Guitar players corner!

[Michael Jewels]

I was going to start a separate thread on this question, then I thought twice; we already have a guitar thread.

As I stated above in post #1683, I recently bought a Cordoba Stage electric/nylon string guitar and love it!

This renaissance of playing 6 string guitar has me also playing my other two electrics: a G&L ASAT Tribute Special and a Michael Kelly Telecaster.

The guitar amp I use is a Marshall AVT 20.

20 watts into a 1x10 inch speaker. Solid state power section, but a tube pre amp.

It's a very nice practice amp, but can get loud.

I bought it in 2005, but haven't used it that much in the past 5 years or so, now it's back in the spotlight.

Which brings me to my problem: It's 20 years old, and has gotten little use over the years, but now that I'm using it again almost everyday, it's making a crackling noise.

I've read a little on this, and it says that the tube is old/failing.

So, has this happened to anyone else?

Will it go away?

It has one 12ax7 tube in it, but I've read you can replace this tube with others that will give the amp a smoother sound.

Has anyone replaced a 12ax7 with a different tube, and what was your experience?

Any info is appreciated.

Mike

 

[ajkula66]

I've read a little on this, and it says that the tube is old/failing.

So, has this happened to anyone else?

Will it go away?

It has one 12ax7 tube in it, but I've read you can replace this tube with others that will give the amp a smoother sound.

Has anyone replaced a 12ax7 with a different tube, and what was your experience?

Any info is appreciated.

Mike

I'm not certain that it's the tube that it's failing, it can be a couple of different things. The tube should be tested if you have someone who's able to do it.

Anyway, 12AX7/ECC83 is the most aggressive tube of the 12A* bunch, but it's also a "classic" Marshall preamp tube.

12AU7/ECC82 is the least aggressive one and I actually prefer it if I'm after a really clean sound. It was also a popular choice with certain hi-fi builders back in the day as well.

12AT7/ECC81 is somewhere in between these two. A perfectly acceptable replacement IMO.

There are other tubes which can fit and work, but these are the ones most commonly swapped around IME.

Now, finding a good quality tube nowadays is a bit more difficult than it was a few years ago.

Good luck.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I'm not certain that it's the tube that it's failing, it can be a couple of different things. The tube should be tested if you have someone who's able to do it.

Anyway, 12AX7/ECC83 is the most aggressive tube of the 12A* bunch, but it's also a "classic" Marshall preamp tube.

12AU7/ECC82 is the least aggressive one and I actually prefer it if I'm after a really clean sound. It was also a popular choice with certain hi-fi builders back in the day as well.

12AT7/ECC81 is somewhere in between these two. A perfectly acceptable replacement IMO.

There are other tubes which can fit and work, but these are the ones most commonly swapped around IME.

Now, finding a good quality tube nowadays is a bit more difficult than it was a few years ago.

Good luck.

The amp seems fine, other than this annoying crackling which just started.

I wouldn't know where to start looking for someone to test a tube; it's probably cheaper to just buy a new one.

And speaking of buying, I Googled 12AX7 tube, and Sweetwater came up. They have tubes from about $15 and up.

They also have the other tubes you mentioned. I am very happy with my little Marshall, as it's naturally clean, but can get really dirty really fast.

If I could get an even smoother tone out of it, I'd like that.

Thanks for the reply and the info, Akula, I do appreciate it.

Mike

 

[zontar]

^No experience with that, so can’t say for sure

 

[zontar]

Well that’s really cinched in, wonder what it would be like to play

45

 

[zontar]

Old crowded guitar pedalboard.
Some of which is now on my bass pedalboard.

45

 

[MovingPitchers]

Got my first Fender Stratocaster (that's a keeper) in a long time and I'm extremely pleased.

Player I in polar white and maple. Swapped the modern tuners for the Classic Gear tuners. I have no plans to swap out the pickups because a) I have no knowledge about guitar pickups compared to my vast knowledge of bass pickups and b) the stock ones sound great as is; no need to swap.

 

[Michael Jewels]

Nice looking guitar, Moving pitchers.

Mike

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

Got my first Fender Stratocaster (that's a keeper) in a long time and I'm extremely pleased.

Player I in polar white and maple. Swapped the modern tuners for the Classic Gear tuners. I have no plans to swap out the pickups because a) I have no knowledge about guitar pickups compared to my vast knowledge of bass pickups and b) the stock ones sound great as is; no need to swap.
View attachment 7193268
View attachment 7193270

Nice, I have a similar Olympic White Strat (2010 American Standard). Recently installed Fralin pups in her...

 

[mapleglo]

Gotta love white Strats. I have one too:

 

[James Hart]

Swapped the modern tuners for the Classic Gear tuners.
View attachment 7193268

As someone who owned a pre-CBS Jazzmaster back in the 80s-90s and currently owns a Player 1 series Fender Tele... that is the one mod I NEED to do to mine ASAP.

I put a Tort guard, vintage string tree, vintage bridge, and some late-60s pickup clones from Seymour Duncan, but the tuning machine buttons bug me. They hold tune perfectly, so I will reuse them on my vintage Ibanez, which, for some reason, has SX brand tuners that aren't the most stable. They are next on my purchase list.

 

[MovingPitchers]

Nice looking guitar, Moving pitchers.

Mike

Thanks, Mike! Appreciate the kind words!

Nice, I have a similar Olympic White Strat (2010 American Standard). Recently installed Fralin pups in her...

View attachment 7193305

How do the pickups sound in comparison to the stock ones if you remember? I was thinking of swapping out my stock ones for something else but like people say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Gotta love white Strats. I have one too:

View attachment 7193380

I swear the white paint on my Strat has yellowed a bit because my Player I Precision is also polar white and is much brighter than my Strat but it's still white haha.

As someone who owned a pre-CBS Jazzmaster back in the 80s-90s and currently owns a Player 1 series Fender Tele... that is the one mod I NEED to do to mine ASAP.

I put a Tort guard, vintage string tree, vintage bridge, and some late-60s pickup clones from Seymour Duncan, but the tuning machine buttons bug me. They hold tune perfectly, so I will reuse them on my vintage Ibanez, which, for some reason, has SX brand tuners that aren't the most stable. They are next on my purchase list.
View attachment 7193576

Sweet setup! I only swapped out the tuners because of tuning stability with the modern tuners on the Stratocasters. If you're not using a tremolo then I think the modern ones will do just fine but to each their own. Did you swap the bridge mainly for the brass saddles?

 

[James Hart]

Sweet setup! I only swapped out the tuners because of tuning stability with the modern tuners on the Stratocasters. If you're not using a tremolo then I think the modern ones will do just fine but to each their own. Did you swap the bridge mainly for the brass saddles?

Thanks, it has been a bit of trial and error... but Tele into the Beano into the OD side of the KoT with the RMC3 wah between in to a Deluxe Reverb is the exact voice I was after!

Yes, I was after a mid to late 60s Tele... so I went with SD La Brea pickups which are voiced like Brad Paisley's 1968 pink paisley tele, Vintage Fender bridge plate, but put compensated brass saddles in it (because I do want it to intonate ). I dislike the look of the squared off tuners, so I've almost bought the ones you have a couple times already.

I'm very happy with it but I'm seriously considering a Invalid Link Removed too. Not to put the mirrors on, and it will instantly get a Tort guard... but to have a translucent white on Ash Tele with a rosewood board.

 

[MovingPitchers]

Thanks, it has been a bit of trial and error... but Tele into the Beano into the OD side of the KoT with the RMC3 wah between in to a Deluxe Reverb is the exact voice I was after!

Yes, I was after a mid to late 60s Tele... so I went with SD La Brea pickups which are voiced like Brad Paisley's 1968 pink paisley tele, Vintage Fender bridge plate, but put compensated brass saddles in it (because I do want it to intonate ). I dislike the look of the squared off tuners, so I've almost bought the ones you have a couple times already.

I'm very happy with it but I'm seriously considering a Invalid Link Removed too. Not to put the mirrors on, and it will instantly get a Tort guard... but to have a translucent white on Ash Tele with a rosewood board.

Intonation work on the three barrel saddles must be such a pain in the rear! Even if the barrels are compensated.

That’s what scares me from getting a more vintage looking Tele. Why go through extra work when a modern six saddle set up on a Player or whatnot works perfectly…

 

[James Hart]

Intonation work on the three barrel saddles must be such a pain in the rear! Even if the barrels are compensated.

That's what scares me from getting a more vintage looking Tele. Why go through extra work when a modern six saddle set up on a Player or whatnot works perfectly…

It wasn't too bad actually. But yes, the stock 6 saddle was perfectly fine.

 

[Michael Jewels]

Marshall update:

I took the back off my amp to take a look at the tube that’s supposedly cracking, but I didn’t realize the tube is in a separate amplifier section.

Anyway, I found out I have an English Celestion speaker.

It’s weird: the amp crackles when I play individual notes, but not when I play chords.

So, I’ll be ordering a 12au7 tube soon, and hopefully it stops the crackling and smoothes out the tone.

But, I have to say, I don’t push this amp anywhere near half power, so it still retains the Marshall clarity.

Here’s a photo.

 

[zontar]

46

 

[ajkula66]

46

My first Gibson guitar was a black '77 Les Paul Custom in 1980. Still have a soft spot for them...although I can't see myself buying another one ever again.

 

[ajkula66]

So, I'll be ordering a 12au7 tube soon, and hopefully it stops the crackling and smoothes out the tone.

Just bear in mind that in the scenario of a hybrid amp - which is what you have - the circuit may have not been designed to play well with other tube types. You won't damage anything by installing a 12AU7 but it may affect the behaviour of the amp in more ways than just one.

If it were me, I'd order a 12AX7 along with it just in case.

Please keep us posted, I'm quite curious on how this plays out.

Good luck.

 

[Leigh Semmens]

A late friend had a Gibson SG which was a sweet instrument to play. It hardly got any use by him as he was a bass player! Not sure what happened to it when he died. His kids are all singers, as is his wife. Next time I see her, I might ask.