Old Tubes Vs New Tubes / How To Change Amp Tubes

[@GearZombie]

What do you think? Did you expect a bigger tone change?

[@ha-jd7wl]

Definitely did. I bought a DSL40c brand new and changed the tubes (a month later) to what I thought I would like more and noticed a bigger difference than that.

[@therapscallion23]

it did, it sounded cleaner and crunchier with the new tubes.

[@GhostofGenX]

I could hear the slightest increase in low end, just the tiniest bit fuller in the lower frequencies.

[@user-qi1cs3zg3n]

I think the tubes in your amplifier aren't that worn out. I recently purchased two tube amplifier pedals. In both, the lamps were badly worn. It sounded different in each of them. In one of the lamps the gain was greatly lost and the overdrive was much less than it should be. In the other, the gain was what it should be, but after 5 minutes when the lamps warmed up, the sound became very dull.

[@TheSoulflytriber]

This tonal change can make a different bias settings. Each set of tubes gives you a different values. Even the same brand. It means that two identical 5150s can sound different. I have seen stock peavey amps and their bias were between 30 - 60 percent. The tubes work in amps without problem, but sound can be different. If you have 50% and 55%, you cannot hear anyting but if you have 30% and 60% you will hear a diference.The amps what have a bias adjustment are better because you can set a values which were with old tubes.

[@AkiraSpectrum]

good video! yes, definitely surprised that there wasn't a bit more of a difference, although tube changes usually are. I found the greatest difference in the cleans--more midrange, punchy, and alive.

[@GearZombie]

The more I listened to it today I could hear the bottom was fuller with the new tubes. I knew it wasn't going to be a huge difference but sometimes it's sort of like the blanket being removed when toss new tubes in. Thanks for watching!!

[@barrygomez5968]

Wonder how a full tung sol set would sound in the power section as well

[@GearZombie]

@@barrygomez5968 Good Question., Honestly, I imagine very little.

[@tjn0110]

That is sure nice having easy access to the preamp tubes.. I'm looking at changing my JSX tubes, which means pulling the amp entirely out of the housing to access to them, I sure wish it was setup like this amp, both are Peavey.

[@tomcatt9875]

I gotta say ,I hear a noticeable difference with good head phones on ! fuller and more bass or i would say more head room , nice video,very well done

[@GearZombie]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheShadowPerson.]

Also what were the songs for the clean channel and the lead section? Very beautiful song selection, its nostalgia from my childhood.

[@carlfrei2419]

I haven't found tube changes to make that much of a difference except my wallet being a bit more empty.

[@blakjack3053]

I've had shit luck with JJ EL34 tubes in my JMP 2203. They blow easy and don't last very long.

[@Stretchwreckedem469]

I thought there was a bit more low end with the new tubes tbh

[@kopan14]

this procedure can be applied to EVH5150 too? in which power tube replacement is just plug-n-play ?

[@EthanisWhite]

This video is awesome thank you. Scared to fix it myself but for sure feel better about getting new tubes for my jsx now

[@lazvt8469]

heard finger prints create 'hot spots' on tubes...could cause their premature failure? Noticeable diff clean, no diff driven. Getting a set of JJ EL34II for my Hamstead...it blew a tube yesterday. $60 for a pair out of Tennessee.

[@barrygomez5968]

I wonder if my 6505+ is as easy to retube as your 5150 Here i was trying to find a tech arpund here but ill prolly just do it myself and bypass being without an amp for 2 weeks.

[@GearZombie]

The 6505's and 5150's are the same amps slight change with the 6534. If you look on the back of your 6505 (I used to have one) I believe it has the same door for the pre's. And like the 5150 no user adjustable bias so it should be just like in this video. I LIED, the 6505's do have bias probes. But if I remember no bias dial. Either way, you should be good throwing in appropriate tubes and running it as it's set. The 5150's 6505's tend to run a bit cold from my understanding which is what gives them the sound that everyone likes.

[@TheSoulflytriber]

5150 II /6505+ and 6534+ have a bias adjustment. So you must set it correctly. Classic 5150 has no bias adjsutment. It is set by factory and you cannot change nothing. This means that you can have a tubes which are so hot on your amp and you cannot do anything just change tubes for another what have values as the old ones.

[@michaelbugler9452]

About the same probably could've gone another year with the old gt's. Thanks for the video I'm gonna stick with my jj's

[@sparkyguitar0058]

On my Fender and Boogie it's 1 and 4 outside pair and 2 and 3 inside pair. This looks like 1 and 2 then 3 and 4. Does this amp have any 50/100 watt setting like both my Twin and Boogie?

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

if I replace KT88 power tubes in my Bogner Uberschall with same kind of KT88 power tubes do I need to rebias my amp?

[@bm-b1944]

Hi I got the same preamp tubes but noticed it was 12ax7a and not 12ax7 what difference does it make if any or are they interchangeable?

[@thoroustreads]

cool video man. love my 5150 block! am correct in noticing that there are 2 pairs of different gt 6l6s? from what i hear the tubes work in pairs outer two at 60 watts and inner two at 60 watts? is that correct? if so, is there any possible tonal advantage to mixing similar tube pairs in the correct placement? or am i dreaming.

[@encompassthyeclipse7278]

Obnoxious intro noises, but this is great information and it's delivered elegantly

[@johnathan.jerusik]

Groove tubes are rebranded tubes. I believe they are owned by fender but don't quote me. But the reason is they are more expensive is they get a different brands tubes sent to them. So lets take sovtek. Sovtek will send them let's say 10 tubes. They will go through and test them and all this stuff and make sure they are at their standards. Doesn't mean they are any better. But through this extra process of testing they then jack up the price of the tube. As far as a difference the low end everyone is talking about is actually from the power tubes. I have a 95 5150 21w combo and I had jjs in it. I put Tung sol 6l6 and I noticed they were smaller than the jjs. And I definitely noticed in the sound. Lost some low end sounded a bit muffled. So when I saw you had 2 smaller 6l6 and you went to quad jjs you would gain low end back. The pre amps will make some difference but it's not a drastic. The circuit is what really makes the biggest difference. I can say jj 12ax7s vs tungsol 12ax7s Tung sold are a bit tighter and cleaner sounding vs the jj 12ax7. I'd say try some jj pre amp tubes or go straight sovtek pre amp tubes. I also own a 92 block 5150 and the sovtek tubes in the pre amp sound mean!

[@tommygibson9515]

Thanks man

[@kevinvanwynsberg373]

@gearzombie am I hearing some early Spitfire? The Dead Next Door?? Perhaps not, but close, so I wondered.

[@GearZombie]

Nope! I'm not familiar but I may live in a cave ;)

[@VladicD]

Unmarked tubes were Chinese Shuguang tubes (they have a very distinct design) and they are not bad at all (very high gain and very bright, great for metal). But Tungsols kicks some serious ass. Also I don't think that there was a small difference, especially in clean mode. But hey, I'm very picky about sound so :D

[@GearZombie]

Thanks for the info!! I see you can still get those Shuguang tubes. It may be worth ordering a set!

[@VladicD]

​@@GearZombie Yes, Shuguangs are very cheap and alright tubes, that why many manufacturers are using them for OEM tubes, and yes they are still in production. Here is an idea for the video, get few different brands of 12ax7/ECC83 (JJ, EHX, Mullard, Sovtek, Shuguang and so on) and just swap them on V1 position. V1 is the most crucial for tone shaping and usually you can get quite a difference with just swapping V1.

[@GearZombie]

@@VladicD That's a great idea. I used to use gold pins in V1 for this reason. Didn't make much of a difference for dirty but for clean you could tell the difference.

[@VladicD]

@@GearZombie gold pins are usually a rip off. Not worth the money. For V1 you need to look for a balanced tube. Every specialized tube dealer is selling balanced and matched tubes. Matched tubes for poweramp, balanced for preamp V1.

[@drspody]

The new ones seems to be more "defined" maybe just because they were new and nothing more! The EQ and quality of sound are pretty much identical!

[@TheShadowPerson.]

The issue with the "new sound" theory is that alot of tubes are old stock. Which makes me even more curious because you're supposed to "burn in" the tubes as well

[@manicmurph]

So you don't always have to bias the amp if you're changing 2 of the preamp tubes?

[@GearZombie]

Preamp tubes no, bias is for the power tubes. But this amp is a fixed bias meaning there is no adjustment for it without modding the amp.

[@folsomaudio]

Seems like the JJ's are quicker to breakup on the distortion. But aside from that not much difference! wow! The JJ do seem more aggression but that's probably just due to the breakup! Cool video man!

[@kotymccallister5150]

All that's happening is electrons are passing through the tubes. I am unsure of how that could make it sound different.

[@codycard8364]

You can definitely hear the difference, in the low mids and chime. Mostly fuller tone on new tubes.

[@TheShadowPerson.]

The changes arent huge. But with the overdrive I can definitley hear a difference in the quality of the crunch and I can hear a improved high end. I also hear a huge tang element in the clean channel with the new tube, im playing at max volume in my earbuds and its almost ear piercing tang. The differences are not big enough to be like "wow omg" but its subtle enough to notice when you play each one for prolonged periods. If you listen to the new tubes for 2 hours I think youd be able to tell the difference between the 2 tubes pretty quickly.

[@Jameswilliam1982]

Why dont you have to bias them?

[@GearZombie]

The 5150 is a fixed bias, there is no adjustment without modding the amp. There are some videos floating around about having the bias mod added. The 5150 runs cold anyway and from what I have heard when they adjust the bias to warm it up, the cleans get a bit cleaner but the dirtys get a bit muddier. But it's also not a huge difference.

[@weLoveAnimation]

Groovy tune in the back :D

[@Coles-bootleg-vids]

The new tubes sounded, well, new, they weren't as squishy, they sounded more rigid like they were pushing back against the guitar instead of conforming to it. Especially on the clean channel, I loved the big difference in the upper high-end, even the lows sounded more precise. But as many other people and you pointed out, the more gain that was added, the less drastic the difference, even then it was minute in the clean channel to, you could've just said that you turned the highs up and the lows down and I'd believe you. To be fair, I'm listening to this vid with really overkill tws earbuds.

[@thepolishshop]

Brighter and fuller sound

[@JustAdude291]

It's not very noticeable but there's a little more character, little more color and range. The old ones seemed a little compressed sounding, whereas the new ones sounded a bit more loose. I'm not using headphones or anything just my phone speaker. I also agree that it was a little more noticeable on the clean channel. Kind of surprised me though, I thought it would be a bigger change than that but you can definitely tell it's at least a little more saturated. Could the amps bias be a little cool with the different brand tubes? Or maybe the tubes just weren't as old as you thought? I dunno. Good video though bro, I appreciate stuff like this

[@Rooster7six]

Groove tubes are just rebranded Chinese tubes. I bet the sound difference was more noticeable in the room. Did you play through a cab?

[@GearZombie]

Yep, Mesa 2x12.

[@DrGerard66]

If anything I think the sound was fuller with the old tubes.

[@cristianmedico2476]

Maybe the mic placement change, but the difference is small, the mid low is a bit higher on the news, but I liked more the old, thanks I need to change mines...

[@GearZombie]

There was no mic placement change, the 2x12 lives in an iso box.

[@mrgrtvil]

Did you find that changing out the tubes (assumably for much "newer" tubes) reduced the overall noise/hum at all? I have a used EVH III 6L6 2x12, and it hums like a mother! It's my first real-man amp with this much power, and I'm not sure if that's normal or not. And I NEVER hear such buzzing when watching any videos such as yours.

[@guitarforall]

perfect video

[@GearZombie]

Thank you for watching!!!

[@God6peed]

What about hissing crackling and noise? I haven’t replaced my tubes but somehow I fear it may be something more than just tubes. Hoping not tho.

[@blgdinger3]

3:15 damn man quit puttin your grubby mitts all over the glass and pins of the tube!!

[@thomaswilson5228]

cant hurt the glass, not halogens.

[@philsmith3019]

I didnt hear a night and day difference, but the clean sounded hotter with the newer tubes.

[@rokinrandy]

Plenty of life left in those tubes. And I ve caught my fed ex man throwing a package so he didn’t have to walk to the door .when I always write down please put in screen porch door. But instead he throws it at the front in the damn rain where the crooks can get it. Must be company policy.

[@GearZombie]

I know people say it's not just Fed Ex. But man... I literally have never had a significant problem with UPS. But I've had a TON of problems with Fed Ex....

[@TheAxe4Ever]

Two things. First, Make Tubes Great Again (Made you look!) Second, FedEx is the absolute worst!

[@Bob-Sacamano314]

Maybe I’m a lunatic but I just had to get all new tubes for my 81 silverface super and it’s ruined… lost all the magic

[@StormtrooperCylon]

You didn't clean the sockets with deoxit5..... Very bad

[@DrKevGuitar]

No change of any significance. None.

[@arikuusela6716]

Really small difference. I did a blind test and I noticed only small details. Crunch channel was almost identical. I can't describe it better, but new tubes had more "living" feeling to them.

[@mikewrightify]

I use the gt6l6ge they last for ever

[@Pseudoswede]

I freaking love that hat

[@jeremiahmeraz9298]

Literally no difference. Lol. Could have saved yourself a couple hundred bucks.

[@scottlinegar5474]

GT's are just trash all around. Tube changes can make a good difference in the tone and sound quality. After using mostly JJ for the longest time I recently changed to Sovtek 7581A's and like them much better than 6L6/5881

[@robmoen4609]

Maybe I wasn't expecting much but on all three channels I heard more definition across the range and a punchier low end with the JJs. I like JJs so I might be biased. What a lousy pun. Wah Wah Waaaaaah.

[@ivansindicic5960]

You said good, there is no difference beacause if tubes are healthy and working , thats just it, no tone can change.

[@chickenbites8877]

I couldn’t tell any difference

[@blasher4]

That fuckin mail man

[@liemisenkeittiossa]

There’s def big difference. Old (GT) tubes sounded better and fuller on lead channel. More lows on clean & crunch channel on new tubes

[@Sagerydian]

The old ones sounded a little better.

[@mikebieuz4965]

Are you kidding? I heard a huge difference, on laptop speakers.

[@milchkaffee3914]

Oh, he had GT 6L6-GE's and Shuguang 12ax7-A (also known as GT 12ax7-C or Ruby 12ax7AC5 HG) in there. These are simply the best sounding Tubes in the world. And he changed it to Ear-Piercing Tung-Sols in the Pre-Section and Muddy-Sounding JJ`s in the Power-section. Congratulations. He totally devalued and downgraded this amp. From punchy and warm to piercing and muddy. this amp forgives a lot, but you can hear the difference anyway. JJ's are cheaper, because it's a Manufacturer, Groove Tubes is not a Manufacturer, but a Distributer (like TAD or Ruby Tubes) which sells Tubes from Manufacturers such as JJ, but additionaly test them critically and sort them out. The best ones will be relabeled as GrooveTubes, so that every GT provides High Grade Standard.. That's because you have to pay more. It's that simple

[@GearZombie]

Easy on the melodrama there Meryl Streep, you may want to switch to Decaf. And!! Congratulations back at you for having the most nothing comment I've had in a long time. "Devalued"???? First, the old tubes are sitting safely tucked away. I could slip them back in and "Poof" instantly revalued back to it's whopping $500 i paid for it. All your silliness with over dramatic buzz words like "Ear Piercing and Muddy Sounding" and shockingly none of it made hardly any audible difference. And!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since you tried to "devalue" my $500 5150 you didn't even mention the biggest value impacting feature. SOMEONE SWAPPED THE FACE PLATE. I get some people want to get on the internet and take shots just to take shots, but it was a simple tube swap just to try a new set of tubes. BTW what I put it in was recommended over and over and over again on forum after forum. Is it a big deal? No, did it make a huge audible difference?? no. If you played this head in a room would you be able to tell? No.... If someone mixed audio of both would be you be able to identify them?? Absolutely not. So maybe go outside, enjoy some nature, find your happy place. No crime was committed here.

[@JosephHunt-h7f]

Sun god kukulcan say they Vs tubes in your amp f a c e glass brains chips heads 👶🍼🙏🎤

[@John-e4p1x]

New one sound better

[@andrewlittlefield3425]

Not much of a difference

[@sargentbutternut7255]

I heard zero difference.

[@danielgriffith3633]

5 min in b4 he pulls a tube..ugh

[@GearZombie]

And you’ll never get those 5 minutes back. Or the time you took trying to make yourself feel like a champ by posting a shitty comment..... ugh....

[@Tiler-ju9zl]

I don't buy valves in china. Cos everything they makes just breaks