best tube

ggk · Goldfish Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

hi again,
I'm just trying to understand which could be the best 6L6 tube in the opinion of the people in this forum...I like the tubes play very clean and harmonic...I will add distortion later. Actually I'm using basically the same tubes...sovtek 5881WXT on my jcm800 and sovtek 5881/6L6WGC on my Laney....to be honest, I'm not much satisfied with this tubes, they both gives me a "cardboard" feeling, and I would like a warmer sound...

thanks again

khingpynn · Posted: Sat May 24, 2003 2:18 pm Post subject:

Svetlana, Ruby, JJ Tesla, Mullard
Chec them all out if you can.

Craig
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ggk · Goldfish Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

Italy is sometimes such kind of third world of tubes...JJ/tesla are not available, but you can find GT6L6S (basically tesla) for the amazing amount of 200Euros (200dollar...incredible)...or you can choose between Electro Harmonix or Sovtek....nothing else. The best tubes I've found are two duets of Mesa 6L6GC-STR430...I think are some kind of repackaged Sovtek...but I could not find something better and I could not find better info about this tubes...but I really need them and so I bought...Finally I don't have to wait half an hour to start playing (with sovtek 5881/6L6WGC happens everytime I warm up the amp) and the sound is good (not like a swarm of bees). There's someone who knows where the Mesa 6L6GC-STR430 come from?

thanks again

Todd Hepler · Guest

Looks like they're russian :

http://www.srl.utu.fi/~tke/MesaBoogie/Tube/mesa-tubes.html

-T

Guest · Posted: Sun May 25, 2003 12:36 pm Post subject: POWER AMP TUBE WARM UP TIME ???

WOW a half an hour to warm up your power amp tubes, is that right???

Something is wrong there, it should be 5-10 minutes tops for a thorough warm up. My Hot Rod 50 came stock with Sovtek 6L6's I now have Mesa 6L6424 in there, they are Svetlana's really but being ran through Mesa's scrutiny and stamped by Mesa makes them easir to get at the Dealer.
Either way I never have warm up time problems.

On a different note...ever notice how some amp builders like to mount thier tubes upright, upside-down, or sideways ???
When mounted upside down tubes tend to run hotter as the heat from the tube rises up into it's base ( mass ) while upright tubes dissipate thier heat quicker, and sideways tubes are somewhere in the middle ( joking but true ).

Craig

ggk · Goldfish Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

it never happened to me either with my marshall...It happened with my laney and with sovtek 5881/6L6WGC..I changed the power tubes and finally it worked...the amp warm up in 3 min...The problem is that...I bought two mesa duets and one valve of a duet sometime shuts down....I though mesa checks the tubes befor selling...actualy I don't know what to do..I bought it yesterday, and I have suddenly this problem. It seems that is a pin problem, because it takes only a small movement to make this valve warm up again....

TimC · Posted: Sun May 25, 2003 4:05 pm Post subject:

gg- It sounds like it's time to re-tension your sockets. Pull the tubes and make sure the filter caps are discharged. Now take something like an ice pick or metal scribe and carefully bend the sides of the sockets back towards the center. While your at it, spray some tuner cleaner in each socket and on the tube pins and push them in and out a few times. This might help.

ggk · Goldfish Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

Tim, I'm doing right now.....I have another question. What If I use a duet of El34Ls and a duet of KT88SV on the same amp? May I damage some trasformer or I will mess up the tubesonly ? EL34Ls are a very high power tube (draw more current than a EL34) and it's specifics are nearly close of the KT88...

what do you think?

thanks
gg

TimC · Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 5:44 am Post subject:

gg, I've never thought about mixing power tubes. I suppose if you put one of each on each side of the push-pull, and the heater current wasn't too much, it wouldn't hurt anything. Probably it would work best in a cathode biased amp.
It's hard to communicate what I mean with just words. When I advised to re-tension the tube sockets, I mean that each tubular socket needs to be bent towards it's own center. The whole socket shouldn't be bent towards the center locating pin hole.
Let us know how the tube mixing experiment works out. This sounds interesting.

ggk · Goldfish Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

Tim, I finally got back to the guit shop and my tubes was replaced due a malfunction. My experiment is working real good....better than any expected I got a killer tone, fat, rich of harmonics...it's a mix between the El34 and the KT88...basically a good result...mids are well mixed with the basses and the trebles...I can't explain what I hear here, but try to imagine a EL34 with a real good bass range. the position of the tubes were EL34-KT88-KT88-EL34

TimC · Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 2:11 pm Post subject:

When I get back to California, I'll try it myself. I would sure like to warm up my 800 a bit more.

TimC · Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 2:14 pm Post subject:

There is something fouled up on the language filter at this forum. I tried to say, When I return to California, I'll try it myself.

ggk · Goldfish Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

Tim...news again. The tone is very good mixing EL34Ls with KT88SV, the only problem I've noted is some sudden loud "pops" and scratches from the amp, so I removed everything and placed again some 6L6. I think it's a bias problem, I will try to rebias the whole thing and then I will let you know again.

gg

Guest · Posted: Fri May 30, 2003 8:30 am Post subject:

Mixing power amp tubes is not a problem. Make sure the tubes are like bias rated and that you use matched sets.. Consulting the manufacturer can be helpful. Another thing to watch for. in a quad set keep both inside and both outside tubes like and matched ie; EL34 6L6 6L6 EL34.
If you want to warm up your 6L6 amp go ahead and try EL34's they will do that for sure.

Craig