AD30HTC came in today...what am i missing?

[Woodsie]

I have to say, first impression...very disappointed. what am i missing? where's the warm creamy overdrive? I'm getting harsh brittle distortion. My Peavey Classic 50 sounded better than this. I bought the head used. Tubes maybe? I also bought an Orange 212 closed back cab. V30's maybe? Please help a brother out here.......

[jason41224]

please explain what you mean a little more. terms like "harsh" and "brittle" throw me off because they are often vague and ambiguous. so what do you mean by that? the gain is too harsh? there's too much treble? thin sounding? etc. it leads me to believe that it's your preamp tubes because the AD30 is anything but harsh or brittle to me, but i can't be sure. also, if you were expecting it to have a similar voice to your classic 50 (not saying you are), then i could see why you'd be disappointed

[Woodsie]

No, not at all. I wanted something totally different from my C50. Yes, trebley and thin are accurate. I've always had trouble describing tones so i'm trying my best. I know the amp isn't supposed to be that way, that's why i'm convinced it's fixable.

[alexauxier]

Sounds like tubes to me. That amp is anything but harsh and brittle. What kind of guitar are you using?

[Dark Helmet]

huh...

pre-amp tubes is a good place to start, something isn't right.


you running dry (no pedals)?

sometimes my kids switch-on my wah pedal when I'm not looking and it throws me for a loop...

[Woodsie]

That's funny. That happened to me too but it was my own fault. I couldn't figure out why my tone was so high pitched and thin. It took me a 1/4 through the first song to notice the green LED on my Wah was lit up.

I tried it both straight in and through my board with both my Les Paul and Strat. I've already decided that tubes were the first place to start. I should also mention, the sales guy told me he had to open the box and re- install the tubes. They removed them for shipping. I can't imagine pulling and reinstalling old tubes would work out too well.

[a.hun]

I should also mention, the sales guy told me he had to open the box and re- install the tubes. They removed them for shipping. I can't imagine pulling and reinstalling old tubes would work out too well.

+1 Valves. Hopefully preamp, but if much the same on both channels more probably power valves.

Simply pulling and replacing valves shouldn't cause major problems (unless the pins get bent.)

Shipping if none too gently handled can easily be enough to kill some valves though.


Andy.

[Woodsie]

New set of JJ's should be here tomorrow. I'll let you all know how I make out.

[niangelo]

I bought mine used and there were 12ay7's in the preamp, so the amp was extremely dark and mellow. Anything but harsh and brittle. Switched to Sovtek 12ax7s and the amp is beefy and gnarly.

Def a tubes problem.

[Woodsie]

The tubes showed up today. I immediately put them in. First thing I noticed is that they're not original. It had JJ's in the power section and Golden Dragons in the preamp. I know see what all the fuss is about. This amp sounds very good. I think that, if I had the time and know how, I could probably mix and match tubes to improve it even more. It sounds great and with my TS808, I can nail some very close to Angus Young tones. Plenty loud too.

[Thinline_slim]

I'm glad to read you've sorted it out! The AD30 is a great amp and has a lot of wonderful tones in it.


Even though I'm currently at odds with mine. I had a set of EH el84s in it and they started to go so I threw some JJs in there and it's just not the same amp. I have an order of EHs on the way and I hope that sets it back to what I like. Just a personal tube preference though.

[Woodsie]

Let me know how you make out with the EH. I'd be interested to know. I only ordered the JJ's because I know they're good tubes and I could get them in 2 days. If there are other tones in there, I'd like to know about them.

[Norrin Radd]

My first thought was the speakers weren't broken in yet. What do I know?

[bclaire]

My first thought was the speakers weren't broken in yet. What do I know?

My thought was, what speaker cabinet is he using since HTC is a head, not a combo. That could contribute to a harsh sound as well....

[Woodsie]

My first thought was the speakers weren't broken in yet. What do I know?

My thought was, what speaker cabinet is he using since HTC is a head, not a combo. That could contribute to a harsh sound as well....

It is a head. I bought a brand new Orange 212 closed back with V30's. Not much chance they're broken in yet. Do you think it could be attributed to the speakers characteristics or the fact that they're not broken in. It does seem to be improving as I play it. I also have a set of speakers that I pulled out of my Peavey. A V30 and a G12H30 75 anni. Maybe I could try swapping one of the V30s for the G12. Might make up for what one lacks. Would the fact that the G12 is a 30w speaker make a difference?