Well...I'm a cool friend

xtremehardy388

I bought my buddy who just started playing guitar and is learning quick a new guitar and amp. I got him a strat squier(I learned on one) after he's been learning on a Takamine Jasmine acoustic. For the amp, I got him a Fender Roc Pro 1000(I have the 700). We're wondering what good brand for tubes is (He has a 12AX7a) and also, what kind of footswitch should we get for the channel/reverb select. FINALLY, does anyone have any opinions on this amp?

xtremehardy388

As for tubes, are these good?


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-12AX7A-7025-Single-Tube?sku=211207

Novawind

Anything that says JJ/Tesla is good quality. I recommend these:

http://tubedepot.com/jj-ecc83.html

xtremehardy388

Novawind wrote:

Anything that says JJ/Tesla is good quality. I recommend these:

http://tubedepot.com/jj-ecc83.html

Thank you! Where can I go to have these replaced or can I do it myself?

Novawind

If there are screws for a backplate (I'm not terribly familiar with the Fenders you mentioned) then you should be able to get that off and replace the tubes yourself. There's really not much to it, just wiggle the tube around in a circle slowly to edge it out and then slip the new one in its place.

xtremehardy388

http://cgi.ebay.com/fender-Roc-Pro-700-guitar-amplifier-amp-1-x-12-w-ftsw_W0QQitemZ160198262640QQihZ006QQcategoryZ38074QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


That's what I have. There's a picture of the back. The tubes are enclosed however.

mccreadyisgod

The tube in that amp is a bitch to get at, so I'd recommend taking it to an amp technician, or at least a music shop where someone's seen the inside of an amp before. It's not like swapping tubes in a normal tube amp, that little bugger is buried in a solid-state chassis.

As far as brand, I'm indifferent... the tube is just a gain stage in the overdrive channel, so it's not like it needs to be very nice. Something with a break-up character that fits the description you want. Anything from a Ruby tube or cheap Chinese tube all the way to a JJ/Tesla. I think when I replaced mine, I just put in a Sovtek or a Groove Tubes.

As far as the footswitch, you'll have to get the Fender switch that was made for the amp to control both the channel switches (clean/dirty, lo-gain/hi-gain) as well as the reverb. Look up the owner's manual on Fender's website and order the footswitch that is listed.

As for opinions on the amp, I've got mixed feelings. Played one for a couple years when money was tight, then put it on a shelf and haven't used it much. It's got plenty of juice for gigs, can get pretty loud, assuming you have a big enough cabinet to play through (I used a 4x10"). It's got a typical clean tone, takes pedals okay except for overdrives. The onboard gain is typical one-tube preamp distortion. Usable, predictable, never great.

Keep in mind it's what's known as a "hybrid" tube amp, where it combines solid-state and tube technology within one amp. In the RocPro's case, the power amp is all solid-state, the clean channel's preamp is solid-state, and the gain channel has a single tube in the gain stage. That means it's an 85% solid-state amp. Marshall makes a similar form of hybrid amp, can't remember what they called those.

Leo Fender made a hybrid amp when he was doing the Music Man amps, where he put a solid-state preamp section in front of a tube power-amp section. THOSE amps are kick-ass.

xtremehardy388

Thanks a lot, that really helped me. I'm thinking of getting a back up rocpro 700(it's what I use) and when I saw the 1000, I HAD to get it for my buddy. It's the only one I've ever seen in the states. I'm using an old Peavey TNT 130 Bass amp as a cab so it sounds nice but my buddy's came with the Fender cab, I think a single speaker cab.

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v171/28/77/1256850092/n1256850092_30031092_660.jpg


If you have a facebook, there's the picture he took of it. I'm wondering how much I should spend if I do find another roc pro 700. Also, thanks a ton for the advise with the tube. Should I still be careful when I move it? When my other friend had his Hot Rod Deluxe, he waited an hour before he moved it because of the tubes but with mine, I don't take the precaution. Is this bad?

mccreadyisgod

xtremehardy388 wrote:

When my other friend had his Hot Rod Deluxe, he waited an hour before he moved it because of the tubes but with mine, I don't take the precaution. Is this bad?

I usually try to baby my tube amps after they've been on for a while, although sometimes you have to unplug and shove pretty quick. I'd always recommend letting the tubes cool down before moving, if possible, but it's not a huge concern. The Roc Pro is less of a worry, the tube is pretty well protected, and it's only a single preamp tube that won't get too hot (as opposed to a power tube).

xtremehardy388

mccreadyisgod wrote:

I usually try to baby my tube amps after they've been on for a while, although sometimes you have to unplug and shove pretty quick. I'd always recommend letting the tubes cool down before moving, if possible, but it's not a huge concern. The Roc Pro is less of a worry, the tube is pretty well protected, and it's only a single preamp tube that won't get too hot (as opposed to a power tube).

*whew* thanks for all the help!