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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Tube Works Real Tube OD?

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4/1/2000 7:40 AM

Tube Works Real Tube OD?

lemme break this out here separately:

quote:
"As for the tubedriver placement- it's simple- that thing makes other pedals sound bad becuase of all the AC hum it emits. Try it sometime- it's a noisy pedal that needs to be carefully placed. It induces hum in everything. Though it's not on a seperate block of wood, my tubedriver is happy only in certain places on my pedalboard."

uh oh, i just bought a tube driver off the i-net--should have it in 10 days. is this a good sounding OD pedal, despite hum problems?
here's the advt. to which i responded:

quote:
"Tube Works brand "REAL TUBE" Overdrive Pedal for guitar. Concept and design by: B.K. Butler. It is powered by AC only and houses a real 12AX7 pre-amp tube. You can get a huge range of tones by safely using a 12au7 or 12at7 tube as well. It has a 3 band EQ, a output-level and overdrive control as well. This is a early black model from 1993 and has crome ring around the on/off switch, just like the anodized models."

anyone experimented w/ diff. pre-amp tubes other than 12AX7? i play blues. any tips for using w/out terrible hum?
thanks, bill

4/1/2000 7:02 PM

I swapped the 12AX7 in my (BK Butler) Real Tube for a Philips 12AU7, and like the results very much. The gain "behaves" much nicer, and is easier to control. The distortion is a bit softer and sweeter than with the 12AX7. I have a couple comments to make on these pedals (incl. the Dean Markley Overlord). The power supply does seem to induce hum in these pedals, likely a design flaw. The AC cable also seems to induce hum in some of these pedals, especially where the cable meets the casing of the pedal. I have noticed that even bending the AC cable in certain directions can reduce or enhance hum.
Lastly, there seems to be a certain range of odd-order harmonics produced by these pedals which, IMO detract from the musicality of the device. These pedals where mass-produced with fairly cheap components, and while I love "cheap" tube pedal devices (I have had several), I am going to keep my eyes open for a Matchless Dirtbox or a Budda Phatman. I really have grown tired of searching for a cheap "holy grail" tube distortion pedal. If anyone has found one, please let me know!!!

4/2/2000 12:31 AM
JES	I have one of these, the black pedal. I haven't really noticed a hum problem with a SFPR. Has anyone done any mods to these other than changing the tube? How does this pedal compare to the other tube/ss distortion pedals?

4/1/2000 7:45 PM
Jim Radmer	I had a 19" rack version of the Tube Driver by B.K.Butler. It did NOT have any AC hum at all. I had it mounted with an ECC82, this is equal to a lower gain version of the 12ax7. I don't remember the correct name 12AU7 ot 12AT7. DON'T get a Sovtek tube, you loose half the output. I did anyway. Cheap yugoslavian or Chinese tubes should work. Check Harmony Central reviews for this.

4/1/2000 7:57 PM

quote:
"I had a 19" rack version of the Tube Driver by B.K.Butler. It did NOT have any AC hum at all."

That is interesting! But not unusual, seeing that the rack version would provide more space for the components,as opposed to the compact nature of the pedal design!!!

4/2/2000 4:29 AM

quote:
"I had a 19" rack version of the Tube Driver by B.K.Butler. It did NOT have any AC hum at all."

I traced a B. K. Butler tube driver, the earliest, before the patent, and it did not have any hum at all as well. I really didn't like it at the time because it was extremely harsh but I think now, having read all these threads, that it may have been just because of the tube that was in it.

--johng

4/2/2000 5:13 PM
bill	when i receive this pedal i think i will try a 5751 preamp tube--these cut the gain and are supposed to be very quiet and toneful tubes, a sort of tamed 12AX7. supposedly SRV used them in his BF amps. bill

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