2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

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ArchDill
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2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by ArchDill » Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:28 pm

Hello, I need to replace some tubes in my 2001 ad30 combo. I know NOTHING about tubes. Here is where I will most likely order them:

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/sets-by- ... d30-htc-tc

Here is the sound I am going for:

-As much good clean headroom as possible. I like a little break up. I have read a solid state rectifier would be good for this.
-As chimey as possible (for an orange). I like brighter tones.


I ordred a GH12 and Alnico Blue to put in it. That will help some for the tone I want.

Any help would be appreciated, and again... I KNOW NOTHING about tubes so please ELI5

Thanks!

Les Paul Lover
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by Les Paul Lover » Thu Aug 22, 2019 6:27 pm

Well.... not knowing if your valves have been used a lot or not...

For the basics, preamp valves (12AX7 or ECC83- same valve but US or European name) and the rectifier (GZ34) last a good bit longer than EL84. So you may not need to replace those.

EL84 have an expected lifespan of around 500h to 1000h. After that, they usually lose bottom end, high end definition and sound generally quite dull with loss of dynamics. After that they will become microphonic or die suddenly.

All that to say you may only need to replace the EL84.

Then, electro Harmonix or JJ are a good proposition.

If you like a slightly more trebly tone, a sovtek or electro Harmonix ECC83 in V1 and V3 might help a little bit.

As for the solid state rectifier, it will not change the headroom at all, it will change the response of the amp - more direct, less sag.
Last edited by Les Paul Lover on Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

bclaire
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by bclaire » Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:09 pm

I'd just order JJ's all around. Even if they are still good, a total fresh start set of tubes would be good.

However, I'd put those in and see how you like the sound before putting a solidstate rectifier in - tubes alone might do the trick.

ArchDill
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by ArchDill » Thu Aug 22, 2019 9:51 pm

Thanks for the replies so far, guys! I should have specified that the main reason I figure it is time to change them is that I have a lot of tube rattle.

Are the full retube kits on eurotubes a good option? They are JJ.

Also, if I do that, other than volume db, do the "low output" options sound good?

northernguitarguy
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by northernguitarguy » Thu Aug 22, 2019 11:02 pm

ArchDill wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:28 pm

-As much good clean headroom as possible. I like a little break up. I have read a solid state rectifier would be good for this.
-As chimey as possible (for an orange). I like brighter tones.
Clean headroom is in the output tubes and IMO, you can't beat NOS Soviet 6P14P-EV tubes. Spec'ed for 5000-10 000 hours. When rolling output tubes (new JJ's, EHX, Tung-Sol, Sovtek -including EL84M's) these Russian tubes were the only ones to give any noticeable headroom bump. And they were also the brightest sounding out of the batch, psychoacoustics aside.

The Tube Store sells these as their 'Preferred Series' EL84 tubes, and all they do is test and rebrand them-at a marked up price. And while the testing might give some comfort, the tubes were already put through a battery of tests in the old USSR to get the designation.

I got mine on ebay from high-rated vendors in Eastern Europe. Search 'NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad' and you should get a number of hits. I've ordered them three different times and never had any problems. Paid the same price as new JJ's, which I think are among the lowest priced EL84 tubes.

For new preamp tubes, I found Tung-Sol 12AX7's to be the brightest sounding out of JJ's, EHX and Sovtek.

ArchDill
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by ArchDill » Fri Aug 23, 2019 2:43 am

northernguitarguy wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 11:02 pm
ArchDill wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:28 pm

-As much good clean headroom as possible. I like a little break up. I have read a solid state rectifier would be good for this.
-As chimey as possible (for an orange). I like brighter tones.
Clean headroom is in the output tubes and IMO, you can't beat NOS Soviet 6P14P-EV tubes. Spec'ed for 5000-10 000 hours. When rolling output tubes (new JJ's, EHX, Tung-Sol, Sovtek -including EL84M's) these Russian tubes were the only ones to give any noticeable headroom bump. And they were also the brightest sounding out of the batch, psychoacoustics aside.

The Tube Store sells these as their 'Preferred Series' EL84 tubes, and all they do is test and rebrand them-at a marked up price. And while the testing might give some comfort, the tubes were already put through a battery of tests in the old USSR to get the designation.

I got mine on ebay from high-rated vendors in Eastern Europe. Search 'NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad' and you should get a number of hits. I've ordered them three different times and never had any problems. Paid the same price as new JJ's, which I think are among the lowest priced EL84 tubes.

For new preamp tubes, I found Tung-Sol 12AX7's to be the brightest sounding out of JJ's, EHX and Sovtek.

Awesome, I will try and go with those!

Are these the right ones? (I will look on ebay for cheaper, just confirming)

https://reverb.com/item/4449365-nos-ip- ... cuum-tubes

EDIT: Here are some cheaper ones on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-6P14P-Mat ... 2537827344

On the Tung-Sol, do you recommend the Gold or Regular?

As far as the rectifier goes, I may not need to change it right? I may go ahead and grab the two sets of quads and only change the rec if it continues to rattle after I change the others.

Les Paul Lover
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by Les Paul Lover » Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:48 am

ArchDill wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 2:43 am
northernguitarguy wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 11:02 pm
ArchDill wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:28 pm

-As much good clean headroom as possible. I like a little break up. I have read a solid state rectifier would be good for this.
-As chimey as possible (for an orange). I like brighter tones.
Clean headroom is in the output tubes and IMO, you can't beat NOS Soviet 6P14P-EV tubes. Spec'ed for 5000-10 000 hours. When rolling output tubes (new JJ's, EHX, Tung-Sol, Sovtek -including EL84M's) these Russian tubes were the only ones to give any noticeable headroom bump. And they were also the brightest sounding out of the batch, psychoacoustics aside.

The Tube Store sells these as their 'Preferred Series' EL84 tubes, and all they do is test and rebrand them-at a marked up price. And while the testing might give some comfort, the tubes were already put through a battery of tests in the old USSR to get the designation.

I got mine on ebay from high-rated vendors in Eastern Europe. Search 'NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad' and you should get a number of hits. I've ordered them three different times and never had any problems. Paid the same price as new JJ's, which I think are among the lowest priced EL84 tubes.

For new preamp tubes, I found Tung-Sol 12AX7's to be the brightest sounding out of JJ's, EHX and Sovtek.

Awesome, I will try and go with those!

Are these the right ones? (I will look on ebay for cheaper, just confirming)

https://reverb.com/item/4449365-nos-ip- ... cuum-tubes

EDIT: Here are some cheaper ones on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-6P14P-Mat ... 2537827344

On the Tung-Sol, do you recommend the Gold or Regular?

As far as the rectifier goes, I may not need to change it right? I may go ahead and grab the two sets of quads and only change the rec if it continues to rattle after I change the others.

No, steer clear from your eBay link.
Not only those aren't the military version (the EV in 6P14P EV indicates the higher grade construction used by the Russian military), but those aren't new. They are pulls from equipment, and from the marks seen on the plates, they have been well used already.

You really want to find 6P14P EV in the green boxes.

A bit like those, but ideally matched.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 4425503177
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

northernguitarguy
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by northernguitarguy » Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:24 am

Boo
Last edited by northernguitarguy on Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

northernguitarguy
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by northernguitarguy » Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:26 am

The ones in the Reverb link look good, albeit expensive, like at The Tube Store.

The ones from the ebay link are used ('Strong' means they have life in them, for the price, probably not a bad deal on a set of backup tubes). However, they also don't have the -EV suffix, which makes them 'ordinary'. E=long-life, minimum 5000 hours operating time. V=military grade, so these suckers are robust. They also have an 'OTK' marking, which indicate they were tested for military use.

Type this into the ebay search box: NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad. I got a few hits:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6P14P-EV-Match ... SwRn5dGkr8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-6P14P-EV-6B ... SwvD5aRSl9

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-New-6P14P ... SwsIFcXxMq

I DID purchase a pair off of the vendor in the third link. I had great service and was surprised how fast they shipped from Ukraine. My amp tech tested them and they were indeed, new and matched. They weren't shipped in their boxes, but were packed to endure an explosion.

As for the TungSol preamp tubes, I have not tried the Gold ones. Call me skeptical when gold is used as a selling feature on electronics.

Les Paul Lover
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Posts: 6821
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Location: Derby, England

Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by Les Paul Lover » Fri Aug 23, 2019 8:19 pm

northernguitarguy wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:26 am
The ones in the Reverb link look good, albeit expensive, like at The Tube Store.

The ones from the ebay link are used ('Strong' means they have life in them, for the price, probably not a bad deal on a set of backup tubes). However, they also don't have the -EV suffix, which makes them 'ordinary'. E=long-life, minimum 5000 hours operating time. V=military grade, so these suckers are robust. They also have an 'OTK' marking, which indicate they were tested for military use.

Type this into the ebay search box: NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad. I got a few hits:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6P14P-EV-Match ... SwRn5dGkr8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-6P14P-EV-6B ... SwvD5aRSl9

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-New-6P14P ... SwsIFcXxMq

I DID purchase a pair off of the vendor in the third link. I had great service and was surprised how fast they shipped from Ukraine. My amp tech tested them and they were indeed, new and matched. They weren't shipped in their boxes, but were packed to endure an explosion.

As for the TungSol preamp tubes, I have not tried the Gold ones. Call me skeptical when gold is used as a selling feature on electronics.
Funny enough.... or not!!!!.... this hfvhfparts eBay seller us the only seller I had to return valves to. :(

He sent me 4 6P14P EV, all with strong black burn in marks on the plates, and sounding quite dull compared to other 6P14P EV I have in my amps and in stock.
Might have been a bad batch, but they were definitely well used pulls and not NOS. After arguing a little he paid for shipping back and refunded me when he received them.
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

Les Paul Lover
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Posts: 6821
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:08 am
Location: Derby, England

Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by Les Paul Lover » Fri Aug 23, 2019 8:39 pm

Les Paul Lover wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 8:19 pm
northernguitarguy wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:26 am
The ones in the Reverb link look good, albeit expensive, like at The Tube Store.

The ones from the ebay link are used ('Strong' means they have life in them, for the price, probably not a bad deal on a set of backup tubes). However, they also don't have the -EV suffix, which makes them 'ordinary'. E=long-life, minimum 5000 hours operating time. V=military grade, so these suckers are robust. They also have an 'OTK' marking, which indicate they were tested for military use.

Type this into the ebay search box: NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad. I got a few hits:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6P14P-EV-Match ... SwRn5dGkr8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-6P14P-EV-6B ... SwvD5aRSl9

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-New-6P14P ... SwsIFcXxMq

I DID purchase a pair off of the vendor in the third link. I had great service and was surprised how fast they shipped from Ukraine. My amp tech tested them and they were indeed, new and matched. They weren't shipped in their boxes, but were packed to endure an explosion.

As for the TungSol preamp tubes, I have not tried the Gold ones. Call me skeptical when gold is used as a selling feature on electronics.
Funny enough.... or not!!!!.... this hfvhfparts eBay seller us the only seller I had to return valves to. :(

He sent me 4 6P14P EV, all with strong black burn in marks on the plates, and sounding quite dull compared to other 6P14P EV I have in my amps and in stock.
Might have been a bad batch, but they were definitely well used pulls and not NOS. After arguing a little he paid for shipping back and refunded me when he received them.
I really like the look of the 1st link you posted there though....

I've had one set of 6P14P EV come in yellow/blue sleeve, they were slightly lighter than those I bought in the original green sleeve. They were around 2gr lighter, or 10% lighter. I believe the blue and yellow sleeves were for export. For what it's worth, they still sounded great.
Last edited by Les Paul Lover on Sat Aug 24, 2019 9:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

ArchDill
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Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:51 pm

Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by ArchDill » Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:41 pm

northernguitarguy wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:26 am
The ones in the Reverb link look good, albeit expensive, like at The Tube Store.

The ones from the ebay link are used ('Strong' means they have life in them, for the price, probably not a bad deal on a set of backup tubes). However, they also don't have the -EV suffix, which makes them 'ordinary'. E=long-life, minimum 5000 hours operating time. V=military grade, so these suckers are robust. They also have an 'OTK' marking, which indicate they were tested for military use.

Type this into the ebay search box: NOS 6P14P-EV matched quad. I got a few hits:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6P14P-EV-Match ... SwRn5dGkr8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-6P14P-EV-6B ... SwvD5aRSl9

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4pcs-New-6P14P ... SwsIFcXxMq

I DID purchase a pair off of the vendor in the third link. I had great service and was surprised how fast they shipped from Ukraine. My amp tech tested them and they were indeed, new and matched. They weren't shipped in their boxes, but were packed to endure an explosion.

As for the TungSol preamp tubes, I have not tried the Gold ones. Call me skeptical when gold is used as a selling feature on electronics.
Ok, I ordered some from that first link. I also found the 12ax7 tung sol on eBay.

Should I wait on the rec tube?

I really appreciate the help from everyone!

The EL84's are going to take a bit to get here but that will be fine.

Once I get my amp settled, I am going to add a compressor and preamp to the pedalboard :D

northernguitarguy
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Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by northernguitarguy » Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:49 pm

Cool! I look forward to hearing how it turns out.

As for a rectifier tube, I always believe there's nothing wrong with having a backup tube for every spot in every amp. Me personally, I'd order a new one and keep the old one as a spare in the event of tube failure.

northernguitarguy
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Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by northernguitarguy » Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:59 pm

Les Paul Lover wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 8:19 pm


Funny enough.... or not!!!!.... this hfvhfparts eBay seller us the only seller I had to return valves to. :(

He sent me 4 6P14P EV, all with strong black burn in marks on the plates, and sounding quite dull compared to other 6P14P EV I have in my amps and in stock.
Might have been a bad batch, but they were definitely well used pulls and not NOS. After arguing a little he paid for shipping back and refunded me when he received them.
Hmm...that sounds like a drag! All I can say is at least he refunded you. FWIW, I had a pair ship that looked like the ones you describe. However, they tested as new on two testers, sounded great in the amp and have me no grief (they might even be in my VOX right now).

Les Paul Lover
Duke of Orange
Posts: 6821
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:08 am
Location: Derby, England

Re: 2001 AD30TC Combo Tube Replacements

Post by Les Paul Lover » Sat Aug 24, 2019 9:18 am

ArchDill wrote:
Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:41 pm
Ok, I ordered some from that first link. I also found the 12ax7 tung sol on eBay.

Should I wait on the rec tube?

I really appreciate the help from everyone!

The EL84's are going to take a bit to get here but that will be fine.

Once I get my amp settled, I am going to add a compressor and preamp to the pedalboard :D

Let us know what you think.

If I hadn't 12 6P14P EV spares, I'd be buying a set of that 1st link too.

Let us know how you get on re: compressor.
That didnt work at all with AD15. That entirely due to thw way i use my AD15- I set the gain to the edge of break up, so that if I play softly it's clean, if i dig in I get a nice crunch. OD/fuzz for leads.

The compressor kept the signal strength even (Which is what they're designed to do) and my edge of break up was either all clean or all crunch...... :lol:
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

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