Which tubes for OD120?
Moderator: bclaire
Which tubes for OD120?
Hello! Just out of curiousity: any experiences what tubes have what effect on an OD120? More gain? Tighter? More headroom? Anyone tried KT88?
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- Orange Master
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Re: Which tubes for OD120?
More gain? There isn’t much you can do for this, outside of getting 12AX7s that are high gain, getting power tubes with early breakup, and biasing the amp accordingly. But you’re talking a small difference. It won’t turn it into a high gain amp. For more gain, you’re best off adjust your pickups, using different pickups, or using a clean boost pedal.
More headroom? You can’t really have more gain *and* more headroom. Adding gain will reduce headroom. For more headroom, you can try a lower gain tube in one of the preamp positions. Running 6550s in the power section will give you better headroom. But be advised that they’re a tight fit. Some 6550s won’t fit in the amp without touching each other. The sockets are just very close together.
Early breakup? You can bias the amp for early breakup. Mullard reissue EL34s have the earlier breakup of that tube type that I’ve found. Some people have loaded 6V6s in the amp for early breakup and reduced power. But the voltages in the amp are a lot for a 6V6.
Tighter? You won’t really change the inherent power supply response of the amp, but different tubes do have different responses to being pushed. IMO, the settings on the amp make a huge difference, and should be utilized. FAC settings to the left make the amp loose. FAC to the right is much tighter. If you want tight, set the FAC towards the right, and dial the low end in to taste with the bass knob.
You can also tailor things with the inputs. The low input has less top end and sounds thicker (though with less gain).
People have tried KT88s and some like it. They have a smoother sound. You can experiment, for sure. But don’t forget that the amp has very powerful controls that adjust all of the attributes you’re looking to adjust. Gain, headroom, loose/tight, etc. it’s all right there in the FAC knob, with varying EQ settings.
More headroom? You can’t really have more gain *and* more headroom. Adding gain will reduce headroom. For more headroom, you can try a lower gain tube in one of the preamp positions. Running 6550s in the power section will give you better headroom. But be advised that they’re a tight fit. Some 6550s won’t fit in the amp without touching each other. The sockets are just very close together.
Early breakup? You can bias the amp for early breakup. Mullard reissue EL34s have the earlier breakup of that tube type that I’ve found. Some people have loaded 6V6s in the amp for early breakup and reduced power. But the voltages in the amp are a lot for a 6V6.
Tighter? You won’t really change the inherent power supply response of the amp, but different tubes do have different responses to being pushed. IMO, the settings on the amp make a huge difference, and should be utilized. FAC settings to the left make the amp loose. FAC to the right is much tighter. If you want tight, set the FAC towards the right, and dial the low end in to taste with the bass knob.
You can also tailor things with the inputs. The low input has less top end and sounds thicker (though with less gain).
People have tried KT88s and some like it. They have a smoother sound. You can experiment, for sure. But don’t forget that the amp has very powerful controls that adjust all of the attributes you’re looking to adjust. Gain, headroom, loose/tight, etc. it’s all right there in the FAC knob, with varying EQ settings.
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