Author Topic: valves/tubes for lc30.... (Read 3191 times)

sambo · « **on:** March 23, 2006, 09:03:25 PM »

im thinking of giving my lc30 a re-fit.... seeing what it sounds like.....

what type would i need? and in that type, whats a good make/brand/model?

im looking for maybe a bit higher gain..... bit less treble maybe... bit tighter in general... at the moment things are a bit flabby down low and harsh up top... basically im looking to refine and bring to life my tone a little bit

any knowledge to share anyone?

math2014 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:23:44 PM »

JJ ECC83S in preamp
JJ EL84 in power amp.

Tight, not bright, more gain.

sambo · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:26:00 PM »

excellent...

and total cost for that=?

could you break it down for me too... like how much per power amp tube and how much per preamp tube....

math2014 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:33:22 PM »

7GBP per tube give or take

Take a look at hotroxuk or watfordvalves to get an idea

sambo · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:34:18 PM »

kool cheers dude.

sambo · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:36:25 PM »

so that comes to £56 going by £7 a tube right????

also, can you mix n match tubes?

and which ones are the power amp t's in the lc30? the glass/see-through cased ones or the silver covered ones???

or am i being an imbasile?

also, is your lc30 an 'original' or mkII

dave_mc · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:39:45 PM »

the ones that say el84 are power amp, the ones that say either 12ax7 or ecc83 are pre-amp (it's normally printed on the glass of the tube)

if it doesn't say on them, the power amp tubes are normally the bigger ones, in the case of e.g. 6L6's, but i have a feeling that el84's are quite a bit smaller...

sambo · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:42:30 PM »

ok didnt see any writing at first but had closer inspection and just found the el84's... sovtek ones too....

they're the glass cased ones... dunno why im telling you this lol

Tinus · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2006, 12:20:32 AM »

hey Sambo,

The ECC83's (your preamp valves) are the ones that you call "silver covered". However I suspect there's an aluminium springloaded shielding cover around them. Try twisting the cover and it will come off. You'll then find the actual ECC83 which looks quite similar to the EL84's (ie glass with metal thingies inside) although they are shorter/smaller.

There are some ways to play around with valves to get closer to the sound you like. The earlier suggestion of fitting J'J pre- and powervalves seems good to me because they do sound rounder and less ragged than the Sovteks but do offer a bit more gain.

Another way to get tighter sounds is to have the poweramp running a bit cleaner so your sound will stay tight at higher levels. A good tube dealer should be able to provide you with a set of matched EL84's that don't distort easily if you ask them. Another way to lower the gain of the poweramp is to chose a lower gain phase splitter. That's the last preamp valve before the poweramp. In your amp it's the last one (counting from the input jack). A good one to try in this position IMO would be a 5751. That's a ECC83 with lower gain but still a very sturdy valve.

Before you start changing tubes please also keep other factors in mind that shape your sound. Perhaps a speaker upgrade or a closed back extension cab for more overall welly would have more direct impact on your sound than new valves.