Replace (upgrade) power tubes in HT-40, to do or not to do?

cvogue

Yes, that's Oolong. :)
So I've got a Blackstar HT-40 that some of you know about... :grin:

I've replaced the preamp tubes (JJ and EH) and I like them a lot.

I'm wondering about the power tubes. I've had the amp for over 3 years and it still has the stock TAD EL34's in it. They don't get a lot of love but they've been OK for me... until now (maybe).

Maybe it's a psycho somatic thing but I swear it's not as loud as it used to be and sounds muddier. I had it worked on a while back by a respected amp tech and he said it was biased way too cold and he fixed that, it did sound a lot better. More "oomph".

But since they've been running hotter maybe that helped speed their demise? Could what I'm hearing be tired power tubes?

Wondering if I should bite the bullet and have them replaced. If I do, do you have recommendations for EL34's? Thanks folks!
 
If you’ve been playing loud for three years then it seems totally normal for the tubes to need replacing.
 
Could be the power tubes...3 years could be a long time between changes depending on how often/how hard you drive the amp. If you're a gigging player then 3 years is a long time. I change mine about once a year. My amps always seem to "tell me" when they are done. They make small poping sounds and have volume "flutter".
I would imagine that your amp uses 2 El34's since it's a 40 watter. You can pick up a duet of tubes fairly cheap.
As far as what to buy, that's a question that will get different answers from a lot of different people.
I personally find JJ's sterile but if that's what I have I'll use them.
The SED =C= are great except that they aren't made anymore and the prices are rising and the stock that's available is becoming lower quality due to the dwindling stock.
I would suggest TungSol or Electro Harmonix....
There are some Chinese brands that aren't too bad either (TAD, Ruby).
 
Ahh, good point guys, how hard do I drive them? Figure weekly practice of 2.5 hours at band volume and two gigs a month (3 hours each) on average. Do the math and it averages out to about 200 hours a year. Just realized I've had it over 4 years so about 800 hours on the stock tubes...
 
Ahh, good point guys, how hard do I drive them? Figure weekly practice of 2.5 hours at band volume and two gigs a month (3 hours each) on average. Do the math and it averages out to about 200 hours a year. Just realized I've had it over 4 years so about 800 hours on the stock tubes...
For the relatively small investment, I'd change the tubes.
And I agree, the Tung-sols would be a good selection.
 
I've had good luck with Tung Sol and Mullard but I don't have any EL34 amps. Just EL84 and 6L6.
 
I have JJ power tubes in 3 of my tube amps, both EL84 and 6v6. They are nice and clean and inexpensive and perfectly competent. They don't add a lot of essential character to the amp, but I'm not really looking for that from a power tube. If you want a good, reliable, balanced tube, JJ is it for me.
 
Any votes for Svetlana? Apparently nice Marshally Angus/EVH tones can be coaxed from them. Less bottom end than the Tung Sols though...

Edit: Also what about the new Mullards? They're actually cheaper than the Tung Sols...
 
For new production EL 34 tubes, Winged =C= are really good but pricey. Otherwise EH and Tung Sol would work well in your Blackstar.
 
Any votes for Svetlana? Apparently nice Marshally Angus/EVH tones can be coaxed from them. Less bottom end than the Tung Sols though...

Edit: Also what about the new Mullards? They're actually cheaper than the Tung Sols...
For a duet of Svetlana from Dougs, you're only saving $6 over the Tung-sol and less than that for the Mullards.
Fwiw, I didn't like the Mullards in my Marshall but that's just me. They weren't bad, just not nearly as good as the winged =C= they were replacing.
 
Thanks guys, just pulled the trigger on a duet of Tung Sol EL34B's from Tube Depot.

Will check in again when I have all kinds of questions about biasing! :grin:
 
Update, (also in my "bad idea" thread):


The Tung Sols sound good, actually quite different from the TADs that were in there. The TS's are brighter and have more punch, but not as smooth. The first song we did was "Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty and the other guitar player said that the solo sounded awesome! More organic (less sterile) sounding than the TADs. He was a bit bummed since now my Blackstar sounds a lot more like his JCM800, heh-heh! It is brighter, more articulate and punchier. I like it. I swear these tubes don't break up as much as the TADs, Seems like I need the gain increased a bit to get there but it's all good.

One thing I found interesting, I could get those elusive 4th fret harmonics more easily (actuall all the harmonics were easier) with the Tung Sols.

Does this sound familiar to all you Tung Sol fans out there?
 
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