What tubes for the Engl E530?

[Metalman X]

My new E530 is coming in the mail any day now!

So, now i'm thinking, what tubes would bring out what qualities in this badboy.

Naturally, I'm gonna try out what I got here but, I'd still like to hear the thoughts and experiences of some fellow forumites.

Anywayz, heres what tubes I have on hand:
-2x JJ ECC83 S's
-2x Shenguang (!?spelling?!) "Silver Dragon" 12AX7's
-2x Sovtek 12AX7WA's

I'm thinking the JJ's might work well, since this is supposedly a brighter pre-amp, and the slightly darker tubes may balance well with it.

However, the Silver Dragons have a vicious bite, and wicked gain....but i don't think either of those characteristics will be lacking in the Engl, by any means.

I havent really spent enough quality time w/ the Sovteks to really know how they sound

So...thoughts? Suggestions? Fart jokes?

 

[scott from _actual time_]

if your e530 is new (and not just new to you), it should come stock with JJs. (i've read that early ones didn't, but at some point they changed over and newer ones do.) mine had JJs as stock, even though i bought it used. i tried some Sovtek WXT+s in there, but the JJs sounded smoother so i put them back in.

so you might as well give the stock JJs a thorough try and see how you like them.

 

[renzoip]

Mine, came Engl branded tubes that did not sounded ok. Still, I put some JJ 12AX7's and it made it much better!

 

[Metalman X]

if your e530 is new (and not just new to you), it should come stock with JJs. (i've read that early ones didn't, but at some point they changed over and newer ones do.) mine had JJs as stock, even though i bought it used. i tried some Sovtek WXT+s in there, but the JJs sounded smoother so i put them back in.

so you might as well give the stock JJs a thorough try and see how you like them.

Mine, came Engl branded tubes that did not sounded ok. Still, I put some JJ 12AX7's and it made it much better!

Ah cool.....yes, mine is new. Just snagged off of musicians friend. I'll take a peek inside and see when it arrives. But thats cool, cuz I was thinking JJ's would be a good fit, from what I've read on it.

I'm curious to see what the Silver Dragons might do too....there just full of bite, and harmonics....but from what I've read of the voicing on the E530 it probably has plenty of all that on hand to begin with. The JJ's are probably exactly whats needed to give it some extra punch and depth.

I can't wait til it arrives. I'm thinking Monday, but w/ the holiday, probably Tuesday. The UPS tracking isnt giving me a projected delivery date at this time

 

[onefingersweep]

If I played, rock, metal and alot of leads I would go for JJ's or Ruby tubes (JJ's and Ruby are the same tubes).

If I played Death Metal, or tuned down alot and mainly played rhythm and not so much leads I would go for Sovtek.

I would stay away from Electro Harmonix, worst tubes in the world, extremely boomy, muddy and fizzy.

 

[Metalman X]

If I played Death Metal, or tuned down alot and mainly played rhythm and not so much leads I would go for Sovtek.

Thats pretty much where I'm at....7-strings (duh) tuned down a step. And pretty much alot of palm muted militant chugs, and fast black metal trem-picked stuff. Some industrial Fear Factory stuff creepeing in here and there too.

I got a pair of Sovtek's, so I'll give those a whirl, definately.

 

[onefingersweep]

Thats pretty much where I'm at....7-strings (duh) tuned down a step. And pretty much alot of palm muted militant chugs, and fast black metal trem-picked stuff. Some industrial Fear Factory stuff creepeing in here and there too.

I got a pair of Sovtek's, so I'll give those a whirl, definately.

JJ's are a bit smoother. Sovetek's are a bit more aggressive, feels like they have a little bit more gain also. I think they suit better for aggressive metal playing. But in all honesty, there isn't much difference in tubes brand to brand, in some amps you might not even hear any difference at all, the difference is bigger is you change the type of tube. With that preamp I don't think it's that important because I know it can handle really, really heavy metal with low tunings and it has alot of gain, I just think you should go with a tube that has the least fizz, JJ's are good for that, they sound good in ENGL's. But if you really want to change you sound, change speakers.

 

[Metalman X]

JJ's are a bit smoother. Sovetek's are a bit more aggressive, feels like they have a little bit more gain also. I think they suit better for aggressive metal playing. But in all honesty, there isn't much difference in tubes brand to brand, in some amps you might not even hear any difference at all, the difference is bigger is you change the type of tube. With that preamp I don't think it's that important because I know it can handle really, really heavy metal with low tunings and it has alot of gain, I just think you should go with a tube that has the least fizz, JJ's are good for that, they sound good in ENGL's. But if you really want to change you sound, change speakers.

I getcha'....and your right about speakers. I went from Celestion G12T75's to Eminence Swamp Thangs about 4 years ago, and never looked back. Smoother, less 'honking' midrange, fuller bass, no farting out, no icepick trebel,and wicked high headroom....you can punish the hell outta those things and they don't even flinch. Of course, some people like a bit of speaker break-up and I wouldn't recommend these in that scenario (you'd need ALOT of watts to push these that hard)....but for me, perfect.

Thing with preamp tubes i noticve is it's a more subtle change. Very subtle, but definately there. I just find there a good way to gives slight emphasis to certain characteristics in an amp in a way thats not quite the same as with EQ.

I do think, from waht I'm reading here, that I'll have to give the Sovteks a serious go around in it, just cuz it sounds like they might give me a little more of that rougher edge. But we'll see. All part of the fun, really. What can I say.....I'm a tweaker

 

[raximkoron]

Not sure when they would have changed over to JJ tubes, I nabbed mine about 8 or 9 months ago new, and the Engl branded tubes didn't sound bad, but throwing in some JJ High Gain ECC83's brought out much more complexity of the tone and smoothed out a bit of the fizz, especially at very high gain levels.

I love mine, apart from the mysterious intermittent electrical problems that it had for a while, but it seems to be rock solid again. Just in case though, I have a backup Peavey Rockmaster now... wonder which one I'll actually prefer for a day to day basis...

 

[Metalman X]

Not sure when they would have changed over to JJ tubes, I nabbed mine about 8 or 9 months ago new, and the Engl branded tubes didn't sound bad, but throwing in some JJ High Gain ECC83's brought out much more complexity of the tone and smoothed out a bit of the fizz, especially at very high gain levels.

I love mine, apart from the mysterious intermittent electrical problems that it had for a while, but it seems to be rock solid again. Just in case though, I have a backup Peavey Rockmaster now... wonder which one I'll actually prefer for a day to day basis...

electrical issues? Care to elaborate?

Also, I used to own a Rockmaster. How would you compare the two?

 

[raximkoron]

electrical issues? Care to elaborate?

Also, I used to own a Rockmaster. How would you compare the two?

Well, some sort of muting switch died after owning it for about 3 months, so all the outputs on the thing would barely produce sound. Once that was found and replaced, it worked for a good day before the gain channel would crackle and fizzle out into a clean tone... BACK to the doctor it went (at least it was free) and they hammered on it for a solid week and couldn't reproduce what issues I was having... once I got it back, I haven't had problems since, but it was still incredibly annoying.

As for the comparison between the two, I'd say that the Engl seems to have more gain, which seems a bit crazy at first since it has two preamp tubes and the Rockmaster has 4.

Now, I haven't had a chance to drag my Rockmaster up to the practice location to hook it into my full rig (I just got it a few days ago), but it sounds like the Engl has a scooped tone compared, even with the low-mid and high-mid's dimed.

It also seems that the Rockmaster's knobs are more responsive, or at least they have a broader range of effect.

All that said, It seems that I'm the only one on the intarweb whose ever had a problem with an Engl product... at least I can't find other people complaining about faulty products from them anywhere, and I don't hold it against the company. I also love my e530, especially after throwing some High Gain JJ's in there, and the "clean+high gain" channel sounds amazing for my applications.

 

[Natron808]

Bah MY E530 sounds good but only when recorded and after I've applied a heavy-duty cut on the high frequencies because holy CRAP does this thing have some serious issues with high frequency icepick highs. I currently have the treble knob (which is more like a "screechy fizz" knob) almost all the way down, the high-mid knob (which is more like a treble knob) at about 8 o'clock just to keep my ears from exploding out of my head. I have a stock Engl tube in the 2nd tube spot an a JJ in the first tube socket. Maybe I should change out that second tube as well... but I don't see it doing much good. Thing is a bucket of static fizz.

 

[Metalman X]

Well, some sort of muting switch died after owning it for about 3 months, so all the outputs on the thing would barely produce sound. Once that was found and replaced, it worked for a good day before the gain channel would crackle and fizzle out into a clean tone... BACK to the doctor it went (at least it was free) and they hammered on it for a solid week and couldn't reproduce what issues I was having... once I got it back, I haven't had problems since, but it was still incredibly annoying.

As for the comparison between the two, I'd say that the Engl seems to have more gain, which seems a bit crazy at first since it has two preamp tubes and the Rockmaster has 4.

Now, I haven't had a chance to drag my Rockmaster up to the practice location to hook it into my full rig (I just got it a few days ago), but it sounds like the Engl has a scooped tone compared, even with the low-mid and high-mid's dimed.

It also seems that the Rockmaster's knobs are more responsive, or at least they have a broader range of effect.

All that said, It seems that I'm the only one on the intarweb whose ever had a problem with an Engl product... at least I can't find other people complaining about faulty products from them anywhere, and I don't hold it against the company. I also love my e530, especially after throwing some High Gain JJ's in there, and the "clean+high gain" channel sounds amazing for my applications.

Bah MY E530 sounds good but only when recorded and after I've applied a heavy-duty cut on the high frequencies because holy CRAP does this thing have some serious issues with high frequency icepick highs. I currently have the treble knob (which is more like a "screechy fizz" knob) almost all the way down, the high-mid knob (which is more like a treble knob) at about 8 o'clock just to keep my ears from exploding out of my head. I have a stock Engl tube in the 2nd tube spot an a JJ in the first tube socket. Maybe I should change out that second tube as well... but I don't see it doing much good. Thing is a bucket of static fizz.

Well, by this time tomorrow, should be in my hands, and ripping. i'll definitely be playing w/ tubes, to find the best match for me. Also, I have a Boss 7-band EQ pedal I'll be running after it, to further tweak the tone. And if I happen to need anymore attenuation, the G-Major 2 has a parametric EQ (the pedal only goes to 100hz on the lowest slider, so I may use this to boost around 80hz, and leave the 100hz zone alone. I tend to get more 'thump' and less 'mud' that way....if that makes any sense).

Yep....gonna be a busy day tommorrow.
Too bad I don't have anymore personal time left at work.....

 

[ephrion]

Bah MY E530 sounds good but only when recorded and after I've applied a heavy-duty cut on the high frequencies because holy CRAP does this thing have some serious issues with high frequency icepick highs. I currently have the treble knob (which is more like a "screechy fizz" knob) almost all the way down, the high-mid knob (which is more like a treble knob) at about 8 o'clock just to keep my ears from exploding out of my head. I have a stock Engl tube in the 2nd tube spot an a JJ in the first tube socket. Maybe I should change out that second tube as well... but I don't see it doing much good. Thing is a bucket of static fizz.

Change your tubes dude!

I've got a Mullard RI in V1 and a JJ in V2 and it sounds amazing, even with the treble and high mids fairly high.

 

[onefingersweep]

Well, some sort of muting switch died after owning it for about 3 months, so all the outputs on the thing would barely produce sound. Once that was found and replaced, it worked for a good day before the gain channel would crackle and fizzle out into a clean tone... BACK to the doctor it went (at least it was free) and they hammered on it for a solid week and couldn't reproduce what issues I was having... once I got it back, I haven't had problems since, but it was still incredibly annoying.

As for the comparison between the two, I'd say that the Engl seems to have more gain, which seems a bit crazy at first since it has two preamp tubes and the Rockmaster has 4.

Now, I haven't had a chance to drag my Rockmaster up to the practice location to hook it into my full rig (I just got it a few days ago), but it sounds like the Engl has a scooped tone compared, even with the low-mid and high-mid's dimed.

It also seems that the Rockmaster's knobs are more responsive, or at least they have a broader range of effect.

All that said, It seems that I'm the only one on the intarweb whose ever had a problem with an Engl product... at least I can't find other people complaining about faulty products from them anywhere, and I don't hold it against the company. I also love my e530, especially after throwing some High Gain JJ's in there, and the "clean+high gain" channel sounds amazing for my applications.

The Rockmaster has active EQ thats why it's more responsive.

Just because an amp have tubes doesn't mean that the distortion come from the tubes.

 

[Metalman X]

Well...got it yesterday, and this thing smokes!

It DOES live upto the rep as being a very 'dry' sounding preamp. This is still taking some adjusting for me, as I'm not quite used to that. Mainly cuz it showcases any slop in your playing...hehhhee!

But yes, it does have 'that' sound to it....at times reminds me of 'Nothing' era Meshuggah, at others, newer Iced Earth stuff. Moreso Iced Earth, the way I got it dialed in. Really fast muted triplet grooves sound so badass on this thing. Like a jackhammer!

Some things I've noticed....the majority was correct. JJ ECC83 tubes seem to fit best in this pre. It thickens it up a bit, and tames some of the 'fizz' you may get at higher treble settings. Also, this isn't the bassiest preamp....again, that tightness thing. But this thing is so tight, that even using some external EQ to give a slight boost in the 100hz and 63hz regions, it remains mud free....just adds some nice girth and thump in your palm mutes. An extra EQ is HIGHLY recommended for this. Furthermore, theres alot of midrange in this unit. I find myself scooping a bit more than I would (I typically do a moderate, even scoop...nothing drastic), but it still has that 'cut' in spades.


Well...I'm gonna go play with it some more, and continue learning it (and tightening up my rhythm some more!).

Also....the G-Major 2 is friggin' sweet. Seems a bit clearer sounding than the original...no coloration to your sound. The user interface is even easier to use now (not that the original was that tricky, to begin with), and theres some new stuff in there.....modulated delays are cool...I'll be finding some use of that feature. The Tri-Chorus is very nice! Not sure yet what a Thru-Zero-Flanger sounds like yet....but will be very shortly!

 

[Jimbo_of_the_dead]

What about ruby tubes? My old guitarist swore by them. I need new tubes in mine as well. Any opinions on the ruby 12ax7s?

 

[SevenSkull]

But in all honesty, there isn't much difference in tubes brand to brand, in some amps you might not even hear any difference at all, the difference is bigger is you change the type of tube.

Agreed. I own a E530 and swapped tubes just for curiosity some time ago. I experimented with the stock tubes from Engl, JJ, Telefunken and TubeTown. The differences in tone were subtle, I could only notice a change in gain level.

But if you really want to change you sound, change speakers.

Agreed.