Just dropped $400 in tubes.

RJF

RJF

New member
A couple of my amps still have tubes in them that came with them with unknown hrs, and a couple amps that I knew they were simply getting old. I don't put very many hours on any of my amps, but figured I might as well get it done since some new quads should last me a decade, and a little piece of mind never hurts especially with a rev C recto. I went through Eurotubes (all JJ's) and ordered:

A pair of JJ E34L's and a pair of 6L6GC's for my simul class Mesa MK3 green to replace an aging pair of ST442's and STR430's.

A pair of E34L's/pair of KT77's for my Recto rev C to replace a quad of Winged C EL34's.

a pair of E34L's/pair of 6CA7's for my Recto rev F to replace a pair of KT66's and pair of KT88's.

A quad of E34L's for my Uberschall rev 2 to replace an OLD quad of JJ EL34's. One had a bunch of "white" stuck to the inside top. Looks like a snow globe. Pulled that thing out before I even turned the amp on and put a spare in it.

I also ordered a half dozen balanced ECC83S tubes to replace the phase inverter slot on a bunch of my amps. I am not one to usually mess with preamp tubes like other folks, but I know having a good balanced tube in the PI is important.

When it's time to do one of my Diezels, I think I might try the Gold Lion KT77's. 77's are my favorite in the Diezels and I've always wondered if the GL tubes are worth it.
 
Down the road, I'll be in the same boat. Just got a Mesa Strategy 400, 12 6L6s or 8 6L6 + 4 EL34. 4 pi 12ax7s. They test strong now but....ain't gonna be cheap.
 
thenine":2ud04vun said:
how does he pick tubes to match bias as those mesa's are fixed bias?
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He probably knows the Mesa color coding system and mA's.

For reference, using my maxi-matcher power tube tester @ 400 volts reds are around 15-21 mA, yellow 20-26 mA, green 25-30 mA. I have seen green 5881's measure at 19 mA though :LOL: :LOL: . For reference, my green and blue labeled STR 415's all are between 22-32 mA @400 volts.

I was told that Mesa uses around 7-10 mA between each color group.

Hope it helps.
 
oh, that is a sweet move! I could use some a new set of tubes in my Cobra. Sounds good as is, but since it was bought used I wonder if a fresh set would be good +1
 
I got 34's from Eurotubes for my Stiletto. They biased exactly the same as the Mesa tubes they replaced.
 
A decent tube tester is a good idea, but it doesn't tell you if the tube is microphonic under a load, if it's got good tone, or whether it meets your tonal expectations. I've got a Hickok 6000A tube tested I've had completely refurbished and found it only does so much. Tubes that tested fine, or past original spec (NOS) might still sound like a$$ in your amp.

I've found having both a tube tester and your ears to listen to your amp are the best of both schools of thought.
 
PBGas":34uk2lvb said:
All of the modeller owners are laughing at us right now.
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Eh, they still have to change power tubes anyway, and if they aren't at least running a tube power amp, then who gets to laugh at who? :thumbsup:
 
LP Freak":2j3nbs54 said:
You should of just invested in a tube tester
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Maybe so, but I just like the idea of getting some new glass into a few amps, especially my rev C. I've heard of a bad tube taking out transformers, and even boards. At this point my pile of used power tubes looks like Mt. Everest. I might in the future try to find someone close that tests tubes and take 'em all in and find out what's good to just toss out.
 
I went through the same thing. I'd replace tubes thinking they were possibly bad but since picking up a tester it took most of the guessing out. It also saved me one time when I bought what were supposed to be NOS off another member here only to find out a few of them only tested at 50% so back they went.
 
I've bought some tube that were supposed to be NOS as well. The testers said otherwise. I won't put a tube into an amp without first putting it into my testers. Like Jim said, just because they test new or good doesn't mean they will sound good. ;)

One of my best purchases. Now I can fine tune my amps tubes to get the best sound possible and determine if a tube is causing an issue.

 
LP Freak":3brafs0y said:
It also saved me one time when I bought what were supposed to be NOS off another member here only to find out a few of them only tested at 50% so back they went.
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Yeah, I am quite certain I know who you are referring to, he is getting a bad reputation for it.
He is the reason I finally bought my Hickok.....and I know more than a few of us won't buy from him anymore.
 
RJF":3vr9dj1o said:
PBGas":3vr9dj1o said:
All of the modeller owners are laughing at us right now.
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Eh, they still have to change power tubes anyway, and if they aren't at least running a tube power amp, then who gets to laugh at who? :thumbsup:
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'Tis true, friend. I keep forgetting that many of them have to replace those fancy LEDs, boards, and encoders as well.
 
I got a few sets installed. Eurotubes shipped fast. I'm going to stick with them from now on, and yes, my last order of tubes came from Laura. Plus I bought a Eurotubes bias probe for my multi meter and man does that make biasing easy.

I may have made a mistake retubing my MK3. It sounds basically the same with the new JJ's and a pair of Mesa STR442 EL34's came out, along with a pair of Mesa STR 430's. All 4 look really clean inside with no burn lines and I'm betting they would test with good results.

Pulled my KT88/66 quad out of my rev F, same results. No better sounding with the new E34L/6CA7 quad.

My Bogner rev 2 on the other hand... 2 EL34's were original, one newer, and one that looked odd. I biased the new E34L's at 33.5ma and it sounds considerably better.
20151121_180124_zpsjuvkgvxt.jpg
 
PBGas":2tq2hy8n said:
RJF":2tq2hy8n said:
PBGas":2tq2hy8n said:
All of the modeller owners are laughing at us right now.
Click to expand...
Eh, they still have to change power tubes anyway, and if they aren't at least running a tube power amp, then who gets to laugh at who? :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

'Tis true, friend. I keep forgetting that many of them have to replace those fancy LEDs, boards, and encoders as well.
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They laugh..and then cry when they hear our tube rigs....and realize they sold all of their amps to pay for their still fake sounding modeler. :LOL: :LOL: all kidding aside, I'm all for an axe/kemper/other in the fold as a backup to my Mark. Fun to run direct, record with etc....someday I'll grab one. :rock:
 
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