Cheapest place to get 6550s?

[mr_goodbomb]

My friend's dad is looking to swap me amps. I have an Ampeg V-4BH and he has a SVT-2 Pro. He wants something lower wattage, for smaller venues, as he had a few SVT-3s already, and I would like something with more wattage. He said the SVT-2 needs new power tubes. He was going to order them and let me try it out first before we traded. He was going to order from AllParts, but I noticed tubes are about $95 a pair, and there's 3 pairs in the SVT-2. Where can I get a cheaper pair of decent power tubes?

[ajunea3]

Tubedepot.com

They've never let me down. Get some Sovtek 6550s.They sound great and they're 50$ per matched set.

[B-string]

http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/index.php?cPath=41_42
For a start.

Also here: http://www.tubedepot.com/sed.html
"winged C's" are the ones to get IMHO

[mr_goodbomb]

Do the factory seconds seem like a reasonable choice?

[johnk_10]

i've always had great service and good prices from these guys:
http://tubesandmore.com/

[B-string]

Originally Posted by mr_goodbomb

Do the factory seconds seem like a reasonable choice?

Only for a backup amp or to check an amp out IMO. Factory seconds personally does not give me warm fuzzys.

I also use www.tubesandmore.com but I have to pay sales tax.

[mr_goodbomb]

What's wrong with factory seconds?

And is there a difference between C and not C I should be worried with?

[the mojo hobo]

Originally Posted by mr_goodbomb

What's wrong with factory seconds?

And is there a difference between C and not C I should be worried with?

What's wrong with factory seconds? Nothing in a practice amp. But if you are playing in front of an audience the last thing you want is your amp acting up on you.

The SED "Winged C" are the best choice for 6550 tubes.

[B-string]

Originally Posted by mr_goodbomb

What's wrong with factory seconds?

And is there a difference between C and not C I should be worried with?

They may be fine, then again the my have problems at full voltage (test fine with most equipment). You have 10 days to test them.
The "C" is the better tube, very robust and long lasting.

[Rockit]

Originally Posted by the mojo hobo

What's wrong with factory seconds? Nothing in a practice amp. But if you are playing in front of an audience the last thing you want is your amp acting up on you.

The SED "Winged C" are the best choice for 6550 tubes.

I second Winged C's. Tubedepot.com sells a sextet for 209.00. Get them matched. Running some in my SVT-CL with JJ preamp tubes and it sounds killer. Russian or Eastern European tubes seem to be the best.

IMHO, stay away from Chinese tubes. They may costs less but I got bit by some Tube Art tubes a while ago that I bought cheap.

[UncleFluffy]

Cheapest? Probably eBay.

Best / most reliable? Probably not eBay.