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 vacuum tube from Russia and another in the line of large plate dual triodes. By my count we have the Sovtek 5751, Sovtek 12AX7…
Review – Mullard 12AX7 / ECC83 Reissue Tube
The Mullard 12AX7 / ECC83 Reissue is a nice vacuum tube but in my opinion better suited to home audio than guitar amps. The tubes have well balanced triode pairs and a very even flat…
In the Studio – Interview with Geoff Michael – Part 1
Part I If you have spent any time in the studio, you know that all recording engineers are not created equal. I like to work with competent people who know how to get good tone…
Keep it Small
If you’ve ever tried to board a plane with a guitar as a carry-on then you know it can be difficult. Attempting to bring an entire band over to Europe on an independent label budget…
