From JJ to Tungsol and Back
In the previous blog post, I talked about going all in with Tungsol Tubes, 12ax7 (pre-amp and phase inverter) and 6V6 power tubes in my little Marshall DSL15C combo.
For me, while the Tungsol tubes in the preamp section are perfect, the Tungsol 6V6 power tubes didn't work out for me. They sounded pretty good, but just didn't do it for me.
As advertised the Tungsol 6V6 tubes broke up earlier, and they were kind of creamy. At first, I enjoyed the sound. After a few hours and some recording sessions, I noticed something about the creamy sound. It was creamy like creamy grits with something gritty in the grits. The next thing I realized is that the Tungsol 6V6 power tubes did not sustain notes very long. Notes faded away too fast for my playing style.
So, I put JJ 6V6s tubes back in. Ahhh... No more gritty grits. The JJ 6V6s tubes are cleaner sounding than Tungsol 6V6 tubes, mainly because they don't break up as early or as much.
Perhaps the biggest difference is that the JJ 6V6s tubes sing. They sing! The notes sustain a long time when I want them too, and the subtle overtones are amazing. Maybe the sustain is what some people call compression with the JJ 6V6s. To my ears, the tubes are very dynamic, and dynamics are typically lowered as compression increases. Sure, compression can increase sustain. However, the sustain from the JJ 6V6s power tubes is like singing, the sound is open and soaring, rather than compressed.
Bottom line: Tungsol 12ax7 for preamp and phase inverter tubes, coupled with JJ 6V6s power tubes, is the combination I will use from now on with my Marshall DSL15C combo.
Footnote: the Marshall DSL15C is not stock. I did some circuit mods to tame the ultra gain channel.
For me, while the Tungsol tubes in the preamp section are perfect, the Tungsol 6V6 power tubes didn't work out for me. They sounded pretty good, but just didn't do it for me.
As advertised the Tungsol 6V6 tubes broke up earlier, and they were kind of creamy. At first, I enjoyed the sound. After a few hours and some recording sessions, I noticed something about the creamy sound. It was creamy like creamy grits with something gritty in the grits. The next thing I realized is that the Tungsol 6V6 power tubes did not sustain notes very long. Notes faded away too fast for my playing style.
So, I put JJ 6V6s tubes back in. Ahhh... No more gritty grits. The JJ 6V6s tubes are cleaner sounding than Tungsol 6V6 tubes, mainly because they don't break up as early or as much.
Perhaps the biggest difference is that the JJ 6V6s tubes sing. They sing! The notes sustain a long time when I want them too, and the subtle overtones are amazing. Maybe the sustain is what some people call compression with the JJ 6V6s. To my ears, the tubes are very dynamic, and dynamics are typically lowered as compression increases. Sure, compression can increase sustain. However, the sustain from the JJ 6V6s power tubes is like singing, the sound is open and soaring, rather than compressed.
Bottom line: Tungsol 12ax7 for preamp and phase inverter tubes, coupled with JJ 6V6s power tubes, is the combination I will use from now on with my Marshall DSL15C combo.
Footnote: the Marshall DSL15C is not stock. I did some circuit mods to tame the ultra gain channel.
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