Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The time has come to replace the stock tubes in my vox.

Any recommendations on which tubes to go for would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

Rob.

JJ's and a Weber solid state rectifier to tighten the bottom.

Anything's better than those awful Chinese preamp tubes! +1 on the Weber copper cap!

Thanks guys.

Don't you loose the 'feel' of a tube amp by using a solid state rectifier?

Nope, and JJs seem to be the way to go unless you want to spend a boatload on vintage tubes that may or may not sound better.

I did buy a set of Groove Tube preamp tubes, which have also been quite solid and reliable, I've used Sovteks before, which were also reliable.

Thanks again guys.

The sovteks seem to be the cheapest option here, but the JJ's get a better write up and don't cost much more.

Can't seem to find the weber copper cap here in the UK, so may need to order that from the US.

We have a company over here that most people use called Watford Valves, who are reliable but on the pricey side due to their celebrity clientele.

Who's the main player in the US for valves/tubes?

Cheers.

Rob.

www.tubesandmore.com (Antique Electronics) is your tube friend in the US. there are others too, but Antique Electronics is hard to beat for service and price.

JJ are a good all around AC30 choice. Eurotubes is a good supplier for JJ's. I prefer EI or NOS GE in my AC30, but they're hard to find and pricy these days. The JJ work well and sound fine though....just not as good.

The Weber Copper Cap rectifier is a solid state device that emulates the sag and voltage drop of the tube rectifier that it is modelled after. He has lots of different choices depending on the characteristics that you are looking for. www.tedweber.com is where you can buy them. When my original chinese tube GZ34 in my KORG 1993 AC30 failed, I tried a NOS Amperex, a new JJ, a new Sovtek, and a Weber WZ34 and WZ68 Copper Cap. They were all very close to each other with the Amperex winning out because it was a little more touch responsive, but my spare is a Weber WZ68 Copper Cap, and they sound within 5% of the tube, and they won't fail easily. They are heavy though, so when hanging down, you may want to check to make sure it doesn't fall out of it's socket.

Greg

Bob at Eurotubes is a great source for all things JJ.

http://www.eurotubes.com/

Read this

http://vintageamps.com/plexiboard/viewt ... =2&t=86059

This site is very cool on Vox info, as well as other amps. Do some searches for some very cool, easy mods and component comparisons.Well worth the look.

Thanks for all the info guys.

I'll let you know how I get on.

WELL?

whojamfan wrote:WELL?

Look, don't bust my chops! OK?

Had to put this project on hold for a few weeks as I'm starting a Troubadour Acoustic club and I'm buying stuff like stage lights, etc.
When I get back onto this, I'll let you know how I get on.
But thanks again for all the invaluable advice and info guys.

Cheers.

Rob.

Mateybob wrote:

whojamfan wrote:WELL?

Look, don't bust my chops! OK?

Had to put this project on hold for a few weeks as I'm starting a Troubadour Acoustic club and I'm buying stuff like stage lights, etc.
When I get back onto this, I'll let you know how I get on.
But thanks again for all the invaluable advice and info guys.

Cheers.

Rob.

I'm sorry

Can you believe my AC30 died on me last week?
The HT fuse had blown so I replaced it but still not a peep.
The amp is now in the hands of a man who knows about these things.