The CT-SE IS the updated version of the original CT. There wasn't really any updates to the CT, there were mods made that weren't noticed at first. The CT-SE is complete .

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Tony Houston

I used an inside channel to find out..... no answer yet, must be busy

/Hans

Now that is a more positive way of looking at it

Kind of like the Twin Reverb reissue is complete and needing no further updates - sort of - I guess !?!?

Anybody swapped out their tubes on a CT-SE yet? What r u using? How does it sound?

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'04 American Strat w/Dimarzio 58/58/61 pu's
'06 American Tele w/Fender "Vintage" Noiseless pu's
Les Paul Standard Faded 50's neck
Les Paul jr.
Taylor Classic Solidbody
Egnater Rebel 30
Hot Rod Deville 4X10
Super Champ XD

jeremyjrice,

I tried the Groove Tubes GT12AX7M reissue of the original Mullard 12AX7/ECC83 in my CT SE shortly after I bought the amp.

My reason was, the amp sounded a bit shrill to my ears when it was new. I had hoped to kill some of the "ice pick" sound and add some warmth to it with the swap.

After the swap, it took ALOT of wishful imagination for my ears to "hear" any difference. (I spent all that money, so there should be a change - for the better. Right??)

Anyway - now, a few years down the road - the amp has settled in to a very nice sound. No more "ice pick" sound. As a matter of fact, a couple of months ago, I thought that maybe it was getting a little over on the warm side. So, remembering the tube change when it was new, I decided it was time to put the original, like new, barely used, tubes back in. Guess what - I could hear no change at all this time - even when trying to hear a change.

I think what happened (IMO) was that, when the amp was new, the speakers were a bit on the "stiff" side. After the years of playing, they (the speakers) have loosened up (or broke in) and now have a wider, fuller range and sound. (just my opinion though)

My CT SE has always sounded good, even when new. (I just tweaked the brittleness out of it back then). But now, it sounds great!

To sum up my opinion of my tube change to, and from, the GT12AX7M:
It's a good sounding tube, but the stock tubes sound as good - or so close to each other, that I can't hear much, if any, difference. So, I wasted my money buying new tubes for it - unless I need replacements in the future.

Moral of the story - don't believe all the excrement that you read on the net about big, huge, changes in sound just from swapping out a good tube for some other good tube. I've tried many of the so-called holy grail tubes in my amps over the years. Most of the differences people talk about either don't exist, and are BS - or they had/have a bad tube - either the old one or even the new one. (but I have had microphonic and seemingly "weak" (usually old) tubes too - that's a different story though)

I'm slow, but I eventually do learn.

The biggest change in sound came from just playing the amp, and letting time and use settle everything in.

If it sounds good - it is good. Right?

thanks rholloman, you just saved me alot of time and effort.

_________________
'04 American Strat w/Dimarzio 58/58/61 pu's
'06 American Tele w/Fender "Vintage" Noiseless pu's
Les Paul Standard Faded 50's neck
Les Paul jr.
Taylor Classic Solidbody
Egnater Rebel 30
Hot Rod Deville 4X10
Super Champ XD

I'm Back !!!!!!!!

I sold my original CT about one and a half years ago and missed it within a week of it being gone.

well I'm waiting on a new original CT to be shipped to me.

moral of the story, I paid about a hundred bucks more to buy this one than i sold the old one for.

I can't wait to get it home and play !!!!!

oh I tried to replace it with a cheaper line 6 and that just didnt even come close to what you can do with a CT, sure if all you want is a loud, deeply distorted metal machine then it would work, the CT is a wide ranging tone machine.

ITS HERE !!!!!!

The big brown truck brought it home today.

I played so long my finger tips are burning, Man this amp is a lot of fun !!!

My last one didnt have the mods done, it was the 1.2, this one is the 1.3, I sure cant tell any difference from memory anyway.

it is much brighter than I remember, with a little tweek here and there it sounds great, adding compression helps a bunch to get some nice tone going and turning down the gain on some amp presets is a must if you want Clean tones.

Yes, It worked on a regular CT.. Thanks!!!

Your very welcome.

At least that's one that will work on both amps.

anyone try starting in the amp section and building a tone from there ?

I found an amp tone using one of the champs to exactly match the Clapton Brownie sound, then doing the same sort of thing was able to get a billy Gibbons sound too (early ZZ Top).

it seems to me that starting with the basics gets you as close to vintage sounds as possible, the other bells and whistles are just fun to mess with and add noise to your tone.

Mr. Houston's setting is a great one and has found its self a perm. place in my settings.

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Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive

"anyone try starting in the amp section and building a tone from there ?"

Yes, thats the way I did! Most of my presets are based on the Super Reverb. Greg Koch sent me his Bassman preset, and later I started creating presets based on my '68 Princeton.

I let bluesman Dave Workman use my CT when he was here in town and he created two presets that Santana also uses in his CT.

We're recording our second CD 'The Cold Backhand of Love' and I'm just about only using my CT. I thought I would my other amps, but why when I'm getting the tones I need with my CT.

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Tony Houston

Hey THouston, Thanks again and any time you feel like sharing your settings I'm sure all of us here would be oh so gratefull !!!!!

The first on of your settings I entered into my CT has turned out to be a favorite of mine.

I allways felt even when I had my original CT back a few years ago that Fender should have set up the amp section as bare bones as they could, the effects and gain settings made me pass many of them by untill I found that backing them (the effects & Gain) off I could get to the real deal of the amps themselves, then fine tune as you would the real amp to get your tone.

That being said, I have to say most of the presets are fun to mess with.

I think its just that I play clean 90% of the time and my #1 amp is a Blues Devill 4x10 that is a tone monster and so the CT is like a whole different world to me, I can make a tone on the CT that is close to the Deville ,it just lacks the clarity the Deville gets with it's 4 x10 speaker set up.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive

Here is Greg's Bassman preset:

Parameters for Cyber-Twin Patch: Gregman N P '58

Tone Stack Type: British
Tone Stack Loc: Pre-Distortion
Drive Circuitry: Tweed Tube 1
Reverb Type: Blackface Reverb
Reverb Input: 9.0
Reverb Tone: 9.5
Reverb Time: 7.7
Reverb Diffusion: 3.9
Timbre: Full Body
Line/Spkr Phase: Reverse Polarity
Compressor: Low
NoiseGate Depth: 5.5
NoiseGate Thresh: Low

Expression Pedal: Volume
Cont Controller: Gain
Reverb/FX Bypass: Reverb Input only

Gain: 5.5
Volume: 8
Treble: 8.5
Middle: 1.7
Bass: 4.6
Presence: 7.7
Reverb: 3.4

Effects: None


This '67 Princeton Reverb si good for clean tones:

Parameters for Cyber-Twin Patch: Princeton Rv '67

Tone Stack Type: Blackface
Tone Stack Loc: Pre-Distortion
Drive Circuitry: Blackface Tube 2
Reverb Type: Blackface Reverb
Reverb Input: 9.1
Reverb Tone: 8.5
Reverb Time: 5.5
Reverb Diffusion: 5.5
Timbre: None
Line/Spkr Phase: Reverse Polarity
Compressor: Off
NoiseGate Depth: 10.0
NoiseGate Thresh: Medium

Expression Pedal: Volume
Cont Controller: Reverb
Reverb/FX Bypass: FX Output Only

Gain: 8
Volume: 8.3
Treble: 7
Middle: 5.3
Bass: 6.3
Presence: 2.8
Reverb: 3.1

Effects: Amp Tremolo
Trem Out Level: 10.0
Tremolo Rate (Hz): 6.24
Tremolo Depth: 7.9
Trem Duty Cycle: 7.6
Tremolo Shape: 3.0

_________________
Tony Houston

And again Thanks !!!! THouston

Hey if you ever get a gig up around Chicago let us know.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive