Question:
Are there any tonal differences between ruby and svetlanas? I got ruby in there now and don’t like the sound very much. It doesn’t break up enough or give me enough sustain even when fully cranked. Any experiences with various tube types? svetlana, ruby, sovtek, groove etc.? What preamp tubes are good also?
Response:
Hello, Ruby is a tube vendor – they don’t make tubes. They re-brand them, so 6550’s are good tubes – but they don’t break up as much as EL34’s. When was the last time your amp saw a good amp tech, or, how long have you played through the set of 6550’s that are in there now? Did a tech install them and set the bias? Depending on how much service you’ve had from the 6550’s in your amp, and the degree of service (occasional playing, weekend gigging, hitting it hard every night, etc.) your present tubes may need nothing, or, they may need to be replaced. Some guys like the breakup characteristics of the EL34 tube; other guys like the massive low end and overall character of the 6550’s. It’s a taste thing – a tech can install either tube and adjust components in your amp so that you could, if you wish, decide on which type of tube you’d like to operate, and the tech could install them, set the bias, and change any component that needed to be changed to allow a different type of tubes to be used. You can’t use EL34’s without your tech making some component adjustments. Your pre-amp tubes will also contribute to the gain and sustain of your amp. The first position pre-amp tube (facing your amp, it’s the one on the left that is the one close to your guitar input jack) really contributes a lot to the gain and tone of your amp – you may want to look at these pre-amp tubes and consider replacing one or all of them. What brand pre-amp tubes are in your amp, and in which socket, numbering from the left to right as you face the rear of the amp? You can experiment with various pre-amp tubes without having to re-bias your Marshall, so you can plug `em in and play `em, and listen to how the pre-amp tube change affects your tone and sound. Mark the old tubes with a magic marker so you know where they went and in which socket. In another thread I posted about Mullard 12AX7 tubes and why I like `em! Current production pre-amp tubes are cheap, so you can buy an assortment and experiment. A quality overdrive pedal will help you to get an edge at lower room volume, as well as help increase your sustain. All overdrive pedals are not the same. Good luck to you and I hope you get to enjoy your great old Marshall for a long time. Welcome to the Worldwide Marshall Brotherhood! Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott >Are there any tonal differences between ruby and svetlanas? I got ruby >in there now and don’t like the sound very much. It doesn’t break up >enough or give me enough sustain even when fully cranked. >Any experiences with various tube types? svetlana, ruby, sovtek, >groove etc.? >What preamp tubes are good also?
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Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hello, > Ruby is a tube vendor – they don’t make tubes. They re-brand them, so > 6550’s are good tubes – but they don’t break up as much as EL34’s. When > was the last time your amp saw a good amp tech, or, how long have you played > through the set of 6550’s that are in there now? Did a tech install them > and set the bias? > Depending on how much service you’ve had from the 6550’s in your amp, > and the degree of service (occasional playing, weekend gigging, hitting it > hard every night, etc.) your present tubes may need nothing, or, they may > need to be replaced. > Some guys like the breakup characteristics of the EL34 tube; other guys > like the massive low end and overall character of the 6550’s. It’s a taste > thing – a tech can install either tube and adjust components in your amp so > that you could, if you wish, decide on which type of tube you’d like to > operate, and the tech could install them, set the bias, and change any > component that needed to be changed to allow a different type of tubes to be > used. You can’t use EL34’s without your tech making some component > adjustments. > Your pre-amp tubes will also contribute to the gain and sustain of your > amp. The first position pre-amp tube (facing your amp, it’s the one on the > left that is the one close to your guitar input jack) really contributes a > lot to the gain and tone of your amp – you may want to look at these pre-amp > tubes and consider replacing one or all of them. What brand pre-amp tubes > are in your amp, and in which socket, numbering from the left to right as > you face the rear of the amp? > You can experiment with various pre-amp tubes without having to re-bias > your Marshall, so you can plug `em in and play `em, and listen to how the > pre-amp tube change affects your tone and sound. Mark the old tubes with a > magic marker so you know where they went and in which socket. In another > thread I posted about Mullard 12AX7 tubes and why I like `em! Current > production pre-amp tubes are cheap, so you can buy an assortment and > experiment. > A quality overdrive pedal will help you to get an edge at lower room > volume, as well as help increase your sustain. All overdrive pedals are not > the same. > Good luck to you and I hope you get to enjoy your great old Marshall for > a long time. Welcome to the Worldwide Marshall Brotherhood! > Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott >Are there any tonal differences between ruby and svetlanas? I got ruby >in there now and don’t like the sound very much. It doesn’t break up >enough or give me enough sustain even when fully cranked. >Any experiences with various tube types? svetlana, ruby, sovtek, >groove etc.? >What preamp tubes are good also?
Well, during the week, I had gotten a phone call from I had gotten a phone call from Angelo from the Fins, http://www.thefins.com/index.htm http://www.thefins.com/hntreview.html and was told a new band line up was formed by Bob Lanza, and they were going to try it out at Orphan Annie’s on the 29th. He also said, "Bring your bass". Well, I got there a little late and had walked in on their first set. So tight, if you tightened it up any more, it would The line up was drums (a killer lefty on a lefty kit), guitar, bass, and What kind of music were they playing, you asked!!!!! The REAL shit. I had a flashback sitting at the bar to a time when I was sitting in a bar in the bad section of Newark in the early ’60s when I had last listened to this kind of blues playing. The Blues was so hot, you would Well, Bob and Angelo had invited a few other players to come up to the club to sit in during the night. Big Bernie and Billy, from the original BB and the Stingers were in the house, along with a few other old time Bluesers. On the second set, Bernie and Billy took the stage. Bernie is still a little weak from all the heart surgery he had, but he and Billy were on Those two guys play so well together from all the years they have been on the stage together, it’s a kind of magic between them. Bob took on the vocals for tunes they played. Next, they went back to the original line up for a few more tunes. God, did that sax cat ever blow the Blues. This cat was a Blueser, not a Jazzer with a million notes. He could bend and growl notes like no of the Blues in the Big City on a hot summer’s night, in the ’30s hit the sort of stuff you hear wanna be dudes play they THINK, is the Blues!!!!!! The next thing I know, they are calling me up to the stage. I unpack my white 66 Jazz bass, http://timeelect.com/RichAxes-1.htm , and hook up to Angelo’s old SVT with his 4×10 cab on it. <side bar> It’s the an amp I had set up a while ago, which he uses with an old Gibson EB-2 on for the DEEP bottom bass that playing the Blues, is all about. <to continue> I checked out his settings, and memorized them to put them back there when I finished. I had used SVT’s many times in the past, and knew where my setting for my ‘66 Jazz Bass should be for the Jazz Bass Growl and bottom end if I needed it. Bob looks over at the band and says, "In F, on the 5. One, two, three…". And we are off as I ride the rumble of my ‘66 to supply the Bob, has a pair of Super Reverbs that were putting out the most KILLER I drifted off in the thick fat bottom of my ‘66, and floated on the notes of the tune. God, it don’t get any better than that. Next thing I know, I wake up, as the song is ending. Bob wastes no time to jump into the next tune. He says, "Let’s do something funky for Richie. In G, right about, one, two, three,…". It’s an up tempo old time Meters type Funk, with a Bootsy flavor fat bottom peek and hide, my ‘66 is bustin loose. Damn, I got the *goose bumps* riding that I saw FLAMES, coming out of the sax the horn player was Well, all good things must end sometime. So again, I wake up in time for the ending. Bob calls a break, and I pack up to leave the stage. One of the guys puts a *snatch and grab* on me, and we are off to the pool table. As the game is going on, a bunch of other players, not from the night’s line out, are hanging around talking about the music in general, and the BLUES that is being played tonight. I’m more into shootin the game and listening to their conversations, than taking part, and shootin my mouth off with them. Most of the conversation centered around the difference in the Blues, then and now. I had found their comments very interesting. They were noting the differences in the way the blues was written, from a style point of view, through the years. As well, as how the SOUND of the Blues had changed too. Then, it got down to the roles and styles of the different instrument players had changed in the Blues too. The next thing I know, one of the guys says, "Hey Rich, you’ve been around a long time, you are one of those players that seems to get on the stage, and you seem to know just what to do. I’ve seen you go up there and play rock, fusion, funk, jazz,… I’ve even seen you play heavy metal up there too. How the hell do you know what to do, what to play. Like tonight, how the hell can you know everything". Wow, here I am shooting a game, and this very talented drummer hits me with something very deep as this. Look man, I don’t know EVERYTHING there is to know about music. The older I get, the more I learn, I don’t know shit about music. When I’m up on the stage, I LISTEN like hell, and let the music tell me what to play. NEVER, the other way around. When I’m LISTENING to the other instruments playing, especially when I’m in a tune I’ve never heard before, I imagine hearing the part, and the sound of the instrument that I’m playing at the time, what it would be doing in the song. Then, I do it. <added here for AGA as an after thought> Without good playing skills, musical intuition, prior knowledge or roots, aquired musical sensibilities, and a knowledge of musical sonic pleastentries,… to do well what Im able to do, would be impossible. And, you will note that every item I’ve listed here, can NOT be developed and be applied from text book knowledge, or individual classroom study. To learn the dynamics of music, you have to be immersed in those dynamics. Which will only be found in the stage environment. There is no other way to become skilled in the Music’s Dynamics, than to view the playing stage as the classroom, for such study. Without the presence of the experienced … read more »
Response:
<snip> Thanks for sharing!
Response:
Howdy Rich, Glad you can stay up late and play some (grin…). I’ve been buried getting my tax stuff together, but I’m almost done now. We got a call about 10 days ago, from a club owner who had been reluctant to hire our band. The Friday evening band had cancelled, and the club owner called us on a Thursday and cried for help. Our band "The Relics" said OK, and we did the gig and had fun. The crowd that came, stayed and enjoyed themselves as well. Hopefully the positive response got back to the club owner. I took Dave Zimmerman’s Zeeta combo with a `72 Marshall 2 x 12 cab, along with a Matchless Lightning 15 combo with a 2 x 12 extension cab, and had a lot of fun. Used the Strat for a set, and a Les Paul Classic for the rest of the evening. Snapped the high "E" string on the LP in the last set with about two songs to go, so I quickly adjusted the remaining "G" and "B" that had gone sharp, and decided to have fun with just 5 strings, and did pretty well. Making lemonade from lemons. Of course the audience never even knew it. We’ve got a newer guy playing drums for us, so when Rex called out "Mustang Sally" in the middle of the third set, I turned to Brian the drummer and said, "watch this." As Rex kicked into the opening of Mustang Sally ala Buddy Guy, people from all over the club got to their feet and came onto the dance floor near the stage and began to dance. Sure, every musician has played that song a zillion times, but the audience loves it. A band pulls that song off in the final set, and then can follow it up with some good material, and you’ve got the people on the dance floor and you can keep `em right there. That night felt good. I got home in the early morning hours, came down from the high of performing and playing music live, and had to get up fairly early the next morning. But I’ll do it again and again. My kids are most important, but after them, there is nothing like playing music. There isn’t a week that goes by, that I don’t feel lucky and really fortunate to be able to play guitar. Glad you’re getting out and "taking it to the people," Rich. Give my best to Karen and have a really good upcoming week! Thanks for sharing your evening out with us. Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello, > Ruby is a tube vendor – they don’t make tubes. They re-brand them, so > 6550’s are good tubes – but they don’t break up as much as EL34’s. When > was the last time your amp saw a good amp tech, or, how long have you played > through the set of 6550’s that are in there now? Did a tech install them > and set the bias? > Depending on how much service you’ve had from the 6550’s in your amp, > and the degree of service (occasional playing, weekend gigging, hitting it > hard every night, etc.) your present tubes may need nothing, or, they may > need to be replaced. > Some guys like the breakup characteristics of the EL34 tube; other guys > like the massive low end and overall character of the 6550’s. It’s a taste > thing – a tech can install either tube and adjust components in your amp so > that you could, if you wish, decide on which type of tube you’d like to > operate, and the tech could install them, set the bias, and change any > component that needed to be changed to allow a different type of tubes to be > used. You can’t use EL34’s without your tech making some component > adjustments. > Your pre-amp tubes will also contribute to the gain and sustain of your > amp. The first position pre-amp tube (facing your amp, it’s the one on the > left that is the one close to your guitar input jack) really contributes a > lot to the gain and tone of your amp – you may want to look at these pre-amp > tubes and consider replacing one or all of them. What brand pre-amp tubes > are in your amp, and in which socket, numbering from the left to right as > you face the rear of the amp? > You can experiment with various pre-amp tubes without having to re-bias > your Marshall, so you can plug `em in and play `em, and listen to how the > pre-amp tube change affects your tone and sound. Mark the old tubes with a > magic marker so you know where they went and in which socket. In another > thread I posted about Mullard 12AX7 tubes and why I like `em! Current > production pre-amp tubes are cheap, so you can buy an assortment and > experiment. > A quality overdrive pedal will help you to get an edge at lower room > volume, as well as help increase your sustain. All overdrive pedals are not > the same. > Good luck to you and I hope you get to enjoy your great old Marshall for > a long time. Welcome to the Worldwide Marshall Brotherhood! > Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott > >Are there any tonal differences between ruby and svetlanas? I got ruby > >in there now and don’t like the sound very much. It doesn’t break up > >enough or give me enough sustain even when fully cranked. > >Any experiences with various tube types? svetlana, ruby, sovtek, > >groove etc.? > >What preamp tubes are good also? >Well, during the week, I had gotten a phone call from I had gotten a >phone call from Angelo from the Fins, >http://www.thefins.com/index.htm >http://www.thefins.com/hntreview.html >and was told a new band line up was formed by Bob Lanza, and they were >going to try it out at Orphan Annie’s on the 29th. He also said, "Bring >your bass". >Well, I got there a little late and had walked in on their first set. >So tight, if you tightened it up any more, it would >The line up was drums (a killer lefty on a lefty kit), guitar, bass, and >What kind of music were they playing, you asked!!!!! >The REAL shit. >I had a flashback sitting at the bar to a time when I was sitting in a >bar in the bad section of Newark in the early ’60s when I had last >listened to this kind of blues playing. The Blues was so hot, you would >Well, Bob and Angelo had invited a few other players to come up to the >club to sit in during the night. Big Bernie and Billy, from the >original BB and the Stingers were in the house, along with a few other >old time Bluesers. >On the second set, Bernie and Billy took the stage. Bernie is still a >little weak from all the heart surgery he had, but he and Billy were on >Those two guys play so well together from all the years they have been >on the stage together, it’s a kind of magic between them. Bob took on >the vocals for tunes they played. >Next, they went back to the original line up for a few more tunes. God, >did that sax cat ever blow the Blues. This cat was a Blueser, not a >Jazzer with a million notes. He could bend and growl notes like no >of the Blues in the Big City on a hot summer’s night, in the ’30s hit >the sort of stuff you hear wanna be dudes play they THINK, is the >Blues!!!!!! >The next thing I know, they are calling me up to the stage. I unpack my >white 66 Jazz bass, http://timeelect.com/RichAxes-1.htm , and hook up to >Angelo’s old SVT with his 4×10 cab on it. ><side bar> >It’s the an amp I had set up a while ago, which he uses with an old >Gibson EB-2 on for the DEEP bottom bass that playing the Blues, is all >about. ><to continue> >I checked out his settings, and memorized them to put them back there >when I finished. I had used SVT’s many times in the past, and knew >where my setting for my ‘66 Jazz Bass should be for the Jazz Bass Growl >and bottom end if I needed it. >Bob looks over at the band and says, "In F, on the 5. One, two, >three…". And we are off as I ride the rumble of my ‘66 to supply the >Bob, has a pair of Super Reverbs that were putting out the most KILLER >I drifted off in the thick fat bottom of my ‘66, and floated on the >notes of the tune. God, it don’t get any better than that. >Next thing I know, I wake up, as the song is ending. >Bob wastes no time to jump into the next tune. He says, "Let’s do >something funky for Richie. In G, right about, one, two, three,…". >It’s an up tempo old time Meters type Funk, with a Bootsy flavor fat >bottom peek and hide, my ‘66 is bustin loose. >Damn, I got the *goose bumps* riding that >I saw FLAMES, coming out of the sax the horn player was >Well, all good things must end sometime. So again, I wake up in time >for the ending. >Bob calls a break, and I pack up to leave the stage. >One of the guys puts a *snatch and grab* on me, and we are off to the >pool table. As the game is going
… read more »
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Howdy Rich, > Glad you can stay up late and play some (grin…). I’ve been buried > getting my tax stuff together, but I’m almost done now. > We got a call about 10 days ago, from a club owner who had been > reluctant to hire our band. The Friday evening band had cancelled, and the > club owner called us on a Thursday and cried for help. Our band "The > Relics" said OK, and we did the gig and had fun. The crowd that came, > stayed and enjoyed themselves as well. Hopefully the positive response got > back to the club owner. > I took Dave Zimmerman’s Zeeta combo with a `72 Marshall 2 x 12 cab, > along with a Matchless Lightning 15 combo with a 2 x 12 extension cab, and > had a lot of fun. Used the Strat for a set, and a Les Paul Classic for the > rest of the evening. Snapped the high "E" string on the LP in the last set > with about two songs to go, so I quickly adjusted the remaining "G" and "B" > that had gone sharp, and decided to have fun with just 5 strings, and did > pretty well. Making lemonade from lemons. Of course the audience never > even knew it. > We’ve got a newer guy playing drums for us, so when Rex called out > "Mustang Sally" in the middle of the third set, I turned to Brian the > drummer and said, "watch this." As Rex kicked into the opening of Mustang > Sally ala Buddy Guy, people from all over the club got to their feet and > came onto the dance floor near the stage and began to dance. Sure, every > musician has played that song a zillion times, but the audience loves it. A > band pulls that song off in the final set, and then can follow it up with > some good material, and you’ve got the people on the dance floor and you can > keep `em right there. > That night felt good. I got home in the early morning hours, came down > from the high of performing and playing music live, and had to get up fairly > early the next morning. But I’ll do it again and again. My kids are most > important, but after them, there is nothing like playing music. There isn’t > a week that goes by, that I don’t feel lucky and really fortunate to be able > to play guitar. > Glad you’re getting out and "taking it to the people," Rich. Give my > best to Karen and have a really good upcoming week! Thanks for sharing your > evening out with us. > Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott
Yeah man, you’re one of the Music Missionaries of the Last night I was at the Jam Club again, and it was the pits. There were two showcase bands at the head of the bill. Band #1 was from Brooklin New York. It was a Rap/Rock band that was so full of themselves, they never noticed that most of the people were not digging the music raise their anxiety in the house. Six guys on the stage pounding you with relentless Rap with noise for a backdrop. Jumping all over the stage was their idea of putting on a show. After a while, there was no amount of stage theatrics that was going to help make their music more digestable for the patrons. Being double teamed by a pair of rappers would make any captured terrorist spill his guts in just a matter of seconds. Band #2 was from Pittsburg PA. The were very young and had a line up of three guitars, and a drummer. Let’s just say that a digital tuner would be their best investment to improve the sound of their music. Like band #1, the pounded the patrons song after song with their ATTITUDE. After the ear ringing Relentless ATTITUDE Assault of bad Rap and Punk junk, the house had pretty well cleared out. Oh well, at least two of the guys from band #2 stayed to listen to the Jammers. Maybe, there was a learning experience somewhere for them. I must say, it seemed the this assault had an effect on the jammers who had to sit though it, to get their turn up on the stage. Their music was not at the usual high level. I guess there is always next time, to look forward to. Regards, Rich Koerner, Time Electronics. http://www.timeelect.com Specialists in Live Sound FOH Engineering, Music & Studio Production, Vintage Instruments, and Tube Amplifiers
Response:
Rich, I’ll leave off with the usual rant about the general decline of music since the debut of MTV (i.e. what you look like shouldn’t matter). Interesting note on the bands playing more attitude than entertainment. Seeing more and more of this crap these days. Folks with bad tone, no musicianship, and no heart. A much, much wiser man than I told me very early on: "It doesn’t matter if you like it. You have to play something they can dance to" -Ogg
Response:
> Interesting note on the bands playing more attitude than entertainment. > Seeing more and more of this crap these days. Folks with bad tone, no > musicianship, and no heart.
A bit contradictory here… playing with attitude is the same as playing with heart. The younger generation listening to this music would probably think your tone is bad. My son thinks my Marshalls sound like old fart music. He laughed when I made him listen to the first Van Halen album… he thinks it’s corney. After listening to again… I think he’s right.
Response:
Your point is well taken re: attitude. My inarticulate rant is centered more on the folks who (to me at least) think you should listen to them because they see themselves as cool and hip, as opposed to folks who hope you’ll listen to them because of melodic content, they have something to say, (or they really are cool and hip). As with most rants, I fear I’m just not expressing the thought very well. For the second bit, I can point to many albums in the collection that I’d be a bit embarrassed to play today 
Not saying that talent isn’t required to succeed these days, just saying that the required talents seem to have shifted more to showmanship and away from musicianship. And… there’s probably a helluva lot of folks from all generations that think my tone sucks. But I’m workin’ on that. Practice, practice, practice 
-Ogg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Interesting note on the bands playing more attitude than > entertainment. Seeing more and more of this crap these days. Folks > with bad tone, no musicianship, and no heart. > A bit contradictory here… playing with attitude is the same as > playing with heart. The younger generation listening to this music > would probably think your tone is bad. My son thinks my Marshalls > sound like old fart music. He laughed when I made him listen to the > first Van Halen album… he thinks it’s corney. After listening to > again… I think he’s right.
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