Choosing the Right Amp For the Gig
I just got back from playing a rock show at a very small venue. It’s basically a 30 seat theatre that usually hosts folk acts. I wanted to be able to play hard without blasting…
The Top DIY Tube Audio Forums You Need to Visit
Whether you like to tinker around and tweak existing vacuum tube amps and preamps, make repairs, or design them from the ground up, DIY forums are critical to getting it done well. These communities share…
Practicing Tone
(The following blog is a supplement to our Tone PodCast below) Guitarists spend a great deal of time practicing licks and learning tunes, trying to become the best players that we can be, but we…
What You Thought You Knew About Tube Testers
Tube testers do not always tell the full story. Below is an excerpt taken from the RCA Receiving Tube Manual (RC-30). Now in a time where we often find ourselves consumed with test results, RCA…
JJ Electronic Announces their new Guitar Amp…and it uses a 300B!
At NAMM 2014 JJ Electronic was showing off their new guitar amp – the JJ One. Unlike anything we’ve seen before, this one uses the 300B output tube. You may or may not know, but…
In the Studio – Interview with Geoff Michael – Part II
Part II In the second part of my interview with Geoff Michael at Big Sky Studios in Ann Arbor, MI, we discuss mic preamps and compression. I am always happy with the way Geoff records…
Excelsior! New Fender Amp, Old Tubes
Would you like your Fender Excelsior to have the sound of NOS 6V6 tubes at an unbelievably low price? Well, read on. The Fender Excelsior has been around for a few years now. It’s a…
Papers, Please
About once every two years or so, I pack up my traveling rig and head out for a few weeks of touring in Europe, mostly in Switzerland. It’s great to be able to live the…
Review – Svetlana 12AX7
For several years the original Svetlana 12AX7 tube from St. Petersburg (Winged “C”/SED) tried to develop a good 12AX7 and mostly failed. The current production Svetlana 12AX7 is a New Sensor product and is a…
Review – Gold Lion ECC83 / B759
The Gold Lion ECC83 / B759 is yet another great 12AX7 tube from Russia and another in the line of large plate dual triodes. By my count we have the Sovtek 5751, Sovtek 12AX7 LPS,…
