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Hartke 3500 preamp tube

#2
the amp comes stock with Sovtek 12ax7wa tube.

You can change that with any other brand's 12ax7 type or ecc83 type. (ecc83 is the European equivalent of the 12ax7).

There are no better sounding or worse sounding tubes, different brands will result in a slightly different sound. You'll have to listen to them yourself and decide which one you prefer.

I changed my pre-amp tube in my 3500 today to a JJ ECC83s tube. I like how both the stock Sovtek 12ax7wa tube sounds and the ecc83s.

I left all my settings on the amp flat and with EQ off, SS off and the tube level at the same level when i compared both tubes.

To my ears, the Sovtek had more bass and louder while the JJ had noticeably less bass and softer. To this aspect, I like the result of the Sovtek sound because it has more bass.

But the Sovtek sounded harsher and the JJ sounded smoother.

In the end, I decided to put the JJ ecc83s in there for the smoother sound, thinking that lack of bass can be remedied by EQ and Low pass filer, and lack of volume can be remedied by turning up the volume knob.
 
#3
What a coincidence! I, quite literally, just got done swapping out the stock Sovtek with a donated J/J ECC83. I haven't hooked her up to speakers yet but the head didn't explode when powered up so I'm halfway there. If I'm not happy with the results, I have an EH and GrooveTubes that I can try.

Riis
 
#4
after you changed it, did you notice that the metal ring seated on top of a rod that holds down the top of the tube gets pretty lose now?

mine was pretty tight (rod screwed onto the circuit board) when I remove the stock sovtek tube, but after a few swaps in and out with the JJ to compare the sounds, the rod became pretty lose now.

did that happen to you too?
 
#5
Marill said:
after you changed it, did you notice that the metal ring seated on top of a rod that holds down the top of the tube gets pretty lose now?

mine was pretty tight (rod screwed onto the circuit board) when I remove the stock sovtek tube, but after a few swaps in and out with the JJ to compare the sounds, the rod became pretty lose now.

did that happen to you too?
Click to expand...

No it didn't. I freed up the retainer ring by loosening the screw and swinging the whole schmear 180 deg. out of my work field. I wish you said something sooner as I've already replaced the lid and remounted the stupid thing in its official "Hartke" carry box (doesn't really qualify as rack-mount). I know the silver ring can be re-tightened; how 'bout the rod?

Riis
 
#6
Zooberwerx said:
No it didn't. I freed up the retainer ring by loosening the screw and swinging the whole schmear 180 deg. out of my work field. I wish you said something sooner as I've already replaced the lid and remounted the stupid thing in its official "Hartke" carry box (doesn't really qualify as rack-mount). I know the silver ring can be re-tightened; how 'bout the rod?

Riis
Click to expand...

I tried loosening the screw but it was too tight, and was glued in place by some green glue. So what I did was to pry it over the tube and swing it to the side. Bad mistake I guess....

I don't think the rod could be tightened coz it would mean accessing the underside of the circuit board, which would mean a major disassembly work, so I guess i'm gonna leave it as it is... loose and floppy...

unless the bottom of the amp is like the top where you can remove the bottom plate to access the underside, but like you, I've already put it back into the carrying case....
 
#9
I did that swap when i had a 3500. I changed it with a Mesa 12ax7. It added quite a bit more gain to the preamp section. It's very straight forward, just pull the old one out and plug the new one in pretty much.
 
#12
i changed the stock out with a jj tesla "high gain" 12ax7 and It IMHO really boosted the mids and overall level. no notice in bass or treble loss/gain, but def in the mid mids and lower mids and in volume. I am satisfied. YMMV but for a cheap 10-15 bucks an easy upgrade I think.
 
#14
If you really want to open up the can of tone, try going with a vintage NOS or even a good used vintage tube. My personal favs in my 3500 are Telefunken, RCA black plate and Amperex Bugle Boy.
 
#17
B-string said:
Just my personal opinion but I would not waste a vintage tube in the middle of an opamp signal chain. Too much like microwaving a filet mignon.:)
Click to expand...

I'd go a step further. I've talked about this amp and the tube multiple times on TB and its easily searchable.

A big part of the way a tube sounds is the circuit that it is integrated into. The 3500 has a nice implementation, but don't expect it to make HUGE shifts in your tone, as it really adds 'bonus tube color' rather than being the tone generator for the amp. Also, the amp was designed around modern tubes and how they sound. As such, I've found they work best. I've tried a bunch of 12AX7's, Mullard, Sylvania, GE, Telefunken, RCA, etc. and for that circuit thought that the best sounding option was a (then) current production tube, an Ei. The rest sounded too 'soft' and warm without much definition or punch to them.

I'd suggest not spending a bundle on a NOS/JAN classic for this purpose. Go for a modern production tube of your choice...JJ, Shuguang, New Sensor brands (Gold Lion if you're feeling spendy).

My tube experience consists of (but not limited to) using: Mesa 400+, SVT, Fender Twin Reverb, Deluxe, & VibroChamp, Kern IP-777, Jule Monique...
 

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