New Tube time for Ampeg Svt-CL...

[DrowningBrian]

im about to order some new tubes for my svt-cL from thetubestore.com
i was thinking about 6 sovtek kt88's, 3 tung-sol 12ax7 and 2 JJ 12au7.
should i go with all jj tubes in the preamp? i read the tung-sol 12ax7 were sick.
what tonal difference will i notice with this array of tubes?
will it be harder to get power tube overdrive due to more headroom of the kt88's?
i was going for kt88's because ive read the kt88 tubes have a tighter low end and better separation of parts. and according to eurotubes.com kt88's will bring the thunder to my svt.
the tone i want is a good tight bottom end, strong mids, punchy, i dont want harsh highs, smooth overdrive.

do you guys recommend any other tubes?
this is my first time tubing my head, dont worry im not doing it myself. haha.

[johnk_10]

i don't think you'll have any harder time getting the KT88's to distort. IME, the increased amount of 'headroom' is negligible.
personally, i like winged C's 6550 or Valve Art Kt100's as a 6550 replacement.

[derridiandrift]

You asked for opinions. I've got lots when it comes to tubes and SVTs.

Power tubes: go with Winged C for the most robust power tubes, plus they sound great.
Winged C KT-88s are really expensive right now, so I understand wanting to going with Sovtek. I've never had a Sovtek short out on me (unlike EH and Ruby). In terms of durability, the Winged C is the best current production power tube that I've used.

In terms of sound, to my ears, the Winged C is a fuller sounding tube with more focus which is what you're looking for. Don't expect miracles though. You're working against the design of the CL, which in general terms has a naturally wooly, somewhat unfocused bottom end as compared to the old SVTs or the SVT-VR. It's a great sounding amp, and the tubes you've chosen will be reliable and sound great, but bottom end focus can be a bit tricky to find in that amp.

I like the Tung-sol 12ax7 tubes in the SVT-CL. The JJ 12au7 is a good match to the Tung-sols. I've used both and they've been solid, reliable, full-sounding and noiseless tubes.

I like the sound of the CL, and I think the tube changes you're doing to it will really make it breath fire, but it will still sound like a CL, if that makes any sense at all.

[JimmyM]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[DrowningBrian]

Originally Posted by derridiandrift

You asked for opinions. I've got lots when it comes to tubes and SVTs.

Power tubes: go with Winged C for the most robust power tubes, plus they sound great.
Winged C KT-88s are really expensive right now, so I understand wanting to going with Sovtek. I've never had a Sovtek short out on me (unlike EH and Ruby). In terms of durability, the Winged C is the best current production power tube that I've used.

In terms of sound, to my ears, the Winged C is a fuller sounding tube with more focus which is what you're looking for. Don't expect miracles though. You're working against the design of the CL, which in general terms has a naturally wooly, somewhat unfocused bottom end as compared to the old SVTs or the SVT-VR. It's a great sounding amp, and the tubes you've chosen will be reliable and sound great, but bottom end focus can be a bit tricky to find in that amp.

I like the Tung-sol 12ax7 tubes in the SVT-CL. The JJ 12au7 is a good match to the Tung-sols. I've used both and they've been solid, reliable, full-sounding and noiseless tubes.

I like the sound of the CL, and I think the tube changes you're doing to it will really make it breath fire, but it will still sound like a CL, if that makes any sense at all.

yeah, im not expecting it to sound completely different, just a bit of an upgrade. i think i'll go with the tung-sol and jj combo in the preamp.
but im still unsure about my choice on the power tubes its either gonna be sovtek kt88 or sed 6550 winged c. idk yet. suggestions?
what is the tonal difference in winged c 6550/kt88 vs normal 6550/kt88 tube?

[derridiandrift]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Ya, I was assuming it's broke and he's having trouble finding good quality 6550 tubes.

[KramerBassFan]

I'm curious, are really ALL of the tubes in your SVT bad?

Call me a penny pincher, but that just seems unnecessary..

[derridiandrift]

Originally Posted by DrowningBrian

im still unsure about my choice on the power tubes its either gonna be sovtek kt88 or sed 6550 winged c. idk yet. suggestions?
what is the tonal difference in winged c 6550/kt88 vs normal 6550/kt88 tube?

I've only ever compared 6550 tubes, not KT88s. My knowledge of KT88s is based on what I've heard from other bass players and from my tech.

If by "normal" you mean Sovtek, I've found the Winged C to be slightly punchier, slightly more focused. These are slight differences though. There is a marked difference when you compare Ruby or EH to Winged C. Night and day. Winged Cs sound way better than Ruby or EH.

The real issue for me was reliability. Long story... I had an SVT-CL that came with EH 6550s that worked fine and tested reasonably strong when I bought the amp. On two different occasions I had an EH tube short out (different sockets) which took the amp out of commission. both times while I was playing out of town.

I couldn't afford to have this amp breaking down on me all the time so my tech suggested that I re-tube the power section with Winged Cs even though they weren't "broke." I questioned this, but it turned out to be a wise move. I never had a reliability problem with that amp again. Sometimes it makes sense to fix something that ain't broke if there's a danger of it breaking at a time when it's really inconvenient to fix it.

Long story continues... when I bought my VR, it came with Sovtek 6550s in it that tested strong and sounded good. My tech assured me that the amp was good to go. Regardless, I had him move the Winged Cs from my CL into the VR because it would become my go-to amp. When I did the change over, I noticed that the amp was slightly more punchy, and more focused in the bottom. Not sure if any of that is noticeable in the context of a live band, but that's what I heard when I did the change-over from Sovtek to Winged C.

So if your amp needs new tubes, I would say that Winged C 6550s are the way to go. They're reliable and they sound great. I've heard that Winged C 6550s hard to get right now, which is why some of the guys around here are switching their SVTs over to KT88s. The bonus is that KT88s sound great too, perhaps better. I've come to trust the reliability of the Winged C brand, so if it was my amp that needed new tubes right now, I would have my tech do a KT88 conversion and buy Winged Cs.

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by derridiandrift

I've only ever compared 6550 tubes, not KT88s. My knowledge of KT88s is based on what I've heard from other bass players and from my tech.

If by "normal" you mean Sovtek, I've found the Winged C to be slightly punchier, slightly more focused. These are slight differences though. There is a marked difference when you compare Ruby or EH to Winged C. Night and day. Winged Cs sound way better than Ruby or EH.

The real issue for me was reliability. Long story... I had an SVT-CL that came with EH 6550s that worked fine and tested reasonably strong when I bought the amp. On two different occasions I had an EH tube short out (different sockets) which took the amp out of commission. both times while I was playing out of town.

I couldn't afford to have this amp breaking down on me all the time so my tech suggested that I re-tube the power section with Winged Cs even though they weren't "broke." I questioned this, but it turned out to be a wise move. I never had a reliability problem with that amp again. Sometimes it makes sense to fix something that ain't broke if there's a danger of it breaking at a time when it's really inconvenient to fix it.

Long story continues... when I bought my VR, it came with Sovtek 6550s in it that tested strong and sounded good. My tech assured me that the amp was good to go. Regardless, I had him move the Winged Cs from my CL into the VR because it would become my go-to amp. When I did the change over, I noticed that the amp was slightly more punchy, and more focused in the bottom. Not sure if any of that is noticeable in the context of a live band, but that's what I heard when I did the change-over from Sovtek to Winged C.

So if your amp needs new tubes, I would say that Winged C 6550s are the way to go. They're reliable and they sound great. I've heard that Winged C 6550s hard to get right now, which is why some of the guys around here are switching their SVTs over to KT88s. The bonus is that KT88s sound great too, perhaps better. I've come to trust the reliability of the Winged C brand, so if it was my amp that needed new tubes right now, I would have my tech do a KT88 conversion and buy Winged Cs.

Good info, thanks.

[jastacey]

Didn't Psycho Bass Guy say some time ago, that he had issues with the Winged"C" 6550 tube, in not getting full power out of them, and that he had dozens that weren't up to spec
I've had good experiences with the Sovtek 6550WE & Winged "C"

[seamonkey]

Make sure you CL has all the field upgrades.
Some shipped or continue to ship without the clipping/clamping diodes that give SVT's their tell-tale break up at loud levels.
http://www.amparchives.com/Amp%20Arc...s/0738_001.pdf