Finally gave in to some Mullard ECC83's for my Splawn. Whow!

[Adambomb]

I've got a pretty good tube stash, new production and NOS with about everything except a few European tubes. So I've always wanted some Mullards and came close to buying several times, but never could justify paying the price. Well it ABSOLUTELY has made my Quick Rod the best beast of an amp I've ever played! I've always been into finding good tubes for any amp that you can really tell a difference in tone wise and that's sensitive to tube changes (like my QR). So I said screw it and tired some Blackburn Mullards.
I got 2 Mullards from Mike at KCA Tubes. Ones an I61 (first short plate made) and the I63 (popular among rock guitarists). This is the second best thing I've done for this amp besides getting a Small Block loaded Splawn 4x12. But seriously it does sound like I've almost changed speakers. I had a Raytheon Blackplate 12ax7 in V2(input stage) that I found sounded best with the amp out of several, an RCA in V1(clean Ch tube), a Chinese 12ax7B in V3 that I picked out of 10 I bought that sounds heavenly and a JJECC803S longplate in V4 PI cause it's brighter and tighter than my LPS.
So after switching between the both the Mullards in the input stage in V2 they both sound syrupy amazing but settled on the older I61 Mullard ax7. Everything just seems to blend together well and the amp is more forgiving. WAY smoother mid range (never could get that good smooth classic rock mids from anything else. Amps more alive and note definition has always been great with the Quick Rod, but seems to have a punchier string seperation to both ch's.
I'm very glad I finally did it cause now I know what all the fuss is about with Mullards in a Marshall style amp and if they last as long as they are supposed to, I'll never touch the preamp tubes in this amp again unless one fails. So I'm saving one of them and only using it in the input stage of the QR. I hate always explaining to people that V2 is the main input tube in the 4 preamp tube Splawns. So I'm hearing the tone in my head to a T and this is the preamp tube lineup I've settled on (but wanted to post how HUGE of an improvement the Mullards was in the Splawn)...
V1-RCA 12ax7 (clean Ch only slot)
V2- NOS Mullard 12ax7 "I61" (input stage)
V3- Sino 12ax7B (Ch2 gain stage)
V4- JJ ECC803S longplate (phase inverter)

 

[ibenhad]

Interesting post. You change all preamp tubes around until you get just the right cocktail yet you leave the stock Splawn labeled (pretty sure they are Valve Art) made in China by the O&J company tubes? Wouldn't you want to change that glass too? I mean imagine some =C= or something in the power section. Just wondering?

 

[Adambomb]

Interesting post. You change all preamp tubes around until you get just the right cocktail yet you leave the stock Splawn labeled (pretty sure they are Valve Art) made in China by the O&J company tubes? Wouldn't you want to change that glass too? I mean imagine some =C= or something in the power section. Just wondering?

I like the stock Splawn (Sino) EL34's better than my quad of winged =C=. Might be cause the =C='s weren't low idle current, cause I got them spec'd for my Shiva. I LOVE the Chinese el34's

 

[LP Freak]

Did it fix the weird mids?

 

[C1-ocaster]

Interesting post. You change all preamp tubes around until you get just the right cocktail yet you leave the stock Splawn labeled (pretty sure they are Valve Art) made in China by the O&J company tubes? Wouldn't you want to change that glass too? I mean imagine some =C= or something in the power section. Just wondering?

I like the stock Splawn (Sino) EL34's better than my quad of winged =C=. Might be cause the =C='s weren't low idle current, cause I got them spec'd for my Shiva. I LOVE the Chinese el34's

Some of those Chinese tubes put out some good tones.
I've found that for high gain 12ax7's Chinese tubes deliver the gain.

I'm a fan of =C= 6L6's as they've sounded great in every amp I put them in, which is about 10 of them.
But, when I got my Fender Hot Rod DLX3 I figured the =C= 6L6's would improve that amps tone too.
It didn't. They actually made the HR DLX sound flat and sterile.
The power tubes I settled on were a basic pair of Sovtek 6550's.
Not every great tube makes every amp sound better.
You simply have to try different valves in your own amp and choose to taste.
Sounds like you found a winning combination.

I have modern current production Mullard 12ax7's and I like them in some amps where coloration isn't needed.
Current production Mullard's seem to sound "natural" in that they are clean and more hi-fi like, which can be what's needed sometimes. Reading your experience has me gassing for some some NOS Mullards, along with NOS Yugoslavian Ei's, which I've read are super nice too.

 

[steve_k]

Preamp tubes are going to always affect the tone of an amp long before power tubes. I agree with the OP on the Mullards. Usually one in V1 of any Marshall type circuit will completely turn an amp around for you.

 

[Adambomb]

Did it fix the weird mids?

I never experienced it when I got new in 2013. I heard someone else say that about "weired" mids but I think that was mostly post 2012 when he switched to 2 preamp tubes, but I don't know. I've had to turn the gain down to 9:00 on Ch with the Mullard in there. Sounds more classic rockish with smoother mids that flow together well. If that makes sense.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Yup...mullards sound killer in the splawns.