Advice on changing tubes in a Hot Rod DeVille 410

Primo Don · April 9th, 2003, 02:35 PM

I've always heard that the Groove Tubes in Fender amps are sub-par. Who has experience with one of thess amps and what did you change the tubes to? Thanks, Adam

ray · April 9th, 2003, 10:43 PM

I have a DeVille 212 and I thought it's sound was a little harsh, so I changed the pre amp tubes to Electro Harmonix 12AX7's and the power tubes to JJ 6L6GC's. These tubes are vary warm sounding and almost dead quiet. I think they improved the sound, and tamed some of the loudness this amp had, now I can turn it up to get into the power tubes with out causing pain.

Ray

MJ Harnish · April 10th, 2003, 02:13 AM

The GT's are not necessarily bad; it's hard to say b/c GT is primarily a tester/relabeller so your tubes could come from the same factories as those that produce Sovteks, Svetlanas, or Ruby. I think most of them probably come from the same chinese factories that produce the lower end 6L6's out there. Alternatively they might be GT labelled Sovtek 5881's which Fender likes to use b/c they're pretty rugged, reliable tubes.

The big problem with most new Fenders, particularly the HR series, is that they are biased cold in order to extend tube life. It also gives you more clean headroom. However, this can make them sound a tad sterile or even harsh. So the first thing I would do is have the amp properly biased. If it still doesn't sound good to you, you can try a different type of tube (I like the Svetlana 6L6GC's (~$32/pair)). Just make sure to have the amp properly biased.

April 9th, 2003, 02:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
Primo Don Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Age: 30 Posts: 381	Advice on changing tubes in a Hot Rod DeVille 410 I've always heard that the Groove Tubes in Fender amps are sub-par. Who has experience with one of thess amps and what did you change the tubes to? Thanks, Adam

April 9th, 2003, 10:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
ray Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Buffalo Age: 54 Posts: 144	Tubes I have a DeVille 212 and I thought it's sound was a little harsh, so I changed the pre amp tubes to Electro Harmonix 12AX7's and the power tubes to JJ 6L6GC's. These tubes are vary warm sounding and almost dead quiet. I think they improved the sound, and tamed some of the loudness this amp had, now I can turn it up to get into the power tubes with out causing pain. Ray

April 10th, 2003, 02:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
MJ Harnish Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hattingen, Germany Posts: 457	The GT's are not necessarily bad; it's hard to say b/c GT is primarily a tester/relabeller so your tubes could come from the same factories as those that produce Sovteks, Svetlanas, or Ruby. I think most of them probably come from the same chinese factories that produce the lower end 6L6's out there. Alternatively they might be GT labelled Sovtek 5881's which Fender likes to use b/c they're pretty rugged, reliable tubes. The big problem with most new Fenders, particularly the HR series, is that they are biased cold in order to extend tube life. It also gives you more clean headroom. However, this can make them sound a tad sterile or even harsh. So the first thing I would do is have the amp properly biased. If it still doesn't sound good to you, you can try a different type of tube (I like the Svetlana 6L6GC's (~$32/pair)). Just make sure to have the amp properly biased. __________________ MJ Harnish Suburbs: Where they cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them.