tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
What's the deal here? Are EHX or JJ tubes good enough for EL34's? Are more expensive tubes just cork sniffing nonsense? What about Sovtek for 12ax7? I need two of each and Ive never bought or replaced tubes before and the price differences here are surprising and overwhelming.
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
I think it's all cork sniffing. I run JJs in all of my amps and they get used hard. Never have a problem.
The brands do have some slight tonal differences, an EH might be a little brighter than a JJ, but IMO it's not enough to worry about. To me, tubes are about 20th down the list of stuff that matters. A good tube is all you need. Good, as in, not defective.
The brands do have some slight tonal differences, an EH might be a little brighter than a JJ, but IMO it's not enough to worry about. To me, tubes are about 20th down the list of stuff that matters. A good tube is all you need. Good, as in, not defective.
Last edited by Greg_L on Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Rebel Yell
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
Also, there is a huge difference between types of tubes. EL34s do not sound like 6L6s and so on. A 12AX7 has more gain than 12AT7. But different brands of the same type of tube don't matter too much.
Rebel Yell
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
I was just going to replace with the same thats in the amp already. I dont really want to mess around with different types at all. However do I need to worry about biasing? I read that my Blackstar head is not self biasing, but I dont know anything about it if I needed to. Should I just swap em out and hope for the best or bring it to a shop? Im a totally newb lost here.
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
I've never bothered to rebias an amp in my life.
If you want to make it the very very best it can be then it should be rebiased but a lot of people make it seem essential and IMO it's not.
personally I don't bother ever.
oh, and corksniffing
If you want to make it the very very best it can be then it should be rebiased but a lot of people make it seem essential and IMO it's not.
personally I don't bother ever.
oh, and corksniffing
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
If you back in with a matched set of the same power tubes, you can probably get by without biasing. Probably. I think biasing is pretty important for power tube life and sound, but you can try your luck without it.liv_rong wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:29 pm I was just going to replace with the same thats in the amp already. I dont really want to mess around with different types at all. However do I need to worry about biasing? I read that my Blackstar head is not self biasing, but I dont know anything about it if I needed to. Should I just swap em out and hope for the best or bring it to a shop? Im a totally newb lost here.
Preamp tubes require no biasing. Just stick em in.
Rebel Yell
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
Without Googling lol, the only thing I have ever heard was from an amp tech I had taken my Marshall into.
He mentioned the bias can burn out a tube quicker if it's set too <something>, and that mine were too high so he turned them down.
Also something about distortion and/or sustain maybe (not sure) but that some like it "hot" as Robert Palmer said.
That was ten years ago so I may be mistaken... In any case, I've never noticed any difference before / after he changed it.
He mentioned the bias can burn out a tube quicker if it's set too <something>, and that mine were too high so he turned them down.
Also something about distortion and/or sustain maybe (not sure) but that some like it "hot" as Robert Palmer said.
That was ten years ago so I may be mistaken... In any case, I've never noticed any difference before / after he changed it.
People want something for nothing, they want it right now. Either they can't tell quality or don't care but feel it is important that everyone agrees with them.
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Bubba
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Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
Yes. Corksniffing. Confirmational Bias. Snake Oil. Choose your description. It belongs in the same category as bumblebee capacitors, iridium mains fuses and the type of finish you have on your solid-body electric guitar. Anything to divert a talentless, obsessive dork from the actual business of going out and making music in whatever form it takes.
Haggard Musician 
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
perfect!Bubba wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:05 pm Yes. Corksniffing. Confirmational Bias. Snake Oil. Choose your description. It belongs in the same category as bumblebee capacitors, iridium mains fuses and the type of finish you have on your solid-body electric guitar. Anything to divert a talentless, obsessive dork from the actual business of going out and making music in whatever form it takes.
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WhiskeyJack
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Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
Put some talc on the tubes. things get spicy. tone gets better. talc.
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
talc for industry!
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
Do not mock the talc.... It will not make your tubes sound better but I have it on good authority that it will help them stay in tune...
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
I like to put talc in my engine every time I change the oil ...... makes those pistons almost frictionless!
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
It's not cork sniffing at all. Certain 12AX7 tubes, and the order you put them in, can make a drastic difference in the gain, tone and feel of the amp. You would have to be stone deaf to not hear a difference between a JJ, Sovtek, Tungsol, and a Shuguang 12AX7. But paying some ungodly amount of cash for NOS tubes is just plain stupid. As for power tubes you really do need to bias them for proper tone and long life. That doesn't mean that you can't just slap some in and make them "work". But if you red plate the tubes you'll be sorry. It's really hard to get the smoke back into the amp once it comes out.
Another toy that helped destroy the elder race of man..forget about your silly whim it doesn't fit the plan.
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
yeah but that's overblown.
I've had dozens of amps ..... never biased them ..... never had a problem.
I know hundreds of musicians who also don't worry about it ..... never heard of any of them having a problem.
It's possible but vanishingly rare and even if someone can say, "Oh yeah? Well my cousin ..... " it's still fairly rare.
And just changing tubes shouldn't make you red-plate the tubes. If it does, then the amp badly needed biasing in the first place.
To me that means it's more of a repair than it needing it because of changing tubes.
Unless your amp was already badly in need of work I can't see changing tubes throwing the bias off that much .
NOTE: I'm NOT saying don't bias it.
I'm just saying that if you don't or can't for some reason there's no real need to be worried about it overly much .... it's a real thing but the possible harmful effects are exxagerated and not nearly as common as some people try to say.
Kinda like the warnings of "OMG ..... there's lethal voltages in there ..... you'll die!"
I've looked hard and have never found a single recorded incident of someone dying from working on a guitar amp.
I suppose there probably is one or two but out of millions of times of people going into amps, that's almost zero percent.
I've had dozens of amps ..... never biased them ..... never had a problem.
I know hundreds of musicians who also don't worry about it ..... never heard of any of them having a problem.
It's possible but vanishingly rare and even if someone can say, "Oh yeah? Well my cousin ..... " it's still fairly rare.
And just changing tubes shouldn't make you red-plate the tubes. If it does, then the amp badly needed biasing in the first place.
To me that means it's more of a repair than it needing it because of changing tubes.
Unless your amp was already badly in need of work I can't see changing tubes throwing the bias off that much .
NOTE: I'm NOT saying don't bias it.
I'm just saying that if you don't or can't for some reason there's no real need to be worried about it overly much .... it's a real thing but the possible harmful effects are exxagerated and not nearly as common as some people try to say.
Kinda like the warnings of "OMG ..... there's lethal voltages in there ..... you'll die!"
I've looked hard and have never found a single recorded incident of someone dying from working on a guitar amp.
I suppose there probably is one or two but out of millions of times of people going into amps, that's almost zero percent.
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
For me, biasing is more about the sound and just general tube health. I don't want to be doing that shit often, so I put new tubes in and bias it properly and I'm good to go. And an amp biased too cold or too hot does have different sounds. Too cold and it can sound stiff and brittle. Too hot and it sounds harsh and fizzy. The good 60-70% dissipation range is healthy for the tubes and just happens to be where the amps generally sound best.
Rebel Yell
Re: tubes - corksniffing or actual differences?
and I'm not saying don't do it or that it has no effect.
I'm just saying that it's not gonna blow up your amp .... people freak out over the idea of using it if you don't bias and I feel that's way overblown.
But of course setting the bias hot or cold will affect the sound. Didn't say it wouldn't.
But for an amp that's properly biased, it's hard for me to believe a new set of tubes will require a huge change ..... more of a tweak to get it perfect.
I'm just saying that it's not gonna blow up your amp .... people freak out over the idea of using it if you don't bias and I feel that's way overblown.
But of course setting the bias hot or cold will affect the sound. Didn't say it wouldn't.
But for an amp that's properly biased, it's hard for me to believe a new set of tubes will require a huge change ..... more of a tweak to get it perfect.