HerbieBoogie
Active member
nowadays which pre amp and power tubes does a stock Herbert come with?
PaulyPanacea
Active member
I believe they come stk with the Ruby (Chinese) preamp tubes & SED 6550 power tubes...lethal combo IMO! 
studiojig
New member
HerbieBoogie":a79t2g9h said:
Mesa doesn't make tubes. They just pick the cream of the crop from some other manufacturer (Sovtek I think..??) and re-label 'em. They do match 'em well and test to ensure they're the best quality before installing or selling them though.
HerbieBoogie
Active member
studiojig":vrcdx9tv said:
really!
Are they good tubes?
SpicedMuffin
New member
sovtek does make mesa tubes iam not to big of fan of
sovtek tubes the good thing about them is they are reliable
and they dont sound too bad i had all sovtek tubes in the
preamps before i got all ruby preamps they are generally
less gainey the chinese tubes
sovtek tubes the good thing about them is they are reliable
and they dont sound too bad i had all sovtek tubes in the
preamps before i got all ruby preamps they are generally
less gainey the chinese tubes
studiojig
New member
HerbieBoogie":1zdm8kmb said:
Well, they're pretty solid in my personal experience and sound good.
HumdinGer
New member
Yesterday I picked up my new JJ Electronics from Eurotubes. This is the first time I'm going to bias an amp myself, so I hope for some good advice before I start 
How many mA should there be on a pair of KT88's? I prefer good headroom/dynamics. I'm not found of compressed sound. Maybe even Peter himself could give me some advice here
I've also been thinking about different biasing for the three different pairs of KT88. Is it possible to get a combination of high dynamics and a raw mean sound by doing that? If the answer is yes, how many mA are recommended on the different KT88 pairs?
How many mA should there be on a pair of KT88's? I prefer good headroom/dynamics. I'm not found of compressed sound. Maybe even Peter himself could give me some advice here
I've also been thinking about different biasing for the three different pairs of KT88. Is it possible to get a combination of high dynamics and a raw mean sound by doing that? If the answer is yes, how many mA are recommended on the different KT88 pairs?
SpicedMuffin
New member
I usally bias my KT88's between 90-95ma I know most people would bias them
around 100 but the one time i had to send my amp away to get repaired the tech
told me the diezel bias's there tubes slightly cold so thats why i do it
around 100 but the one time i had to send my amp away to get repaired the tech
told me the diezel bias's there tubes slightly cold so thats why i do it
HerbieBoogie
Active member
someone told me that kt88s were like el34s and that 6550 were like 6l6s, is this true?
SpicedMuffin
New member
HerbieBoogie":hj4bhb4s said:
that is true although beefed up versions of each
HerbieBoogie
Active member
hmmm i see. does anybody have an opinion on which sound better for cleans or distortion?
Duolos
New member
HerbieBoogie":sicpejve said:
Your best big bottle tube is the SED Winged C 6550 for longevity and sound IMO. The 88 originated as a less expensive "knock off" if you will of the before mentioned military grade tube. No tube is perfect and tone is subjective however for me personally, the 6550 tube matches our amps tone wise wonderfully and is my favorite by a mile. That tube gives nice cleans and distortion sounds. Again, lets not forget that your hands, your guitar, cabling, amp, amp settings, cabinet, speakers, and anything else in your chain will effect the end sound result. I can not emphasize enough how vital a proper cabinet is to the overall sound.
PaulyPanacea
Active member
+1 for Terrys comments. All of those things make a huge difference. I used a few different cabs with my Diezels just out of curiosity and i am always drawn back to my old & new Diezel cabinets. They simply sound awesome. and the 6550s are a great sounding tube. I have them in both my Herbert & my VH4...after trying just about every tube combo. But again, tone is subjective!
HerbieBoogie
Active member
alright then so i just have to get rid of my mesa cab and get some 6550's and im styling!
Does anyone know of a dealer in southern California that sells the new diezel cabs?
Does anyone know of a dealer in southern California that sells the new diezel cabs?
PaulyPanacea
Active member
get in touch with Terry (Duolos) and he will set ya up!!!
G
guitarobert
Member
Duolos":1warkp0l said:
Where can I get the SED Winged C 6550 in the USA? I usually order from Dougstubes but I don't see them listed there. Thanks!
HerbieBoogie
Active member
guitarobert":3qfbfs83 said:
Here you go, based out of Nashville.
http://www.tubedepot.com/bsct-6550c-sed.html
axeman81
New member
I am somewhat confused what tubes I should be getting. Getting all the different sets and trying all the combos will be very expensive! I know a lot of people talk highly of the 6550 so I am of course tempted.
What are the downsides of the 6550 compared to EL34?
Does the Herbert need to be pretty loud with 6550's to really sound good? Or is it no different from EL34?
And also, is the SED =c= EL34 the best fit for the Herbert? I see Peter really like the new Ruby BHT.(?)
Though it is very good, I want to improve the sound from my Herbert. I guess new preamp tubes will be in order as well...
- Rune
What are the downsides of the 6550 compared to EL34?
Does the Herbert need to be pretty loud with 6550's to really sound good? Or is it no different from EL34?
And also, is the SED =c= EL34 the best fit for the Herbert? I see Peter really like the new Ruby BHT.(?)
Though it is very good, I want to improve the sound from my Herbert. I guess new preamp tubes will be in order as well...
- Rune
PaulyPanacea
Active member
ok...remember..this is only my opinion.
I had EL34s in my Herbert when i got it many moons ago. Sounded great. Then i added 2 6L6s to the mix..incredible. Then the 6550 craze started. So i tried them. I wont go back to EL34s. i think the EL34s sound thin compared to the 6550s. the 34s have alot if grind & grit...but sound thin. But thats what the 34s tone is. Slender & aggressive. But the 6550s hit u right in the sack. Nice clarity. Great tone. At first it may seem sterile...but after a lil tweaking & fiddling, they are simply awesome. They belong in the Herbert IMO. I have tried every combo known to man..but i keep going back to the 6550s. I know its expensive..but give it a shot. the worst that could happen is that you dont like them & you can put them on here & someone will scoop them up.
If you do go with 34s, i know Peter is raving bout the Rubys. But if you fancy an adventure, go for the 6550s.
Let the good times roll!!!!
I had EL34s in my Herbert when i got it many moons ago. Sounded great. Then i added 2 6L6s to the mix..incredible. Then the 6550 craze started. So i tried them. I wont go back to EL34s. i think the EL34s sound thin compared to the 6550s. the 34s have alot if grind & grit...but sound thin. But thats what the 34s tone is. Slender & aggressive. But the 6550s hit u right in the sack. Nice clarity. Great tone. At first it may seem sterile...but after a lil tweaking & fiddling, they are simply awesome. They belong in the Herbert IMO. I have tried every combo known to man..but i keep going back to the 6550s. I know its expensive..but give it a shot. the worst that could happen is that you dont like them & you can put them on here & someone will scoop them up.
If you do go with 34s, i know Peter is raving bout the Rubys. But if you fancy an adventure, go for the 6550s.
Let the good times roll!!!!
studiojig
New member
Pauly I love ya and respect your opinion, but gotta disagree regarding EL34's in the Herbie. I don't find them thin at ALL and I've always avoided that tube for being just that! In the Herbert they sound MASSIVE. I'm running the new Ruby BHT's that Peter recommends and it's awesome-ness all around. I think you'd love 'em.
Now, that said, I DO agree with Pauly on 6550's. I haven't loaded 'em in my Herbert and don't plan to, but have used 'em in amps before and they are truly fantastic. In my experience it takes some tweaking but mostly it takes volume - once you crank the amp up there's a certain point where you hear 6550's kick in fully and at that point, watch the f&%k out!!
Major kick in the chest, ass, and balls. SED winged C's would be a good choice for these tubes.
Finally, as always, this is just my personal opinion ;-)
Now, that said, I DO agree with Pauly on 6550's. I haven't loaded 'em in my Herbert and don't plan to, but have used 'em in amps before and they are truly fantastic. In my experience it takes some tweaking but mostly it takes volume - once you crank the amp up there's a certain point where you hear 6550's kick in fully and at that point, watch the f&%k out!!
Major kick in the chest, ass, and balls. SED winged C's would be a good choice for these tubes.Finally, as always, this is just my personal opinion ;-)