TAD7025WA's vs. Genelex T12AX7:

EXACTLY!!!!

But not every amp. My first love is Marshalls, and I had a 5751 in V1 of all of them. My true love is Mesa/Boogie but I have never needed to tame them with a 5751.
I've had dalliances with a disturbing number of other amps (Budda, Fender, Dr. Z, Orange, Laney, Peavey, Blackstar and some I am forgetting) and an extended romantic liaison with Riveras, and they all, to a greater or lesser extent, improved with a 5751 in V1, most notably the Riveras - it really made them come to life. With the Budda it was only marginal. In the Fenders I consider it essential. But when I went back to my beloved Mesa/Boogies I just don't need it. The gain stages are so well controlled I don't have the saturation or fizz problem that I get with just about any other amp.
 
But not every amp. My first love is Marshalls, and I had a 5751 in V1 of all of them. My true love is Mesa/Boogie but I have never needed to tame them with a 5751.
I've had dalliances with a disturbing number of other amps (Budda, Fender, Dr. Z, Orange, Laney, Peavey, Blackstar and some I am forgetting) and an extended romantic liaison with Riveras, and they all, to a greater or lesser extent, improved with a 5751 in V1, most notably the Riveras - it really made them come to life. With the Budda it was only marginal. In the Fenders I consider it essential. But when I went back to my beloved Mesa/Boogies I just don't need it. The gain stages are so well controlled I don't have the saturation or fizz problem that I get with just about any other amp.

Well, Sir...the 5751 really tamed the "snarl" in this amp - and allows me to run an even higher gain setting, with LESS audible gain and more individual string clarity.

A good tonal comparison is to consider Robbin Crosby's rhythm tone on 'Round N Round' - that's where I was in terms of gain. Now, its a lot more like Angus Young's tone.

So now, with a higher gain setting, I have more presence - more speaker movement - but cleaner.

Think of the chorus of "Foolin" by Def Leppard - where Clarke just saws away on that "chunk chunk chunk" line - its amazingly clean when you listen to it on good phones and I've got a very similar tone now.

I'm currently running TAD7025WA's in V2, V3 and V4. I'm really pleased!!!!
 
I prefer this video in post #90 over post #63. Your tone seems tighter here. All else being equal, it was not doubt the new tube or mic placement. It's largely the 5751 is my guess. Were you operating the amp gain a bit higher; as you wrote before that you actually boost the gain and drop guitar volume and still sound full? I listened to both over my headphones.


Stratstrangler
 
I prefer this video in post #90 over post #63. Your tone seems tighter here. All else being equal, it was not doubt the new tube or mic placement. It's largely the 5751 is my guess. Were you operating the amp gain a bit higher; as you wrote before that you actually boost the gain and drop guitar volume and still sound full? I listened to both over my headphones.


Stratstrangler


Yes. I-Pad placement and room were maintained in both videos and none of the effects pictured are being used.

Settings in post #63 with T12AX7:

Settings with T12AX7.jpg

Settings in post #90 with JJ5751 - Note gain knob setting

Settings with JJ5751.jpg
 
Really dig this rhythm tone, but listen close the rhythm parts sound multi-tracked...I'm shooting for something more in this vein...

 
You Sly Dog... :yesway:

Do you use it much?
Yes. Its a 50 watt version & I use it along with a 1987 type build, switching between them with a Metroamp Head Master switcher. I would have liked to do it as a 100 watter, but wouldn't get to use it much, so,,,.
V__2FF4.jpg
WP_20151108_002.jpg
Here you can see the pilot holes drilled in the rear panel for the addition of a Metroamp Zero Loss FX loopWP_20151109_003.jpg
A footswitch switches in cathode bypass caps on the cold clippers, giving it the increased gain & frequency response of the #36 circuit. This is where the 5751 really helps. Sorry for the crappy, old phone pics, they're all I could find on my phone. Cheers
 
Sammy Hagar quote:

“I think the Les Paul Studio guitar is the most versatile, all-round, out-of-sight guitar there is. First of all, I don’t use any effects – no pedals, nothing. I plug that guitar directly into the amp. When you hit a big power chord on that guitar -- through, say, a Marshall that’s really cranked up -- the Les Paul has a grunt and a growl that’s unbeatable. And when you turn the volume back, on the amp, and play with a clean sound, it’s got a nice rock and roll punch. If I were allowed to have just one guitar, it would be the Les Paul.”
 
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Those pictures in post #92 show a remarkable difference in amp volume and gain; using the 5751. I imagine in person the sound I hear would be more indicative of what the differences between those two tubes would be.

I tried something different today with my Dark Terror. I edged the gain up from 10 o’clock to nearly 11 and dropped the amp volume just a bit. I'm in the area of the tone you are getting in your videos. The Dark Terror has 4 gain stages and I was operating it in 7 watt mode. It has so much gain in fact that I don't contemplate ever having to use more than what the amp gives between 10 and not more than 12 o'clock......just with the stock JJ 12ax7 tubes. Any higher and notes become indistinguishable....a messy tone.

The setting I used today brings out a pretty good clear “honking” higher mid-range tone on the Les Paul's e, b, and g strings and a decent palm muting on the lower strings. I'm sticking with the amp's stock JJ tubes for now. Oh, and an added bonus.....the V30 got a little more mature sounding today


Stratstrangler
 
Those pictures in post #92 show a remarkable difference in amp volume and gain; using the 5751. I imagine in person the sound I hear would be more indicative of what the differences between those two tubes would be.

I tried something different today with my Dark Terror. I edged the gain up from 10 o’clock to nearly 11 and dropped the amp volume just a bit. I'm in the area of the tone you are getting in your videos. The Dark Terror has 4 gain stages and I was operating it in 7 watt mode. It has so much gain in fact that I don't contemplate ever having to use more than what the amp gives between 10 and not more than 12 o'clock......just with the stock JJ 12ax7 tubes. Any higher and notes become indistinguishable....a messy tone.

The setting I used today brings out a pretty good clear “honking” higher mid-range tone on the Les Paul's e, b, and g strings and a decent palm muting on the lower strings. I'm sticking with the amp's stock JJ tubes for now. Oh, and an added bonus.....the V30 got a little more mature sounding today


Stratstrangler

Really good observations, Man!

Another great thing is the 5751 quieted down the overdrive channel s bunch. It never was terribly noisy...but a little hiss was present. Tube swap knocked that way down.

What I am noticing now is I can dime the gain and its still useable. That wasn't possible before, although I really like the lower gain settings.

Speaker movement is extreme now. Before, I could get some crunch on rhythm, but it wasn't defined. Now, the crunch ISN'T huge (listen to Def Leppard's 'Foolin' isolated track) as in thick and wet with overdrive - in fact, it's pretty clean sounding - but there is more speaker movement now and more presence.

The other thing I noticed was you can almost 'modulate' the gain levels by altering your pick attack, which before, was impossible.

Now...here's the area that is untested.

1. Need to test on 20 watt power setting

2. Need to test with higher output pickups
 
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