Tubes/Valves for Dual Dark 50

[Wendigo]

Hey guys,

My DD50 head is showing signs of tube failure. I have a guy gonna look at it to determine which one, But since I've never had to change a thing in about 3-4 years of running it on full-blast everyday with the attenuator on, I'm gonna say I might want to re-tube the whole thing. It seems to have 5 (five!) 12AX7s in the preamp, an AT7 driving the FX loop, and two power tubes. I don't really need all the gain that this beast can deliver, so I guess I'd prefer lower gain with dynamic range and clarity over beastly tubes. In other words, I could do fine with about a third less gain, and clarity instead. I used to run Tung Sols Preamp/Poweramp in my RV 50C MKI and loved them, but maybe that's not the best fit here. Any suggestions?

[Les Paul Lover]

My guess is that you preamp valve would be pretty much like new still.

If you want something different, you could try some 12AT7/5751 to lower the overall preamp gain.

If you choose to go down that road.... I would recommend you try and hunt some NOS valves for those spots. They will help with improving the clarity IME, and don't tend to cost more than new production as they aren't in demand as much as 12AX7.