I have a half dozen Bugera amp heads and they all cost below $700usd (333XL, 1990, 1960, 6260, 6262 & trirec) and they all sound so very very close to the amps they clone, however once I put in $150 worth of new tubes in each amp it went into another level of awesomeness. It put them on par if not better than their Marshall/Mesa/Peavey counter parts. Good pick on the Tungsol tubes btw, I exclusively use Russian Tubes, namely the brands owned by EHX/New sensor corp. The preamp tube i use almost exclusively is the Sovtek 12ax7lps, it's unbelievable how amazing those little bastards are
Darrell Braun Guitar Like to see a speaker comparison with this amp too. 200.00 amp good tubes and the right speaker would be worth it to me. I have some good gear but ALWAYS change tubes and speakers. I don’t care about the brand name just tones. Looking at the low price point of this amp o could see myself buying two of them and tweaking one for metal and one for cleaner tones. I have never had one tube amp cover the spread of metal to clean sparkly tones to the level I would really like. You always have great common sense videos that are geared toward relative information. Keep it up please. I watch every video you do. I look forward to many more. Thanks brother
As an "amp guy", I recommend changing out the cathode capacitor to a different value. The result will be more dramatic than changing the tubes. I do agree that changing the "first" tube (preamp tube-usually a 12AX7 variety) in the circuit will make almost all the change, a tube swap will make. (provided the other tubes are in decent shape) A capacitor, located on the "other side" of the tone knob cuts treble and can be removed, or value changed, this is often a round, ceramic capacitor. Resistors in the tone circuits move the response, they work with the tone knob's resistance values. Old resistors often can be found at different values, from degrading over many years. All of these are covered in many videos so, please obtain the schematic for your amp, and if your not sure contact a local tech!
I like paralleling V1 cathode bypass cap to a total value of around 10uF. When this tube is shared between clean and drive channel, I like to mimic the higher frequency shelf response of 820 or 680 nf cathode bypass cap like Marshall by bypassing attenuator resistor with 220-470pF - to obtain mid-treble boost/bypass. Often LT Spice simulation on PC is helpful to know what to expect, we can even pass Fourier Transform to check for good even/odd harmonics combo... Then with 10uF I have fendery bassy cleans and full but tight drive channel. Beside that I sometimes solder 390-470pF caps across plate resistor to kill unwanted trebles. Sometimes decouple signal with 180-220pF caps between stages. The next thing is the speaker. Sometimes the circuit is developed around bad speaker with restricted treble response. This is pain when You want to use better speaker with such a circuit. All of the sudden everything is trebly and ear-hurting. This is because trebles are not micromanaged - rolled off across gain stages and a good speaker will sound awful. However adding some "snubbers" across plate resistors smoothens the tone properly. Rolling of trebles before cold clipping stage or higher gain clipping warm stage will roll of unmusical treble and make place for overtones created at the next stage. This will give You very nice, tight, full and musical drive tone.
@@TheBoomtown4 Does this apply to any amp? I have a Bugera V22 and find it to lack bottom end. It’s quite chimy. I don’t know what tubes or upgrades to make. There are some forum posts on the amp but not much info about how to achieve what I’m wanting. I’d like to achieve more of an early Pearl Jam tone if possible. Currently it sounds more like a 70’s rock tone (ex: Boston). Thanks for any input you can share.
graphicartdude changing the preamp tube in v1 position can really change how the amp acts and behaves, I feel. Those Mesa spax7 tubes are rebranded tubes of a different maker (up to 3 I believe) but whatever ones they use, I found it really made my gain smoother and warmed up the mids, etc. There are charts for different 12ax7 tube characteristics that you can find online but the Mesa spax7’s I bought, whichever manufacturer they used, worked great. You could also put a GE-7 eq pedal in the chain etc. That amp is voxy by nature I believe.
The after market tubes were definitely a slight improvement but really, the stock tubes sound great, I wouldn't f**k around with them until they need replacing :)
I just received mine, direct from Monoprice. $279.00 + tax, free shipping. Ordered 3/1/22 and received 3/7/22 via Fedex. Came double boxed and unharmed. I had ordered from Amazon for $9.99 (while waiting for the amp) and received a set of Kaish vintage "aged white" chicken head knobs to replace the amazing CHEAP-ASS plastic knobs that came on the amp. HUGE improvement in quality, and they look great!! The amp came with 3 JJ 12AX7 preamp tubes and two "no-name" EL84 power tubes. I ordered 2 JJ EL84's to replace them. As a 71 year old ex-rocker turned blues player, I enjoy the sound of this amp. I may replace the speaker eventually, but for now, it sounds fine to old tired ears!
Darrell is always so enthusiastic and cheerful. This is yet another excellent video where we could hear shockingly subtle tone differences only because we heard exact samples back to back. Still so many videos out there where someone riffs for 2 min and then plays 2 min of other riffs on the other piece of equipment and there's no hope of picking out a difference even when a great difference exists. This channel delivers real results.
Thanks, Darrell! For a hobbyist like me, the cost / gain issue is an important one. The differences between tones with different tube sets are there, but not dramatic enough (for me) to justify the cost of a full set of replacements.
The thing people often get wrong is worrying about how good their gigging amp sounds. The drunks at your local club/bar/whatever you're playing at don't care if you've got name brand aftermarket tubes/speakers/etc, and even say a 15-25% improvement in tone will go largely unnoticed, and the last thing you want it so haul your $2000 Fender/Marshall amp to a gig and have it get ruined. Save those bad-boys for the studio and find a workhorse amp that's cheap to replace. The real question to ask yourself is would you rather spend $220 on this amp or like $400 on a Bugera/Blackstar/cheap Fender. Maybe you can find a 2nd hand one of those for the same price, but unless you know what to test and the right questions to ask about 2nd hand gear I don't recommend it. Amp sounds really good for the price. I may end up with one of them myself for gigging in the future.
I asked Darrell if he had a comparison video of Tube vs. Solid State, my ear is not the best and maybe I shouldn't even attempt to even try & get better with guitar, but I can't agree more about your statement with the bar/club crowd. I have heard so many people claiming how great this or that particular bar band is when I think, really, are you deaf? I did promotional work for a band and they were very good and very tight, but I saw a drunk girl sit on the edge of the stage, fall over and knocked over his $2,000 Les Paul which took a crack to where the neck meets the headstock. SMH! Great comment you are so right!
Scott Parker Yes I’ve heard similar horror stories. I’m rebuilding my rig now (had a family, sold a lot of gear for money and space years ago) and buying Mexican made gear, cheap Les Pauls, stuff like that. My gigging rig total will be like $1500 when I’m said and done. If someone really wants to risk their LP Standards and hand-wired amps on a $10 cover gig that’s their prerogative.
Absolutely right. I’ve got a 1988 USA Stratocaster which I dare not take out to a gig! Instead, I take a SX VTG series Telecaster and a 1992 Rockwood Les Paul. I bang the rig through a Kustom head and cabinet together with a decent set of pedals that I have gathered over the years. The Les Paul copy has taken a bit of battering over the years but I swapped out pick ups etc and I can run with the best of them. The gigs we play are small, pubs and the like. Play a bit of classic rock and everyone loves us...no need for state of the art expensive equipment. Play for fun and enjoyment. An expensive rig is not gonna make you or your band better. Back in the days, two of us used to play through one cheap amp when we were teenagers at the annual youth club dance. No one cared....
It's completely idiotic! The Chinese tubes after there broken in are clear as a bell like the RCAs of old! And last 10 times as much as the Russian ones!
Man, When I was about 10 or 12 I would go play and roam in the woods. There was an abandoned house so my freind and I went into this small basement area and we see these things having no idea what they are so what do we do? Smash em' in a parking lot! :( two boxes full of different tubes. 15 I start playing guitar, now 27 . The kool plumes of vapor they made when smashed now make me cringe, I destroyed the housing of so many souls of tone.... I Repent!
I’m an electrical engineer, one of my coworkers got a few boxes of tubes from one of our retirees, he picked out the tubes that fit in his amp and threw the rest in the trash... I cringed but then again, if it were me they would have just wasted space in my basement until they were accidentally broken or trashed by a family member.
I believe it is vital to ensure you never touch the sockets on the amp that the tubes insert into as they can carry LETHAL voltages even when the amp is unplugged. So take care folks.
The Monoprice 15 amp I recently bought, which was made in 10/2020, now comes with JJ tubes, ECC83S and EL 84s. Can't say for sure that Darrell was responsible for this improvement, but we all know he was.
Bought mine on Reverb. And the former owner upgraded the speaker and was very nice to not switch it back before selling it! So all I needed to do was change the tubes and now I have a great sounding amp! And I didn't spend a ton more money than if I were to have waited to find it on the Monoprice site or Amazon. It was around the new price plus a little shipping. But with a much better sounding speaker! They are back up on Amazon if you really wanted to grab one.
Speaker upgrade for sure. I was in the market for something with a little more clean volume and pulled the trigger on one of these after the first video. It sounds soooooo much better through my Randall v30 1x12. I'm honestly probably just gonna convert it to a head and use the 70/80 speaker to replace the 8in speaker in my old repurposed organ Leslie.
I bought a Monoprice 15W and I am happy with it as delivered, it's all I need for now and I don't predict any additional needs by me in the immediate future. At 63 this amp will no doubt outlive me, my grandson will inherit it along with all my standard and strange instruments. It's a good buy, a solid piece of equipment. It's affordable and actually performs really well. This an excellent video, and it does take headphones to hear the difference in performance. But in my opinion the difference is minimal, only an advanced player or extreme connoisseur could detect it. I won't spend more money just to gild a lily. I am glad I took the chance and bought one, $226 is a minimal investment for an excellent return.
I really enjoy your channel. I began playing in 1962 but I quit playing about 3 years ago. Watching your channel has helped me to want to start playing again. Thank you.
Very clear explanation and comparison, as usual. Back in the day I designed and built transmitters using tubes. Just for fun I also built an amp. The quality of the tubes really contributes to sound quality as well as longevity. Using tubes in push-pull configuration requires them being well matched. In the seventies there was still a variety of tube manufacturers, like Siemens and Philips.
Finally, someone who uses the exact same audio for a shoot out. Thank you! O have always wondered why people don’t do this with a simple looper pedal or reamping for pedal and amp shootouts. It keeps the control and makes the outcome much more accurate.
I purchase both the 5W and 15W Versions of this amp from monoprice and i have to say I’m really happy. the 15W I initially received had microphonic issues with the tubes I contacted their support and immediately got an RMA.The replacement is perfect couldn't be happier.
I have both aslo. The 5W is a clean amp but will get some tasty, bluesy dirt if played loud enough to break up the tubes. It really shines with an over drive pedal. The 15W is more of a gainy rock amp that needs an EQ boost pedal to get a louder clean tone. Very different amps but both are great. The 15W is just pure classic hard rock tone in spades, love it! It would be really cool if monoprice made a 2 channel tube amp.
@gillan64 I also tried many speakers in my hot rod, classic 30, traynor, and guess what? Nothing was better then the stock speaker! Go figure! I think speaker swap is WAY overrated...
@@guitareMTL when I buy any guitar product i leave it stock. They get paid to know better than me 😆. Btw peavey amps are awesome. Love my old 80s solo series 65 bandit.
I tried the same tube swaps as you did but instead chose to go ahead with stock tubes and tighter speaker Weber Ceramic California 12” 80w. Next, I disconnected the speaker wires coming from the amp to the speaker. Instead I made my own speaker wire with a switchcraft jack to be used to connect the speaker to the extension speaker socket instead. The last step was to get my Fryette Powerstation between the amp extension speaker out and the speaker. Keeping the gain as low as possible and volume as high as possible I get a clean input into the Fryette and then use the Fryette to boost the clean. The results are amazing.
Make sure you use use (very) seasoned wood, as in pine off of an old house or something, else probabaly better off with a good quality baltic birch ply.
Difference was mostly noticeable on the high gain tones, and I felt the power tubes made the more significant difference than V1. But I agree, unless you actually have bad, noisy tubes, replacing them on an amp like this makes little sense.
I agree with your assessment - just change the V1 tube. I actually liked the stock tubes better when you played the chords in all phases of your testing. Changing V1 tube made the individual notes ring clearer, but didn't seem to take away the "dirtier" growl of the power chords. Great video!
Yep - the difference is much thiner that I thought it to be... I have a good ear, and absolutely trips on musical gear's tone and stuff, yet here the impact is quite minor, maybe even insignificant in the context of a band. New strings, on the other hand...
I watched this purely out of curiosity and I like the original tubes a little better, they have a nice dirty tone. That's not to say changing tubes is a bad idea in every case. I have heard huge differences in Marshalls when Groove Tubes were used in the preamp socxkets, but again, I like the stock ones in this amp. Nice find for the price!
Gonna subscribe. I've recently been tube swapping/tone chasing through the pandemic. Now I'm addicted to it. Next up replacing my stock Celestion 1x12 from Blackstar Studio 10 KT88 with Ruby or Blue or Green. I put Genalex Gold Lion KT88 and 12AX7 in the Blackstar and very pleased. I have JJ, Tung-Sol, Mullard, and more Genalex in other devices. If it has a stock no name tube, I've tried upgraded it. Even on one of those ART StudioV3 Tube mic pre putting in a Mullard or JJ or Genalex really warms vocals. Even with a simple SM58 you can hear it. The better the mic, the more prominent the difference. The best I can describe it is you get a glassy sparkle with the Russian made reissue tubes. I've never going complete beast mode and gone NOS but have little doubt it would yield pleasant, subtle changes even in the simplest tube device. Thank goodness for my tube obsession. Otherwise I may have gone crazy during this pandemic. Or maybe I already did and that's why I am obsessed with glassy, sparkly analog audio! Don't knock it. It's a hobby!
I had a question from the original video when I saw you handling the tubes bare handed but you answered it right away in this video. Thank you, I have been looking for something like this little beauty!
Hey Darrell, very good video! It's amazing how much difference you'll get with different tubes. Here in Germany, I have access to inexpensive Telefunken NOS tubes. When I got my Hot Rod dlx, the thing that has always plagued them is the volume knob. on 1 you can barely hear it, and on 2 it's peeling paint from the walls it's so freaking loud. I had to replace the Power amp tubes because they were originals from 1996 and had gone microphonic. But I did the George Benson mod to the V1 tube with a 12AU7 instead of the AX7. WOW!! what a difference. Not only did it smooth out the volume issues, but even made the Fender gain sounds much more useable. When I switched out the rest of the Pre-amp tubes with Telefunken 12AX7's it just improved all of the characteristics of the amp. Reverb, gain stages, EQ. it turned into a really good amp. Then swapped out the Original Fender Jensen with a Eminence George Alessandro 12 inch speaker, and it went from really good to awesome great!! I have too many amps, but the only ones that get played are the HRDx and a DV Mark Gen 15 Silver that I had done the same tube mod too. The DV Mark is a great pedal platform and can be just as clean and chimey as the Fender (they even dress it up in the standard Fender silver grill cloth and black chicken knobs ;) wink wink). So you know the tone they were going after. But in the overdrive department straight from the amp, it is much much more useable and pleasing to the ear than Fender typical. Anyway, I definitely suggest people swap tubes out with the best quality they can afford over the stock stuff, especially if the tubes in it are old. Sometimes it will make dramatic changes with the characteristics of your amp. Bob in Germany
I could definitely hear the difference in the blind tests, it was pretty clear which sounds were the aftermarket tubes. I think you're right though - the smart, cost-effective thing to do is just replace the 1st preamp tube. Makes a difference for not much money. Nice video!
When returning my Excelsior Pro I did get a substantial improvement, but I also am lucky to have my own private stash of U. S. tubes and a great collection of Rayovac 7025's. The best result was replacing the V1 12AX7 with a 12AT7. There is a drop in gain, but less bite in the high end. I just crank volume up all the way and use the guitar volume knob for control. No problem.
I thought this video was "Tubular" and very cool. I went on a tube quest myself and found out the V1 preamp tube makes the biggest difference when changing tubes, especially if you go from something like a 12ax7 to a 12au7.
Which isn't surprising, because there is a substantial difference in gain between a 12Au 7 and a 12Ax7. 12Ax7 has a voltage gain of 100, while the 12AU7 voltage gain is more like 30 or 40 something if I remember correctly. Try a 5751 tube, it's pin out compatible with the 12AX7 and has a voltage gain of about 70.
Love to hear a Vintage 30 in this. I'm betting that would be the biggest single mod that makes the biggest difference. Seriously pondering getting one of these although I have no need for one, or space for that matter.
Great review and great information! Did not realize that tubes are really just made in one of three locations. Very informative! Also, really noticeable difference between the stock and the aftermarket tubes.
I have the boss katana 50 model and it is probably one of the best solid state amps I have ever played. If you are a beginner and trying to find your tone it’s probably going to be awesome do to its versatility, however if you have already found your style of playing I would go to a guitar Center and play many different amps. Like I said I love this amp and would recommend it 100%. I hope you end up getting it, cheers.
Ryan Dane I agree with you. I have some really expensive boutique amps. Does the Katana sound as good? No, but it comes pretty close for the price and ease of solid state. It’s a fantastic choice for beginners who are getting a taste of their style or someone who wants a practice amp that won’t burn up their NOS tubes.
Yes, I found it helpful. Thanks for the good work. I like this channel, you actually present details on what we want to upgrade on our equipment and if its worth doing it. Kudos!👍
@@jayceburns8246 Guitar amps are inherently expected to distort the sound which makes it almost pointless to look for better quality. But try employing a Hi-Fi stereo tube amplifier and the difference is much more significant.
That was awesome! I have upgraded Celestion speakers in my 3 tube combo amps. That alone made a big difference for the better. I am now going to change out the tubes in all 3. Excellent information about where the tubes are actually made.
Who said "mother Russia?" Here we are! Россияне, ставим лайки! :) Darrell, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeaseeeeeee, try to make any Russian gear video, it gotta be so cool! We've got Yerasov, AMT e.t.c, and there is a lot of great things to review including the amps (300$ ones are so-so, but there are a lot of great amps and combos over 500$) and pedals. If you try to whrite to them, I'm sure, they will cooperate with you. Thanks.
Can you do a comparison between this tube amp with stock tubes vs a comparably priced solid state for those of us who are unfamiliar with the direct sound difference?
@@freddycookjr.2164 No need to shout there, old chap. I say it's a fairly good idea to do just what LazyGamer suggests, as not everyone of us has your (fred cook's) extended experience.
I would like to hear that comparison too. after market tubes sounded only slightly better. Maybe it is a UA-cam compression think keeping me from appreciating the difference.
@@freddycookjr.2164 I disagree. It's great to gig with tube amps if you can afford the hassles - I've had bassmans, boogies, a Vox or two, a couple Ampegs and a Marshall.. All were unreliable and expensive to deal with - often costing me more than the gig paid. I had to carry spare tubes...and a spare amp (a solid state amp). I finally gave up and went to full-on solid state relatively cheap Peavey two-channel amps - had an LA 400 and a couple of bandits... they were cheap to buy, sounded great both clean and dirty, and never cost another dime to operate. Would I record with them? No. But for bar gigs and the like - good enough.
@@HBSuccess that sucks you've had bad luck with tubes. My dad just gave me his old silvertone guitar with amp built into the case and the original tubes still sound great. He also has old fender and ampeg amps with original tubes and they all still sound amazing.
Darryl, I replaced all of the tubes with Tung Sols but I put a 12AY7 in the #1 preamp position. There was a loss of volume but the tone was much cleaner. I also replaced the 2 spring reverb with a 3 spring reverb that was a direct replacement. For mere mortals like myself the tone this “ budget” priced amp is terrific. Thanks for your work!😊
Try some American made tubes from the seventies or earlier. Japanese tubes from radio shack from the seventies are also much better than Soviet or China junk.... And they will last for a long long time
Retubed mine first day with full set of tung sols, gold plated terminals on the preamps. Yes immediately less tinny buzz and warmer louder tone. Haven't fed it through the variac yet tho.... ;o)
The preamp 12ax7 tube brands all have a different EQ and breakup differences and will make the biggest difference below volume 8.5 after that power tube breakup occurs and this is a much more important tone because of the tremendous harmonics that are there depending on the amp & speaker of course ! However who can cut up a tube amp anymore unless its 15 watts ? The big 100 watt amps are rarely needed anymore until you play really big venues ! I collected a case of the most vintage colorful toned 12ax7 tubes which cost me a lot ! The RCA long black plate 12ax7 is the most colorful tone of all tubes but lacks overdrive tone but has a silky smokey sweetness and slightly pushed is very good for notes to convey feeling and the sound is awesome classic blues or jazz ! Sylvania long black plate tube pushed into breakup is smooth Deep Purple tones that I swear is what Richie Blackmore used or sounds just like it in most any amp with a gain control ! The Ei 12ax7 from Yugoslavia has great gain crunch like few tubes have and bottom end is big too , but use in heads not combos or they go microphonic easily ! The best Phase inverter in the milky way galaxy for OD tones in the Sovtek long plate 12ax7Lps tube with matched triodes $20 The Tungsram 12ax7 from Hungray is a tube with no bad notes ever slightly pushed into breakup and slide blues players will love this tube with the best sounding silky highs with zero harshness but oddly extended highs ! Reissue Tungsol 12ax7 has near perfect OD tones of most other tubes , the EQ is spot on ! JJ 12ax7 tubes are best in my FX loop that is tube powered , high gain in a FX loop is bad for tone on all amps ive tried ! The JJ can be good in other positions like EQ recovery also ! The old Phillips 12ax7 long plate is a crunch monster also like the Ei tubes with excess gain and depth ! El 84 tubes now made have differences in tone and price so for good sounding tubes that hold up I have good luck with quality matched Russia tubes like GT and Sovtek offer ! Gold Lion EL84 tubes are the best sounding perhaps and there Sovtek made for new sensor ! JJ are cheapest but do not sound good very long ! They do hold up and rarely fail which is a good thing and are safe ! The over priced TAD EL84 tubes are tested yet I cannot use there Sovtek tubes at such high prices since I have never had one fail as yet without the bias way too high ! I redplated several el84 with my bias changing by going too high as the trim pots are fragil and vibrations and heating and cooling changes the bias easily so I check the bias every 2 months ! Do not put Tungsol el84 tubes in a blues Jr. as the bias is too high for them ! The Tungsol tubes are smooth and bluesy pushed at high volume but keep the bias just under normal by the Weber bias calculator that is online ! Spend wisely and get quality at the best price you can as the same tube has many prices I found out ! I found 6v6 tubes expencive so I have some JJ 6v6 tubes because they hold up well !
Very good test Daz. The differences were there, but they WERE subtle! MORE improvement would be made by a speaker replacement. MORE difference valve-wise might be IF, you replace all the pres with low gain valves, like AU or AT7s! Also, wouldn't the bias need some adjustment when you changed those EL84s? As far as I know this amp is Class A/B not class A cathode biased. Cheers!
I've now watched a few of your vids, but hadn't subbed yet, but I did today on the strength of this one. That's not to say that the others weren't great also, but I'm cautious to keep myself from being overloaded with information. Yours are awesome and I thank you for them all.
I think the most notable change to sound quality is an upgrade to the cabinet, if you just use this amp as a head and had an Orange PPC 112 you will be blown away
Funny, I followed you all the way to the results, where I absolutely would change out those Chinese power tubes. In fact I've done so in mine but put in some vintage Russian tubes (1970s) that make the amp so sweet. To my ear the stock power tubes sound tinny in clean mode and the Russian tubes smooth out that tone.
This. Stock tubes unpleasant to listen to. Makes me cringe. Surprised that the new tubes made it pleasant to listen to. Gets that sweet tube sound. Prob a small diff on paper, but it crosses the line from unpleasant to pleasant to me. Prob easier to hear in real life.
"better" is in the ear of the beholder ; changing any tube will alter the tone slightly ; but once you are accustomed to it .. you won't be able to tell the difference
Just to let you know - Speakers...tried a Vintage 30 and a Celestion “A-type” speaker ...liked something about the stock Vineland 70/80 the best. I know it sounds weird but I guess it’s voiced for that amp. The story on these amps is that it stared as a Laney club series and had a few upgrade. (They actually took the musician complaints into consideration). The original had a crappy reverb unit. The reverb tank in it now is the same used in a Blues Jr. So if you do some reading on forums don’t go down that road and replace it...it is a decent reverb tank.
Very good comparison, and I knew right away in that first clip which was which. The V1 change seems to help clean more than with gain, but have to admit it sounded better all the way around with the brand name tubes. It is a question of whether it is worth it to one to do it..just like you said. Glad you did this one, and thank you for it.
In your description here, "V3" is the power inverter. This should be considered a part of the power amp tubes. (Same on all tube amps.) The biggest "tone change" will be noticed on the V1 tube usually. Mesa checks their tubes very well and have a "STR 12AX7" that does well in V1 for a cleaner tone. You can replace a 12 AX7 with a 12 AU7 for a less gain/cleaner tone too. (Any 12 A...& can be replaced with any other 12 A...7 with no problems.) [I used to be a "factory authorized repair tech' for Mesa Boogie, Fender, Orange, Marshall, and several other manufactures.) I used to help guys "chase tones" to get what they were after a lot. Chinese 12 AX7's a good "bang for the buck" and do good on higher gain amps. They typically sounded a bit more 'brittle' to me when playing clean tones. I liked the Tung-Sol's, Mullard's, or JJ's a bit better for clean tones. (I generally play cleaner tones and use pedals in front of the amp: compressor, boost, drive and the like.) Good post - Thank you!
I put a tung-sol balanced-triode 12ax7 in an inexpensive Vox vt40 as well as a Celestion G10 gold. Amazing difference as the preamp tube is the only tube in the amp. Why spend half the cost of the amp to replace 2 elements? My other option is my two 100 watt Marshall’s I have running in stereo (read: Not wife friendly volumes during a pandemic & those need to be pushing air to sound decent). The swap out produced nice sound out of a digital modeling practice amp. I have quite a few guitars since I’ve been buying them since the 70s. Suhr guitars are currently what I am playing, the difference was extremely noticeable on the Modern, a bit less on the thornbuckers in the Custom- T. Enjoy your channel 👍👍
Thanks for following up on the tube change. I think that I would opt for the change. The Number One Valve ( I dig the nomenclature) change was notable, and I appreciate the extra effort you took. Great job, just bought a Fender Junior Tweed, but this is tempting based on price alone. Thanks.
That's like all light bulbs including growing lights HPS and MH bulbs come from 3 main manufacturer's no matter what the name on them are. A guy from Sylvania told me that.
Tube swaps will make a bit of difference. But, you don’t really need to swap unless they are microphonic or rattle. Or if your a tone chaser like me! Sweet demo! Thanks
Great video! On studio speakers, the change in all the tubes made a very significant difference. Just changing the output speakers seemed to make a big difference the more gain applied.
$20 tung-sol is more than a $5 -10 chinese tube I suppose. Vintage Mullard NOS 12AX7's are what $200 a tube now? Crazy. I've tried a lot of vintage tubes that were more reasonably priced(under $50) including the "Japanese Mullards" from the 70's made with the same design and equipment as the Blackburns. I have some GE JAN 5751's.The new production Tung-Sols sound as good as any IMO. They are a great go-to for quality, price and availability. My favorite vintage tubes in my collection are Tungsram's and the Beijing 12AX7's(with the white stars) from the 70's. There was a site on ebay a couple years ago that had the Beijing's 2 for $25 and they were the real thing with the square foil getter and the date stamp(mine were 4-78). I stocked up on them.
Darrell, another GREAT Video! Did the same experiment in my Monoprice (already had the Tubes kicking around), and found similar results. Went one step further, swapped out the speaker for a Celestion Brit Greenback (also already had). This made a bigger difference both with the standard tubes on the amp and more so with the upgraded Russian tubes. Was surprised the amount of difference heard with a better speaker between the tube sets. Would I go out and purchase tubes and a speaker worth almost twice the price of the amp to do this? NO! But if anyone has a "spare set" of tubes and better speaker kicking around, it is well worth trying. Love the tones I'm getting from this little Monoprice Now. The motivation for even attempting the experiment in the first place? Read on a forum about a gigging Blues Musician in Nashville that had purchase one of these as a "back-up" amp after his Fender crashed during a performance one night. It was cheap enough to take as an extra and would work in a pinch. Then his Fender blew to a point it wasn't worth fixing, so he swapped the tubes and speaker. Was planning using the Monoprice for a while till he decided what new amp he really wanted to buy. Ended up the Lil MP grew on him, liked the idea of being able to drag and use an inexpensive amp in small venues without worry of damage or theft. Over a year later of multiple gigs a week, apparently it's still working.
JAT Rock Martin WELCOME TO CANADA YE HOSIER!! IrishVampyre Studios Ltd ^'.."^ Spot the irony oh I’m sorry I forgot Americans do not compute Oh I do apologise this is a comment was meant for somebody else for the down the line seem to find it using the word emergency lunch anyway rock on this Martin you looking good in your work in the last few days and again
I expect that if you buy a handful of new JJ 12AX7 tubes and swap them each into the first preamp position that you might notice that are arent all the same.
Matching is critical for output tubes, and not all tubes that are allegedly matched are in fact properly matched. Output tubes also need to be REBIASED when replacing them!!!! I cannot stress this enough. With some amplifier designs biasing is especially critical.
Yes, although it depends on whether it's fixed bias or cathode bias, and on the output section design. Amps like AC30s or tweeds generally don't need to be rebiased. They actually can't be without changing resistors, but those output sections are basically self biasing. Amps with tight output sections are more finnicky and need to be rebiased for the best tone.
@@@MikeLee-lg5vq, The fact that an amplifier doesn't provide you with an easy method to rebias the output tubes doesn't mean that it shouldn't be done, and this includes small signal tubes. In fact, it's usually best to assume that an amplifier was never properly biased from the factory.
@@PierceThirlen2 I can see that for fixed bias amps, but cathode biased amps like AC30s or their many clones actually are self biasing because the cathode resistor regulates current allowing the cathode voltage to vary. Those are my preferred style amp and the kind I build. But yeah, at least 90% of amps are fixed bias and if you don't mind swapping resistors in your vintage tweed bassman, you could rebias it.😁
@@MikeLee-lg5vq, The cathode resistor has no ability to adjust the bias to match the characteristics of the particular brand of tube. Optimum or not, you get what you get. That is further complicated with vintage amplifiers which were designed to run at lower line voltages than we use today, causing the filaments to heat the cathodes too hot, further altering the operating point.
I have this amp and absolutely love it. I use Tung-sol power tubes, a Mesa (Russian) 12AT7 in V1, and stock 12AX7s in V2 and V3. Overall, it makes a big difference in tone, to my ears. Lots more clean headroom, and it overpowers all the Line6 Spiders out there at jam nights. I use mine in conjunction with a Fender Frontman 212R as a slave amp and get a really cool AC30 tone out of it. Can't ask for more than that!
I am putting the Tung-sol in the V1 slot today (the Tung-sol Darrell used in the video) I swapped out the stock 70/80 speaker with a Celestion Gold 8ohm after listening to a variety of speaker comparisons. I’m loving this amp right now.
I have 5 Philips 6BL8 Tubes/Valves for an amp build I have in the works. These are Made In Australia, according to the box. They're Philips MiniWatt 6BL8 Tubes. 👍
Awesome! Thanks for posting this. Would still love to see the amp setting used in the original video for the different tones. I got one of these a year or so ago for 149 shipped. Thinking about pickup up a second to play around with dual settings.
You might want to take your own advice, Electro-Harmonix tubes are made by New Sensor, an American owned company, in the Xpo-Pul factory (Reflektor) in Saratov, Russia. They also make Sovtek, Svetlana and reissues of Mullard and Tung-Sol tubes.
@@troll1441 New Senor makes some very good tubes IMO. The most drastic tube change I ever made was putting a svetlana 12ax7 in V1. That tube had a sound that was way darker than any tube I've ever heard before. Probably a love it or hate it tube depending on what tone your looking for. Unfortunately they don't make that tube anymore. I guess most didn't like it.
I actually own one of those amps. I wanted something inexpensive that I can play in my apartment as well in a band. It has served me very well. I like the clean tones. I did switch all the tubes since I read in the forums that it would improve the tone quality. I ended up switching the power tubes with JJ EL844 tubes which give you a great sounding power tube break up at 25% lower volume. They have that pumping compression at lower volumes which sounds great. I'll switch them back to standard EL84's if I'm going to play in a band setting. And I used 3 matched JJ 12AX7 for the preamp. I think that amp sounds a LOT better than the tones I hear from any sub $1000 fender! And I'm only about $375 in! If you want an amp you can play in a band and also play in your apartment you can't beat this amp! Especially after putting in some decent tubes. I bought mine used and the previous owner switched the speaker to a much better sounding Celestian so I didn't need to make that purchase. Now I have a great sounding amp! And I didn't need to give up an arm, or a leg! 😁
Really informative channel. So glad I subscribed
Great video by the way
I know a lot of you guys were waiting for this one!
Enjoy :)
Darrell Braun Guitar bruh Jayne I should do this to my amp, maybe make it sound better
Darrell, you're a true man of the people. ✊
I have a half dozen Bugera amp heads and they all cost below $700usd (333XL, 1990, 1960, 6260, 6262 & trirec) and they all sound so very very close to the amps they clone, however once I put in $150 worth of new tubes in each amp it went into another level of awesomeness. It put them on par if not better than their Marshall/Mesa/Peavey counter parts. Good pick on the Tungsol tubes btw, I exclusively use Russian Tubes, namely the brands owned by EHX/New sensor corp. The preamp tube i use almost exclusively is the Sovtek 12ax7lps, it's unbelievable how amazing those little bastards are
Great Show, Darrell ! 🎸
Darrell Braun Guitar Like to see a speaker comparison with this amp too. 200.00 amp good tubes and the right speaker would be worth it to me. I have some good gear but ALWAYS change tubes and speakers. I don’t care about the brand name just tones.
Looking at the low price point of this amp o could see myself buying two of them and tweaking one for metal and one for cleaner tones. I have never had one tube amp cover the spread of metal to clean sparkly tones to the level I would really like. You always have great common sense videos that are geared toward relative information. Keep it up please. I watch every video you do. I look forward to many more. Thanks brother
As an "amp guy", I recommend changing out the cathode capacitor to a different value. The result will be more dramatic than changing the tubes.
I do agree that changing the "first" tube (preamp tube-usually a 12AX7 variety) in the circuit will make almost all the change, a tube swap will make. (provided the other tubes are in decent shape)
A capacitor, located on the "other side" of the tone knob cuts treble and can be removed, or value changed, this is often a round, ceramic capacitor.
Resistors in the tone circuits move the response, they work with the tone knob's resistance values. Old resistors often can be found at different values, from degrading over many years.
All of these are covered in many videos so, please obtain the schematic for your amp, and if your not sure contact a local tech!
I like paralleling V1 cathode bypass cap to a total value of around 10uF. When this tube is shared between clean and drive channel, I like to mimic the higher frequency shelf response of 820 or 680 nf cathode bypass cap like Marshall by bypassing attenuator resistor with 220-470pF - to obtain mid-treble boost/bypass. Often LT Spice simulation on PC is helpful to know what to expect, we can even pass Fourier Transform to check for good even/odd harmonics combo...
Then with 10uF I have fendery bassy cleans and full but tight drive channel. Beside that I sometimes solder 390-470pF caps across plate resistor to kill unwanted trebles. Sometimes decouple signal with 180-220pF caps between stages.
The next thing is the speaker. Sometimes the circuit is developed around bad speaker with restricted treble response. This is pain when You want to use better speaker with such a circuit. All of the sudden everything is trebly and ear-hurting. This is because trebles are not micromanaged - rolled off across gain stages and a good speaker will sound awful. However adding some "snubbers" across plate resistors smoothens the tone properly. Rolling of trebles before cold clipping stage or higher gain clipping warm stage will roll of unmusical treble and make place for overtones created at the next stage. This will give You very nice, tight, full and musical drive tone.
Just change the first tube (farthest from el84’s) to a Mesa spax7 and save yourself the money and hassle. All problems solved for $20
@@TheBoomtown4 Does this apply to any amp? I have a Bugera V22 and find it to lack bottom end. It’s quite chimy. I don’t know what tubes or upgrades to make. There are some forum posts on the amp but not much info about how to achieve what I’m wanting. I’d like to achieve more of an early Pearl Jam tone if possible. Currently it sounds more like a 70’s rock tone (ex: Boston). Thanks for any input you can share.
graphicartdude changing the preamp tube in v1 position can really change how the amp acts and behaves, I feel. Those Mesa spax7 tubes are rebranded tubes of a different maker (up to 3 I believe) but whatever ones they use, I found it really made my gain smoother and warmed up the mids, etc. There are charts for different 12ax7 tube characteristics that you can find online but the Mesa spax7’s I bought, whichever manufacturer they used, worked great. You could also put a GE-7 eq pedal in the chain etc. That amp is voxy by nature I believe.
@@adrianmierzwa3238 Great info!
I actually bought this amp because of your first video. It sounds great stock, I don't feel the need to mod it.
Congratulations!
Hopefully you're enjoying it :)
I bought one for the same reason. I'm not a sound snob so I think it sounds amazing, really happy with it!
It's a great sounding amp. I even bought it not knowing it has a external speaker output. A very nice feature.
TRUST me, at least a better speaker, it WILL sound better!
The after market tubes were definitely a slight improvement but really, the stock tubes sound great, I wouldn't f**k around with them until they need replacing :)
I just received mine, direct from Monoprice. $279.00 + tax, free shipping. Ordered 3/1/22 and received 3/7/22 via Fedex. Came double boxed and unharmed. I had ordered from Amazon for $9.99 (while waiting for the amp) and received a set of Kaish vintage "aged white" chicken head knobs to replace the amazing CHEAP-ASS plastic knobs that came on the amp. HUGE improvement in quality, and they look great!! The amp came with 3 JJ 12AX7 preamp tubes and two "no-name" EL84 power tubes. I ordered 2 JJ EL84's to replace them. As a 71 year old ex-rocker turned blues player, I enjoy the sound of this amp. I may replace the speaker eventually, but for now, it sounds fine to old tired ears!
Darrell is always so enthusiastic and cheerful. This is yet another excellent video where we could hear shockingly subtle tone differences only because we heard exact samples back to back. Still so many videos out there where someone riffs for 2 min and then plays 2 min of other riffs on the other piece of equipment and there's no hope of picking out a difference even when a great difference exists. This channel delivers real results.
Thanks, Darrell! For a hobbyist like me, the cost / gain issue is an important one. The differences between tones with different tube sets are there, but not dramatic enough (for me) to justify the cost of a full set of replacements.
these are not really great tubes. i take these tubes and replace them with old telefunken or rca black tubes. big difference.
The thing people often get wrong is worrying about how good their gigging amp sounds. The drunks at your local club/bar/whatever you're playing at don't care if you've got name brand aftermarket tubes/speakers/etc, and even say a 15-25% improvement in tone will go largely unnoticed, and the last thing you want it so haul your $2000 Fender/Marshall amp to a gig and have it get ruined. Save those bad-boys for the studio and find a workhorse amp that's cheap to replace.
The real question to ask yourself is would you rather spend $220 on this amp or like $400 on a Bugera/Blackstar/cheap Fender. Maybe you can find a 2nd hand one of those for the same price, but unless you know what to test and the right questions to ask about 2nd hand gear I don't recommend it.
Amp sounds really good for the price. I may end up with one of them myself for gigging in the future.
I asked Darrell if he had a comparison video of Tube vs. Solid State, my ear is not the best and maybe I shouldn't even attempt to even try & get better with guitar, but I can't agree more about your statement with the bar/club crowd. I have heard so many people claiming how great this or that particular bar band is when I think, really, are you deaf? I did promotional work for a band and they were very good and very tight, but I saw a drunk girl sit on the edge of the stage, fall over and knocked over his $2,000 Les Paul which took a crack to where the neck meets the headstock. SMH! Great comment you are so right!
Scott Parker Yes I’ve heard similar horror stories. I’m rebuilding my rig now (had a family, sold a lot of gear for money and space years ago) and buying Mexican made gear, cheap Les Pauls, stuff like that. My gigging rig total will be like $1500 when I’m said and done. If someone really wants to risk their LP Standards and hand-wired amps on a $10 cover gig that’s their prerogative.
Absolutely right. I’ve got a 1988 USA Stratocaster which I dare not take out to a gig! Instead, I take a SX VTG series Telecaster and a 1992 Rockwood Les Paul. I bang the rig through a Kustom head and cabinet together with a decent set of pedals that I have gathered over the years. The Les Paul copy has taken a bit of battering over the years but I swapped out pick ups etc and I can run with the best of them.
The gigs we play are small, pubs and the like. Play a bit of classic rock and everyone loves us...no need for state of the art expensive equipment. Play for fun and enjoyment. An expensive rig is not gonna make you or your band better.
Back in the days, two of us used to play through one cheap amp when we were teenagers at the annual youth club dance. No one cared....
Very true, the difference is more for the player's satisfaction than the audience.
It's completely idiotic! The Chinese tubes after there broken in are clear as a bell like the RCAs of old! And last 10 times as much as the Russian ones!
Man, When I was about 10 or 12 I would go play and roam in the woods. There was an abandoned house so my freind and I went into this small basement area and we see these things having no idea what they are so what do we do?
Smash em' in a parking lot! :( two boxes full of different tubes. 15 I start playing guitar, now 27 . The kool plumes of vapor they made when smashed now make me cringe, I destroyed the housing of so many souls of tone....
I Repent!
😂🤣
Oooop
Just tell yourself that they were only tv tubes.
@@1980bwc Some of the best sounds I get out of the amps I make are old TV Tubes.
I’m an electrical engineer, one of my coworkers got a few boxes of tubes from one of our retirees, he picked out the tubes that fit in his amp and threw the rest in the trash... I cringed but then again, if it were me they would have just wasted space in my basement until they were accidentally broken or trashed by a family member.
I believe it is vital to ensure you never touch the sockets on the amp that the tubes insert into as they can carry LETHAL voltages even when the amp is unplugged. So take care folks.
That stock clean tone is just sick. This seems like a really great pedal platform with that effects loop.
It is. I've owned it for years now
The Monoprice 15 amp I recently bought, which was made in 10/2020, now comes with JJ tubes, ECC83S and EL 84s. Can't say for sure that Darrell was responsible for this improvement, but we all know he was.
And the damn thing is sold out for the next trillion years lol
@@BladeDoomer86 think its available now, I just ordered mine on ebay from monoprice.
@@Ma-Sa-666 I did manage to get it a few months ago thx! Terrific amp, amazing tones..
Bought mine on Reverb. And the former owner upgraded the speaker and was very nice to not switch it back before selling it! So all I needed to do was change the tubes and now I have a great sounding amp! And I didn't spend a ton more money than if I were to have waited to find it on the Monoprice site or Amazon. It was around the new price plus a little shipping. But with a much better sounding speaker!
They are back up on Amazon if you really wanted to grab one.
Mine can with JJ tubes as well from 8/20
Next step: Upgrade the speaker
a greenback would fit nicely
First step, upgrade the speaker!
@arse Been there, done that. Can confirm this is the right answer
@@sup8534 lol
Speaker upgrade for sure. I was in the market for something with a little more clean volume and pulled the trigger on one of these after the first video. It sounds soooooo much better through my Randall v30 1x12. I'm honestly probably just gonna convert it to a head and use the 70/80 speaker to replace the 8in speaker in my old repurposed organ Leslie.
I bought a Monoprice 15W and I am happy with it as delivered, it's all I need for now and I don't predict any additional needs by me in the immediate future. At 63 this amp will no doubt outlive me, my grandson will inherit it along with all my standard and strange instruments. It's a good buy, a solid piece of equipment. It's affordable and actually performs really well. This an excellent video, and it does take headphones to hear the difference in performance. But in my opinion the difference is minimal, only an advanced player or extreme connoisseur could detect it. I won't spend more money just to gild a lily. I am glad I took the chance and bought one, $226 is a minimal investment for an excellent return.
Fascinating video as always. I was told to buy a tube amp when I first started playing and I got lucky with my Fender '68!
I really enjoy your channel. I began playing in 1962 but I quit playing about 3 years ago. Watching your channel has helped me to want to start playing again. Thank you.
Very clear explanation and comparison, as usual.
Back in the day I designed and built transmitters using tubes. Just for fun I also built an amp. The quality of the tubes really contributes to sound quality as well as longevity. Using tubes in push-pull configuration requires them being well matched. In the seventies there was still a variety of tube manufacturers, like Siemens and Philips.
Finally, someone who uses the exact same audio for a shoot out. Thank you! O have always wondered why people don’t do this with a simple looper pedal or reamping for pedal and amp shootouts. It keeps the control and makes the outcome much more accurate.
New tubes give more volume and slightly more warm, but stock one are absolutely fine
Great video. Fun little FYI- Electro Harmonix owns the New Sensor tube factory
Did you have to adjust the bias when changing the tubes? Thank you! Great video as usual
I purchase both the 5W and 15W Versions of this amp from monoprice and i have to say I’m really happy. the 15W I initially received had microphonic issues with the tubes I contacted their support and immediately got an RMA.The replacement is perfect couldn't be happier.
I have both aslo. The 5W is a clean amp but will get some tasty, bluesy dirt if played loud enough to break up the tubes. It really shines with an over drive pedal. The 15W is more of a gainy rock amp that needs an EQ boost pedal to get a louder clean tone. Very different amps but both are great. The 15W is just pure classic hard rock tone in spades, love it! It would be really cool if monoprice made a 2 channel tube amp.
Speaker type will have a much greater impact on tone than tube brands. That's a sweet little amp for the money.
@gillan64 that's because it's a Peavey!
@gillan64 ya confused! Nothing will help a Peavey better!
@gillan64 I also tried many speakers in my hot rod, classic 30, traynor, and guess what? Nothing was better then the stock speaker! Go figure! I think speaker swap is WAY overrated...
I’m a fan of Celestion
@@guitareMTL when I buy any guitar product i leave it stock. They get paid to know better than me 😆. Btw peavey amps are awesome. Love my old 80s solo series 65 bandit.
Your the most genuine kind human, you’re always smiling.
Is that a sarcasm?
Getting paid to play guitar, what's not to smile about?
You’re always so happy I feel like you could be the next blues clues host
His eyes look sad.
Good channel you got here. No fluff, no marketing puffery, a decent sense of empiricism. Good for you m8.
I agree. The amp sounds great stock!
I tried the same tube swaps as you did but instead chose to go ahead with stock tubes and tighter speaker Weber Ceramic California 12” 80w. Next, I disconnected the speaker wires coming from the amp to the speaker. Instead I made my own speaker wire with a switchcraft jack to be used to connect the speaker to the extension speaker socket instead. The last step was to get my Fryette Powerstation between the amp extension speaker out and the speaker. Keeping the gain as low as possible and volume as high as possible I get a clean input into the Fryette and then use the Fryette to boost the clean. The results are amazing.
I just picked up one of these used for $75 and am thinking of building a solid wood cabinet as a fun little project 😬. What do you think about that?
Go for it Bro!
Do it!
Make sure you use use (very) seasoned wood, as in pine off of an old house or something, else probabaly better off with a good quality baltic birch ply.
I would go w Baltic birch myself.
Difference was mostly noticeable on the high gain tones, and I felt the power tubes made the more significant difference than V1. But I agree, unless you actually have bad, noisy tubes, replacing them on an amp like this makes little sense.
Hi Darrell, I'm from Colombia and i love your videos, direct to the point, and very informative, i learn a lot, thanx again
I agree with your assessment - just change the V1 tube. I actually liked the stock tubes better when you played the chords in all phases of your testing. Changing V1 tube made the individual notes ring clearer, but didn't seem to take away the "dirtier" growl of the power chords. Great video!
I liked the stock tubes better myself.
Mine shipped with a dead tube in the V1 slot, so I wound up having to upgrade just to get it to work.
Thanks for the demo!
Glad to help!
What tube did you end up putting in yours?
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Same Tung Sol you used here. I just grabbed what GC had in stock.
Splitting hairs, stock seemed just as good.
lol....not even close 7:15
Yep, that's what is is. In the band playing interaction you even won't hear any difference... So what?.
TANTRUMGASM I need some of what you’re smoking
I have a pretty good ear and the difference in tone is negligible; the difference in volume is noticeable, but not glaring.
Yep - the difference is much thiner that I thought it to be... I have a good ear, and absolutely trips on musical gear's tone and stuff, yet here the impact is quite minor, maybe even insignificant in the context of a band. New strings, on the other hand...
I watched this purely out of curiosity and I like the original tubes a little better, they have a nice dirty tone. That's not to say changing tubes is a bad idea in every case. I have heard huge differences in Marshalls when Groove Tubes were used in the preamp socxkets, but again, I like the stock ones in this amp. Nice find for the price!
Gonna subscribe. I've recently been tube swapping/tone chasing through the pandemic. Now I'm addicted to it. Next up replacing my stock Celestion 1x12 from Blackstar Studio 10 KT88 with Ruby or Blue or Green. I put Genalex Gold Lion KT88 and 12AX7 in the Blackstar and very pleased. I have JJ, Tung-Sol, Mullard, and more Genalex in other devices. If it has a stock no name tube, I've tried upgraded it. Even on one of those ART StudioV3 Tube mic pre putting in a Mullard or JJ or Genalex really warms vocals. Even with a simple SM58 you can hear it. The better the mic, the more prominent the difference. The best I can describe it is you get a glassy sparkle with the Russian made reissue tubes. I've never going complete beast mode and gone NOS but have little doubt it would yield pleasant, subtle changes even in the simplest tube device. Thank goodness for my tube obsession. Otherwise I may have gone crazy during this pandemic. Or maybe I already did and that's why I am obsessed with glassy, sparkly analog audio! Don't knock it. It's a hobby!
The jj power amp on the highest gain one actually sounded like a really nice useable crunch tone for more alternative stuff.
I had a question from the original video when I saw you handling the tubes bare handed but you answered it right away in this video. Thank you, I have been looking for something like this little beauty!
Thats why I love your channel, I always learn something
Glad you finally made this one. Ive been waiting for someone to do it. Thanks Buddy!
Darrell Braun: More gain!
*CS Guitars has joined the chat*
Scoop those meeds!
@@mvyper MEHTALL ZONE!!!
Hey Darrell, very good video! It's amazing how much difference you'll get with different tubes. Here in Germany, I have access to inexpensive Telefunken NOS tubes. When I got my Hot Rod dlx, the thing that has always plagued them is the volume knob. on 1 you can barely hear it, and on 2 it's peeling paint from the walls it's so freaking loud. I had to replace the Power amp tubes because they were originals from 1996 and had gone microphonic. But I did the George Benson mod to the V1 tube with a 12AU7 instead of the AX7. WOW!! what a difference. Not only did it smooth out the volume issues, but even made the Fender gain sounds much more useable. When I switched out the rest of the Pre-amp tubes with Telefunken 12AX7's it just improved all of the characteristics of the amp. Reverb, gain stages, EQ. it turned into a really good amp. Then swapped out the Original Fender Jensen with a Eminence George Alessandro 12 inch speaker, and it went from really good to awesome great!! I have too many amps, but the only ones that get played are the HRDx and a DV Mark Gen 15 Silver that I had done the same tube mod too. The DV Mark is a great pedal platform and can be just as clean and chimey as the Fender (they even dress it up in the standard Fender silver grill cloth and black chicken knobs ;) wink wink). So you know the tone they were going after. But in the overdrive department straight from the amp, it is much much more useable and pleasing to the ear than Fender typical. Anyway, I definitely suggest people swap tubes out with the best quality they can afford over the stock stuff, especially if the tubes in it are old. Sometimes it will make dramatic changes with the characteristics of your amp. Bob in Germany
I could definitely hear the difference in the blind tests, it was pretty clear which sounds were the aftermarket tubes. I think you're right though - the smart, cost-effective thing to do is just replace the 1st preamp tube. Makes a difference for not much money. Nice video!
When returning my Excelsior Pro I did get a substantial improvement, but I also am lucky to have my own private stash of U. S. tubes and a great collection of Rayovac 7025's. The best result was replacing the V1 12AX7 with a 12AT7. There is a drop in gain, but less bite in the high end. I just crank volume up all the way and use the guitar volume knob for control. No problem.
I thought this video was "Tubular" and very cool.
I went on a tube quest myself and found out the V1 preamp tube makes the biggest difference when changing tubes, especially if you go from something like a 12ax7 to a 12au7.
Which isn't surprising, because there is a substantial difference in gain between a 12Au 7 and a 12Ax7. 12Ax7 has a voltage gain of 100, while the 12AU7 voltage gain is more like 30 or 40 something if I remember correctly. Try a 5751 tube, it's pin out compatible with the 12AX7 and has a voltage gain of about 70.
@@goodun6081 Cool. I never tried 5751.
Did you have to re-bias the amp. Might be good to teach what that means? Great video as always! I think I want to get this amp now.
Another helpful video Darrell👌 you know you said tubes 64 times lol
😂😂😂 Thanks TC!
Yeah, was about to suggest a drinking game based on how many times Darren said "tubes".
VALVES damn you!!!
I can't believe you actually counted Tammy! You must be a math rocker!
I think Tammy is just SMART! (Along with being cute! DEADLY combo!)
Very clear difference. I'm seriously contemplating buying this amp and switching out the one tube. Thnx!
Love to hear a Vintage 30 in this. I'm betting that would be the biggest single mod that makes the biggest difference. Seriously pondering getting one of these although I have no need for one, or space for that matter.
That was a great comparison that provided excellent, fair and informed advice on the worth of the possible tube mods. Thanks very much!
Once again, well done Darrell. The sound differences are so subtle that they really just underline what a great value that Monoprice amp represents!
Great review and great information! Did not realize that tubes are really just made in one of three locations. Very informative! Also, really noticeable difference between the stock and the aftermarket tubes.
Hey Darrel. Love your videos. What are your opinions on the Boss Katana? I’m thinking of getting one 🤷♂️
I have the boss katana 50 model and it is probably one of the best solid state amps I have ever played. If you are a beginner and trying to find your tone it’s probably going to be awesome do to its versatility, however if you have already found your style of playing I would go to a guitar Center and play many different amps. Like I said I love this amp and would recommend it 100%. I hope you end up getting it, cheers.
Ryan Dane I agree with you. I have some really expensive boutique amps. Does the Katana sound as good? No, but it comes pretty close for the price and ease of solid state. It’s a fantastic choice for beginners who are getting a taste of their style or someone who wants a practice amp that won’t burn up their NOS tubes.
Yes, I found it helpful. Thanks for the good work. I like this channel, you actually present details on what we want to upgrade on our equipment and if its worth doing it.
Kudos!👍
good video - I agree with the conclusion - marginally worthwhile replacing the v1 tube
In this video I agree. IRL changing tubes made a massive difference!
@@jayceburns8246 Guitar amps are inherently expected to distort the sound which makes it almost pointless to look for better quality. But try employing a Hi-Fi stereo tube amplifier and the difference is much more significant.
@@jayceburns8246 Changing the tubes completely change my amp. I guess I had a bad batch.
That was awesome! I have upgraded Celestion speakers in my 3 tube combo amps. That alone made a big difference for the better. I am now going to change out the tubes in all 3. Excellent information about where the tubes are actually made.
Who said "mother Russia?" Here we are! Россияне, ставим лайки! :)
Darrell, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeaseeeeeee, try to make any Russian gear video, it gotta be so cool! We've got Yerasov, AMT e.t.c, and there is a lot of great things to review including the amps (300$ ones are so-so, but there are a lot of great amps and combos over 500$) and pedals. If you try to whrite to them, I'm sure, they will cooperate with you. Thanks.
Ставим, но нас тут мало)
Russian tubes are the best. Period
Педаль Эффект-1, наверное самая лучшая педаль тремоло-Wah-фуз. Класс вещь. En: Effect-1 Trem-Wah-Fuzz all in one. Great thing!!!
Could understand you Nikolai.
I love Darrel's blind tests, to be honest. Best thing is, when you actually hear the difference he's talking about.
Can you do a comparison between this tube amp with stock tubes vs a comparably priced solid state for those of us who are unfamiliar with the direct sound difference?
TUBE AMP CRANKED HITS YOU IN THE CHEST AND RUMBLES YOUR SOUL SOLIDSTATE JUST POKES YOUR EARS 40 YRS EXP
@@freddycookjr.2164 No need to shout there, old chap. I say it's a fairly good idea to do just what LazyGamer suggests, as not everyone of us has your (fred cook's) extended experience.
I would like to hear that comparison too. after market tubes sounded only slightly better. Maybe it is a UA-cam compression think keeping me from appreciating the difference.
@@freddycookjr.2164 I disagree. It's great to gig with tube amps if you can afford the hassles - I've had bassmans, boogies, a Vox or two, a couple Ampegs and a Marshall.. All were unreliable and expensive to deal with - often costing me more than the gig paid. I had to carry spare tubes...and a spare amp (a solid state amp). I finally gave up and went to full-on solid state relatively cheap Peavey two-channel amps - had an LA 400 and a couple of bandits... they were cheap to buy, sounded great both clean and dirty, and never cost another dime to operate. Would I record with them? No. But for bar gigs and the like - good enough.
@@HBSuccess that sucks you've had bad luck with tubes. My dad just gave me his old silvertone guitar with amp built into the case and the original tubes still sound great. He also has old fender and ampeg amps with original tubes and they all still sound amazing.
Darryl, I replaced all of the tubes with Tung Sols but I put a 12AY7 in the #1 preamp position. There was a loss of volume but the tone was much cleaner. I also replaced the 2 spring reverb with a 3 spring reverb that was a direct replacement. For mere mortals like myself the tone this “ budget” priced amp is terrific. Thanks for your work!😊
I tried several different sets in my Monoprice & didn't hear a meaningful difference.
Try some American made tubes from the seventies or earlier. Japanese tubes from radio shack from the seventies are also much better than Soviet or China junk.... And they will last for a long long time
Very interesting video.
V1 swap with the JJs in power section for sure. The V1 swap was very well rounded.
I really only noticed a bit of a difference in volume. I retubed mine, more for reliability since I gig with it.
Retubed mine first day with full set of tung sols, gold plated terminals on the preamps. Yes immediately less tinny buzz and warmer louder tone. Haven't fed it through the variac yet tho.... ;o)
Really great vid. I have a Fender super champ, and changing the stock tubes into vintage ones really helped warm it up.
The preamp 12ax7 tube brands all have a different EQ and breakup differences and will make the biggest difference below volume 8.5 after that power tube breakup occurs and this is a much more important tone because of the tremendous harmonics that are there depending on the amp & speaker of course !
However who can cut up a tube amp anymore unless its 15 watts ?
The big 100 watt amps are rarely needed anymore until you play really big venues !
I collected a case of the most vintage colorful toned 12ax7 tubes which cost me a lot !
The RCA long black plate 12ax7 is the most colorful tone of all tubes but lacks overdrive tone but has a silky smokey sweetness and slightly pushed is very good for notes to convey feeling and the sound is awesome classic blues or jazz !
Sylvania long black plate tube pushed into breakup is smooth Deep Purple tones that I swear is what Richie Blackmore used or sounds just like it in most any amp with a gain control !
The Ei 12ax7 from Yugoslavia has great gain crunch like few tubes have and bottom end is big too , but use in heads not combos or they go microphonic easily !
The best Phase inverter in the milky way galaxy for OD tones in the Sovtek long plate 12ax7Lps tube with matched triodes $20
The Tungsram 12ax7 from Hungray is a tube with no bad notes ever slightly pushed into breakup and slide blues players will love this tube with the best sounding silky highs with zero harshness but oddly extended highs !
Reissue Tungsol 12ax7 has near perfect OD tones of most other tubes , the EQ is spot on !
JJ 12ax7 tubes are best in my FX loop that is tube powered , high gain in a FX loop is bad for tone on all amps ive tried !
The JJ can be good in other positions like EQ recovery also !
The old Phillips 12ax7 long plate is a crunch monster also like the Ei tubes with excess gain and depth !
El 84 tubes now made have differences in tone and price so for good sounding tubes that hold up I have good luck with quality matched Russia tubes like GT and Sovtek offer !
Gold Lion EL84 tubes are the best sounding perhaps and there Sovtek made for new sensor !
JJ are cheapest but do not sound good very long !
They do hold up and rarely fail which is a good thing and are safe !
The over priced TAD EL84 tubes are tested yet I cannot use there Sovtek tubes at such high prices since I have never had one fail as yet without the bias way too high !
I redplated several el84 with my bias changing by going too high as the trim pots are fragil and vibrations and heating and cooling changes the bias easily so I check the bias every 2 months !
Do not put Tungsol el84 tubes in a blues Jr. as the bias is too high for them !
The Tungsol tubes are smooth and bluesy pushed at high volume but keep the bias just under normal by the Weber bias calculator that is online !
Spend wisely and get quality at the best price you can as the same tube has many prices I found out !
I found 6v6 tubes expencive so I have some JJ 6v6 tubes because they hold up well !
Great info! Thanks!
You're very knowledgeable. Thank you for sharing.
I like how you do not bury your comparison tones in delay effects --- so we can hear the guitar and amp.
Very good test Daz. The differences were there, but they WERE subtle! MORE improvement would be made by a speaker replacement.
MORE difference valve-wise might be IF, you replace all the pres with low gain valves, like AU or AT7s!
Also, wouldn't the bias need some adjustment when you changed those EL84s? As far as I know this amp is Class A/B not class A cathode biased.
Cheers!
Yes, I also thought you needed to adjust the bias when changing tubes?
That's what I thought as different valves will always have a slightly different current draw, and it would need to be readjusted to the correct spec.
I've now watched a few of your vids, but hadn't subbed yet, but I did today on the strength of this one. That's not to say that the others weren't great also, but I'm cautious to keep myself from being overloaded with information. Yours are awesome and I thank you for them all.
I think the most notable change to sound quality is an upgrade to the cabinet, if you just use this amp as a head and had an Orange PPC 112 you will be blown away
Can you have both at the same time?
Great video! What tubes would you use to change the sound to more of a Marshall?
Funny, I followed you all the way to the results, where I absolutely would change out those Chinese power tubes. In fact I've done so in mine but put in some vintage Russian tubes (1970s) that make the amp so sweet. To my ear the stock power tubes sound tinny in clean mode and the Russian tubes smooth out that tone.
This. Stock tubes unpleasant to listen to. Makes me cringe. Surprised that the new tubes made it pleasant to listen to. Gets that sweet tube sound. Prob a small diff on paper, but it crosses the line from unpleasant to pleasant to me. Prob easier to hear in real life.
Nice comparo. I had considered upgrading my old Palamino V16, but after watching this, I don't think it's worth it. Thanks!
"better" is in the ear of the beholder ; changing any tube will alter the tone slightly ; but once you are accustomed to it .. you won't be able to tell the difference
Bad tubes are just bad tubes.. Quality control is the main issue with bad tubes
Just to let you know - Speakers...tried a Vintage 30 and a Celestion “A-type” speaker ...liked something about the stock Vineland 70/80 the best. I know it sounds weird but I guess it’s voiced for that amp. The story on these amps is that it stared as a Laney club series and had a few upgrade. (They actually took the musician complaints into consideration). The original had a crappy reverb unit. The reverb tank in it now is the same used in a Blues Jr. So if you do some reading on forums don’t go down that road and replace it...it is a decent reverb tank.
Very good comparison, and I knew right away in that first clip which was which. The V1 change seems to help clean more than with gain, but have to admit it sounded better all the way around with the brand name tubes. It is a question of whether it is worth it to one to do it..just like you said. Glad you did this one, and thank you for it.
In your description here, "V3" is the power inverter. This should be considered a part of the power amp tubes.
(Same on all tube amps.)
The biggest "tone change" will be noticed on the V1 tube usually. Mesa checks their tubes very well and have a "STR 12AX7" that does well in V1 for a cleaner tone. You can replace a 12 AX7 with a 12 AU7 for a less gain/cleaner tone too. (Any 12 A...& can be replaced with any other 12 A...7 with no problems.)
[I used to be a "factory authorized repair tech' for Mesa Boogie, Fender, Orange, Marshall, and several other manufactures.)
I used to help guys "chase tones" to get what they were after a lot.
Chinese 12 AX7's a good "bang for the buck" and do good on higher gain amps.
They typically sounded a bit more 'brittle' to me when playing clean tones. I liked the Tung-Sol's, Mullard's, or JJ's a bit better for clean tones. (I generally play cleaner tones and use pedals in front of the amp: compressor, boost, drive and the like.)
Good post - Thank you!
Slight improvement but something that could also be achieved with a eq and/or line driver pedal
Yep, just a little more gain.
I put a tung-sol balanced-triode 12ax7 in an inexpensive Vox vt40 as well as a Celestion G10 gold. Amazing difference as the preamp tube is the only tube in the amp. Why spend half the cost of the amp to replace 2 elements? My other option is my two 100 watt Marshall’s I have running in stereo (read: Not wife friendly volumes during a pandemic & those need to be pushing air to sound decent). The swap out produced nice sound out of a digital modeling practice amp. I have quite a few guitars since I’ve been buying them since the 70s. Suhr guitars are currently what I am playing, the difference was extremely noticeable on the Modern, a bit less on the thornbuckers in the Custom- T. Enjoy your channel 👍👍
Not worth it in my opinion but thanks for the vid
Thanks for following up on the tube change. I think that I would opt for the change. The Number One Valve ( I dig the nomenclature) change was notable, and I appreciate the extra effort you took. Great job, just bought a Fender Junior Tweed, but this is tempting based on price alone. Thanks.
That's like all light bulbs including growing lights HPS and MH bulbs come from 3 main manufacturer's no matter what the name on them are. A guy from Sylvania told me that.
eyeglasses...something like 80% of all eyeglasses are made by Luxottica
Tube swaps will make a bit of difference. But, you don’t really need to swap unless they are microphonic or rattle. Or if your a tone chaser like me! Sweet demo! Thanks
rule of thumb - in a combo changing speaker has the greatest impact
That’s the case regardless if it’s a combo or not. Your head is still plugged into a speaker cab that has a speaker in it.
Great video! On studio speakers, the change in all the tubes made a very significant difference. Just changing the output speakers seemed to make a big difference the more gain applied.
When I read "expensive tubes" I thought vintage Mullards or maybe JANs.
$20 tung-sol is more than a $5 -10 chinese tube I suppose. Vintage Mullard NOS 12AX7's are what $200 a tube now? Crazy. I've tried a lot of vintage tubes that were more reasonably priced(under $50) including the "Japanese Mullards" from the 70's made with the same design and equipment as the Blackburns. I have some GE JAN 5751's.The new production Tung-Sols sound as good as any IMO. They are a great go-to for quality, price and availability. My favorite vintage tubes in my collection are Tungsram's and the Beijing 12AX7's(with the white stars) from the 70's. There was a site on ebay a couple years ago that had the Beijing's 2 for $25 and they were the real thing with the square foil getter and the date stamp(mine were 4-78). I stocked up on them.
@@creamwobbly I can guarantee you, that vintage Mullards or US JAN weren't made in North Korea, China, Russia or even Slovakia.
@@creamwobbly Not sure if troll or stupid.
Darrell, another GREAT Video! Did the same experiment in my Monoprice (already had the Tubes kicking around), and found similar results. Went one step further, swapped out the speaker for a Celestion Brit Greenback (also already had). This made a bigger difference both with the standard tubes on the amp and more so with the upgraded Russian tubes. Was surprised the amount of difference heard with a better speaker between the tube sets.
Would I go out and purchase tubes and a speaker worth almost twice the price of the amp to do this? NO! But if anyone has a "spare set" of tubes and better speaker kicking around, it is well worth trying. Love the tones I'm getting from this little Monoprice Now.
The motivation for even attempting the experiment in the first place? Read on a forum about a gigging Blues Musician in Nashville that had purchase one of these as a "back-up" amp after his Fender crashed during a performance one night. It was cheap enough to take as an extra and would work in a pinch. Then his Fender blew to a point it wasn't worth fixing, so he swapped the tubes and speaker. Was planning using the Monoprice for a while till he decided what new amp he really wanted to buy. Ended up the Lil MP grew on him, liked the idea of being able to drag and use an inexpensive amp in small venues without worry of damage or theft. Over a year later of multiple gigs a week, apparently it's still working.
I really really love your channel! Very informative! God bless!
JAT Rock Martin WELCOME TO CANADA YE HOSIER!!
IrishVampyre Studios Ltd
^'.."^
Spot the irony oh I’m sorry I forgot Americans do not compute
Oh I do apologise this is a comment was meant for somebody else for the down the line seem to find it using the word emergency lunch anyway rock on this Martin you looking good in your work in the last few days and again
Robin and next time you’re over in Dublin and where are you canJam out in IVStudio’s Location love you like it
Thanks Darrell just ordered mine from Monoprice last night because of your earlier video! Subscriber BTW.
I honestly don't notice much difference other than more volume with the new tubes. It is slightly thicker but not much
Great video!
I really love your honest and wholesome attitude.
On the 2nd test, I preferred the sound of the stock tubes.
I expect that if you buy a handful of new JJ 12AX7 tubes and swap them each into the first preamp position that you might notice that are arent all the same.
Matching is critical for output tubes, and not all tubes that are allegedly matched are in fact properly matched. Output tubes also need to be REBIASED when replacing them!!!! I cannot stress this enough. With some amplifier designs biasing is especially critical.
Yes, although it depends on whether it's fixed bias or cathode bias, and on the output section design. Amps like AC30s or tweeds generally don't need to be rebiased. They actually can't be without changing resistors, but those output sections are basically self biasing. Amps with tight output sections are more finnicky and need to be rebiased for the best tone.
That's why I buy bugera amps, no biasing needed cuz the amp does it itself
@@@MikeLee-lg5vq, The fact that an amplifier doesn't provide you with an easy method to rebias the output tubes doesn't mean that it shouldn't be done, and this includes small signal tubes. In fact, it's usually best to assume that an amplifier was never properly biased from the factory.
@@PierceThirlen2 I can see that for fixed bias amps, but cathode biased amps like AC30s or their many clones actually are self biasing because the cathode resistor regulates current allowing the cathode voltage to vary. Those are my preferred style amp and the kind I build. But yeah, at least 90% of amps are fixed bias and if you don't mind swapping resistors in your vintage tweed bassman, you could rebias it.😁
@@MikeLee-lg5vq, The cathode resistor has no ability to adjust the bias to match the characteristics of the particular brand of tube. Optimum or not, you get what you get. That is further complicated with vintage amplifiers which were designed to run at lower line voltages than we use today, causing the filaments to heat the cathodes too hot, further altering the operating point.
I have this amp and absolutely love it. I use Tung-sol power tubes, a Mesa (Russian) 12AT7 in V1, and stock 12AX7s in V2 and V3. Overall, it makes a big difference in tone, to my ears. Lots more clean headroom, and it overpowers all the Line6 Spiders out there at jam nights. I use mine in conjunction with a Fender Frontman 212R as a slave amp and get a really cool AC30 tone out of it. Can't ask for more than that!
I am putting the Tung-sol in the V1 slot today (the Tung-sol Darrell used in the video) I swapped out the stock 70/80 speaker with a Celestion Gold 8ohm after listening to a variety of speaker comparisons. I’m loving this amp right now.
I actually preferred the stock tubes in every test. Go figure.
I have 5 Philips 6BL8 Tubes/Valves for an amp build I have in the works.
These are Made In Australia, according to the box.
They're Philips MiniWatt 6BL8 Tubes. 👍
Very informative video again Darrell! As expected from you. Keep it up and more powers!
Atleast I didn’t wasted 11min of my life on something else 🤣
Awesome! Thanks for posting this. Would still love to see the amp setting used in the original video for the different tones. I got one of these a year or so ago for 149 shipped. Thinking about pickup up a second to play around with dual settings.
Yes Electro-Harmonix does have their own factory. Might do a little research before saying that kind of thing.
You might want to take your own advice, Electro-Harmonix tubes are made by New Sensor, an American owned company, in the Xpo-Pul factory (Reflektor) in Saratov, Russia. They also make Sovtek, Svetlana and reissues of Mullard and Tung-Sol tubes.
@@troll1441 New Sensor Corporation is owned by Mike Matthews. The company is American based but manufactures Tung-Sol, Sovktek, etc. in Russia.
Thanks for repeating pretty much what I said as a correction, you make trolling easy.
@@troll1441 New Senor makes some very good tubes IMO. The most drastic tube change I ever made was putting a svetlana 12ax7 in V1. That tube had a sound that was way darker than any tube I've ever heard before. Probably a love it or hate it tube depending on what tone your looking for. Unfortunately they don't make that tube anymore. I guess most didn't like it.
I actually own one of those amps. I wanted something inexpensive that I can play in my apartment as well in a band. It has served me very well. I like the clean tones. I did switch all the tubes since I read in the forums that it would improve the tone quality.
I ended up switching the power tubes with JJ EL844 tubes which give you a great sounding power tube break up at 25% lower volume. They have that pumping compression at lower volumes which sounds great. I'll switch them back to standard EL84's if I'm going to play in a band setting. And I used 3 matched JJ 12AX7 for the preamp. I think that amp sounds a LOT better than the tones I hear from any sub $1000 fender! And I'm only about $375 in!
If you want an amp you can play in a band and also play in your apartment you can't beat this amp! Especially after putting in some decent tubes. I bought mine used and the previous owner switched the speaker to a much better sounding Celestian so I didn't need to make that purchase. Now I have a great sounding amp! And I didn't need to give up an arm, or a leg! 😁