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Expensive Tubes In a Cheap Amp! - Is It Worth It?

Darrell Braun Guitar

565,645 views

Is upgrading the tubes in your amp worth the expense?
Today I test out some popular tubes in my cheap $200 tube amp!
If you found this video helpful, be sure to like and subscribe :)

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Part 1- Tube/Amp Walkthrough
Part 2 - Tone Test: 4:34
Part 3: - Final thoughts: 9:55

Soli Deo Gloria!

20 Comments

@Yaboisuhaib 7 years ago Pinned

Really informative channel. So glad I subscribed
Great video by the way

@ricardoa2894 2 years ago

Honestly the stock tubes sound very good, I would NOT change them 👍 very good video

@carsonhc305 1 year ago

If I bought one of these amps, I'd use it stock, then when a tube burned out, I'd replace it with a JJ.

@ivanbrasla 7 years ago

Next step: Upgrade the speaker

@spacepodi 3 years ago

I believe it is vital to ensure you never touch the sockets on the amp that the tubes insert into as they can carry LETHAL voltages even when the amp is unplugged. So take care folks.

@RickGreyson 4 years ago

I just received mine, direct from Monoprice. $279.00 + tax, free shipping. Ordered 3/1/22 and received 3/7/22 via Fedex. Came double boxed and unharmed. I had ordered from Amazon for $9.99 (while waiting for the amp) and received a set of Kaish vintage "aged white" chicken head knobs to replace the amazing CHEAP-ASS plastic knobs that came on the amp. HUGE improvement in quality, and they look great!! The amp came with 3 JJ 12AX7 preamp tubes and two "no-name" EL84 power tubes. I ordered 2 JJ EL84's to replace them. As a 71 year old ex-rocker turned blues player, I enjoy the sound of this amp. I may replace the speaker eventually, but for now, it sounds fine to old tired ears!

@stevieflax 6 years ago

Splitting hairs, stock seemed just as good.

@ArtyShat 7 years ago

New tubes give more volume and slightly more warm, but stock one are absolutely fine

@jasonosmond6896 7 years ago (edited)

It might not seem worth it to sink $120 in new tubes into a $200 amp, but one thing to consider is that amps this cheap are perfect for experimenting. Change the tubes, change the speaker, do what you want to it to find an interesting tone, because you have so little invested into the amp itself, you should consider the amp itself a sunk cost. Worse comes to worst, if you find you're ready to move on to a new amp, put all the old stock parts back into it, sell it, and carry your modded parts over to your new amp, or sell them too.

@MartinCliffe 7 years ago

Difference was mostly noticeable on the high gain tones, and I felt the power tubes made the more significant difference than V1. But I agree, unless you actually have bad, noisy tubes, replacing them on an amp like this makes little sense.

@leaflungbud1609 7 years ago (edited)

Man, When I was about 10 or 12 I would go play and roam in the woods. There was an abandoned house so my freind and I went into this small basement area and we see these things having no idea what they are so what do we do?
Smash em' in a parking lot! :( two boxes full of different tubes. 15 I start playing guitar, now 27 . The kool plumes of vapor they made when smashed now make me cringe, I destroyed the housing of so many souls of tone....

I Repent!

@DarrellBraunGuitar Creator 7 years ago

I know a lot of you guys were waiting for this one!
Enjoy :)

@MMA_POLSKA 1 year ago

Tubes change is just a minor difference, changing the speaker can make a massive difference.

@charlesbell6099 5 years ago

I really enjoy your channel. I began playing in 1962 but I quit playing about 3 years ago. Watching your channel has helped me to want to start playing again. Thank you.

@noahballou6350 6 years ago

You’re always so happy I feel like you could be the next blues clues host

@dontderockmeriz4546 7 years ago

I agree. The amp sounds great stock!

@yodhanhunter 7 years ago

Finally, someone who uses the exact same audio for a shoot out. Thank you! O have always wondered why people don’t do this with a simple looper pedal or reamping for pedal and amp shootouts. It keeps the control and makes the outcome much more accurate.

@TheRealPhillipBWilson 7 years ago

I did notice that the more expensive replacement tubes made for a better sound, in that at the end of the sound bites, I could acrually hear more notes from the last chord a bit more clearly.
To me, it would be worth it to replace the stock tubes with the better replacement tubes and just keep the stock tubes for emergency situations !
Great Show, Darrell !
Thanks, For All That You Do !