Tube Swap in Blackstar HT Dual.

[MusashiChan]

I went with a NOS Philips Miniwatt 12AX7. Much better though. The original Sovtek 12AX7WA does not get good reviews.

Also i noticed that the small pcb panel with the tube/valve was a bit delicate alright.

The sovteck is not made to be a mean valve, it's a strange choice...it's very good as a V3 on vintage amps...
And the little pcb panel is fragile, it's why some prefere to access the valve from the back of the pedal, there's a lot more manipulation but safer.

On the topic i posted, they guy says (in french) to maintain the pcb board with a little screw driver when plugging the valve.

[OzStrat]

Only two minor complaints: the power supply, and the direct output.
The power supply is 16V AC, so that means you can't power it from any pedalboard power supply like the Pedal Power or DC Brick.

The HT-Dual uses 300 volts and nearly an amp of juice. The power supply on my DC Brick is rated at 1.2 amps. Even if it had a 16 volt output, the power supply does not have enough grunt to run the HT-Dual and other pedals at the same time. You would be sniffing the pungent odour of overheated copper, maybe even a spark or two...

[bonscott]

Greetings. I just signed up for the forum. I love my HT-Dual pedal and am awaiting delivery on an HT5 head. I was wondering if there is any shock risk with changing the tube on the Dual, either from the front or the back, even with the unit unplugged. Anyone?

[MusashiChan]

Greetings. I just signed up for the forum. I love my HT-Dual pedal and am awaiting delivery on an HT5 head. I was wondering if there is any shock risk with changing the tube on the Dual, either from the front or the back, even with the unit unplugged. Anyone?

Hi !!
It has been said just in this topic ! Safer by the back, but with care no issue from front...
See you and enjoy !

[bonscott]

Thanks for the reply. I saw that it was safer for the circuit by the back, but I was more worried about safer for me. That is, is there any stored voltage in the pedal after unplugging to worry about, as with the caps in a tube amp, especially if I am going in from the front and "maintaining" the pcb board with a little screwdriver? I have little mod experience.

[MusashiChan]

Thanks for the reply. I saw that it was safer for the circuit by the back, but I was more worried about safer for me. That is, is there any stored voltage in the pedal after unplugging to worry about, as with the caps in a tube amp, especially if I am going in from the front and "maintaining" the pcb board with a little screwdriver? I have little mod experience.

Oh
Just make it safer for your gear, nothing is dangerous (if you unplug the pedal...) !

[Rich_A10]

I'm thinking about trying some different valves, I like the original sound but always keen to try new things. Don't have much experience with valves. Can I buy any valve for any amp and just drop it into HT Dual i.e. is there only 1 universal standard for valves? Any recommendations would be appreciated too thanks.

[HammyHamfist]

Just replaced the sovtek with a mullard ecc83 nos (new old stock) in my HT-drive and its like having a new pedal. First thing i noted about the mullard was it was less harsh than the sovtek really smooth sounding. There was more of everything with a balanced detailed sound across the bass, mid-range and top end and when you raise the gain knob the notes really sing and sustain effortlessly, the whole sound sounds so much bigger almost 3d. I also tried the emulated output into my recording setup and it sounded fab there too instant recorded guitar.

I also put one into my HT-reverb and the same thing richer fuller sounding very nice hammy is a happy chappy for a change lol. So it would seem that changing the valve certainly can make a huge change to the sounds and tones you can squeeze out of a pedal. If you can't stretch to the cost of an nos mullard then the JJ tesla appears to be the best of the modern production.

Cheers hammy

Tip I went in via the front of the pedal to change them, i didn't remove the wire holder i just pulled it back, the key to removing the the valve is to gentle wiggle it from side to side until its out and then wiggle the replacement back in, it took me 20 mins to change the first one and about 5 mins to change the other one

[Rich_A10]

Have put a balanced Tungsol in which by the way looks almost exactly like the Sovtek that's in HT Dual. I don't really notice that much difference, maybe a little more clarity. IMO the only way to get good tone is plug into amp and record with good mic because sound needs air to come alive so changing the valve helps but it's not the be all and end all to get great tone, I think HT Dual is great for fine tuning tone and for sure the ISF has different sweet spots with different guitars however plugging it straight into mixer and recording produces sterile sound IMO. If you want better tone I wouldn't buy new valve and instead put it towards good valve amp or nice mic like SM57, that's not to say new valve doesn't improve tone - it's just not as important as good amp and mic.

[Jono]

I changed the tube in my HT drive and it sounded much better. Tried the same in the HT dual and ended up putting the Sovtek back in. Something went missing when I swapped and I couldn't eq it back in. Used Tesla golds both times. I already have Tesla golds in the amp which is a series one 45. Still using the stock Ecc82 though. Might try changing that to see what happens but I don't have an 82 sitting around. Next time I buy some tubes.

For me tonal nirvana was found by relentless twiddling. The eq and the isf and the preamp/power amp equation are so interactive it took me a long time to get where I wanted to be. Adding the HT dual just made it more complex - another layer of EQ/Gain/isf to get right. I love the tone I have now though and get compliments from other players including other series one players. For the record knocking a lot of bass off the pedal and the amp got me a sound that was fatter. I know it sounds counterintuitive but I find amps often are that way - in the same way that rolling back the guitar tone pot can often give you a more detailed sound.

Anyway I'm looking forward to not having to take the amp to rehearsals. Which is why I wanted the dual as opposed to the drive.