Diezel Paul mods?

th3m1ke

New member
So my beloved amp was always a Herbert - it was the best, across the board. Sadly after leaving a gigging band and moving into an apartment it was just too much beast to tame so I sold it to a friend who luckily uses it to its potential. With that being said, I was lucky enough to grab a Paul in a deal and absolutely love it! I wanted to know what you guys thought about potentially upgrading the tubes to give it a little more higain-bite like I'm used to, if thats even possible without compromising the amp. Now tubes are one thing I have never messed with personally (who knows better than the amp designers! not me!) so if this seems ridiculous feel free to call me an idiot. That aside, I absolutely love this amp and the wattage is PERFECT.
 
I've got a Herbert and have always thought the Paul would be a lot of fun. Glad to hear you're enjoying yours!! As far as trying different tubes, as long as you replace them with compatible types and re-bias each time you change power tubes (pre-amp tubes don't require any adjustment), you won't hurt anything and you can always put the original tubes back in it. Different tubes aren't going to make drastic changes, but there are subtle differences between brands (and individual batches from the same make/model) and you might find something that adds a little something that you like.

For pre-amp tubes, any 12AX7 should work. I've been liking the Ruby 12AX7 AC5 HG+, the reissue Mullard 12AX7/ECC83, the reissue Genalex 12AX7/ECC83/B759 Gold Pin, and the JJ ECC803. There's a lot of love for the NOS Chinese 6N4 (which is a 12AX7 variant) and the reissue Tung Sol 12AX7. There are too many NOS types to mention, but still some good ones out there (RFT, etc.). From what it looks like on Diezel's site, they're using the Chinese 12AX7B and the reissue Mullard CV4004 in the new VH2, both of which are also great tubes. You don't have to adjust the amp when you change pre-amp tubes. So, this is a really easy change to make yourself.

For power tubes, I've really been liking the Gold Lion KT77s as well as the stock JJ KT77s that Diezel uses. I've heard great things about the EH 6CA7s, I've used JJ E34L and TAD EL34B in several Marshalls and there are several other EL34/6CA7/KT77 types that will work. Again, many great NOS tubes exist, too, but they can get pricey. Just make SURE that you re-bias the amp for EVERY set of power tubes. Every tube is different and they will change as they age, too. If you're not comfortable doing this yourself, take it to a tech. High voltage hurts (based on personal experience).

Anyway, just for reference, here's a thread from earlier this year discussing the differences between pre-amp tubes. I learned a lot from others' experience here...
http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=196238
 
So sorry I didn't respond sooner, I typed up a whole thing and it apparently never posted. Thank you so much for your advise and guide on tubes - seems like if it doesn't make too much of a difference I might keep them what they are because I trust the Peter's. I love the Paul, seriously. Its obviously not a Herbert and a very different breed of animal but the tradeoff's I may sacrifice by using the Paul are gained by some unique tones and most importantly the wattage. The fact that I can crank it and get a great saturated tone without blowing the roof off of a whole block is pretty valuable to me but do not be fooled, it absolutely CAN do thick, chunky, saturated metal \m/
 
You say they are very different, how do they compare? Not as in what’s ‘better’ but tonality and feel?

I have a Herbert, wondering if the Paul can be as warm and fat and smooth.
 
Back
Top