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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 9:13 pm
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+1 supro

The tubes they came with are good as is (Fender GT and Fender 12AX7 that looks more like a 12AT7). The bigger difference in sound may come from a speaker change. But, if you use a lot of voiceings other than "1" it may not make a big difference.


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Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:34 am
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TTSC, I totally agree. There's too much effect wise in the signal chain for tube to make much difference. A better speaker would probably make a world of difference. That's one reason I don't care for hybrids. The signal is too polluted to my ears. If I wanted all that stuff I'd just get a solid state modeling amp and save the expense of tubes and heat related issues in lower end tube amps. Just my opinion.

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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:35 pm
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I use RCA short grey plate 12ax7a & RCA 6V6GT. I have found nothing better than these myself


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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 3:47 pm
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I did the same thing to mine. I had an Rca 12ax7 unused laying around in the box and, installed it. The diffrence was a little noticeable (i usually run on the 1 position on voicing) Then few days later, A friend gave me couple old Rca 6v6 tubes that i ran thru my tester and they came up very good so, i replaced the GT output tube with one of those and it made nice improvement in the sound of my amp...i wanna build a small external cab with 12 inch speaker for it sometime in the future.

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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:46 pm
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Tell you a little secret. The RCA 7025 (12AX7A) is one of the finest 12AX7-type ever made. Really, I find only the Raytheon 12AX7A, Tesla (Czech 1970s) or Valvo (German 1950-60s) E83CC gold pins consistently as quiet, good tone, AND long lasting.

I pull and keep nearly every 7025 from amps that ppl insist on putting in new tubes. Sometimes, they test HIGHER than brand new tubes. And quieter.

For some reason, the 7025 just isn't that "sexy" a tube. Maybe because the tone is so neutral (doesn't color the tone). And it's so quiet --- that no one really appreciates that they are working, as designed.

Just my 2¢ worth... :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 7:18 pm
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I put a EH 12AY7 in the preamp and left the stock driver. I think it's the preamp tube that Fender used in some of it's early tube amps. It sound a lot smoother than the AX7.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 2:26 am
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If you get a chance... try the RCA or GE 6072 (mil spec 12AY7). The black plate NOS 12AY7 or 6072 will astound you in their performance. They are $$$, but they last forever. You'll hear the "tweed" in Bassman... no lie. :)

https://www.tubeworld.com/6072574552.jpg

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid= ... &_from=R40


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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:05 pm
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The Vibro XD is a great little amp. I didn't care for all the amp models, but thought it sounded great nonetheless. I did the Jensen speaker upgrade and it was worth it. As for tubes, I put in an RCA 6v6GTA - loved it. You can find them pretty reasonable on eBay or some of the online tube distributors.

Best of luck!


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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 8:17 pm
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I have a Vibro Champ xd as well. I noticed on my amp that the most significant change came with the replacedment of the speaker. More so than swapping out the 6v6 or the 12ax7 with different tubes. For informational purposes, the JJ 6v6 I swapped out for the stock fender tube made little to no difference and replacement of the stock 12ax7 with a nos 7025 made little difference in sound as well. The only reason I left the JJ in was because the stock tube started flaking out. So from a reliability stand point, yes, swap out the tubes. But if you're looking for a huge tone change, I wouldn't hold my breath. The speaker is where your sound will change the most.
Hope this helps.

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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 8:21 pm
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socal323 wrote:
I have a Vibro Champ xd as well. I noticed on my amp that the most significant change came with the replacedment of the speaker. More so than swapping out the 6v6 or the 12ax7 with different tubes. For informational purposes, the JJ 6v6 I swapped out for the stock fender tube made little to no difference and replacement of the stock 12ax7 with a nos 7025 made little difference in sound as well. The only reason I left the JJ in was because the stock tube started flaking out. So from a reliability stand point, yes, swap out the tubes. But if you're looking for a huge tone change, I wouldn't hold my breath. The speaker is where your sound will change the most.
Hope this helps.


Please do tell what speaker you put into your amp.

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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:16 pm
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I'm wondering what speaker will improve in bass response. Thus far I have tried a Jensen C8-R4 and a Mod 8-20-4 and found no improvement and went back to the stock speaker. Thus far, finding an 8" that will get a deeper tone has proved to be fruitless on my end. I like this amp and it's great running into a 1x12" cab. but who wants to lug that around with a light handy amp?

So as with Modwiz, I'm wondering too.

Wade


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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:39 pm
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Modwiz,
I tried a few different speakers, one was pignose 10" speaker and the other was a stock fender 8" 8ohm speaker that I cant remember where it came from. I also tried a 112 cab with a 12" Celestion V30. In my opinion the stock speaker will suffice for what the amp was intended to do, which I think is to try to mimic all the different voicings it supplies. The 10" pignose speaker was VERY warm(borderline on the dark side) but took out alot of the high end and muddied it up a bit. The 8" 8ohm fender speaker really brought out the mids and sounds almost like there is a treble booster pedal in front of it lots of high end and probably a bit anemic on the low end. The 112 open back cab sounded nice and full with great low end, nice high end.
In the end, i left the fender 8" speaker in because it worked well with all the voicings and was good enough for bedroom practice. Although, In a pinch If I had to use the xd for practice or rehearsal and mic it, I would use the 112 cab.
FYI, the 112 cab I already used for my 18w marshall clone, the other two speakers I had laying around. So it really didn't cost me anything to experiment. However, to find what would sound good for you and your application, I would suggest trying a few different speakers and or external cabs(if you have any lying around). Im trying to get one of my buddied to lend my his Weber sig8 to see what that sounds like. I'll report my findings if and when that ever occurs.
Hope this helps.

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Post subject: Re: Vibro-Champ XD Mods; New Tubes?
Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:12 pm
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I have the SCX2 with a 10" speaker. I plugged it into a bass cab that is 4x8 with a tweeter. I love the sound and I have only played it with the clean channel. I have limitations with cutting loose in my living situation. I love the tight deep sound with any highs I want with the 8's and the tweeter. The cab weighs 60 pounds and though no burden for me it is hardly the portable combo I bought.

Anyway, I have spent much of my weekend listening to videos on you tube comparing speakers, tubes and occasional forays into soldering stuff, :lol:

There is no doubt, the most profound effect on sound is the speaker, but what is going into the speaker does matter. Some 12ax7 were boomy with poor definition of mids and highs. Some were perfectly balanced for a slightly dirty bluesy sound but still a little loose with clean edges. Using a 12ay7 can really clean up the tone, if that is what you seek. It leans into a twin kind of tone but without the muscularity of that clean tone that the twin has. It needs to be pushed more before breakup occurs. Therefore giving one more headroom. Again, too much volume before breakup can be horrible for some.

I liked tung-sol 12ax7 and 12ay7. Tung-sol is a very full and rich tube and loud. It has a hint of hi-fi musicality to it. My plan is to own both a 12ax7 and a 12ay7. I may move to one permanently, but I can also envision preferring one over the other given the type of performance. Swapping them out is four screws on my amp. Done at home with a battery screwdriver is effortless.

My thoughts on my smaller amp. Until I get my 5 watt Bugera. :D :D

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