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Post subject: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinion
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:48 am
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Roadie
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Has anyone noticed problems with Russian tubes recently? They no longer have the 'otk2' quality inspection stamp, don't bias right, use different internal parts and bottles, and sound horrible. What brand of tubes, power and preamp, do you use?


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:57 pm
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For new tubes...BMW2002ti (our local tube conessiour) has been singing the praises of the Tung Sols. I have had good luck with TAD's, although Beemer says the newer ones are of a bit lower quality. And depending on how old they are, I used a set of 5881WXT (Sovteks) in my latest Bantam Bass Amp rebuild and they have a quite nice tone to em, stong mids, great highs (not peircing) and the lows are really thumping.

For NOS...can't go wrong with RCA's.

I suspect Beemer will be along sometime this afternoon and give ya even more choices and info...

T2

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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:21 pm
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Location: Province de Québec, Canada
I use JJ's since many years .


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 5:57 pm
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OTK is a QA division associated with quality control qualifications for manufactured parts. In general, this unit screen out bad tubes

Mosy mil spec tubes are the best of the OTJ stamped tubes.

For 6L6GC type tubes in these older Fender amps --- try to always get the "OTK" stamped tube. Whether they are sold under the EH, TS, Groove Tube, etc brand nanme.

Logo is normally blue ink stamp in a parallelogram, circle, or all by itself.


http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv28 ... be-otk.jpg


http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-va ... vices.html


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 7:48 pm
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KCAnostubes.com is a good place to start.

Have had excellent luck with Mazda NOS 6V6's in my princetons, as well as the Mullard CV4024 as a Phase Inverter preamp tube in all my Fenders. For me it was a big difference/upgrade from a cheap JJ. Worth the $30 price.

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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:11 am
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older Svet winged C. Some say over priced. I say they sound great and have no issues with them. I have send hundreds on Blackplate RCA 6L6GCs and have only yeilded two good pairs. JJs are good but I dont prefer them for Fenders with tone I am after.
TSRIs....good 6v6s, TAD 6L6Gcs short bottle sound good too IMO.

Preamp tubes....I still try and get NOS of some sort. I dont like JJ in criticle positions.


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:42 am
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For new manufactured tube in older Fender amps, the EH 6L6GC or the TS RI 6L6GC-STR seem up to the high plate voltage and abuse of combo amps.

As for NOS tubes. The RCA BP is the standard that all other vintage tubes are compared. I like the side getter, clear-top GE (Owenboro, KY -- the old KEN-RAD plant) 6L6GC and their Holy pink-based 7581A.

Big bottle Sylvania 6L6GC and STR-387 are very good tubes. Very tough. As is the mil spec Philips-ECG 7581A.

The finest, exotic 6L6-type tube have to be the Bendix Red Bank (Eatontown, NJ) 6889 and the 6384. I redid one amp a long time ago with four matched 8384s. And as far as I know, that amp still using those tubes (was a BF Twin Reverb). Requires pinout changes.


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:26 pm
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How can you tell old WiNged C SED from new? I have used them in Marshalls with great results but haven't used them in a Fender yet.


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 2:58 pm
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thenedster wrote:
How can you tell old WiNged C SED from new? I have used them in Marshalls with great results but haven't used them in a Fender yet.


There are no "new" Winged C's AFAIK. I think production was shut down a few years back.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:13 pm
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Unfortuantely, the tube making plant in St Peterburg, Russia ist kaput.

NOS SED must have the (=C=) logo etched in the glass. And have a four digit manufacturing date. For example : 0135 = 35th week of 2001.

Any tube labeled "Svetlana" after 2003 are New Sensor rebranded and not made in the St Petersburg plant. As Mike Matthews bought the rights to the name "Svetlana" after bankruptcy court procedings. For those who like legal stuff:

http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?pa ... SizeDisp=7


Seems that SED of the St Petersburg plant, was able to make a few output tubes after the procedings. But, only market them under the SED label. How many and which are "real" SED and which are not, is not clear.


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:27 pm
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What do you guys think about some JAN Phillips 5881's for a SF Super reverb?


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:33 pm
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Plate voltages are too high in the blackface and silverface amps for sustained operation with original-spec 5881's. That's why Leo abandoned them coincident with the end of the brownface era.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 10:09 pm
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I don't have any experience with those tubes. But I've been running NOS Tungsol 5881's in my Bassman for about 9 months, at band levels, with great results. These are mil spec, good up to 500 plate VDC. My Bassman runs at about 425VDC. Art

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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 10:19 pm
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Art,

What idle bias are you running those TungSol 5881? I run mine no more than 19-22 watts per tube, at idle. They can take 450-500VDC on the plates, but I'd suggest turning down the cathode current a touch, from 6L6GC levels.

Really, this is a very tough mil spec version of the 6L6GB (aka 5881 or 6L6WGB). Used in B-52 gyros (no, not Greek sandwiches for a new wave band). :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Best tubes for Blackface and Silverface amps-your opinio
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 10:40 pm
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Yeah Beemer, about 19 watts or less. I'd have to look up my last notes on this guy, for the ma. But, as a rule, I don't run my guys hot. We're in it for the long run and solid tone!!! And that definately goes for the RCA's. Most folks might think they're running cold. But it's about, only enough for strong tone, and no more. You know what I mean? Art

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