That´s the main difference when we tried different factories (those were TAD, Mullard (new), JJ and EH).
Different power tubes, the EL84 in the AC30s, can make the sound thinner or more full. But also the power tubes and rectifier tube (if you have one) have an influence. Usually, the most significant improvements in tone can be achieved by changing the preamp tubes. You may follow other peoples experiences and best practices, but if you want to find the right tubes for your taste, you should consider a decent amount of time to try and experience for yourself.ĭifferent tubes may not only change the tone, but also the amount of gain/distortion respecitvely the amount of headroom. Moreover, there are a lot of tubes available and the possible combinations are barely limited.
Even different AC30 models may react differently to different tubes. However, it might not be an easy task to find the right tubes for your amp and your personal needs. In many cases, factory tubes are not the best sounding ones available and the tone can be significantly improved by upgrading to better tubes. Most amps can be improved by changing tubes.
I would recommend you find a good tech, preferably a friendly one who will show you what's what and how to do the basic stuff yourself, safely.This article provides some information about tubes in conjunction with the AC30 amplifier. On another note, I am a little concerned that you're considering poking around in the back of this thing without knowing too much about it. Some of the guys in there, such as Liam, are users of AC30s and EL84s. Regarding what sounds good, have a look at this thread: It's good to have a warranty for those first few hours. After that you're in for the long haul of degenerative failure. For most devices, if they're going to fail due to a defect, they'll fail in the first few hours of operation. The advantage of buying from a re-seller is that they usually offer a warranty for early failure due to defects. I think they stock Harma, who are another UK based re-seller and tester. They're a re-seller and do their testing. That's just my opinion though,Īnyway, try Watford Valves in the UK. If at any point you feel your problems involve something internal of the amp take it to a professional. Also if you make a mistake you can possibly wreck the amp permantly. A capacitor inside an amp can store up enough ampere to possibly kill or severely injury. Think of it as pots on a guitar.Īlso unless you know exactly what you are doing when it comes to soldering with an amp I highly recommend against doing anything on the board. This is what is used to hold down the control pots so they don' t spin when you adjust your Mids,Bass and etc. You will need to remove the knob with a shoe lace and once you have it off you will see a hexagon shaped nut overtop of the spindle. But regardless with it being two years old I would change them anyway.Īgain the nut for the controls won't be on the inside. Most of the time it's one tube that goes mircophonic and the usually sign is that it will become very much brighter in appearance. For the tubes look at the two biggest ones.