Power Tubes for Twin Reverb

[stratcat62]

I'm replacing the power tubes in my blackfaced Twin Reverb. I was wondering what the collective knowledge of The Garage would recommend. I know that Winged C's are a good choice, and Funk seems to like the Tung-Sols (at least for D-style amps). My original intent was 7581A's, but at $400 for a matched quad that's not going to happen. What have you guys had success with?

[billyz]

I just retubed a 68 Twin with the customer supplied Sovtek 5881 and it sounded pretty nice. I have used this tube for years and while it's not the greatest it seems to work well. I also recently installed a set of Reissue Tungsol 5881 in Victoria Bandmaster. I was very excited as these looked a lot like the original Tungsol. However the matched set did not measure very close in Current draw and one of them smoked in about 4 hours. They did sound good to me and the dealer sent a new replacement set which did measure better and no further problems as of yet.

It seems to me these new tubes are very batch dependant and I would only buy from a dealer who will replace if there is a problem. JJ's are getting good reviews but I have NOT used the 6l6 yet, I do like the 12ax7 though, out of a hundred I have had 2 funky noisy ones.

[Jammin'John]

The Winged C's are very nice.Vintage sounding.
The Sovtek 5881 is some kind of aircraft tube and is not a real 5881.
They are rugged though and sound OK !

JJ

[strato17]

I have heard great things about the 6L6GE from GT. However, GT is now owned by Fender, so who knows? Let me know what you guys decide to do. I have a twin reverb that is also in need of a retube.

[billyz]

I had a pair of GT 6l6ge in my 66 vibrolux reverb. The tubes look like some kind of NOS american made, cool. They sounded pretty good too until one of them developed a nasty rattle that was unbearable. So after a short while I replaced them with a nice pair of RCA Blackplates, No comparison , the RCA's are the King of 6l6's.

[Jammin'John]

You can buy an amp for what those RCA's cost !
Too bad for regular musicians.
I think ebay is partly too blame.
I run old american "pulls" (used tubes),KT66's, and winged C's.
Most of my amps run 6V6's though.

JJ

[billyz]

I have a stash of old tubes, most are good pulls some NOS. Some I pick up here and there. Been at a long time. Sometimes I think I will be able to retire selling my old Tube collection, ha ha. I would not buy a set of NOS Blackplate RCA's 6l6, for what they are selling for today. But they are the KING of 6l6's. Smoke em if you got em.

actually, I have found some very good deals on ebay, but it is getting harder and harder all the time.

[selloutrr]

JJ/Tesla cheap and as good as they get in this day and age. why spend money on something that just gets built in the same plant and silk screened something else. you should be able to do the whole amp for less then $100

[bnwitt]

Just a point of clarification on the Groove Tubes 6L6GE, GT actually found and purchased one of the original machines GE used to make the tubes and is using much of the original materials used to build these tubes here in the U.S. That being said, the RCA 6L6's have always been better than the GE's. I personally prefer the Winged C units for tone and price/value.

[skyboltone]

I've got a set of Jan Phillips 5881 that I paid $70 recently. I have not lit them up yet because I'm still in fiddle phase on the amp they are boing in. The sovtecs that are in the amp now don't sound too bad but it took buying 4 to make a pair. I think that batch had 50% failure rate.

[Structo]

Just a point of clarification on the Groove Tubes 6L6GE, GT actually found and purchased one of the original machines GE used to make the tubes and is using much of the original materials used to build these tubes here in the U.S. That being said, the RCA 6L6's have always been better than the GE's. I personally prefer the Winged C units for tone and price/value.

Those GE GT tubes are assembled in China.

There was a big controversy when Pittman came out with the story.

At first he said they were manufactured in the US but later admitted that they are assembled in China.

Most likely due to EPA regs, the components necessary to make a tube are nasty and he couldn't do it here.

[bnwitt]

Those GE GT tubes are assembled in China.
Most likely due to EPA regs.

Well I'll be. I didn't know he'd shipped the machine to China. Or did he? I imagine he chinafied them for labor cost reasons too. I just wonder if he is shipping the U.S. material to China, or if the "90% Just like the original" statement is now just B.S.

Well anyway, Winged C is my fave. To be honest, I've pulled more noisey GT tubes out of amps that come into my shop than any other brand.

[Structo]

I think the machines are still here. He just couldn't do the assembly here for the stated reasons. Toxic gasses and other materials that the EPA frowns on.

Aspen made a big deal in his reissue The Tube Amp Book about the GE machines and said they would be made in California. Probably the most environmentally sensitive state in the nation.

If he could he probably would make them here but alas it is not true.

Now if only Tech Tube would get those ECC83's rolling out the door at the old Mullard plant in England, it would be happy.

http://www.techtubevalves.com/

[selloutrr]

Now that fender owns GT it's only going to get cheaper, and the corners with get rounder. I was tempted to become a GT dealer but i can't bring myself to charge a customer 300% more for a tube just cause a company silk screened a logo on the tube. If they actually made a tube then sure but even the Mullard wasn't theirs and had a 40+% fail rate, I thought the whole point of a middle company was to test them and give the good stamp.... where is the inflated cost being justified? I miss when things were built to last and worked.

[Buschman]

TAD seems to be marketing some solid chinese tubes. It's hard to beat winged C for new production.