BJFE / BearFoot fx Guitar Effects Community

Thanks to Donnel I have had the fortune to try an NOS Mazda Silver Plate 12AX7 in position V1 of my Bludodrive and............................................... it has been an AMAZING experience!!!!! I loved my Bludodrive before but it is a whole new love affair going on now!!!!!!!!!! I had to take a double take when I powered back up after inserting the Mazda tube .... Fantastic 3D projection and a warm breathiness that was ethereal............... This was an "Oh My God" experience believe me....................
I now am rethinking about the idea of putting my GEC KT66's in my Bludodrive and seeing if my world is rocked even more!!!

My apologies to Daniel, I'm a bit of an enabler... For those who have not tried them, the Mazda are terrible tubes that sound like a buzz saw, I wouldn't buy them if I were you

Just an Update on my thoughts:

The NOS Mazda Silver Plate 12AX7 that Donnel sent me has been a sentinel event for me when I placed it in the V1 Preamp position of my Bludodrive. Reverence is the best word I can think to describe the sensory experience I felt in my heart when I heard my amp sing with this 3D airiness that I didn't know was possible in a guitar amp. I do have a high end stereo setup that I put together 10 years ago ( which I spent a ton of money on) that has those magical 3D qualities when playing a perfectly recorded CD, like Eva Cassidy Live at the Blues Alley.... or any Chet Baker recording from the 1950's.. Very ethereal...... So I know what that stereo experience feels like....... sitting in a comfortable chair late at night with a glass of Burgandy in your hand and nothing but pure perfection projected out into the space in front of you as if the artist is in your living room playing live just for your pleasure, hearing their very breath.... I didn't think that could ever happen with a guitar amp.... I thought it was a different goal and a different desired pleasure... Yet ...... Oh My God.. there it was, this divine tone spacially resonating in 3-Dimensional depth ...... an impossible dream coming to life in my ears.... ..... For first time I felt this Reverence for this wonderful passion to just play my guitar and be creative in a small way.
I have since added a NOS Mullard preamp tube to the V2 position and an NOS Amperex Bugleboy 12AT7 in the V3 Phase Inverter slot of my Bludodrive and NOS Mazda Triple Mica Silverplates in both the V1 and V2 positions of my Bludotone High Plains Drifter and an NOS Mullard 12AT7 in the Reverb Drive with equally astonishing results...... Thanks to Brandon Montgomery who made these incredible amps and to Donnel who exposed me to these fantastic preamp tubes, I am definitely a convert to what great tubes can accomplish in a great amplifier....

Daniel and I have talked a lot about this stuff. Interestingly many of the tube "guru's" of TGP over the years have posted how overrated the Mazda are. I think this has been good because you can still come across them at reasonable prices if you are patient. To me, in a Fender'ish circuit, there is nothing better for big 3D cleans. They have excellent harmonic content and lots of headroom that makes for that 3D vibe. I actually joked with Daniel not to post how much we both like them. Kind of like talking too much about a secret surf spot.

With regards to power tubes, until recently, I had never tried vintage Tung Sol 6v6gt and there doesn't seem to be much written about them. Having finally tracked down a matched quad, I think they might be my new favorite 6v6. Great smooth OD and very "singy" if you know what I mean. They make some other NOS 6v6 I've tried seem harsh.

One big surprise in current production 6v6 are the JJ's. If you bias them like a normal 6v6 (12 watt) they sound very sterile, but if you bias them the right way (14 watts) they actually become a pretty good sounding tube. For me this means setting them close to 20ma per tube at 445v. My only complaint is that they don't have the same note separation that some of the better NOS stuff has when overdriven.