solarus head/combo questions

[benjaminshinobi]

Okay, I just got a Solarus head, however hear's the kicker (hopefully it doesn't annoy anyone)
It used to be a combo and it was converted into a head. You can tell also because it has this weird grayish blue tolex or whatever the material is called. Also there is no mid-boost switch I don't know if maybe this only existed on the heads for a certain period of time...but the head the guy in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHtOnb65cvI

has a mid boost switch. Anyway, my questions are thus:

1) To be quite honest, this is the first tube amp I've ever owned. I'm experiencing a bit of low end hum and from talking to the guy who owned it, seems like its in need of new tubes. There is a cute little diagram on the side that says the two in the front are el34's. Is there anything I should watch out for/make sure of when trying replacement tubes (ie like getting matched pairs) or are there any specific brands that seem to work well with sunn amps? Is it possible to other tube types (6L6 etc)

2)There is no reverb tank in it. Is it safe to use any reverb tank in the bank or are there specifics that I have to be aware of? It seems like it is basically a send/return type situation but I get a bit wary if I'm dealing with things that are above 9 volts.

3) does anyone have any reccomendation as far as a distortion pedal to use in front of the amp? I got a Way Huge Fat Sandwich recently and its way closer to a fuzz kind of a sound than my impression from the reviews I had seen. I've unintentionally acquired a great doom/drone metal rig (a la Earth/Sunn O)))) without really meaning to. Looking for something with a bit more quickness in the attack and higher in the mids. More of a classic rock kind of a sound

I realize a lot of these are subjective, but I figure any help discussion is great, I don't get to guitar nerd out too much. And sorry if anything else is present in another thread. I did a cursory search for "solarus combo" and didn't see much.

[HRobert]

Reverb Tanks:

In the older Sunn amps, Conrad used Gibbs reverb tanks - the same type used by Hammond Organs.  A company called Accutronics bought out Gibbs, and now Sound Enhansment Products, Inc. of Chicago manufactures and handles the Accutronics line as well as Morley, and EBTECH products.

Go to the Accutronics website ( Accutronicsreverb.com ) and contact Cal.  He'll know which configuration of the tank you'll need for your amp.  I believe the model that you will need is the Accutronics Model 4....that is identical to the original Gibbs units.  Cal will need to know the model of your amp as well as the year.  Although the Model 4's are basically the same, different amps - even from the same company - have different input and output voltage specifications.  Ex:  The specs for the Model 4 in my Sentura may or may not be different that your Solarus.

This year I replaced the Gibbs unit in my Sentura II with a Model 4 - with a longer delay - it sounds fantastic.  My cost, including shipping to Milwaukee was about $45.00. The cost may vary depending on your location and the configuration of the unit, but they are very reasonable costwise to replace.

Rob