timmchale2009 Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Hi all As the title suggests I am looking to get the most out of my beautiful TD650 and I want to change out the valve. I know it's a 12ax, and I know that it's used with the valve drive section. But which valve is going to bring out the best from the amp? Thoughts and musings are more than appreciated. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) It's designed with the 12AX7 in mind... however, if you wish to lower the gain factor, you can go for 12AT7, 12AY7, 12AV7, 12AU7 (that reads from most gain factor to least gain). That's not to say that the amp will sound good with a lower gain or not, you'll have to experiment because the valve doesn't necessarily just impact the gain aspect of the tone. Of course, to add complications, not all 12AX7s are equal; you may want to talk to somebody like Geoff at Watford Valves who will do a great job in advising you - some sound naturally warmer, some break up earlier, some are less prone to being microphonic, some have a very low noise floor. It's like hifi, you'll like what your ears like... theres not necessarily a clear answer to what works best for you. I have a TD650... I don't actually like the tube circuit - I would favour solid state. On guitar amps however... well... my guitar amps have all sorts of mysterious combinations of tubes to fine tune the amp to my preference. Edited March 30, 2017 by EBS_freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 A chat with Watford Valves would be my suggestion too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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