The chandler tube driver is an overdrive pedal most famously used by eric johnson, david gilmour, billy gibbons and joe satriani. The tube driver is wellsuited to tube swaps, sounding mellower and somewhat more compressed with a 12au7, rather than the stock 12ax7. In response, chandler created their own unauthorized tube driver. Works best with an already slightly breaking up amp to my ears. They dont simply mean the type of vacuum tube for example, 12at7 versus 12au7 they already know the type that they will be using. Discussion in the effect effect started by jeepjones85, sep 10, 2011. The one i bought came with a groove tubes 12ax7 in it, and after. Tubes, in particular vintage tubes, are too expensive for experiments like that. I had to cut a hole in the side of the chassis to accommodate the larger tube. This tube tested extremely low in noise and microphonics across the board, so we do not have any driver grad. I got a bk butler tube driver several weeks ago and either it just doesnt work with my equipment or ive got a bum one, i was wondering if you guys could help me decide.
The 12au7 is the last tube on this list and it has the lowest gain, with an amplification factor of 20. I would like to sell the whole collection as a unit. Over the past decade or so, ive owned a few bottlehead crack amps, and along the way i collected a small stash of spare. Heart of the tube driver is a real handselected 12ax7 tube by bk butler himself. For sale is a vintage, original 1986 bk butler chandler tube driver tube driven overdrive effects pedal. Never tried an original bk butler tube driver but always wanted to give one a go. Tube driver bias with yugoslavia 12ax7 and tube driver chandler sylvania jan 12au7.
I acquired it from a friend whos grandfather owned a. It is made in the usa has a 14 inch input and output and i believe is has a 12ax7 type tube. These people mean the brand name of the vacuum tube. Best tube for my chandler tube driver discussion in effects, pedals, strings. Some used 4knob tube drivers marked chandler are not the original design by bk butler. Basically, this pedal allows you to run your signal through two 12a.
Some used 4 knob tube drivers marked chandler are not the original design by bk butler. This is used much less as a preamp tube because of the low gain, and more as a driver for the tube driven spring reverb. A tube is not included in the kit, you can select it suitably to your project. Chandler tube driver real tube overdrive tubeworks. I actually got it used on evilbay should have just bought a new one direct from bk. Gibson les paul traditional marshall jcm2000 dsl401 chandler tube driver. Any experience with an original bk butler tube driver. Each pedal takes me several hours of my personal time. It lets you overdrive your amps preamp, and you can get a real nice, chunky sound with it. Driver that shipped with the original bkbchandler tube driver in 198687.
Shown above left to right an original long plate ei yugoslavian 12ax7 tube rebranded tube driver that shipped with the original bkb chandler tube driver in 198687, and a short plate, unbranded goldern dragon 12ax7 that ships with the reissue tube drivers made since 2006. Signal chain paul reed smith custom 22 brazilian ltd chandler tube driver orange dual terror mesa 4x12 rectifier slant akg c414 xlii api 512c a. To put it differently, the 12ay7 can often replace a 12ax7 in your amplifier and give you a rich, warm tone with lower gain than a 12ax7. Need sweep tubes or driver tubes for your swan, drake, galaxy or yaesu transceivers. When i had a chandler tube od i always preferred a 12au7. Just bought a tubeworks real tube pedal telecaster.
I have a rack mount chandler tube driver and a bk butler real tube pedal coming my way. The real deal tube driver from the original designer. Chandler marketed his product for a while using their name. Now i have 4 tube driver s i always wondered how the sound was. Does anyone here have experience or own these units. What is the difference between the 12ax7, 12at7, and 12au7. Due to the fact that my tube drivers are oneoff limited production items, i do not offer a return policy. Absolute sound quality of a tube itself isnt critical in this position so expensive nos isnt a must, its just a matter of degree of drive gain, how that makes the reverb tank sound both tonally and in terms of sproingyness, and how it affects the useful setting range of the reverb. You might or might not want to know that the tube driver uses an op amp solid state integrated circuit to create its distortion sound, and. Utilization the general configuration of the tube driver is really easy to follow, and it is easy to get a good sound from this. Ive bought three different tubes for different gain distortion needs. I have 12au7 in some of them from the others specialy the real tube the paint is gone from the tubes, hope i can find the nos tubes.
Then youre probably not under 20 years old, as it seems these things have become somewhat of an underground legend. Tube works and chandler tube driver s have been on the market at different times, and in different versions. This is the french arm of philips holland who also owned amperex and mullard. The 12au7 and its variants are a miniature ninepin b9a base mediumgain dual triode vacuum tube. Later some tube drivers and real tubes were made for the european market. I need somebody to either explain or steer me to an explanation of the 12ax712at7 tube s purpose in my jolida jd502p power amp. Reviews i read said that the td would sound better smoother less harsh with a 12au7 or 12at7 tube. I replaced the original 12ax7 tube with a jj electronics 12au7. Due to the combination of low gridplate capacitance and medium gain, it is suited for use in audio voltage amplifier with an extended frequency range. The chandler tube driver is a real tube based overdrive guitar pedal.
Ultra rare 1985 bk butler tube driver patent pending 1 of 1st 50. The tube driver pedals preceded the real tubes by 35 years. They then decided that they were the owners of the product and took butler to court where they promptly lost their suit. The pcb is pretty accurate to the original, with a few small improvements. As far as amps your using i wouldnt discount your current amp choices from being able to take that tube push of the driver and make it sound good. Real tube by tube works other than one being in super cool enclosure, and the other in a buttugly enclosure, the 4 knob 911 tube drivers and 5 knob real tube versions are basically the same patented b. Bkb chandler tube driver demoing the different pickup position tones on a strat. Butler has always made these stock with 12ax7 tubes, but owners typically. Bk butlers original hand made tube driver guitar pedal used by eric johnson, david gilmour, billy gibbons, joe. After doing some research, i decided to order the parts for two builds. The bk butler comes as a tube driver model and is available with a bias knob for 12ax7, 12at7, and 12au6 preamp tubes. It also performs best with clean, highwattage amplifiers with plenty of headroom such as the hiwatt amps that mr. Pedals with separate ac power supplies or wall warts are not original and do not sound the same.
To have a cleaner, more vintage sound, you can substitute a 12au7 tube, which. Shown above left to right the 1985 bk butler tube driver, the revised 198687 bk butler tube driver, the unauthorized 1988 knockoff made by chandler after butler parted ways with them, the 1990s tube works 911 tube driver, and a b. However, from what i understand from various techs, the tube doesnt really contribute all that much to the circuit. Chandler tube driver rack mount in excellent all original condition. It features controls for out level, eq sometimes split into high and low eq, and tube drive level. Below is an interview with bk that explains the whole butler vs. I had one of the rackmount chandler tube driver units in the late 1080s, and i was thoroughly unimpressed with it. There are a lot of versions of this pedal and its variants, but if you search the web, theres tons of. All tubes, whether its your amp or a pedal, need some time before. Secrets revealedwhats inside this bk butler tube driver real. I personally like 12au7 variants because the lower gain factor mellows out the buzz. Order here and get a real bk butler handmade tube driver. Some of the tweaks posted to the internet are irresponsible from that point of view. Might look at hermida dover driver as well, hermida is very good at tuning ss circuits to sound like tubes.
The 12ay7 and 6072 are the tube designations for a dual triode with medium gain that shares the same pinout configuration as the 12ax7 and its variants. Best tube for my chandler tube driver the gear page. Mullard 12au7 ecc82 current production russian reissue. So it makes sense these have a plate structure similar to amperex bugle boys. The tube driver is an overdrive with real tube sound. Sold heres my collection of spare driver tubes for the bottlehead crack or other gear that uses 12au7 type tubes. All tubes, whether itas your amp or a pedal, need some time before. Its like changing the types of tubes anywhere from a weak 12au7 to a blistering 12at7. Butler started making the 4 knob tube drivers again as a production model under the tube works brand around 199394. A starting guide to nos vacuum tubes italian version people sometimes ask me to recommend a particular vacuum tube for audio applications. This pedal works perfectly and is in used condition with some cosmetic wear from use. Radiotechnique 12au7 6189 made in france, 1965 vintage.
The eh 12au7 replaced the v3 reverb driver 12at7 in my blackface super reverb with hammond tank. The chandler tube driver in davidas rig from 19932006 has a slightly. This is the first of two videos looking at the effect of swapping tubes in valve overdrive pedals. Likewise, expect the 12au7 to sound a bit muffled at first before it breaks. Shown above left to right an original longplate ei yugoslavian ecc83 tube, a rebranded ei tube marked tube driver that shipped with the original bkb chandler tube driver in 198687, and the same tube branded chandler electronics that shipped with some 1987 tube drivers and the cheap chandler branded tube drivers in 198889. David gilmour of pink floyd was seen using two 1980s tube drivers in the studio and on tour in.
But better imho because so many bugle boy 12au7 s i see being offered are leftovers. These tubes are quiet, they sound great, and are dependable. I have a bk butler blue tube that i have altered to use an octal preamp tube and installed a 6sl7 tube. This one will be shipped to you just as it was when it left the production warehouse.
I am looking forward to hear the chandler, its funny back when the where in the shops i didnt have the cash for it. As you can see from the pics, it even comes with the original tube driver 12ax7. It belongs to a large family of dual triode vacuum tubes which share the same pinout retma 9a. Likewise, expect the 12au7 to sound a bit dull at first before it breaks in and starts to mellow.
The tube driver, in this particular case from chandler industries in san. Welcome to arizona tube supply where we have hard to find vacuum tubes for your audio gear, guitar amp, antique radios and vacuum tube ham radio equipment boatanchors. The tube driver, in this particular case from chandler industries in san francisco, has been a staple on many famous and influential guitarists, even if you might. If it says tube driver on it as a model name, its one way or the other supposed to be under the auspices of or royalties to one mr. G sovtek, ehx, jjs, but settled on a tung sol 12ax7 it.
Essentially, bk is the designer of the tube driver. I get preamp tubes in a preamp, but ive found it difficult to find a clear explanation of what the driver and input tubes are actually doing, and their relative importance to the sound of the amp. Chandler tube driver rackmount tdr101 1980s reverb. Arizona tube supply audio and radio tubes for sale. Chandler industries tube driver overdrive pedal of the day.
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