All the years I played and used tube amps, I have really never noticed much of a difference. I did the whole thing about buying matched pairs and changing the pre's out to Soviet, or whatever the fad seemed to be at the time. Never really could tell much of a difference between them.

I think it's kind of like the feeling you get that your car is running better because you just washed and polished it. It's not really, but it just seems that way.

That's not to say that tubes don't wear out and that replacing worn out tubes with new ones won't make any difference.... because it will. But if you have good tubes to start with, you really have to have keen ears to hear a difference and I can guarantee you that the crowd from Friday night that comes back Saturday night isn't going to be setting there sipping their drinks saying.... you know, I swear his guitar amp sounds a bit more boomy in the low end than it did last night, I'll bet he swapped his preamp tubes to those new Sovtecs.

Unless you mention it to the band... I doubt that they would realize it either.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
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You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.