciate the tubey goodness of my new VJ v.3. I have my Bitmo Trio on the way. I will say that my RP350 never sounded great to me until I put in front of the VJ. It's pretty mind blowing how great my Tele and VJ sound on some the settings. Right now I'm stuck on the "Floyd" setting and wanging out surf tunes. All three make me sound much better than I really am.

[Just Strum]

Well I for one appreciate the tubey goodness of my new VJ v.3. I have my Bitmo Trio on the way. I will say that my RP350 never sounded great to me until I put in front of the VJ. It's pretty mind blowing how great my Tele and VJ sound on some the settings. Right now I'm stuck on the "Floyd" setting and wanging out surf tunes. All three make me sound much better than I really am.

 

I have a 350 in front of mine too. Sounds much nicer than when it was in front of the Vox AD30VT.

 

I knew I recognized your name, you posted about the "Little Sucker" over on thefret. So did you get it yet?

[Robo]

I wish the gibson service folks were that quick. I sent 'em an email begging' date=' no, make that groveling for schematics of the VJr Hot Rod and VSr schematics a couple days ago. Got back a mostly canned reply that basically said, we'll think about it. '](*,)

 

Gil...

At least you got a reply, they've never even answered my emails for a schematic or where to find a standby switch for my Special.

Not exactly great service from a service dept. Fender on the other hand has always been very personable for me.

[cGil]

At least you got a reply' date=' they've never even answered my emails for a schematic or where to find a standby switch for my Special.

Not exactly great service from a service dept. Fender on the other hand has always been very personable for me.[/quote']

 

Actually, I got a reply back today, but it said it was private info and discussion or dissemination of any part of what was discussed was prohibited. :( Sorry. Those mattress police are ruthless. Looks like I can't even talk about VSr schematics now till sometime this fall. Ooops!

 

Gil...

[Just Strum]

Just Strum - JJ's seem a bit smoother - less harsh. Yours is a Version 3 - correct (newest model)? My 3 has 1 EH tube and 1 JJ (sounds too good to mess with it) - my Version 1 head I put 2 JJ's in it - volume seemed a bit less (tiny bit) but MUCH smoother gain when cranked up (my V1 had SovTek's)

 

I got mine from Doug's Tubes - they're great guys!

 

http://www.dougstubes.com/?gclid=COD6qaS1wJQCFRJexwodoEAJRw

 

Email em - tell em what you have (VJ) and they'll find whatever you need based on your likes & dislikes - they really go out of their way to customize each order to better the TONE you're looking for. If yours sounds GREAT - don't fix it until the tubes need changin!

 

I ended up ordering JJ EL84 and ECC83S Matched Triode that is between 105 and 110 in gain.

 

I wanted it to stay cleaner longer, so that's why I opted with this set-up. I'm also getting close to acquiring a Classic 30 combo, so I will determine then where I want each to be as it relates to tone.

 

It's all new to me, so I'll probably be experimenting. A coworker also told me today he has a S%^# load of tubes at his house, so that will help the experimentation.

 

Ended going to Eurotubes, mostly because it was another source that was recommended and I happened to be on there when I was trying to determine what I wanted to get.

[Just Strum]

I received the tubes today. I just ordered them Thursday afternoon and they showed up today USPS, however they delivered them to a house about a mile away. Fortunately the guy that received them was nice enough to drive them over and drop them off. He could have easily threw it back in the mailbox and had it picked up on Monday.

 

Well, I threw them in, cranked it up, and I am pleased. It deliverers the clean tones I wass looking for, while still giving me the distortion when I need it. I would say it was a definite - good bang for the buck investment.

[m-theory]

FWIW, the 803S will give you more clean headroom, as it's about 12-15% lower gain than the 83S. It's similar to a 5751, so if your buddy has one of those that you can try, you'll get to hear the difference. You can also swap for a 12AT7, but that has a different frequency response, so you may not like how they sound (I didn't).

[Robo]

FWIW' date=' the 803S will give you more clean headroom, as it's about 12-15% lower gain than the 83S. It's similar to a 5751, so if your buddy has one of those that you can try, you'll get to hear the difference. You can also swap for a 12AT7, but that has a different frequency response, so you may not like how they sound (I didn't). [/quote']

I don't like the sound of an 12AT7 either, it's more of a utility tube, PI etc. An 12AY7 can sound good, not much gain tho.

[Just Strum]

FWIW' date=' the 803S will give you more clean headroom, as it's about 12-15% lower gain than the 83S. It's similar to a 5751, so if your buddy has one of those that you can try, you'll get to hear the difference. You can also swap for a 12AT7, but that has a different frequency response, so you may not like how they sound (I didn't). [/quote']

 

I'm just throwing this out here for you to read - I know jack**** about tubes, but here is what Jay at Eurotubes told me

 

We do not recommend the ECC803S for the VJ combo amps but they are just fine for the head version. The ECC803S is a lower gain tube with a real thick mid and a little brighter high end so if you choose to use one of these I would recommend a matched triode ECC803S that is at 90+ in gain.

[m-theory]

Yeah, you're right...the 803S isn't a good choice for combos. I missed you saying that you had a combo.

 

The issue with that particular tube is that it's more prone to microphonics, due to the long plate nature of the design. All tubes are microphonic to one degree or another, but the key is to use tubes that limit that microphonic characteristic to a level that's inaudible.

 

Tubes that are typically called "microphonic" are those that have these characteristics that have crept into the audible spectrum, and generally speaking, a long plate preamp tube is going to be far more likely to creep into this territory than a short plate variety. This is why the 803S isn't recommended for either high gain or combo amps. Both of those environments make these vulnerable tubes far more likely to behave in an unacceptable manner.

 

That said, for NON-combo and NON-high gain amps that you want to lower the gain in, the 803S is a terrific choice.

[blindjimmy]

hi everyone, i have a v3 which i haven't opened up yet, does anyone know if that input resistor, i think it's r2, has been changed to 1meg on the stock third version, and has the power tube cathode resistor been changed to bring down the voltage on the power tube? also, are the cathode bypass caps, and the coupleing caps electrolytics, and if they are, does upgradeing them make a significantly noticeable difference. i'm not looking to increase the gain too much, but i do want this thing sounding as good as possible. how do you like the sound of changeing the v1 cathode resistor to 1k or a bit lower? also, would it be better to add another filter cap before the existing ones, if i do , do i need to add a resistor between the new additional cap and the original first cap, or is it better to just replace the first cap with a larger one? and is it worth the money to use something besides an electrolytic for the first filter cap, would a metal film or oil cap in this position sound any different from an electrolytic? also, is it better to desolder old components, or cut them and solder the new component onto the old leads? i know, lots of newbie questions, thank you.

[cGil]

Wait a minute! I stumbled across the Sovtek 12ax7LPS 10 years ago, specifically because it had a reputation for low noise and low microphonics; which is exactly what I was looking for at the time. And it's a Long Plate Spiral filament tube. And I used it in a Messy BlueAngel combo, as well as in a Mesa Formula Preamp and 20/20 rig. The 12ax7LP didn't seem any more noisy than my other Sovteks (wa's, wxt, wxt+, ect.). But the LPS is really quiet. For 5 or 6 years maybe. And then they ring as good as the rest of 'em, so ya slap in another. No big deal.

 

And another thing about this "Jay at Eurotubes" guy saying the 803s is like a 5751 in gain? Do what? No way! My 5751's won't even get my 18watt's trem rolling. I use chinese, EH, or Sovtek 12ax7WA's because either of those lets the trem go from a medium speed down to a slow crawl that I really like. With the JJ803s the trem speed was real fast or faster. With the JJ ECC83S it was a freekin' motorboat! It's all about the tube's gain for setting the speed range of that trem, so I'll just have to disagree with old Jay at Eurotube's weird sales hype!

 

Gil...

[Billy Hell]

"I knew I recognized your name, you posted about the "Little Sucker" over on thefret. So did you get it yet?"

Well teh Lil' Sucker showed up and didn't really work. I sent it back, the guy said he was going to change something so it would work with my 16 ohm combo. Then he refunded my money and confused me with someone else. So with all that said I'm going to not rebuy the Lil' Sucker, I'm going to buy the Bitmo 10-uator. I like the output option on it. I'll report back when I have some new tones.

[Billy Hell]

I do have a question...

I have the version 3 combo. I think the v.3 is running JJ's correct? Would a Tungsol 12AX7 be a good addition to this amp?

[ccrnnr9]

 

I'm loving it.

 

 

I apologize for the newb question but what mods/mod package did you have done to get the tone knob, standby, and channel switches? I am assuming the v3 does not come with that does it?

 

Also, are the v3's in stock at stores? I was planning on stopping by the musiciansfriend outlet this weekend. Is it safe to say that if they pull a VJ from the warehouse it will be a v3?

 

Lastly, where can I find more info about the new epi amps? I am looking for specs as well as prices and possible release dates. I really want a nice tube amp, however I am trying to decide if I should buy a vj or hold out for one of the new epi amps.

~Nick

[m-theory]

I stumbled across the Sovtek 12ax7LPS 10 years ago, specifically because it had a reputation for low noise and low microphonics;

This is one of the most microphonics prone tubes on the market. Based upon what I've heard about these tubes, you've lucked out if you've gotten two quiet ones. My amp tech routinely rejected almost entire 100 lots of these tubes, mostly for noise issues. He stopped ordering them altogether a long time ago, because they just weren't worth the effort. They are, supposedly, a great sounding tube, however, if you can find one that doesn't make noise.

 

And another thing about this "Jay at Eurotubes" guy saying the 803s is like a 5751 in gain?

Gain is a really tricky thing these days. In any given 100 lot of tubes that you might buy, you'd find VERY wide variances in gain...easily 40% swing from low to high. And, you'd virtually never see one that would match up to what was considered "strong gain" in yesteryear. Many in a given 100 lot are too low for practical use as a 12AX7, some are "acceptable but not great," but none are what he calls "high gain."

 

For this reason, it's impossible to compare two different brand tubes, or even two different part numbers from the same company, such as the two JJ offerings in the AX7 realm, and make a definitive statement that "Brand A" or "Part # X" is WAY weaker/WAY stronger/the same as...

 

There just isn't any consistency in these new production tubes to enable this type of comparison to be made. You could very well find 803S's that are precisely matched with any 5751 that you'd want to compare to, and you could just as easily find 803S's that are as strong, or even stronger than 12AX7's in a given 100 lot.

 

Not to be the defender of ET, but they don't market the 803S as an exact equivalent of anything, that I'm aware of. As I recall, when I ordered one for my vjr, I was told that it was "similar to a 5751," which it most certainly could be, depending upon WHICH 803S you matched up to WHICH 5751. All I know is that it worked really well to knock the gain down a bit for me, and still retain the same overall frequency response of the AX7, which is something that the NOS AT7's that I'd tried did NOT offer.

[m-theory]

Would a Tungsol 12AX7 be a good addition to this amp?

Perhaps. Again, new production tubes (and NOS, for that matter) are all over the place in terms of gain and frequency response characteristics. If you buy from someone that takes the time to test each tube, you'll very likely get something you'll like. If you just buy over the counter, it's a crap shoot.

 

Mods:

I'd start with this thread

 

I am assuming the v3 does not come with that does it?

No, although I've read that the latest offering, yet to be made available, is a "hot rodded vjr," that will have gain, volume, and reverb controls.

 

Also, are the v3's in stock at stores?

 

I would think that all on the shelf today are v3.

 

Lastly, where can I find more info about the new epi amps? I am looking for specs as well as prices and possible release dates.

Google

 

I am trying to decide if I should buy a vj or hold out for one of the new epi amps.

First, figure out how much power you want.

[Just Strum]

 

I apologize for the newb question but what mods/mod package did you have done to get the tone knob' date=' standby, and channel switches? I am assuming the v3 does not come with that does it?

 

Also, are the v3's in stock at stores? I was planning on stopping by the musiciansfriend outlet this weekend. Is it safe to say that if they pull a VJ from the warehouse it will be a v3?

 

Lastly, where can I find more info about the new epi amps? I am looking for specs as well as prices and possible release dates. I really want a nice tube amp, however I am trying to decide if I should buy a vj or hold out for one of the new epi amps.

~Nick[/quote']

 

This is the guy I purchased my amp from. His web page might help you out, if not, drop him an e-mail.

 

http://duhvoodooman.com/

[Billy Hell]

THANKS! You guys rock! I also just purchased a Behringer VINTAGE TUBE MONSTER VT999 after reading about it on here. I'm ordering the Tung Sol and bitmo parts for it as well. I'm really excited to hear all the toney goodness.