Tubes - Power & Preamp

  • Thread starter Thread starter Val
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Val

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Hi All, Please help me here. My MOD50 will arrive Tuesday from Egnater and comes with Sovtek 12ax7WA / 5881 WXT. Since you all have much more experience with the MOD50 than I do, what is the the best combination of tubes - power & preamp that will give me a thick, tight and warm sound? I'm not really looking for too much shimmer, but a little.

I read you all try all these different tube combinations, but I just don't have that kind of money. After saving up for months and purchasing a new MOD50 kinda left me somewhat penny-less. So, I'm trying to get some idea of what might work for me without spending a fortune since I don't think the Sovtek 12ax7WA and 5881 WXT will do what I want.

Thank you for your help.
 
If I were you, I would get two nice preamp tubes for the V1 position of each module.

total = $25-$30 I suppose.

It should be killer.
 
Don't be so quick to discount the Sovteks. I actually like the stock power tubes quite a bit. And they also sound fine in V2. Just get a few various for V1 as gunslinger suggests. Chinese and Tung Sol seem to be very popular.
 
Buckeyedog":rhgchqmf said:
Don't be so quick to discount the Sovteks. I actually like the stock power tubes quite a bit. And they also sound fine in V2. Just get a few various for V1 as gunslinger suggests. Chinese and Tung Sol seem to be very popular.
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Not sure about Sovtek power tubes but I would just put in 6550s as I've just got the best results from them period.Pre amp tubes,sovtek in the V2 is not bad in some modules.Val,you'll what everyone is talking about as soon as that bad boy arrives!!!!!!Just when you think it's perfect :lol: :LOL:Tung sols are very cool and the chinese in the V1 of the SL2 smokes!!!
 
I do have some new tung-sol's and some Winged C EL-34 from a while back, but I do wander about the 6550 that everyone here seems to like a lot. I've never tried them, so I'm curious, always been an EL-34 guy. I guess I'll wait until the amp arrives and see what it sounds like and take it from there. I was never a fan of 6L6/5881. I may be able to swing a pair of 6550 and replace the 5881 to get an idea of what these puppies sound like.

Thanks for the suggestions!!!
 
I love my =C= 6L6's!

Also, high gain JJ 12AX7's and Tung Sols work for me in the Erect and SL2 :thumbsup:
 
What has worked for me is this:

Lower gain modules (SL, DLX, COD) - Jan Philips 5751 in V1 and Tung Sol 12ax7 in V2
High gain modules (EG3/4, EG5, SL2) - Chinese 12ax7a in V1 and Tung Sol 12ax7 in V2

I've been using the Tung Sols as my input preamps on the Mod50 at this point, and a 5751 for the Reverb circuit. I am going to try 5751's in all of them sometime today.

I've noticed more of a difference changing tubes in the modules though. That's where my "biggest bang for the buck" came from. V1 is definitely the biggest tube tone changer IMHO.

Power tubes. My favorite (obviously) is going to be Svetlana 6550c's. The SED Winged EL34's are really cool for a 34. The JJ EL84s w/ Yellow jackets are a really cool EL84 sound. The Tung Sol 5881 is the best "6L6 / 5881" i've heard.

Eric
 
Thank you for all the info I really appreciate it!!! I was able to get a few bucks today by selling a Hamer (cheap one) that I never play anymore. So, I will be buying a couple of 6550s, couple 5751 and a couple chinese 12ax7 for V1 :), I already have the Tung-sol's for V2. Shit is this what happens, you start searching for tone even before you have the amp in anticipation....lol...this is not good...lol....My wife is going to go ballistic...oh well, trials and tribulations, but I think I can slide this one by...lol

Thanks guys
 
I know this might not help much, but I'll give my two cents worth anyway.

New tubes. Buy a pair of matched Tung Sol 5881. Way better than anything else out there (as far as 5881) and has been the most popular power amp tube in the MOD 50 in general. A nice second pair would be Winged C EL34. Never tried them myself, but lots of happy users here.

Now the not so helpful part. I recently tried some old tubes. National and Tung Sol brand from the sixties. A guy named stratbastard is selling them on eBay. I got each pair for less than $70. These are by far the best thing I have ever done to my amp. If you think the MOD 50 sounds good, I hate to say it, but ... well, it's just 3 times better with these old tubes. These were tested and matched sets. Very healthy although quite old. The sound is unreal. It just blows anything else I've ever heard right out the door. New tubes are for back up only for me from now on. I can only imagine a NOS set. Wow.
 
OK you bastards.......just ponied up some $$ for the Svet 6550's........ :lol: :LOL: :D :rock:
 
Buckeyedog":2og1kwt0 said:
OK you bastards.......just ponied up some $$ for the Svet 6550's........ :lol: :LOL: :D :rock:
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So it was you who bought the last set a Dougs :gethim: :lol: :LOL: That's ok,I found some at BOI AudioWorks or someplace like that :D If you don't like them,you know were to send them :lol: :LOL:
 
Nah, tried Doug's and he was all out!! I also bought from Bioaudio. Hope they sound great!!
 
Anybody else have trouble getting the Svetlana 6550s to bias out well in the Mod 50. I've tried a couple different matched pairs and I cannot get them to bias evenly. One will be quite a bitter hotter or colder than the other and cannot get them to even out?

Seems odd that I would get 2 unmatched "matched" sets.....

TS5881, EL34, etc balance out nicely.
 
muudrock":2lvyobhv said:
Anybody else have trouble getting the Svetlana 6550s to bias out well in the Mod 50. I've tried a couple different matched pairs and I cannot get them to bias evenly. One will be quite a bitter hotter or colder than the other and cannot get them to even out?

Seems odd that I would get 2 unmatched "matched" sets.....

TS5881, EL34, etc balance out nicely.
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:lol: :LOL: The first sets I picked up did some wierd shit like 10mvs off a side but I switched them around and they matched up and I've swapped them around and the still match up to 2mvs and holding nice.I also switched meters and used my fluke,could've been my other meter is wacked :D
 
My meter is fine. I tried swapping spots too and even tried switching between pairs but can't get any closer than 8 mv. Not a big deal but only have this problem with the 6550's.
 
muudrock":1hvuwhbf said:
My meter is fine. I tried swapping spots too and even tried switching between pairs but can't get any closer than 8 mv. Not a big deal but only have this problem with the 6550's.
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I ordered these sets from Dougs and the tubestore and they are holding great.I just ordered a set from BOI audio and well see hows these are.What brand did you get?
 
muudrock":ng2bha69 said:
My meter is fine. I tried swapping spots too and even tried switching between pairs but can't get any closer than 8 mv. Not a big deal but only have this problem with the 6550's.
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I've had mine typically be 4-6mv apart. One set is 2mv, and that was "odd for me" since I have never had a set of tubes be that close ever!

I remember Jeff saying anything under 8-10mv is close enough to be matched. Maybe I was wrong though. :)

Eric
 
I just looked at the set in the RT and it read 48.3 and 46.1 :thumbsup:
 
How are you guys biasing your amp?

I'll let my amp warm up for about 10 minutes & turn everything on that I am using in that particular room (AC, Amp, Bass Rig, PA etc...) making sure that everything in that room is running before I do a bias adjustment.
Then I do a bias adjustment with my guitar plugged in taking the amp off standby, and only turning down the overall master on the amp.
 
I got the last pair of Svets from Doug. They were nicely matched, less than 2 mV.

-Scott
 
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