Another "recommend power tubes for the Herbert" thread

[nakedzen]

I'm running all =C= 6550's in it now, but lately I've been starting to miss a bit more "lofi" type of tone. A bit more glue and goo to the tone, you know? So, EL34's, 6L6's, KT66's? I do like the punch the 6550's give though.

 

[PaulyPanacea]

I used to mix in 2-EL34s or 2-KT77s w the 6550s. Really woke the beast up. Try that!!! Bet you would be happy w that mixture

 

[jonl]

4-6550 and 2 el34?
el34 in 1 and 6?

 

[spguitar]

EL34 mixed with 6L6.
I had a bad experience with KT88s.

 

[shadowdevourer]

I thought 6550s were not recommended?

 

[jonl]

I thought 6550s were not recommended?

They are not, but nether is Steroids

 

[Peter Diezel]

I thought 6550s were not recommended?

Some bad boys here

 

[PaulyPanacea]

I guess that's me

 

[Peter Diezel]

You are only one of them

 

[steve_k]

Without stepping on anybody's toes here, the easiest way to alter the response of a Diezel amp (which are fairly hi-fi anyway) is to leave those stock tubes in there as it came from HQ and play with the bias. The VH4 for instance - my favorite tone from the amp is with the BSTR's and cool the bias down to about 60% as opposed to running it 70-80%. The change in response from the amp is very noticeable. I suppose this is why 6550's never do anything for me, in any amp. Depends on your playing style and what you need the amp to do for you.

 

[Ventura]

I guess that's me

You're in similar company Pauly

Love me some 6550's in the V!!

Sorry Papa!! Bad Mo, BAD!!

 

[Ventura]

Without stepping on anybody's toes here, the easiest way to alter the response of a Diezel amp (which are fairly hi-fi anyway) is to leave those stock tubes in there as it came from HQ and play with the bias. The VH4 for instance - my favorite tone from the amp is with the BSTR's and cool the bias down to about 60% as opposed to running it 70-80%. The change in response from the amp is very noticeable. I suppose this is why 6550's never do anything for me, in any amp. Depends on your playing style and what you need the amp to do for you.

Kinda like a forced sag.

Good point.

 

[nakedzen]

Without stepping on anybody's toes here, the easiest way to alter the response of a Diezel amp (which are fairly hi-fi anyway) is to leave those stock tubes in there as it came from HQ and play with the bias. The VH4 for instance - my favorite tone from the amp is with the BSTR's and cool the bias down to about 60% as opposed to running it 70-80%. The change in response from the amp is very noticeable. I suppose this is why 6550's never do anything for me, in any amp. Depends on your playing style and what you need the amp to do for you.

That wouldn't work in my case since I bought it used and it's a 2004 model I think.

But I have some BSTR's on the way, and you're right about the bias. Your post reminded me of how much the VH4 of our other guitarist in my previous band reacted to bias changes, I'll have to play around with it once the tubes arrive in the mail. (I hope they get here in one piece, I had to order them direct from China since my local dealer didn't have any in stock, and I'm not paying the 1.6x price that they sell on thomann).

I thought 6550s were not recommended?

Some bad boys here

Please don't kill me.

I swapped the 6550's in before you released the info about the heat issues. And the amp hasn't seen too much use during the last year.

 

[shadow070]

I had tube problems for a while. The BSTR's helped that problem.
El34's all the way for me.

The punch of the 6550 is really eart shaking in the herbert but i did miss the mid freq the el34 gave me.
Mixing them is an option, but after all the playing with tubes i found that simpel things like lets say a other guitar cable also influinced the tone quite alot.
Other cabs, well....its a day and night difference.

You did some mix and matching with tubes already if i remember correct, dont you have a view spare tubes laying around you can try?
Before i went with the BSTR's i left 2x6550 tubes in and replaced the rest with El34's
than i swapped it again to 4X6550 and 2xEl34
Also due to tubes failing on me i went with 6xEl34 BSTR and never looked back.

Right now im in a place without tube failure and im so happy

 

[Kev]

I'm running all =C= 6550's in it now, but lately I've been starting to miss a bit more "lofi" type of tone. A bit more glue and goo to the tone, you know? So, EL34's, 6L6's, KT66's? I do like the punch the 6550's give though.

To my ears and taste the tube that comes closest to a "lofi"-tone (lets rather say "not-so-hifi"-tone) is the EL34, then KT77s, then 6L6s, then not sounding "lofi" at all the 6550s. I haven't tried KT88s or KT66s. The only tube I did not like in a Diezel was the 6550.
Diezel are currently recommending KT77s due to their reliability and if you want to make Peter happy, then use those

 

[shadow070]

I'm running all =C= 6550's in it now, but lately I've been starting to miss a bit more "lofi" type of tone. A bit more glue and goo to the tone, you know? So, EL34's, 6L6's, KT66's? I do like the punch the 6550's give though.

To my ears and taste the tube that comes closest to a "lofi"-tone (lets rather say "not-so-hifi"-tone) is the EL34, then KT77s, then 6L6s, then not sounding "lofi" at all the 6550s. I haven't tried KT88s or KT66s. The only tube I did not like in a Diezel was the 6550.
Diezel are currently recommending KT77s due to their reliability and if you want to make Peter happy, then use those

reliability is def the way to go

 

[nakedzen]

Diezel are currently recommending KT77s due to their reliability and if you want to make Peter happy, then use those

Which brand? I had some bad JJ KT77's in the past, lasted only 7 months before complete failure, with moderate use and moderate bias. (The SED 6550's in both my amps have lasted over 3 years with no issues).

In any case, I went with what I'm familiar with, ie. Chinese EL34B's.

 

[Kev]

Diezel are currently recommending KT77s due to their reliability and if you want to make Peter happy, then use those

Which brand? I had some bad JJ KT77's in the past, lasted only 7 months before complete failure, with moderate use and moderate bias. (The SED 6550's in both my amps have lasted over 3 years with no issues).

In any case, I went with what I'm familiar with, ie. Chinese EL34B's.

Yup, JJ KT77 is what Peter currently recommends.

My 6550s never lasted longer then 4 months in my Herb, but since I put in EL34s I've had no problems in 2 years. You will always find people that have had very good or bad experiences with a certain tube/brand, but whatever Peter recommends is what currently is the best tube for a Diezel, based on his testing.

When it comes to getting good or bad tubes, it makes a huge difference from where you purchase them. Some companies and stores do extensive testing and matching, whereas others don't do any further quality checks.
Also the quality of the tube-brands are constantly changing. (Maybe the JJ KT77s work better now with a Diezel, then in the past)

 

[nakedzen]

Also the quality of the tube-brands are constantly changing. (Maybe the JJ KT77s work better now with a Diezel, then in the past)

Yup, this was maybe 7 years ago, so it's possible they work better now. My local dealer still has a warning about inconsistent quality of JJ KT77's on their site though. I didn't like the sound of KT77's compared to the BSTR's in any case. Too stiff.