5153 50 watt tube recommendations

[ledvedder]

I want to do some tube swapping this morning before my outdoor gig today to try and quiet this thing down. I don't know what tubes are in it. They're unlabeled. The power tubes just have a sticker that says BCM 8, and the pre's have nothing on them.

Hopefully, some of you guys that have a 5153 can provide some recommendations.

Here's what I have as spares,
1 Sovtek 12ax7 LPS
1 Mullard 12ax7
1 Marshall VLVE-00040??
2 JJ ECC83S
2 JJ ECC83S HG
1 Ruby 12ax7ac5 HG
1 Groove Tube GT12ax7c
1 Groove Tube GT7025
1 Sovtek 12ax7wa
1 JJ ecc82
1 Jan 12at7wc

 

[Oblivion DC]

What do you mean by quiet it down? Are you trying to cut the amount of gain? Some people have had success using a lower output preamp tube in the first position 12AT7, or 12AY7. I tried it but didn't like how it made the amp feel. It didn't sound as thick and felt really stiff even with a boost.

 

[Racerxrated]

I would try the Jan at7 in the Pi spot, and the mullard in V1. Not sure about the rest of the positions but try that and see what happens. The amp has plenty of gain, so a lower gain pre like a Mullard might be a good choice there. Might improve the tone as well. I had older Amperex pres in one of mine and it made the amp a bit clearer at high gain.

 

[ledvedder]

No, I don't mean reducing the gain. The amp has a lot of idle noise (hiss and such).

 

[Oblivion DC]

Your best bet is putting a Decimator or some other noise gate in the loop.

 

[ledvedder]

For today, I put the Mullard in v1,the LPS in the pi, and a few jj's in other spots. It quieted it down a lot. But there's still something about JJ tubes that I don't like.

 

[Racerxrated]

Try Chinese 8th/9th gen pres in the other spots. They can be found on eBay and there's usually some for sale here in the classifieds. Or Amperex / tungsrams if you can find them. These pres seem to improve every amp ive had.

 

[Whatamada]

For today, I put the Mullard in v1,the LPS in the pi, and a few jj's in other spots. It quieted it down a lot. But there's still something about JJ tubes that I don't like.

I find the preamp tubes from JJ are a bit lifeless, almost like they are a bit compressed. If the amp is extremely bright and harsh I think they would be great since I've always had tubes from JJ that were reliable as hell.

I do on the orherhand appreciate the Ruby HG and HG+
They give the amp a special kind of life to it. Hard to explain though.