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Sonic Farm/MAS Bass Amp project.
- Thread starter Mark Sacchetti
- Start date
There should be a few of them in the hands of the end users by now. I'm curious as to whether any of them are on this forum or if anyone here knows someone that has taken delivery
Yeah, I read it multiple times and the entire thread. I also emailed sonic farm to see if their design allows other tubes such as 12ax7 or 12au7 to be used safely.
The tube used is an EF86 (or a NOS military variant). It is a pentode tube as opposed to a 12AX7 variant. That's one of the big design elements of Sonic Farm. Pentode sounds different than triode. Every one that has tried it preferred pentode. I think that for solo bass and some other applications triode might be preferrable. You can switch between the two on the Tantra.The one we're using is a Winged C from Russia. There are some other nice ones out there like the JJ. We're also using special tube dampers and Sorbothane (high-end audiophile) feet.
I'll check on the frequencies and let you know.
I'll check on the frequencies and let you know.
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Unless they've changed it, the Tantra and the 2di4 both use an EF86 pentode (single pentode). Twin triodes like the 12A tubes definitely cannot be dropped in directly.
Here is some information about, and sources for, the EF 86 tube.
I will wait to see which tubes will fit best given Sonic Farm's chosen mounting method before experimenting with some different brands.
An interesting note is their susceptibility to vibration. There are a number of guitar combos (and darn good ones at that) with EF86 tubes in their preamp sections. I think that I will invest in an Auralex pad, but I don't think it's necessary. I'm certain that the amp has been designed to be vibration/microphonic free.
EF86 - Wikipedia
Welcome to TubeDepot.com!
EF 86, Tube EF86; Röhre EF 86 ID2011, Vacuum Pentode
How to Get the Best EF86 - thetubestore Blog
I will wait to see which tubes will fit best given Sonic Farm's chosen mounting method before experimenting with some different brands.
An interesting note is their susceptibility to vibration. There are a number of guitar combos (and darn good ones at that) with EF86 tubes in their preamp sections. I think that I will invest in an Auralex pad, but I don't think it's necessary. I'm certain that the amp has been designed to be vibration/microphonic free.
EF86 - Wikipedia
Welcome to TubeDepot.com!
EF 86, Tube EF86; Röhre EF 86 ID2011, Vacuum Pentode
How to Get the Best EF86 - thetubestore Blog
Oh Joyous weekend! I received the MAS tantra preamp + power amp.. it is great. The pentode sounds better to me than the triode mode, and although I don't usually use compression or drive, the built in options are clearly going to change that - it is very easy to get a little compression without losing dynamics. Tip - when you first try it, check the position of the effects loop switch, or you might be worried that the amp is not functioning. The hi pass shelving per the manual is 2K or 4K; I haven't really done much with the sophisticated EQ, and find it a bit intimidating. It sounds great with passive, active, piezo, and with the F115 and MAS Cabs I have used so far. The preamp delivers what I think of as the best of tube sound: smooth, "warm," with controlled and musical distortion and compression - it really is FUN to play through.
Although it is expensive, a beautiful integrated tube preamp/compression/drive/EQ with DI, FX loop, tuner out, and a great power amp - seems worth every penny. Huge thanks to the Sonic Farm guys and Mike!
Although it is expensive, a beautiful integrated tube preamp/compression/drive/EQ with DI, FX loop, tuner out, and a great power amp - seems worth every penny. Huge thanks to the Sonic Farm guys and Mike!
Oh, I thought ahead and got a NOS Tesla EF806S, but the amp sounds so good that I'll just keep it for a spare. I think that the improvement over the factory supplied tube is likely to be minimal. If I do switch to out, I'll report back.
A sighting in the wild! Thanks for the report. Feel free to elaborate as you get more time and experience with the amp!
Really curious about the compression and overdrive. I have no doubt that the pre, eq and amp sections kill. No clue about the harmonic generators. Probably not something I would use.
I don't know how much I would use them (the harmonic generators) either, but I did find them, in my relatively brief time with the amp at the GTG, to be surprisingly... what's the word I'm looking for? Subtle? At lower settings, for sure. Un-effecty? I was expecting something like a slicker Micro-POG, but it wasn't like that at all. Couldn't hear any tracking artifacts and it didn't sound anything (to me) like an octave pedal... seemed to change the character of the sound in a pretty organic way. Dug it with the fretless. Would want to explore that part of the amp further.
- Apr 29, 2003
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- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
Maybe one of your earlybirds can make a little video demo'ing the Harmonic generators in action? I heard the prototype head and was very impressed with the tone and usability of those filters, but I gather that its hard to understand what they do, functionally.
- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
From my experience at Summer NAMM, I would say that these controls add some of that "feel" or "sonic texture" that I associate with good tube gear. They are not obvious-sounding controls, IME/IMHO. I liked them a lot, though.
