Mullards

bntylr

I've got almost set of original mullards - that which I found in a Selmer I discovered in my loft a few years back.

Number 1: are they likely to be any good and how do I test them without a valve tester?

2: Whilst the Selmer is awaiting restoration would it be worth sticking some of the preamp section of my Blackstar? Not sure if it'll make enough of a difference or if I can actually do that anyway.

3: If they are any good what sort of moneys are they worth? I wouldn't want to part with them but it's just be interesting to know!

Thanks guys!

relic245

A while ago I put mallards in the preamp section of my artisan 30 it did make a difference and sounded great, a little more vintagey if you like.

After a bit one went microphonic and I switched back to the originals and tbh it didn't sound much different. For the £30 or so I'd paid for an ecc83 and an ef86 I decided it wasn't worth it.

You can just switch in preamp valves and see what difference it makes, power tubes need a rebias.

hywelg

relic245 said:

A while ago I put mallards in the preamp section of my artisan 30 it did make a difference and sounded great, a little more vintagey if you like.

I bet that made it quack a bit.......

ICBM

bntylr said:

I've got almost set of original mullards - that which I found in a Selmer I discovered in my loft a few years back.

Number 1: are they likely to be any good and how do I test them without a valve tester?

2: Whilst the Selmer is awaiting restoration would it be worth sticking some of the preamp section of my Blackstar? Not sure if it'll make enough of a difference or if I can actually do that anyway.

3: If they are any good what sort of moneys are they worth? I wouldn't want to part with them but it's just be interesting to know!

Thanks guys!

The 'Solus' looks like a relabelled Mullard as well. However, the chances are that it's not a well-matched pair so they may not give the best performance in an amp like a Blackstar.

1. Yes. With preamp valves, put them in the amp and see if they sound good and aren't noisy or microphonic. Power valves are harder to test and I wouldn't advise trying them in an amp unless you have some way of measuring the current draw. The worst case scenario is that one could blow and take out a component in the amp, although with a Blackstar that's very unlikely.

2. Yes, try it.

3. Hard to say without properly testing them, but check Ebay for "untested" Mullards and you should find a good guide. Way more than nothing, anyway!

digitalscream

For what it's worth, a mate and I put a set of Mullards in a Soldano-based preamp he was putting together, and it sounded properly awful - so bad, in fact, that we thought the valves had finally expired. Put them back in a vintage-style amp, and it sounded great.

@ICBM would probably be able to correct me here, but I suspect that modern preamp circuits are designed with modern (crap) valves in mind and don't perform so well with really good valves.

ICBM

I've always found that modern amps sound better with old-production valves even if they have been designed with new-production ones. (That includes you-know-who's SLO.) I can't think of one amp I've ever heard which has sounded better with anything new compared to anything old that wasn't actually faulty - even though there's a wide variation in both.

Another friend here has reported that an EL84 amp he's built sounds better with a Sovtek than a Mullard though - and he's an old-production fan!

Personal taste, obviously...

ESchap

Untested might be just over £100 worth.  Add 30-50% more for tested.   If you want them tested, I've got an AVO valve tester and I'll happily do it for free.

 

 

ESchap

ICBM said:

Another friend here has reported that an EL84 amp he's built sounds better with a Sovtek than a Mullard though - and he's an old-production fan!

Personal taste, obviously...

 

 

Ha!  only because the Sovtek brightened up the dark tone I was wrestling with.  However, I noticed with the Sovtek that after the amp was on about 20 minutes or so I started getting artefacts on notes when it was cranked.  Put a 54 year old, well used Mullard back in and the problem doesn't happen.  So guess what .... shiny new Sovtek got ditched

:x

bntylr

I had worked out that the Solus was gunna be a rebranded mullard, they look pretty much identical on close inspection. My Blackstar is 6L6 based though, so only the preamp section would get the treatment.

So; I have 5 valves that look like they'll be switchable to a Mullard, but I only have 4 to replace them with... the question is which ones do I swap? I assume it's ok to mix preamp valves? I understand that it gets more difficult with power.

I'll be sure to comment on the change in tone if I do go ahead with this. I'm sure the neighbours will too.

ESchap said:

Untested might be just over £100 worth.  Add 30-50% more for tested.   If you want them tested, I've got an AVO valve tester and I'll happily do it for free.

Did I speak to you on MR forum about this? Did put a post up on there about my selmer and someone offered. 

ESchap

Yeah, think that was me.  Offer holds if you want them tested.

 

Cant advise you specifically about the Blackstar.  But normally you start with V1 as on most amps that will have the most influence on tone.  If you don't hear a discernible difference there, its unlikely you'll notice much on the valves that come after that in the chain.  Mullard ECC83's may give a slightly darker tone than e.g. Russian preamp valves but you can sort that with the amp EQ, but they should be overall smoother with richer harmonics and won't get so spiky when cranked, simply more "musical".

bntylr

Just did the deed and am already noticing the difference.
Switched out the 4 ecc83s for the mullards and left the original TAD ecc82 in there (which I believe is in v1).

Definitely more resposive, cleans up a lot nicer with the guitars, and responds well to changes in guitar too, really brings out the voice of each one.

I've had to play around with the eq a fair bit, especially in the higher frequecies as the mullards are noticeably brighter but the mid range (which is where it counts) is smooth and has an amazing clarity on all 4 channels.


Overall feeling is I made the right decision. Thanks guys!