Ok... pulled a couple old Mullard 12AX7s from the Earth B2000 Super Bass. Couldn't help myself.

V1 - Mullard 12AX7
V2 - Sovtek 5751
V3 - Mullard 12AX7

This is nice. I will quit obsessing now and let this thing keep breaking in and just enjoy playing thru it for a while.

Latest test results (and I am having a blast doing this, this amp is fantastic):

V1 and V2: TD 12AX7 that Nik supplied. Since I haven't ordered any tubes yet, I thought I would poach my small inventory and see what happens.

- Found a Mullard 12AT7 laying around from an old Earth B2000 I still use, tube must be ~30 yrs old cuz I bought the amp in '79 and I knew the original owner who said he never changed the tubes. Put it in V1. The OD was smoother than the TD but the dynamics were lost so back into the B2000 you go.

- Tried a JJ 12AX7A pulled from another amp. Put it in V1. OD was harsh and brash. No thanks.

- Found a Sovtek 5751. Tried it in V1. The OD was much nicer than the TD. Smoother and produced nice OD at lower volume. However, I did not like what it did to the clean channel. Not as dynamic as the TD. So.... I put the TD back into V1 and put the 5751 into V2. Winner. The 5751 in V2 is a much better OD, very very nice to my ears and doesnt need to be as loud.

So... now I'm thinking I want a better quality 5751 (US Jan Phillips?) for V2 and will also get a better quality 12AX7 (RCA gray? or Telefunken?) for V1.

Please allow me to gush over this amp. I never do this, but I feel compelled and obligated to. This amp is FANTASTIC. Been playign a long time and never owned anything close to this great. And I'm having a blast trying all the different configurations. This is a very dynamic and sensitive beast. Also so very responsive to playing (pick attack) and guitar volume/tone control. Amazing. Took it to practice last Saturday... they couldn't believe how great it sounded. Really is an amazing amplifier and I barely know it yet.

Guys, thanks for the great advice. The amp is burning in superbly. The OD is very very nice now that I've played thru it long enough to hear the dramatic improvement.

The RCA tubes... 12ax7 grey short plate... is the 12ax7a effectively the same? Seems to be more of those available.

thanks,
Mike

Just received the HRM BM 100 watt. Ceriatone built.

Mods: Treble bleed, 3-way mid-boost, 1/2 power switch, tomestack bypass.

Speaker cabs: assortment of 2x12, 1x15, 4x10 - all Weber speakers (alnicos and ceramics)

Axes: Strat (linday fralin pups) and Les Paul (seymour duncan pups)

Note: Only 8 hours of break in so far, I'm sure things will change.

Clean channel: It did not take long to dial in a great sound for the strat and LP. Amazing - the clarity and string separation, never played through anything like this. This is what I bought this amp for. I assume it will just get better after break-in. Seems to want to be bassy, but with the right settings it is controllable. Also found that it sounds best with the 2x12 - 4x10 configuration. The 1x15 cab may be too deep for this amp.

Pedals (Thru Clean channel): I use Fulltone boost pedals (FD-II, OCD and Plimsoul). The OCD (18v) sounds fantastic through it with the strat. The Plimsoul works better with the LP. With my other tube amps, I always left the FD-II engaged with no gain, just as a nice boost to add some sparkle that this pedal is great for. This is not needed with the BM amp, in fact it seemed to get in the way of the great sound. The PAB switch is a nice boost for solos on the clean channel. The Fulltone mini-deja vibe sounds great through this amp.This amp takes pedals very well on the clean channel.

OD channel: If I had any hair on my head, they would be gone by now. This is going to take some time, but I am patient. Sounds fizzy and it appears to need to be extremely loud before the you hit the sweet spot.Hoping that the break in will help this and lots of setting experiments. I'm not keen on popping it open to mess with the interal trimmers, but I will if I have to.

Just received the HRM BM 100 watt. Ceriatone built.

Mods: Treble bleed, 3-way mid-boost, 1/2 power switch, tomestack bypass.

Speaker cabs: assortment of 2x12, 1x15, 4x10 - all Weber speakers (alnicos and ceramics)

Axes: Strat (linday fralin pups) and Les Paul (seymour duncan pups)

Note: Only 8 hours of break in so far, I'm sure things will change.

Clean channel: It did not take long to dial in a great sound for the strat and LP. Amazing - the clarity and string separation, never played through anything like this. This is what I bought this amp for. I assume it will just get better after break-in. Seems to want to be bassy, but with the right settings it is controllable. Also found that it sounds best with the 2x12 - 4x10 configuration. The 1x15 cab may be too deep for this amp.

Pedals (Thru Clean channel): I use Fulltone boost pedals (FD-II, OCD and Plimsoul). The OCD (18v) sounds fantastic through it with the strat. The Plimsoul works better with the LP. With my other tube amps, I always left the FD-II engaged with no gain, just as a nice boost to add some sparkle that this pedal is great for. This is not needed with the BM amp, in fact it seemed to get in the way of the great sound. The PAB switch is a nice boost for solos on the clean channel. The Fulltone mini-deja vibe sounds great through this amp.This amp takes pedals very well on the clean channel.

OD channel: If I had any hair on my head, they would be gone by now. This is going to take some time, but I am patient. Sounds fizzy and it appears to need to be extremely loud before the you hit the sweet spot.Hoping that the break in will help this and lots of setting experiments. I'm not keen on popping it open to mess with the interal trimmers, but I will if I have to.

Gentlemen,

I ordered the 100W Bluesmaster with a few mods. Won't get it for a few more weeks.

I REALLY appreciate your posts and the time you spend informing people like me of your experiences.

I'm sure we will be talking soon. Now I have to be patient.

thanks,
Mike