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New Amp Week: Valvetech Vac25


Jakeboy

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Ok...only had this baby a couple days...kudos to our @0054 for an awesome packing job and a glorious freebie thrown in...THANKS Rodi for a wonderful transaction.

First impression is that this may be the finest amp I have ever played....And I have been playing since 1978 with a lot of nice amps. I know I am honeymooning, but it sounds so , well...professional. The tones are complex and rich...and HUGE. You all told me to take my time and learn the amp. There are a LOT of tones in this amp. I am pleasantly surprised that this amp is its own thing....I know Ch1 was based upon a 5f6a tweed Bassman, but it does not sound exactly like one...and Ch2 sounds very Voxish to me until the gain comes on. The gain does have some tweedy feel with the saggy 5u4gb rectifier.

The cleans are full and simply to die for on both channels. The boost circuit is awesome. I like it fairly low...below noon on the dial. Lots of gain there. 
one thing rip that has blown me away is the nature of the highs....never strident or piercing, yet it is enough for most applications. Very thick and complex highs, I think this is where some of the magic tone lies in this amp. 
Jumpered inputs give the amp yet another sound that is awesome and useable!

The ay7/ax7 switch is useable as is the  Presence Knob on the back. It seems li,e everything on this amp affects the tone and is a useable control. That is cool...yet it is all intuitive and easy. 
The speakers are Celestion G10 Vintage. I have JJ 6v6 which I will likely swap for some old RCAs at some point. I have an RCA 5u4gb In the red tube slot. I will try a Mullard GZ34 there to see how I like it tightened up a bit. Preamps are GE 12ax7s. I did swap in an RCA 12au7 for the 12at7 as reverb driver because the verb was too much for me. I had it barely cracked on. Much better for  me with the 12au7. I like just a touch of verb for some sugar....

I will try some other speakers -Red Fang 10 and G10 Greenbacks to see if they add a touch more treble . I wonder how much much of the amps touch responsiveness and complexity is found in these Celestions?  I’d like a touch more treble when using humbuckers. The GZ34 May help but speakers make the big difference there.

I know I am rambling but damn, what an amp. I do foresee at least two of my other amps going on the market if this works out like it is shaping up (yes Rodi you have dibs on one of those amps! ;) ). I will track with this amp this week.REALLY looking forward to it.

Oh, gotta say this is the best Master volume I have ever played, by far. Even barely cracked on the master, the tone is full, lush, and big.

It takes pedals extremely well.

Bottom Line: As a guitarist who loves all the classic tones, I can honestly see this amp combined with my guitars, becoming MY sound. My Blonde Bassman almost did that, but not quite. 
You guys were right, Valvetech Amps are truly incredible instruments that get played just like the guitar.

Please offer any tips, settings, speaker matches, whatever works for you on your Valvetech.

 

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I want it back!

Seriously, I had production tubes in it and once I got used to it, I loved it. I know it is where it should be!

Enjoy!!

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Glad you like the amp. Ch1 volume has a switch at pos 0. Kind of move it to -1. That offers more natural tweed sound. Ch2 volume is to dial in the gain on it though. It’s got so many options to keep you busy conquering the amp for years if you wish. Mine is a 1x12’’ that I’ve put an Eminence hemp cone in. Lovely!

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I am always amazed at how much a tonal difference seemingly little things can make....before playing the Vac for a couple hours I pulled the 5u4gb rec tube & slapped in The best, a real Mullard GZ34 I have been saving for a special amp. I typically like the saggy 5y3 tubes, but the GZ34 tightened the amp up, reduced bass a bit, and brought in some brightness with the increased voltage. It now sounds More like a tweed Bassman on Ch1, bright and Voxy on ch2, and everything from tweed to Marshall when using the boost or jumpering.   Buckers are as happy a singles now, with a simple rectifier change. I’ll try the 5u4  ext time I play to make sure I am not hearing things.

Next was a speaker comparison. I brought out a 2x10 with Greenbacks....that added even more to the Marshallesque tone and was very familiar to my ears. Brighter and crunchy, they break up faster but sound excellent. The Red Fang will be next and I expect it to greatly add to the Vox vibe on channel 2. I may pull one of the Celestion Vintage 10s and throw a GB in there to see how they mix...,I have a spare just sitting around. 
 

The Shishkov sounded wonderful in the amp today especially with edge of breakup tones....this amp is incredible. I tried it with an attenuator so I could crank the power section a bit. Rock and roll!

 

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Actually, I have an AC15 next to the VAC and never came to the idea to hear a Vox in Ch2. Interesting. But, as you just discovered, an attenuator is a great tool to add. I’m having a Weber minimass lying around up close, but use it rarely since the master volume does it great.

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I should say Voxish in that with the presence and treble cranked there is a ton of chime...and chime always make me think Vox.

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1 hour ago, bubs_42 said:

@velorush, ya thanks for not being able to put those "Big Boy" Panties on. LOL 

So many great amps, so little time, but the VAC is at the top with the best of them in my book. 

Thong, but glad to oblige. 

I've been willing to gamble on Lovepedal - vague, ethereal descriptions of a general idea of what the item might do - the Valvetechs are enough money I'll wait until I can actually play one.  In the meantime I can vicariously enjoy @Jakeboy's purchase (without regert).

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Pulled the JJ 6v6s last night and threw in a nice matched set of old RCAs....plate  voltage is high....we will see how long they last. The JJs take up to 500vdc but man those old RCAs just sound so sweet. The crunch is awesome and they bring down the volume as compared to other JJs a touch.i went back to the 5u4gb as rectifier as it brought the plate voltage down about 20vdc...and the RCAs are bright enough to make the buckers happy. I should record with the amp this weekend. Still looking at swapping in GBs for the Vintage 10 SPEAKERS.
 

The amp will go to a blues jam next week where I will get to crank it a bit at stage volume outside.

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Bob at Eurotubes told me the JJ 6V6s are much more like 6L6s in construction. 

I substituted them for a while in a first-generation Fender Supersonic (503 Plate Volts - TVA Power means we have really high wall voltage here in the Tennessee Valley) and they had no trouble keeping up.  It didn't make that much difference in volume (what I was after) but definitely allowed earlier and very nice breakup in the Bassman / Vibrolux channels.

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4 hours ago, Jakeboy said:

Pulled the JJ 6v6s last night and threw in a nice matched set of old RCAs....plate  voltage is high....we will see how long they last. The JJs take up to 500vdc but man those old RCAs just sound so sweet. The crunch is awesome and they bring down the volume as compared to other JJs a touch.i went back to the 5u4gb as rectifier as it brought the plate voltage down about 20vdc...and the RCAs are bright enough to make the buckers happy. I should record with the amp this weekend. Still looking at swapping in GBs for the Vintage 10 SPEAKERS.
 

The amp will go to a blues jam next week where I will get to crank it a bit at stage volume outside.

 

3 hours ago, velorush said:

Bob at Eurotubes told me the JJ 6V6s are much more like 6L6s in construction. 

I substituted them for a while in a first-generation Fender Supersonic (503 Plate Volts - TVA Power means we have really high wall voltage here in the Tennessee Valley) and they had no trouble keeping up.  It didn't make that much difference in volume (what I was after) but definitely allowed earlier and very nice breakup in the Bassman / Vibrolux channels.

Waitaminute...500+vdc plate voltage on 6V6 tubes?  :blink: :wacko:  Not to sound like a wet blanket (again! :rolleyes: :lol:), but aren't there cheaper ways to have a cookout on Labor Day?  Good 6V6 tubes (especially vintage RCAs) aren't getting any cheaper or more plentiful that I know of.

I woulda thought putting more plate voltage on tubes, higher than what the tube is rated for, would make the amp sound cleaner and breakup later.  Or am I wrong?  Is there something in there somewhere that I'm not picking up on?  Inquiring minds wanna know!

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Just another Rabbit Hole. It comes down to your ears in the end. New, NOS, or just plan vintage, but the 6v6S JJ's are my go to for 6v6's. When we are talking 6l6's the Short Bottle Black Plate Reissues are bigger sounding than the JJ's but not as much bottom end as the bigger bottle 6l6's. My ears live in the middle somewhere between a 6l6 and a 6v6. 

Jakeboy will get this thing to maximum RNR in no time and then we will all get to hear it in all of its glory. 

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3 hours ago, Jakeboy said:

The amp will go to a blues jam next week where I will get to crank it a bit at stage volume outside.

Jakeboy, I hope you have a roadie, cause that thing broke my back the two times I moved it!

The amp sounded great with those production tubes, I can't imagine what NOS tubes sound like.

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Lol, no roadie...but my Bluesbreaker was really heavy...this one is hefty but not too bad. 
@crunchee, , my plate voltage is nowhere near 500vdc...I am right in the range of a Deluxe Reverb, which is still pretty hot for a couple 6v6s...but the old 6v6 are rugged...until they’re not.  I use JJ 6v6s in my blonde Bassman just to bring down the volume and they work fab for me in that context and they run 475 vac without batting an eye. JJs are different. I love the earlier breakup and sweet crunch of old USA made 6v6s. They are slightly quieter than JJs too. Every bit helps for playing at home. If the old 6v6s die fast I’ll go back to the JJs. They sound wonderful in their own right.

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5 minutes ago, Jakeboy said:

Lol, no roadie...but my Bluesbreaker was really heavy...this one is hefty but not too bad. 
@crunchee, , my plate voltage is nowhere near 500vdc...I am right in the range of a Deluxe Reverb, which is still pretty hot for a couple 6v6s...but the old obese are rugged...until they’re not.  I use JJ 6v6s in my blonde Bassman just to bring down the volume and they work fab for me in that context and they run 475 vac without batting an eye. JJs are different. I love the earlier breakup and sweet crunch of old USA made 6v6s. They are slightly quieter than JJs too. Every bit helps for playing at home. If the old 6v6s die fast I’ll go back to the JJs. They sound wonderful in their own right.

I just realized that the Valvetech and the Supersonic that Velorush was referring to are two different animals.  D'oh!  Being "socially distant" must be making me 'brain cloudy'. :rolleyes:  Sorry for the confusion, never mind!

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I didn't help with my non sequitur - my point was the JJ 6V6s differ from most 6V6s in that they are more robust and their construction is more like the larger 6L6.  It was the Supersonic (the first, 60w version) that measured plate voltage of 503V while I was setting bias.  That is a 6L6 amp into which I substituted JJ 6V6s.  Bob (Pletka) said this was fine for JJ 6V6s, but absolutely not for any other 6V6s. 

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10 hours ago, 0054 said:

cause that thing broke my back the two times I moved it!

You want to say it needs to have a gym to handle the amp? I do a lot of swimming and otherwise ‘gym’ regularly, so it never broke my back. Maybe I missed out on something RnR though. B)

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Ok...in case anyone cares....I cycled through several rectifiers and power tubes....a saggy 5y3 rectifier with old vintage 6v6gts sounded very tweed Fender and was quite touch responsive...but the plate voltage was Still too high to keep using the old RCAs...so back to the JJs...putting in a Mullard GZ34 tightens the amp up and makes it sound quite Marshally and increases the brightness. With this tube complement, the Vintage G10s sound just great. I have Red Fangs, Greenbacks, and a killer EV SRO in ext cabs that I can sub in for other recording flavors. The G10s just bring the rock.

The final tone tweak was a Matsushita 12ax7 in V1..,think Japanese Mullard made on Mullard tooling.

Today I recorded a cleanish 12 string track on channel 2 of the amp which still sounds kind of Voxy to me. Track came out perfect.

I also found which ODs worked with 0006 in this amp. The Lovepedal White Zen is the one.

So this amp is just so versatile. Still trying to learn all the tones....

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^ That's a level of perfection I may never reach. I do hear differences. But am not able to work tubes out on voltage level.

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My old Valvetech was the best amp I ever played. It was the one on Rob's old website which I designed. I'd a kept it except we have no drummer now and for a duo it was really overkill.

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