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2013 Ampeg V-4B 100W Reissue

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#183
Ok I'm not an ampeg guy but.. This amp is a sexy beast. If its all that its supposed to be... Count me in. I really want a 100watter valve amp and between this and the 100T I'm all mixed up!
Me thinks this might just be the amp though. Simple n sexy.
 
#184
WretchedExcess said:
Actually, I think you've got it backwards. The tubes are what matters. The design of the amp has to respect the operating limits of the tubes, or the amp is going to fail. Period.

The reason that the SVT works as well as it does, even at those high voltages, is because it's designed to run on 6550. 6550 are robust tubes that were designed to run at extremely high voltages. They will laugh at the kind of voltages that will kill many a good 6L6.
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The SVT was actually designed for 6146b's ;) 6550's were a substitution after the inventor witnessed Keith Richards playing guitar through them and cherrying out the filaments and making the cherry glow jump from tube to tube. Meanwhile my 69 SVT with 6146b's and my Heritage SVT-CL sound identical. That was my whole point. I'm sure all your technical stuff is accurate, but in the end, it's the relationship between player, bass and amp that matters, and nobody except a handful of folks who beta-tested it for Ampeg knows what it really does.
 
#185
Wyattsgroove said:
Ok I'm not an ampeg guy but.. This amp is a sexy beast. If its all that its supposed to be... Count me in. I really want a 100watter valve amp and between this and the 100T I'm all mixed up!
Me thinks this might just be the amp though. Simple n sexy.
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Ya, I'm glad they didn't load it down with features like the 100t. Just more stuff to break IMHO. The ability to run without a cab is kind of nice, but I have a REDDI + a dummy load for the B-15 so I don't need it.
 
#188
Can't wait to see and hear more of this amp and yeah I want to hear it side by side with the Fender 100t. I like the fact that the V4B is a simpler design with less to go wrong. I'm pretty sure this will be my next amp.
 
#190
96tbird said:
I been trying to blow em up but they barely get warm.

And you have it backwards, the "e" variant is the rugged-ized military version of the 6p3s radio tube
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I'm glad they work, I have no experience with them, was just curious as I've seen you recommend them before. But no, I don't have it backwards, read the spec sheet. The E version was rated for lower max plate voltage but longer life and higher durability.
 
#191
I have 8 spec sheets in my possession. Ill have to look at them :D I don't place any faith in them though.

Lots of info about the non "e" variants blowing up in guitar amps though so you don't want those.

The famed Winged C brand 6L6 had the suspiciously identical "coin base" to these military tubes. I believe them to be the same thing. People seem leery of trying these tubes. I don't get it, they buy tubes made in Russia in the 21st century with spotty track records but won't try Soviet military tubes: made when it really counted and quality control had to be high... During the Cold War.

Edit: apology Cory. You are right about voltage specs. The story amongst Russian radio enthusiasts is they were grossly understated so they wouldn't be placed into high voltage situations thereby guaranteeing longevity in military use. In real life, it seems the non "e" due quickly beyond spec voltage.
 
#192
96tbird said:
You are right about voltage specs. The story amongst Russian radio enthusiasts is they were grossly understated so they wouldn't be placed into high voltage situations thereby guaranteeing longevity in military use. In real life, it seems the non "e" due quickly beyond spec voltage.
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That would make a lot of sense, especially given your experience/success with them. Also kind of hints at the fact that the specs aren't everything. Then again, people seem to be popping the JJ 7027s in their V4s, so it's hard to say.
 
#193
It seems that, from what I've read about the 7027, the specs were fudged as a marketing-ploy. They basically just made small changes to dissipate heat. Others disagree in those points. Fun. Valve specs seen to be as mysterious and marketing driven as driver specs often are; it's all part of the "mystique".

That and the cool factor of electrons beaming across space resulting in the massive injection of energy. Bam! They create awesome tone. SS needs to have the awesome tone designed into them. This is what intrigued me so much. My friend collects old radios. He has one tube from the fifties that has the same speaker as a transistor from the same era. That low watt point to point, cobbled together, simple array of 3 tubes and some caps, etc blows away the more complex, tidy, transistor radio hands down in tone and volume.

Tube amps ain't for everyone, until they play through one.
 
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