Orange Amps Forum

Posted: **Thu May 02, 2002 1:39 pm**

I just received my ad30htc and I love it so far, but I want to muck around with different tubes and such. Do I need to use a matched quartet or just matched pairs (one pair for each channel) for the output tubes? And if pairs, are the pairs arranged in order (1 and 2 are a pair, 3 and 4 are the other pair).

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2002 2:26 am**

Well I thought I should step in early on this one as it is a very good question!

Using matched pairs is absolutely fine however for what it costs I prefer to use a matched quartet.

The Power Tube Pair Posistions:

The two power tube pairs are the outer two tubes and the inner two tubes. In other words if you labelled the the tubes 1 through 4 from left to right, number 1 and 4 would be a pair and number 2 and 3 would be a pair.

TUBE TUBE TUBE TUBE

Pair 1 and 4
Pair 2 and 3

I hope that makes sense!

Webmaster

Edited by - bon on 16 May 2002 06:41:25

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2002 3:24 am**

I take it this is for matched pairs? If you had a quartet it wouldnt matter where you put them. Is that correct? I have a matched quartet El-84's and want to make sure i have them in correct. Does it matter where they are put?

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2002 2:12 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Well I thought I should step in early on this one as it is a very good question!

Using matched pairs is absolutely fine however for what it costs I prefer to use a matched quartet.

The Tube Pair Posistions:

The two tube pairs are the outer two tubes and the inner two tubes. In other words if you labelled the the tubes 1 through 4 from left to right, number 1 and 4 would be a pair and number 2 and 3 would be a pair.

TUBE TUBE TUBE TUBE

Pair 1 and 4
Pair 2 and 3

I hope that makes sense!

Webmaster

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

Thanks Bon! Makes perfect sense and that was exactly what I needed to know. I want to try the stock Ruby's in one channel and some JJ's in the second, just for comparisons sake.

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2002 9:53 pm**

Another question Bon, which way do the preamp tubes run? Is it two for each channel? And are the pairs left to right or front to back? Also, what kind of preamp tubes does ad30htc ship with? They are unlabeled. Thanks!

Edited by - gearnut on 04 May 2002 12:46:45

Posted: **Mon May 06, 2002 5:48 am**

Another good question gearnut, but it's one I don't know the answer too! I'll look in to it though and let you know.

Webmaster

Posted: **Mon May 06, 2002 6:03 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Another good question gearnut, but it's one I don't know the answer too! I'll look in to it though and let you know.

Webmaster

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

Thanks Bon! I was thinking, one of those must be a phase inverter socket too, right? So maybe one socket for channel 1, 2 sockets for channel 2, and a phase inverter...Looking forward to the info...

Posted: **Tue May 14, 2002 10:24 pm**

Yes really looking foward to the info! Please figure this out for us Bon it would help a great deal with power tube placement. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

Posted: **Wed May 15, 2002 7:58 pm**

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Yes really looking foward to the info! Please figure this out for us Bon it would help a great deal with power tube placement. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

I actually called Orange USA last week and spoke with Bon. He was working on getting all the details but apparently the two tubes horizontally closest to the back of the head are channel 1, and the two closest to the front are channel 2.

I think the left hand tubes are pure driver and the ones are the right are half driver half phase inverter. Those are my assumptions though.

Posted: **Wed May 15, 2002 8:32 pm**

Thanks that will help. I guess thats not the final word though. Did he say he was'nt sure about this?<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Posted: **Thu May 16, 2002 1:00 am**

Well i think you may be right. I wanted to bring the gain down in my AD30HTC and i have done it. I had four 12AXLPS in and the amp needed some breathing room. So i put two of the 12AXLPS in the right side of both channels. Then a Telefunkin in the left of channel 2 and a Slyventia on the left of channel one. WOW this was perfect. I got better tone and less gain. Alittle more airy less muddy. This head is so sensitive to preamp and power tubes. You can change the whole tone just by changeing tubes. Then i run my Zvex SHO which i leave on all the time [this thing is amazing] into a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 for an over the top sound with lots of sustain. It sounded SICK!! I simply love the tone. Both channels are great. I set 1 to a chimey clean tone and 2 to a all out heavy tone. It took alittle while to figure out how to get a chimey clean sound on 1 with the LP. You just take the bass down to about 7 or 8 o'clock then the treble up to 3 o'clock and mids about 2 o'clock. Back the gain down to 10 or 11 o'clock and the master to 3 o'clock. This works for my Gibson LP. All guitars are different though. Fenders would be way different.
This forum is really helping out. Thanks Bon,gearnut, and all the Orange forums users!!!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Edited by - theschickster on 16 May 2002 20:12:05

Posted: **Thu May 16, 2002 6:40 am**

There's some great posts in this thread! Thanks gearnut and thechickster! Anyone interested in trying out different brands of tubes in their amp should definitely be reading all this!

Just to clarify the information above... You can have different sounding preamp tubes in each channel as gearnut describes, however the power tubes are shared by both channels.

It would be interesting to hear what other people are using to customize their tone...?!?

Webmaster

Edited by - bon on 16 May 2002 06:43:12

Posted: **Thu May 16, 2002 8:41 pm**

I also would be interested in knowing what other folks are using to customize their tone. To each his own!!<img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle>

Posted: **Fri May 17, 2002 2:02 pm**

More tube updates: A friend sent me 4 JJ 12ax7's to try out, and man, yet another tone. They are slick and wet, especially in the channel 2 sockets. warm and middy, almost not enough high end, but very smooth. Lots of gain and not nearly as sizzly as the sovtek 12ax7lps. Not as tight on the low end, but still lots of crunch. I like them alot and will definitely use them in my one band situation in channel 2. Channel one I'll stick to my GT 12AT7 in left side and stock tube in right.

Tried some older mesa 12xa7's (they are repackaged, but I don't know who the original maker was). But they were buzzy/fizzy on top, not much mid, nice tight low end though.

Posted: **Sat May 18, 2002 5:56 pm**

Hmmmmm! i might have to try a couple of those too. Let the quest for tone begin. The Sovtek 12ax7lps to have to much high end for my taste. I cant find that happy<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>medium. Its to much bite or not quite enough. Though on channel one it seems to work good. Channel 2 maybe needs a JJ 12ax7. I may also pick up a couple of Telefunkins on Ebay. I'll keep you posted!

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