Pink Taco with 6n14n tubes

cragginshred77

cragginshred77

Well-known member
While waiting for my Maz 18 to arrive tomorrow I found some nos 6n14n tubes on reverb and opted to try them in the Pink taco v2 which is supposed to be a little bright for some folks taste. Idea came from Dr Z users. To my ears it's more Marshall esque than other Friedman offerings which are way too tame in the mids to me
Before I comment on what I'm hearing, what do you guys hear on the 2 sets of tubes

 
cragginshred77 said:
While waiting for my Maz 18 to arrive tomorrow I found some nos 6n14n tubes on reverb and opted to try them in the Pink taco v2 which is supposed to be a little bright for some folks taste. Idea came from Dr Z users. To my ears it's more Marshall esque than other Friedman offerings which are way too tame in the mids to me
Before I comment on what I'm hearing, what do you guys hear on the 2 sets of tubes

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I've watched your other videos (can't see this private one) and appreciate the fact the tones are unprocessed. The Empire clip pushed me over the edge to pick up a PTV2. I dig it for some of those things but I haven't fully embraced the aggressiveness. Could be the Marshall 4x12 GMT-75's but there is a raspy, crispy, brashness that sits on top of the note/cord and has an unnatural decay. It's almost like I'm used to tube push and I'm picking up a clipping diode (has to be mental) sound that I can't dial out with any of the switches. So....how did your tube mod go? If I keep this, I'll probably swap tubes or mod it (or get a Smallbox). Maybe an eq in the loop will help but I'm concerned the voicing just isn't for me. Treble is on 3-4. Mid at noon, Bass cranked. Preferred settings are the structure in the middle or down, and sat down. A4 PAF's seem to smooth out some but they are unpotted Mojotone 59 Clones, so they screech like a banshee. The SD 78's are already crispy. SD Frankenstein is thicker and more useable but the A2 highs are still strident. Anderson H2+ is better but still not there. I have 30 + years of cranked tube amps that my remaining hearing is used to, except for the rack years that seem to be making a comeback. Come to think of it, they were tube, too. Keep up the videos!
 
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The vid can't be viewed.

I love the sound of my 1st gen PT20. Am using a black plate RCA in V1 and a vintage Mullard in V2.
 
eclecticsynergy said:
The vid can't be viewed.

I love the sound of my 1st gen PT20. Am using a black plate RCA in V1 and a vintage Mullard in V2.
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Thank you for sharing your mods. I went down the rabbit hole last night of watching speaker comparisons by Zilla Cabs. It was immediately obvious the t-75's are part and possibly all of the problem That extreme high-end and decay was right there and the Greenbacks rolled it off. The T-75 is also mid-scooped, which is exactly NOT what I'm looking for. I just dug out my early 80's 800 4x12 with the much-maligned GM-70's and that might be a perfect fit due to the relatively flat response. If that doesn't work, an eq, tube, and/or speaker swaps are in order. I definitely despise the T-75's with this rig but they worked well for my old W/D/W rack setup.
 
Alcalde said:
I've watched your other videos (can't see this private one) and appreciate the fact the tones are unprocessed. The Empire clip pushed me over the edge to pick up a PTV2. I dig it for some of those things but I haven't fully embraced the aggressiveness. Could be the Marshall 4x12 GMT-75's but there is a raspy, crispy, brashness that sits on top of the note/cord and has an unnatural decay. It's almost like I'm used to tube push and I'm picking up a clipping diode (has to be mental) sound that I can't dial out with any of the switches. So....how did your tube mod go? If I keep this, I'll probably swap tubes or mod it (or get a Smallbox). Maybe an eq in the loop will help but I'm concerned the voicing just isn't for me. Treble is on 3-4. Mid at noon, Bass cranked. Preferred settings are the structure in the middle or down, and sat down. A4 PAF's seem to smooth out some but they are unpotted Mojotone 59 Clones, so they screech like a banshee. The SD 78's are already crispy. SD Frankenstein is thicker and more useable but the A2 highs are still strident. Anderson H2+ is better but still not there. I have 30 + years of cranked tube amps that my remaining hearing is used to, except for the rack years that seem to be making a comeback. Come to think of it, they were tube, too. Keep up the videos!
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Having your bass 'cranked' as you say is likely that rasp your describing on the top? I notice for whatever reason this amp sounds best with me Tele type Anderson with single coils, Some of my guitars with humbuckers don't pair as well for some reason

I never have my bass above noon on any amp, it will muddy your mids, but that's what my ears tell me.
 
cragginshred77 said:
Having your bass 'cranked' as you say is likely that rasp your describing on the top? I notice for whatever reason this amp sounds best with me Tele type Anderson with single coils, Some of my guitars with humbuckers don't pair as well for some reason

I never have my bass above noon on any amp, it will muddy your mids, but that's what my ears tell me.
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Thanks for getting back with your experience. I've tweaked the eq several ways. The Bass on 10 was the manual's starting point. I'm mostly sitting at B=6, M=6, T=3. The T-75's are just not agreeing with this head. If I played more thrash, it would probably sit great in a mix. The M-70's are better but I'm considering moving the PT2 for a Smallbox or even a JEL. I'll try an eq pedal next. I'm more of a JMP crunch and boosted lead guy. This was an experiment to play with more gain and I'm just not using it but I see hope for the heavy crunch. Interesting note on your tele. I haven't been brave enough to plug in my tele, given the presence. On a side note, thanks for the shoulder exercises on our YT page. I've incorporated them into my post op recovery.
 
I'm running mine with the bass dimed; still isn't the least bit flabby. Never had an amp that sounded good this way before.
Not pushing the preamp gain very hard at all these days, though - I need good cleanup when I roll back at the guitar.

Using a V30 for the current project. It's in a custom oversized cab that sounds almost like a 4x12, just moves less air.
We have an outdoor show coming up, my first time using the PT20 (or any low-wattage amp) outdoors.
That'll be the real test.
 
Back to the topic of the thread. I bought these russian tubes that were advertised to be NOS and taken from fighter jets or something. I got a couple of months out of them and then I started getting this cutting out with hitting low E string notes. chased down all the potentials and finally put the JJ el84's back in. Sounds better and problem solved

E-mailed Dave and he said 'only run JJ's'. Nuff said for me. Also spoke with a buddy who gigs with his JJ Jr and said his JJ's have lasted 2 plus years for rehearsals and countless gigs. Case closed for me. :m17:
 
cragginshred77 said:
Back to the topic of the thread. I bought these russian tubes that were advertised to be NOS and taken from fighter jets or something. I got a couple of months out of them and then I started getting this cutting out with hitting low E string notes. chased down all the potentials and finally put the JJ el84's back in. Sounds better and problem solved

E-mailed Dave and he said 'only run JJ's'. Nuff said for me. Also spoke with a buddy who gigs with his JJ Jr and said his JJ's have lasted 2 plus years for rehearsals and countless gigs. Case closed for me. :m17:
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I'd heard that there was a Russian/Eastern bloc equivalent for the EL84. Sorry those weren't good for you.

I replaced my power tubes with JJs last year when I had a tube-related problem. Turned out to be a connection on one of the sockets, that went intermittent sometimes when it heated up. But now I have a spare set for when they do wear out.

In general, though, mil spec tubes were built extra robustly, which makes sense. Western ones from various manufacturers were designated JAN (for Joint Army/Navy) and I've had good luck with those.
 
Played that outdoor show last night. PT20 with a single V30 held its own, just fine.
I'd been a little concerned about needing more volume but I needn't have worried.
The other guitarist brought a matched pair of brownface '61 Deluxes (!).
 
Nice. I love those brownface years. Those mixed with the PT are probably a pretty good combination. I've moved out my two cabs with the T-75's and am content with he boring GM-70's, even at point-blank range. Those 75's were originally used as a wet stereo signal and the 70 was dry, so I never noticed how brash/raspy they were. Greenbacks are about to be ordered but have been flip-flopping over trying a x array mix to include the 30's. I honestly never realized the difference was that big but I've totally revamped the eq on the PT and it's so much better now. I despise those 75's lol. Thanks for updating with your experience on both the PT and the V30.
 
C
Alcalde said:
Nice. I love those brownface years. Those mixed with the PT are probably a pretty good combination. I've moved out my two cabs with the T-75's and am content with he boring GM-70's, even at point-blank range. Those 75's were originally used as a wet stereo signal and the 70 was dry, so I never noticed how brash/raspy they were. Greenbacks are about to be ordered but have been flip-flopping over trying a x array mix to include the 30's. I honestly never realized the difference was that big but I've totally revamped the eq on the PT and it's so much better now. I despise those 75's lol. Thanks for updating with your experience on both the PT and the V30.
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Creamback 65's are the ticket with the PT20 V2. I ran (2) Friedman Creamback 1x12's with mine, and they're pretty awesome. Big, warm, and punchy. Tames that brightness. Still using them with my Runt 50.
 
napalmdeath said:
C

Creamback 65's are the ticket with the PT20 V2. I ran (2) Friedman Creamback 1x12's with mine, and they're pretty awesome. Big, warm, and punchy. Tames that brightness. Still using them with my Runt 50.
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Thank you. After listening to way too many sound samples with good headphones, I landed on the Creamback 65's and the faithful GB-M25's. Im planning to replace the two cabs with one set of each or x array them. Not sure just yet. Your opinion helped to affirm that.
 
Alcalde said:
Thank you. After listening to way too many sound samples with good headphones, I landed on the Creamback 65's and the faithful GB-M25's. Im planning to replace the two cabs with one set of each or x array them. Not sure just yet. Your opinion helped to affirm that.
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Any Greenback variant should sound much better. I just like the 65's for the bigger low end and a bit tighter.
 
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