Tubeworks Blue Tube

[DirtyDuke]

I just picked up a tubeworks blue tube and have a problem with it.

The output is very weak. To match the unaffected signal I have to max the output of the pedal. Is this normal for these? I like the overdrive, but it is unuseable like this.

So, I put an LPB1 in front and a Boss eq behind, and it sounds awesome, but that 3 pedals and a lot of real estate to get it to work.

Any suggestions othet than what I've tried. Seems the output is way to weak.

[taurus1]

I've had one for years and never bonded with it. mine has weak output as well and a very underwhelming overdrive sound, an extremely disappointing pedal imo.
I'm curious as well if there's anything that can wake this pedal up.
mine sounds nothing like the one JohnK10 built.

[DirtyDuke]

Sounds nothing like the youtube videos either. But it is useable with the LPB1 and an eq like I said. Mine has a new tube in it as well. I wonder if a different tube would work better?

[blindrabbit]

*Qualifier* - Its been 20 years or so since I had mine.

I don't remember the Blue Tube being a really "gain-y" pedal. I used it more to get a mellow grind, to add some warmth to my SWR amps, and it did that quite well.

However, yours does sound like something is amiss. Hopefully someone who is smart about electronic matters will pop by to chime in with some good advice.

[DirtyDuke]

I hope so. I'm good with the od, the output is very weak., I"ll try it with my full rig, but I'm afriad it may not be useable at that volume.

[DirtyDuke]

OK, so with the level maxed the level is almost the same as the clean signal. There is definetly something wrong.

ANy ideas where to start? The ad said it had a new tube, looks new, but could that be the culprit?

Help save this pedal from the trash..........cause thats where its headed if I can't sort it out.

[blindrabbit]

If the pedal is headed to the trash, I'll take it (and will cover the shipping of course!).

Again, my opinion is far less knowledgable than many others here, but I'd be inclined to try a tube swap first. I wish I could help more. I honestly will take the pedal if you decide to trash it though...

[father of fires]

Nothing wrong. The design has super low output.

Use it for dirt. Not for boost.

[taurus1]

I dug mine out and gave it a spin. basically you have to max the output and adjust the gain knob to bring it to unity or beyond (it barely goes beyond unity and is fairly saturated at that point).
if this the intended performance then this pedal is pure fail when it comes to versatility.
luckily it is capable of one good low gain tone which can be eq'd quite well.
seems like a lot of effort in design to be the most narrow one trick pony I've ever played through.

[DirtyDuke]

Thanks guys. I like the sound just wish it had more volume. I'm gonna try it again with a boost.

[father of fires]

Like most old school effects it wasn't designed by a guitarist. But...the most famous users seem to run a whole slew of pedals so the volume may not be a big deal to them.

Also...unity gain is relative. I have one bass that my Blue Tube is quieter than and one bass that it is way louder than.

Either way they have a nice tone. A little dark and compressed but definitely usable as a low gain overdrive. Keep in mind though that most of the overdrive is produced by opamps. If you bypass the tube it sounds almost the same!

[DirtyDuke]

Hey guys, I've spent the last hour messing with this thing and realized the issue.

The high and low tone controls have subtle effect on the tone BUT if you turn them both all the way clockwise the volume drops dramatically, so if I set the high to what would be zero and the low at about 10 o'clock, mids at noon, it is sweet.

Volume is unity with level maxed, my issue was the tone controls. Thanks guys.

I'm gonna use it till my Darkglass Vintage Microtubes arrives...........