What are the best tubes for a 5150?

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Badronald

Badronald

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And what's the best place to get them? VQ?

A buddy asked me what to get for his old 5150. I've never bought any for my 6505+ so I really don't know what to get.

Thanks!
 
I only tried a few and went with TAD big bottle 6L6. Mine still had original Shuguang preamp tubes and everytime I try to replace them they go back in. I've since replaced 2 microphonic/noisy ones with NOS Shuguang. So I don't know a good current production preamp tube. The new production Shuguang don't sound the same.
 
The came originally with Sylvania 6L6GC and Chinese 8th generation preamp tubes.
 
My 5150 combo has Ruby 6l6...They are the GC for 30w but the amp slays. Sounds completely brutal although voiced a bit different. When I got it I planned to get fresh tubes, I always do when I buy a used amp but this thing sounds so good I don't want to touch them.
 
I know its not the exact same amp.

I re-tubed my 5153 with Mesa 440s(basically the ruby 6l6 GC just in a specific bias range) before i sold it, In boogie amps i hate these tubes even with proper bias. but in the 5153 it made me reconsider keeping it more than once. sounded good much more balance then the JJ's (again to my ears, I'm a 6550 guy through and through)

Had a bad batch initially, but due to mesa's return policy store just exchanged them once they asked if they were faulty. no problems.

I didn't get a chance to check the bias before it sold but in the month and a half the tubes were in there i didn't notice any apparent bias shift. tubes sounded good properly bias'd and cold biased (well, as good as spec cold bias of 50% dissipation can sound, imho ofc.)

for pre tubes, JJ's are generally a safe bet. been wanting to try the mullard re-issues they seem to have a decent no microphonics ratings (the short plate 4004's)
 
eternal_idol's post reminded me that when I bought those TADs I asked for a quad that would run hot since the stock 5150 bias voltage is so high (negative number, but high in value).
 
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