FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Mesa Boogie Subway

Question:
I recently purchased a Mesa/Boogie Subway Rocket amp. While I love the sound of the amp, it is very noisy. Currently it has (4) 12AX7's in the preamp and (2) EL84's in the power amp. I had one of the preamp tubes go microphonic, so I replaced it with an ECC83 Groove Tube (it was what I could get my hands on quickly). The other tubes are stock M/B tubes. I am looking for tubes which will significantly reduce the noise if not eliminate it. Any recommendations?

Answer:
Thats the nature of that beast. I went around it by dialing out the hiss as much as possible. Take your amp, turn it on, but don't plug in the guitar or cable. Turn the knobs every way possible and listen to how the treble frequencies become hissy at certain settings. The treble in my Subway Rocket Reverb is at 5-5 1/2 max, and the midrange is at 3 or less. The clean sound is not hissy, is it? It isn't on mine..just the ass-kickin' gain contour channel has the 'hiss. I don't know what kinda music or guitar you use, or pickups. Tell me and well keep talking about this if you want. I use an American Deluxe Stratocaster with alder body, rosewood fingerboard, Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups, 10s for string guage ( pure nickel wrap only ), George L. cables, and for pedals: only a Boss TU-2 Tuner pedal, a Vox true-bypassed Wah, and an original script-logo MXR Phase 90. Do you use pedals in your rig? What kinda pickups? As far as tubes, I use Mesa NOS Sylvania EL84s. The preamp tubes are gonna be noisey in that amp for the gain channel, I have come to realize after trying different preamp tubes. Just microphonics should be the concern with that amp. Once again, its the nature of that beast, IMHO. I recently went *FULL* circle in shopping for a better amp. I have tried recently: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb, Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, Fender Blues, Jr., Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue, Marshall DSL201 and Marshall DSL401, Ibanez Tube Kings and Tube Screamers, Menatone pedals, Chandler, Varitone, and Buddah tube pedals, Tech 21s, Boss, and on and on....always trying to get a tone that could match the little 20 watt Mesa Subway Rocket Reverb. I could not find it. So, I bought another Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket Reverb, and no distortion pedals. I have had a friend mike it with 2x1000 watt QSC power amps, and it obviously sounded *HUGE* ( remember: a mike does not know how big a speaker or amp is ). Congrats on your purchase, I think you will grow more fond of it all the time. I thought it may be too small, and it may be by itself....but certainly not through a PA. The amp has some quirks, like the hiss that is in the high-gain channel, especially contour mode. I was forced to live with it, as I could have kept or gotten *any* one of many, many amps to replace it. But, the *TONE* of that little amp just is...IT!