Oh man. I'd buy a few cases at that price. Maybe there would have been a quantity discount.
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Ampeg V4B- the good, the bad, and NOS tubes
- Thread starter alexchavel
- Start date
Oh man. I'd buy a few cases at that price. Maybe there would have been a quantity discount.
I've heard of people doing that in other applications. There is someone selling a V4B circuit board on ebay as well. Looks interesting.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ampeg-V2-V4...692?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f361517ec
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NOS 6K11 tubes are still available, but they are $24 each.
As far as 7027's: I've got the Sovteks in my V4. Sure, they may be basically 6L6GC's but they have performed fine for me.
As far as 7027's: I've got the Sovteks in my V4. Sure, they may be basically 6L6GC's but they have performed fine for me.
Looking a little closer today I noticed that of the 4 7027 inside now, one is a sylvania, and the other 3 only have "7027" with no company name...
All the matches quad NOS sells I'm seeing are between 300$ and 400$z
All the matches quad NOS sells I'm seeing are between 300$ and 400$z
Simple amp truth: If 1) It sounds good. 2) It has enough power for what you do. Then it is fine as is.
Back in the day matching output tubes was for anal HiFi freaks and some mismatch can add character to the sound of a M.I. amp head. Add to that old production tubes were tight tolerance, not like the new production tubes today.
Back in the day matching output tubes was for anal HiFi freaks and some mismatch can add character to the sound of a M.I. amp head. Add to that old production tubes were tight tolerance, not like the new production tubes today.
All that matters is the tubes manufacturer.....do the tubes look identical internally?
Don't get hung up on labels.....manufacturer codes and actual construction are all that matter when trying to identify since companies constantly relabeled each others tubes.
Why on earth would you mod an amp to use 2 tubes instead of one?
NOS 6K11 will last a long time.
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okcrum
in your chest
You can also use other tubes. Check out the section titled "Now, about them Ampegs..." [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
The board that was referenced is a replacement for the main board for the early V4 family. It has nothing to do with the 6K11 which is on another board. When power tube plate resistors blow in this amp, they sometimes take the circuit board traces with them. Nothing wrong with a replacement board.
It wasn't that long ago that the 6K11 costed $5. I've bought two in the last four months and I found that the price at some good places is up to $40. Better prices can be found but the trend in price increases is an indication that this tube is harder for resellers to source. Places that used to always have it in stock, like Antique Electronics, list it but never seem to have it available. I can see why this concerns some people and that they are considering more readily available alternatives.
I see.
I need to go thru my tubes again to possibly locate a few 6K11....since I'm on the lookout for a V4B!
They make a great restoration project. I like the earlier (-74) metal knob ones, but even within that group, the earliest ones seem to have slightly better circuit boards. They are pretty thin in comparison to the boards in other Ampeg amps. But they are all very nice amps.
Not to detract from what Beans and others have stated here on the subject, but the most all-encompassing (IMHO) dissertation of the 7027 vs 6L6 subject can be found here:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
There is much tech info contained therein (certainly more than I have the ability to comprehend), but I encourage all interested parties to read anyway. FWIW, both my 70s V4 and V4B retain their tall-bottle 7027As. Even after a full recap on the "B", I decided against new production tubes. I do have a good quad of shorty GE 7027A for use as spares - I've swapped them out on occasion and they work and sound pretty much the same as the tallboys.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
There is much tech info contained therein (certainly more than I have the ability to comprehend), but I encourage all interested parties to read anyway. FWIW, both my 70s V4 and V4B retain their tall-bottle 7027As. Even after a full recap on the "B", I decided against new production tubes. I do have a good quad of shorty GE 7027A for use as spares - I've swapped them out on occasion and they work and sound pretty much the same as the tallboys.
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This thread makes me so happy I held out for Ampeg to make a new V4B instead of getting another vintage V4B 
Had a 73 V4B in my early years and loved it till it got burned up in a bar fire in the late 80's. But considering that modern 7027's are 6L6's with a different pinout and 6K11's are ridiculously priced now and not being made anymore, it makes me glad I'm not in the position to have to worry about it.
Had a 73 V4B in my early years and loved it till it got burned up in a bar fire in the late 80's. But considering that modern 7027's are 6L6's with a different pinout and 6K11's are ridiculously priced now and not being made anymore, it makes me glad I'm not in the position to have to worry about it.
This thread makes me so happy I held out for Ampeg to make a new V4B instead of getting another vintage V4B
We're living in a great time where reissue amps and instruments can match or exceed the performance of the very best of the vintage ones.
To further muddy the subject, even though the quality control is not there many new production "6L6's" meet or exceed the dissipation of the old 7027A's. The reissue V4-B also means you don't have to deal with the 12DW7 as well as the 6K11.
Hmmm...did not know that. Now I'm wondering why everyone made such a big deal about the NOS ones but not to the degree of NOS 6L6's.
Jon, I can easily deal with NOS 12DW7's...they're still pretty cheap
Looks like the V4B reissue is around $1300....
Off topic but at Guitar Center in Independence Mo. there is an SVT Classic with some kind of intermittent problem that several techs have been unable to repair...it has the GC in house warranty....its around $1000 and has sat there for many months.
Off topic but at Guitar Center in Independence Mo. there is an SVT Classic with some kind of intermittent problem that several techs have been unable to repair...it has the GC in house warranty....its around $1000 and has sat there for many months.
you can get used CLs for $1000 without problems. If I was dropping that ki
Meh, you can get used SVT-CLs for $1000 or less any day of the week. If I was buying for a warranty I'd just buy something new.
Meh, you can get used SVT-CLs for $1000 or less any day of the week. If I was buying for a warranty I'd just buy something new.
