PRS Archon 100 Tube Swap - bias question

[Kick2TheJunk]

Didn't see a new member section, maybe I overlooked it. 44 year old metalhead here..:rock:drop B, A+ is my thing. blah - on to the question.

I've owned my PRS Archon 100 head now for a couple months. Not 100% getting the tone I want out of it and knowing it can do what I need it to, I'm swapping tubes.
I'm putting JJ's 6L6GC's in the power section (quad matched set) and have swapped V1 and V2 to Tung-Sol gold tips.

Unsure why this amp came with Ruby's. Those are a generic production tube (my 5 year old Valveking 100 had them in it new). The Preamp tubes are all JJ's??? why not JJ's on the power section?

Ok.. my question.
Prior to removing the Ruby's, I checked the bias. They were hovering around the mid-upper 20's like 27.4 - 28.7 etc. I've already put my JJ's in the sockets and am wondering what is the recommended bias for the power section? Does the style of music matter?

Other amps I've seen biased tend to run around upper 60's to low 70's on the bias for a good breakup gain and keeping a crisp clean channel. I'm going for brutal - the type that makes sink holes in the Earth.

Suggestions?

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I think I read in another thread that it's around 28, and at least one person raised theirs to 32 with positive results, but you're running it a little hotter if you do that, and will shorten the life of your tubes as well. I would start with 28 and more importantly make sure they are all the same. (No, it does not depend on the style of music.)

And before you experiment with raising it, make sure you're "dialing it in" correctly (I'll leave that to someone else, because I always want to screw up the terminology).

Oh, and: Oi! Welcome!

 

[Kick2TheJunk]

I think I read in another thread that it's around 28, and at least one person raised theirs to 32 with positive results, but you're running it a little hotter if you do that, and will shorten the life of your tubes as well. I would start with 28 and more importantly make sure they are all the same. (No, it does not depend on the style of music.)

And before you experiment with raising it, make sure you're "dialing it in" correctly (I'll leave that to someone else, because I always want to screw up the terminology).

Oh, and: Oi! Welcome!

Thank you for the reply. I'll set the highest reading to 28. Seems like the tubes have a +\- 5 point variance. (One reads 26.x another reads 30.x).

I made a vid for the tube swap. Should be on YouTube, same username. Haven't checked to see if it finished uploading. Only played for about 5-10min on higher bias settings.

 

[vchizzle]

30+/-5 is what PRS recommends. Most companies bias a little to the cold side to prolong tube life. I have swapped a few tubes in mine. I had some short bottle Tung Sol 6L6GC in and actually liked the Ruby's better. Maybe I'll try some others. Oddly, I usually can't stand JJ pre's, but like them in the Archon. I've tried random Tung Sol, EXH and Mullard pre's, nothing has jumped out as WAY better than anything else. I like the Tung Sol reissue in V1 though.

 

[Kick2TheJunk]

I prefer a somewhat scooped sound with a focus on brutal metal. (See Randall Satan Ola Englund) and the JJ's 6L6's and swapping V1 and V2 for the 2 Tung-Sol gold tips.... I'm that much closer.
Have a Duncan SH-5 Custom coming for my go-to guitar in hopes to bring me even closer.

Thanks for for the info Vchizzle.

 

[Boogie]

...make sure they are all the same.

To expand in that, they probably will never be exactly the same, but the idea is to find the point where they are the closest together, numerically. That could be early in the range, it could be later...doesn't matter. It's totally dependent upon the individual tube and how well they were matched by your vendor.

 

[Kick2TheJunk]

Yeah, I bought a quad-matched set from a reputable seller. Been a busy week, hope to crank em up this weekend.

 

[HANGAR18]

Greetings fellow Metalhead! I bought a brand new 100w Archon head not too long ago and immediately proceeded to change the 6L6's for some factory matched Mullard EL34's. I was very disappointed at the lack of technical information provided in the so called "manual" so I contacted the PTC to ask about the bias specs I would need for the EL34's. Here is the reply that I received...

"We recommend a bias setting of 30mV, you can go + or - 5mV to your taste. The bias adjustment is the little flat head inside the jack above the contact points."

I installed the new tubes and proceeded to adjust the bias. I did not take any bias readings before I removed the Ruby's that it came with, but upon checking the bias once I had installed the Mullard's the measurement was very low (something like the high teens I think) and so I raised it up so that no individual tube went above 30. What I don't know is if this bias value is for any tubes you put in it or if it is just for the EL34's I put in it. I also don't know if the low reading would have been the same for the original tubes or not. Moot point because I'm not reinstalling the Ruby 6L6's because I sold them on CL.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I still don't see the short-n-sweet on dialing in, so I'll attempt not to get it wrong, and let someone else correct me if I did -- the master volume is only there as a convenience, so turn it all the way up, and control the volume with the volume and with your guitar volume. It's actually not as bad as being useless, but turning it all the way up is the best starting point for tone, and then turn it down again once you have the volume dialed in for tone.

To expand in that, they probably will never be exactly the same, but the idea is to find the point where they are the closest together, numerically. That could be early in the range, it could be later...doesn't matter. It's totally dependent upon the individual tube and how well they were matched by your vendor.

Thanks for following up on that.

 

[Kick2TheJunk]

Tone is definitely more of what I'm looking for with the JJ's in the power section and the Tung's in V1/V2.
Got a Duncan Custom 5 (sh-5 ceramic) today and plan to install ASAP into my PRS Clint Lowery.

Praying for brutality.

I did Bias the tubes to no higher than 30. Lowest one is about 23.6.

I use my master volume as a volume. I don't have an issue with gain and have tried the master volume maxed and using channel volume to control the output volume...nope. Since I don't own any $2000+ guitars... Not confident on consistency using that method on 11 very different electric guitars I own. (Trying to decide on a Chapman now).

I will, however test your explained method when the wife leaves the house. Lol.