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[skwerl]

I just joined the XXX ranks, picked up a XXX 40EFX. Got a few noob questions if anyone could help me out.

Pulled out the preamp tubes and found a JJ 12ax7 in the first slot (right after input) and Mesa branded 12ax7-a in the positions just before each 'channel', as well as in the post-EQ on the Ultra channel. Power tubes were Sovtek 6L6GC+. Speaker is standard PV Sheffield.






Stock sound was pretty good, not great. So there's a couple of things I wanna try.

(1) change out first preamp tube to a 12at7 for reasons previously stated in this thread. However, I kinda need to do this rather quickly and dont have time to get a JJ (eurotubes). Is there a big difference between a JJ and , say, a GrooveTubes from Guitar Center?

(2) I prefer EL34's to the 6L6. To that end I had a couple of Svet EL34s laying around so I decided to pull out the 6L6, flick the EL34-6L6 switch to EL34, plopped em in and fired it up. MASSIVE LOSS of sound. My farts were louder than the Ultra channel volume turned up to 5. Is this a symptom of the screen grid issue? Or was something else going on? This was a big selling point to me...changing between tube types. If EL34s are virtually unuseable, I cant keep it.

(3) The PV speaker didn't strike me as good or bad. Anybody using a celestion or eminence speaker with better luck? I intend on getting a 2x12 extension cab, most likely Avatar with the V30-G12H30. But for small gigs, i'd go the combo only.

I appreciate anyones input. Thanks, Mike

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by skwerl
I just joined the XXX ranks, picked up a XXX 40EFX. Got a few noob questions if anyone could help me out.

Pulled out the preamp tubes and found a JJ 12ax7 in the first slot (right after input) and Mesa branded 12ax7-a in the positions just before each 'channel', as well as in the post-EQ on the Ultra channel. Power tubes were Sovtek 6L6GC+. Speaker is standard PV Sheffield.






Stock sound was pretty good, not great. So there's a couple of things I wanna try.

(1) change out first preamp tube to a 12at7 for reasons previously stated in this thread. However, I kinda need to do this rather quickly and dont have time to get a JJ (eurotubes). Is there a big difference between a JJ and , say, a GrooveTubes from Guitar Center?

(2) I prefer EL34's to the 6L6. To that end I had a couple of Svet EL34s laying around so I decided to pull out the 6L6, flick the EL34-6L6 switch to EL34, plopped em in and fired it up. MASSIVE LOSS of sound. My farts were louder than the Ultra channel volume turned up to 5. Is this a symptom of the screen grid issue? Or was something else going on? This was a big selling point to me...changing between tube types. If EL34s are virtually unuseable, I cant keep it.

(3) The PV speaker didn't strike me as good or bad. Anybody using a celestion or eminence speaker with better luck? I intend on getting a 2x12 extension cab, most likely Avatar with the V30-G12H30. But for small gigs, i'd go the combo only.

I appreciate anyones input. Thanks, Mike

JJ's are better imho than Groove tubes but they do make some good tubes. The el34's shouldn't be any quieter so you might have a bad tube or something, if it was the screens the 6l6gc's shouldn't work either I believe. IMHO both eminence and celestions are better than the stock Peavey speakers, I prefer eminence myself.

[PRSplaya]

Man! I'm fiendin' to play my 3X in some kinda bad way! Sux because I won't be able to play it until Saturday, since it's at the practice room, and I won't have a chance to go there until then.

[M-III]

Originally posted by PRSplaya
Man! I'm fiendin' to play my 3X in some kinda bad way! Sux because I won't be able to play it until Saturday, since it's at the practice room, and I won't have a chance to go there until then.

Meh, join the club! I have had to relocate my rig to the practice room permantely due to my bitchy ass neighbors complaining about something that can't be audibly heard over a lawnmower outside!!! I was hoping that my trailer(excuse me, manufactured home, this thing has 1 inch drywall and insulation and is as nice as a regular home) would be sufficently soundproofed where I could jam at decent levels at home, however that isn't the case unfortunately as some of my neighbors can hear a fart outside of thier trailer.

But, me and guys are practicing tonight, w00t! Patience my friend, all good things come to he who waits.

[gravfed]

Originally posted by Sordid1


the G-flex is the best match I have used with it. The Marshall 1960's sound good as well as do the Mesa recto cabs. The 5150 cabs are actually a pretty good match too.

+1

Love my 2X12 G-flex. Out of the cabs I've tried the G-flex gives me the best bass response. It has tons of bass that doesn't get mushy, just a really good cab IMO.

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by M-III


Meh, join the club! I have had to relocate my rig to the practice room permantely due to my bitchy ass neighbors complaining about something that can't be audibly heard over a lawnmower outside!!! I was hoping that my trailer(excuse me, manufactured home, this thing has 1 inch drywall and insulation and is as nice as a regular home) would be sufficently soundproofed where I could jam at decent levels at home, however that isn't the case unfortunately as some of my neighbors can hear a fart outside of thier trailer.

But, me and guys are practicing tonight, w00t! Patience my friend, all good things come to he who waits.

I had the same damn problem. I have a house with a full basement and the girl that lives on the side away from the egress window came over at 9:30 and said we were keeping her up. A lawnmower sounds like a jet engine compared to the noise level that was coming out of my basement. She's just an evil bitch and needs to get a life. Also I suspect she's a country fan and that is the real issue, no love for metal just doesn't work for me

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by gravfed


+1

Love my 2X12 G-flex. Out of the cabs I've tried the G-flex gives me the best bass response. It has tons of bass that doesn't get mushy, just a really good cab IMO.

Yeah, I haven't found anything my Gflex doesn't do well yet and the bass is crystal clear like you said.

[ex-250]

the stock power tubes in my XXX just died, and i really havent been able to decide whether id be better off with 6L6's or EL34's. and i dont really know how to describe the tone im looking for very well either. the best i can do is just compare to bands and stuff, so here it goes- master of puppets, mixed with megadeth's live album "rude awakening", mixed with any judas priest, but also able to handle southern metal like down & corrosion of conformity. from that crappy description, what do you guys think id be better going with? if i could just isolate which kinda tone i want more (thrash/classic or southern metal), then itd make my decision a ton easier, but theyre dead even.


i have the 2x12 combo, btw

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by ex-250
the stock power tubes in my XXX just died, and i really havent been able to decide whether id be better off with 6L6's or EL34's. and i dont really know how to describe the tone im looking for very well either. the best i can do is just compare to bands and stuff, so here it goes- master of puppets, mixed with megadeth's live album "rude awakening", mixed with any judas priest, but also able to handle southern metal like down & corrosion of conformity. from that crappy description, what do you guys think id be better going with? if i could just isolate which kinda tone i want more (thrash/classic or southern metal), then itd make my decision a ton easier, but theyre dead even.


i have the 2x12 combo, btw

Get the el34's. The XXX really comes alive with those tubes imho. The cleans are better as well as the lead tone improves. You lose a little low end but there is still a ton on tap. I would suggest JJ's but I have heard the Ruby's are great too.

[stesh]

here is a little question fo you guys out there..

i noticed loss of volume a bit ago and thought i worked it out, but alass no avail..

anyway when i use my footswitch i have a loss of volume unless i kick in the effects loop then a massive jump.. when the footswitch is not attached my god the amp is LOUD as {censored}... im talkin the channel volumes turned down about half way for a practice..

but then again when the footswitch is in i have to have the channel volumes aswell as the master volume about 3/4 3oclock to power over the other amp that our other guitarist uses..

so any ideas guys..

[Sordid1]

I would ask Jerry P since he is a tech but most likely with something weird like that you need to have it serviced. It might be as simple as a bad connection in the footswitch. It might be a good idea to take it to a dealer and try a different footswitch and see if that is the issue, I have never experienced what you describe.

[EpiPaul03]

I have the exact opposite problem. With the footswitch in, the amp gets louder.

The Effects loop can be explained though. You have volume nobs, a send and return on the fx loop. If they are cranked, even if you don't have an effects loop, the effects volume nobs act as almost a power amp volume, that causing the amp to be louder. I hope I explained it good enough.

[Sordid1]

Hey guys I was messing around with my crunch channel today and stumbled across a really cool tone. I just turned the gain down to about nine or ten o'clock and then put the SD-1 in front with the level maxed and the gain at about 9 o'clock as well and it's giving me a really cool overdriven Marshall kind on sound kind of like a JCM 800. I have my mids at about 1 o'clock, treble the same and the bass is at about 3 o'clock with the channel volume set to taste. Anyway I thought I would pass it along because it sounds killer, it would be great for thrashy kind of stuff ala Shadow's fall. Of course I have e34l's in there so it may not be as cool with 6l6gc's but I don't like the amp nearly as well with those tubes.

[M-III]

Originally posted by Sordid1
Hey guys I was messing around with my crunch channel today and stumbled across a really cool tone... *snip*

Haha, great minds think alike. I have been doing that with my rig now for a few weeks, I have a whole set of presets doing something very simular with the JCM800 model and parametric EQ on my RP2000 with the Triple XXX's crunch channel. Very midrangy, punchy and crunchy, it's very distinctive from the way I have the parametric EQ setup with the presets for the Ultra channel now, giving me two psuedo high gainers within one amp, a Recto sounding impersination on the Ultra channel and a JCM uber boosted/modded on the Crunch channel. Definately brings some diversity to the table in my distortion sounds for metal.

[Sordid1]

Hell yeah! The two channels to me sounded different in the first place but by doing this it kind of gives me a suedo version of the crunch channel on the JSX and i'm really digging it. I'm going to try this out in rehersal on Thursday and see if it does as well with the band. That way I can set my level on the ultra a little higher and use that for leads, anyone that thinks you can't get great tones out of a XXX is a moron!

[blueswoman]

Sordid, I found the exact same thing on the crunch channel! Great minds think a like! Seriously, I was messing around, put the gain on 9 and turned on the SD-9 on the crunch channel - this is a great blues tone, I've been playing my semi-hollow ES-333 with this set up.

I've used this amp for 4 gigs now and have gotten great compliments, especially on the "liquidy" lead tone it has. Other guitarists are surprised when they realize the only pedal I'm using is a delay in the loop. I use crunch for rythym and ultra for gain.

I also found the key to this on live gigs is crank the master volume - 2 or 3 o'clock, and use the channel volumes to adjust loudness. Works great.

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by blueswoman
Sordid, I found the exact same thing on the crunch channel! Great minds think a like! Seriously, I was messing around, put the gain on 9 and turned on the SD-9 on the crunch channel - this is a great blues tone, I've been playing my semi-hollow ES-333 with this set up.

I've used this amp for 4 gigs now and have gotten great compliments, especially on the "liquidy" lead tone it has. Other guitarists are surprised when they realize the only pedal I'm using is a delay in the loop. I use crunch for rythym and ultra for gain.

I also found the key to this on live gigs is crank the master volume - 2 or 3 o'clock, and use the channel volumes to adjust loudness. Works great.

when you're right you're right! It does the blues thing great and with a touch more gain goes into metal rythm territory. The master volume up higher is one of the keys to the sound on this amp as well, i'm glad to hear that you are digging your amp!

[blueswoman]

Just read my last post. I meant to say, I use the crunch for rythym and the ultra for leads. Its great to finally get an amp you don't have to use pedals for. When I practice at home quietly, the amp also sounds great. Though at low volumes I use an SD-1 with gain all the way down and level maxed for a little extra. Don't need it at high volumes.

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by blueswoman
Just read my last post. I meant to say, I use the crunch for rythym and the ultra for leads. Its great to finally get an amp you don't have to use pedals for. When I practice at home quietly, the amp also sounds great. Though at low volumes I use an SD-1 with gain all the way down and level maxed for a little extra. Don't need it at high volumes.

I see, I typically wouldn't use a pedal in front of the amp but the sd-1 gives it different sound that I am digging right now.

[troublehead]

Guess I'll chime in. About a week ago I went BACK to the XXX after 2 or 3 years of ENGL, Splawn, Marshall, Mesa, Randall, etc.....
It just makes me happiest tonewise. I spend a lot more time playing instead of tweaking. All for a fraction of the price. Here's what I'm doing:

SED EL34's

Mullard CV4024 in the driver
V1 - JJecc83s
V2 - JAN Phillips 5751
V3 - jjecc83s

Boosting the front with a Bad Monkey - level max/gain zero

EQ in the loop cutting just a few frequencies/boosting none

I ordered some jjecc832's to try in different positions.

I don't understand why people knock this amp. I just wish I wouldn't have wasted all the time I did over the last few years searching for THE sound for me. I was always trying to make the ENGL's sound like Marshalls and the Marshalls sound like Rectos etc...etc....Now I have 4 great sounds. Clean, Blues with Bad Monkey, Classic Rock, Compressed metal tone.

[russ1923]

Ive been using the SD-1 in front of the crunch channel for my rythem for quite some time now, I have the gain at 10 O clock and I have the gain on the SD1 at 8 O clock, it gives me a tight mean rythem sound and I cna play the leads on that sound also -

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by troublehead
Guess I'll chime in. About a week ago I went BACK to the XXX after 2 or 3 years of ENGL, Splawn, Marshall, Mesa, Randall, etc.....
It just makes me happiest tonewise. I spend a lot more time playing instead of tweaking. All for a fraction of the price. Here's what I'm doing:

SED EL34's

Mullard CV4024 in the driver
V1 - JJecc83s
V2 - JAN Phillips 5751
V3 - jjecc83s

Boosting the front with a Bad Monkey - level max/gain zero

EQ in the loop cutting just a few frequencies/boosting none

I ordered some jjecc832's to try in different positions.

I don't understand why people knock this amp. I just wish I wouldn't have wasted all the time I did over the last few years searching for THE sound for me. I was always trying to make the ENGL's sound like Marshalls and the Marshalls sound like Rectos etc...etc....Now I have 4 great sounds. Clean, Blues with Bad Monkey, Classic Rock, Compressed metal tone.

That's really cool to hear. I haven't had a chance to try the ENGL's or Splawn's but from all the amps I have played the XXX fits me the best. The only other amp I have played that I think I like better is the Bad Cat hotcat 30 but for what I do it lacks the brutality I need for rythm work, lead wise those things smoke though. I was talking to our local Mesa dealer and mentioned the JSX, he said that he thinks they are great but a lot of guys still have a stigma with the name Peavey, I also think the mudflap chicks doesn't help but I fixed that on mine. Also not shipping the amp with el34's is a big mistake, imho the amp doesn't sound half as good with 6l6gc's in there.

[troublehead]

Well, I got some jjecc832's to try today. First, I stuck one in V2. I immediately noticed a deadening of the tone. Kind of like a "boxy" transistor type tone. IMO, the JAN GE 5751 is much better in V2 than the 832. You don't get quite as much gain drop off with the 5751, but the tone is better. And I can still get a good classic hard rock gain on the crunch channel with the 5751 there. Next, I stuck the jj832 in VI and I liked the way it made the cleans more glassy. I also tried it in the PI and V3 and thought they sucked there as well. So I'm sticking with this:

PI - Mullard CV4024
V1 - jjeccc832
V2 - JAN GE 5751
V3 - jjecc83s

I also tried out some GT Mullard reissues and they didn't sound so great. But I love them with my ENGL Thunder (for sale on e-bay by the way).

[Sordid1]

Originally posted by troublehead
Well, I got some jjecc832's to try today. First, I stuck one in V2. I immediately noticed a deadening of the tone. Kind of like a "boxy" transistor type tone. IMO, the JAN GE 5751 is much better in V2 than the 832. You don't get quite as much gain drop off with the 5751, but the tone is better. And I can still get a good classic hard rock gain on the crunch channel with the 5751 there. Next, I stuck the jj832 in VI and I liked the way it made the cleans more glassy. I also tried it in the PI and V3 and thought they sucked there as well. So I'm sticking with this:

PI - Mullard CV4024
V1 - jjeccc832
V2 - JAN GE 5751
V3 - jjecc83s

I also tried out some GT Mullard reissues and they didn't sound so great. But I love them with my ENGL Thunder (for sale on e-bay by the way).

I felt the exact same way about the 832 in V2 but a lot of guys dig it. I had it in v1 for a while and it was better but I realized I like the ecc83s's for v1-v3 and the 12at7 in the PI slot, I can still get mid gain tones but it doesn't ruin the rest of the sound. Really I couldn't be happier with my tone!

[ranalli]

Originally posted by Sordid1


I felt the exact same way about the 832 in V2 but a lot of guys dig it. I had it in v1 for a while and it was better but I realized I like the ecc83s's for v1-v3 and the 12at7 in the PI slot, I can still get mid gain tones but it doesn't ruin the rest of the sound. Really I couldn't be happier with my tone!

I'll have to try that. Is your 12at7 balanced or whatever that is?