What preamp tubes do you recommend for a Mesa.....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Badronald
  • Start date Start date
Chinese 8th/9th gen work really well in my 2C+ and the Mark 3s I had previously.
 
Are the Mesa branded tubes Chinese?

If not what are the names of the Chinese tube brands?

Thanks.
 
The older 8th gen Chinese have a square almost chrome getter up top. They stopped making them in the early 90s I believe. The 9th gen have the same construction but a round getter instead of square. I have some Mesa branded, Rivera branded and some without printing. Some tube vendors have some for sale like Dougs and others. They sometime come up for sale here. Problem is they play well with almost every amp I've owned, so they go fast.
 
i use chinese and a tung sol on V1. jj's also work well but are more compressed with less highs. they are very punchy though. chinese are most commonly rebranded by ruby. also penta,sino, etc.
 
Thanks.
Also, for V1 of this amp, I think that's the clean channel, I'd want something like a Tungsol , GE or Phillips NOS and for the other slots a more stout higher gain valve?

FYI. I should look In there and see what's in slot one. The cleans are stunning right now. Shimmering.
 
It is my opinion that the Mark IV sounds best with preamp tubes that are hotter. In the 80's I bought about 60 preamp tubes from Mesa and have not run out. I have tried others but always go back. STR 415 or 420 power tubes.
 
stephen sawall":1she45be said:
It is my opinion that the Mark IV sounds best with preamp tubes that are hotter. In the 80's I bought about 60 preamp tubes from Mesa and have not run out. I have tried others but always go back. STR 415 or 420 power tubes.
Click to expand...

I think you're probably right. It's not really a heavily saturated amp like you'd think.
I was recording heavy guitars last night and had the gain on the red channel at 7-8.
Listening this morning they are very clear and punchy. This amp is so clear and articulate it'd be hard to make it muddy unless you ran the bass on the channel knob high. From looking at a lot of players settings I know to run the bass way down to three or four on the knob and push the left fader on the eq up a bit.
Anyway, killer amp.

Thanks for the info guys.
 
When you guys say Chinese is that the same as the Chinese military ones that pop up here sometimes? I have bought some over time here,and have a mark III++ coming soon.

And how many preamp tubes should I be expecting to put into this markIII?

Thanks for your help.
 
rottingcorpse":3sw7bmgm said:
When you guys say Chinese is that the same as the Chinese military ones that pop up here sometimes? I have bought some over time here,and have a mark III++ coming soon.

And how many preamp tubes should I be expecting to put into this markIII?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Yes those are the same, square chrome getter on top just like the used ones I have. I've bought some of those and they are spot on the same tonewise. Some like vintage Tungsrams mixed with the Chinese pre in Marks, I think they get a little tubby with all Tungsrams. I mix Chinese with Tungsrams in my C+. My C+ has 5 pre, I think Mk 3s are the same?
 
In my tremoverb a ruby 12ax7ac5+ in v1 and chinese square foil getter in the rest of the positions sounds perfect
 
I have a mix of the square getter 12AX7s and other Chinese, Mesa-Branded 12AX7s, along with some Sovteks, but I never really cared for the JJs, so I use them as spares...



As for the Power Tubes, if you can find some STR-415s/420s, those are the best, IMO, but I've always liked the sound of my =C=s in my Mark IVs

Put your hottest pres in V3, as this is the lead channel. V1 is the clean channel, but it also affects all the other channels as well, so if you don't want too much grit, stick to SPAX7s...
 
Badronald":2r2di1am said:
stephen sawall":2r2di1am said:
It is my opinion that the Mark IV sounds best with preamp tubes that are hotter. In the 80's I bought about 60 preamp tubes from Mesa and have not run out. I have tried others but always go back. STR 415 or 420 power tubes.
Click to expand...

I think you're probably right. It's not really a heavily saturated amp like you'd think.
I was recording heavy guitars last night and had the gain on the red channel at 7-8.
Listening this morning they are very clear and punchy. This amp is so clear and articulate it'd be hard to make it muddy unless you ran the bass on the channel knob high. From looking at a lot of players settings I know to run the bass way down to three or four on the knob and push the left fader on the eq up a bit.
Anyway, killer amp.

Thanks for the info guys.
Click to expand...

I run the Bass on the Lead channel between 2 and 3. I run the Bass on Clean / Rhy 2 on 4. Don't forget the Treble knobs effect the gain as much as the tone.
 
-my old MK IV loved NOS long plates, any brand, but then again all my amps loved NOS long plates, thou I have grown to dislike anything JJ, the JJ 803S is a cp long plate that everyone with a MK series amp should try, the Chinese tubes have a lot of gain, but the envelope is larger than most 12AX7's, also a good fit for any mid focused amp are NOS 12BZ7's, there still a great bargain at around the $20 point, these have a very large envelope,
 
I never noticed much of a difference. I have been using Tung Sol.
 
Google the Beijing 12AX7 I forgot the name. Something with a JNP4 or whatever. Those are the Chinese ones everybody is talking about.
 
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