New power tubes for my V-4B

big stubby · #1 02-01-2011, 01:08 PM

Well I finally took my V-4B to the tech (Aztech in Boston) he told me I have a bad power tube. They are Mesa Boogie 6550s. Can't find any info on these. I told him to replace all 4 since they seem to be 20+ yrs old. He has Tung-Sol 6550s and wants to use them. I searched around here and they seem to have a pretty good rep. What are your thoughts. As far as the rest of the head goes, he told me it was in really good shape. Good news for me. Can't wait to get it back.

coreyfyfe · #2 02-01-2011, 01:21 PM

I've got some of the tung-sol reissue 6SL7s but don't have experience with their 6550s. The 6SL7s sound good so they're at least competently produced, and the 6550s get decent reviews so you should be good with those.

Have you worked with Aztech before? I hear people talk about them often, but I've bought two amps that were supposedly "just serviced at Aztech" that had major problems so I've always been wary of actually going there.

Floridabwoy · #3 02-01-2011, 01:24 PM

http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/prod...roducts_id=458

Do it once and forget about it.

big stubby · #4 02-01-2011, 01:31 PM

Corey, this is my first time going to Aztech, but I have heard good things about them thru searches only. I will let you know how I make out. However just because someone says it was erviced doesn't mean they actuall did it.

Calaverasgrande · #5 02-01-2011, 01:35 PM

I have been using =C= SED (formerly Svetlana) 6550 and 6L6 on my Mesa amps for a while now. They sound very bold and strong. They don't get all wheezy and noisy like EH tubes do when they fade. Also, Mesa hasnt had 6550 tubes, to my knowledge, for a while. Those must be over 10 years old. When I brought my Mesa to Mesa Boogie for service (I used to work in the same office park) they remarked how rare it was to see 6550 mesa tubes. And that was 12 years ago.
Mesa power tubes are also not very powerful. Tung Sol or SED will likely surprise you with how much louder and bolder your amp sounds.
Tung Sol are supposed to be good, but they are New Sensor, which is EH.

coreyfyfe · #6 02-01-2011, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big stubby

However just because someone says it was erviced doesn't mean they actuall did it.

Much to my chagrin this was most likely the case in both circumstances. The second instance was my B15 which clearly had not seen a tech in quite some time, but I couldn't argue with the price

. Though, it would be good to hear directly of someone with a positive result from this shop as they are more often than not cited as the service center used (if one is cited) in local CL ads for tube amps.

coreyfyfe · #7 02-01-2011, 01:48 PM

And +1 to the SED winged Cs, they're my favorite 6550s of the ones I've tried and sounded great in my V4, though the recent price increase is certainly a deterrent.

jastacey · #8 02-01-2011, 05:10 PM

There is a new JJ-6550 tube ... that might be a good choice, if you want to try something new

big stubby · #9 02-01-2011, 05:13 PM

I think my current tubes the mesas were put in about 20 years ago according to the guy I bought it from. as far as Aztech goes, Tom (the owner) has been very forthcoming so far and has not tried to oversell me at all. And if these new tubes are going to be louder, then this thing is really going to crank thru my new V4 cab

big stubby · #10 02-03-2011, 07:36 PM

Well I got my V-4B back today from the tech. It had a bad power tube and a bad pre amp 12AX7 tube. I had the both 12ax7s replaced with Tung Sols, and all 4 power tubes replaced with Tung Sol 6550s. The pre amp tubes in my head are all original to the head. He also fixed the power and standby lights. The labor was only $125. I feel that is very reasonable. The price of the tubes was also right in line with what I have found online. He went over the entire head and told me it was in great shape for it's age. He also told me that the cover to the chassis is missing (which I knew anyway) and that I might want to replace it, Any thoughts on this? Anyway I want to thank Aztech Electronics here in Boston for the quality service and fast turn around (1 week). By the way, it sounds wayyyyy better now that it has been fixed up.

Calaverasgrande · #11 02-04-2011, 10:46 AM

I think it is a great idea to develop a relationship with one amp tech place. I have been using the same amp tech for about 5 years and it's great to be able to call up on a weekend for an emergency thing about my amp.
It's also nice not having to go through the same long story about my wants and needs in terms of my bass amp.

okcrum · #12 02-04-2011, 11:37 AM

Tung Sol reissues will do fine. The 6550s sound great in my SVT. Clearly Aztech thinks so too, since your cost indicates they've got a dealer relationship with the US distributor.