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Time to retube my V8

#21
I've got Svetlana 6550B's, after getting them I found out they apparently had a notoriously bad failure rate. However, a few years down the line and mine are still going fine. They don't quite have the edge that the previous power tubes did (Philips ECG6550A's, which are rebranded Sylvania 6550's, but you should see the price of those!).

All in all, a pretty useless post :p
 
#22
johnk_10 said:
throwing another KT88 in the mix, i can highly recommend Valve Art Kt88's.
Click to expand...

+1 I've been pretty happy with Valve Art KT88's, and have them in some of my Trace tube amps.

I would talk to Doug Preston at Doug's Tubes. He is super knowledgeable and a heck of a nice guy. I buy most of my tubes from Doug. Tell him I sent ya! :D

Tom.
 
#23
Don't you dare skimp on her, how about a nice set of nos GEC KT88's matched within a whisker and biased biased with a scope.:smug:
OK I will let you off selling the family silver for her. Did yours have Ruby tubes in originally?
I think winged C's be an appropriate choice for the thing based on the performance of Mr Eaglestones Endorsement amp that I had the inordinate pleasure of interfering with, Just whenever I liked to do so! :p.:hiding:
OH the mighty V8 (be still my beating heart) would that it where mine, mine, All MINE!.:hyper::bassist:
 
#24
There's no way I ever replace tubes unless they test bad. Just replace the ones which are actually problematic.

Tubes usually last for decades, so if you're having this many tube problems I'd say a tech needs to go through that amp and make sure everything is working correctly. It sounds to me like you have some problems in there.
 
#25
Just looked up that head and schematics... wow, nice beast!

No new suggestions here, but don't forget about pre-amp tubes to dial on some personal touches.

5751 are good alternatives for some of your ECC83/12AX7 spots; worth a shot if you're playing around, tube rolling. A GE 5-Star 5751 put some meat on the table when I put it in the V1 spot of my SVT.
 
#26
I had a hell of a time getting my V6 retubed. When I contacted British Audio Service and Trace Elliot UK, they recommended either JJ's or Genalex Gold Lion reissues. I have the Gold lions in mine now, and I'm really happy with it. Given Tom's love for Trace gear, I would also trust anything he recommended. Keep away from Electroharmonix KT88's. Not necessarily bad tubes but not right for Trace Elliot in my experience. Also be picky when you choose a tech to work on it. Even a highly competent tech can waste a lot of time and money if they are not experienced with Trace Elliot and their idiosyncrasies.

PS. There is a V8 and a V4 on Ebay Australia at the moment.
 
#27
Bassmec said:
Don't you dare skimp on her, how about a nice set of nos GEC KT88's matched within a whisker and biased biased with a scope.:smug:
OK I will let you off selling the family silver for her. Did yours have Ruby tubes in originally?
I think winged C's be an appropriate choice for the thing based on the performance of Mr Eaglestones Endorsement amp that I had the inordinate pleasure of interfering with, Just whenever I liked to do so! :p.:hiding:
OH the mighty V8 (be still my beating heart) would that it where mine, mine, All MINE!.:hyper::bassist:
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what was in it when it was new. I picked it up used and it had Groove Tube KT-88SV's in it.
 
#29
Bassmec said:
Don't you dare skimp on her, how about a nice set of nos GEC KT88's matched within a whisker and biased biased with a scope.:smug:
OK I will let you off selling the family silver for her. Did yours have Ruby tubes in originally?
I think winged C's be an appropriate choice for the thing based on the performance of Mr Eaglestones Endorsement amp that I had the inordinate pleasure of interfering with, Just whenever I liked to do so! :p.:hiding:
OH the mighty V8 (be still my beating heart) would that it where mine, mine, All MINE!.:hyper::bassist:
Click to expand...

I have 8 GEC's in my V8 and they really are amazing, I was lucky as I bought them 20 years ago, but they are so valuable now that I think they are worth more than the amp itself:eek::eek: I'm going to hang on for a little more then sell the lot and go for some new KT88's and with the rest of the cash I'll buy a new Bass:D

But stick with Kt88's as opposed to 6550's as there are subtle differences between the two and Paul designed the amp around the KT88's.
 
#36
worxforme said:
No opinions? (I was holding my breath waiting you know)

Well, for anyone who may read this; FWIW I ended up going with the ValveArt KT-88 and they sound fantastic.
Click to expand...

Take a deep breath!

Yes, I had these in my V-type for years. If you're talking about the smooth plate ones. They are my absolute favorite, but superTNT hasn't had them in for years and everywhere else is quite expensive if you can find em. Right now I'm running JJ's and they are fine. I don't like them as much as the Chinese bottles, but I'm going to wear them out first. All the Chinese bottles, kt88-98, gekt88, kt-100 etc all sound similar but the smooth plates are the most refined, IMHO, If I can't get a hold of some more smooth plate ones, next time I replace them, I'll probably go with the either kt88-98 or the kt100's, There are subtle differences in the construction that leads me to believe they may be more reliable, especially the kt100's ie; thicker glass, mica shields, bigger plate holes, Either that or I haven't tried Svet Winged "C" yet, but they'll be expensive too. FWIW I'm running Chinese GEKT88's in my stereo, the ones with smooth plates, They're relabeled Penta KT88sc.
 
#37
A couple months back I retubed my Peavey Classic 400 with an OCTET of JJ KT-88s.

I had done a bunch of reading, written to Bobby Baldwin (Peavey amp designer) for his opinion, and the JJ's seemed to be the price/performance/reliability leader.

But honestly, what capped it for me was reading that the JJ's are original equipment (along with a bunch of NOS preamp tubes) in the Reeves Custom 225. It seemed to me that Reeves really sought out the best possible tubes for their amp, and the JJ's are what they decided on.

Installed and biased in my amp, the KT-88s are much rounder and have far better headroom than the Sovtek 6550s that were in there.

I got mine from Bob at Eurotubes; good people, good prices, and good support.

-John
 
#38
I have JJ's in my V6 and I like that for a bit more aggressive sound.

I put the VA's in my V4 as well and the V4 now kills on the old school sound.

The V8 is the jack though, I can get fat or gritdown if I want to. As long as I'm not flailing staccato on the B it does it all for me.

Sadly, for the band I play with most these days I use my HeartRock II for the articulation on the B. However, after one of the band members offs himself from music induced depression the jack will be back ;)
 
#39
beebassdude said:
can someone post a picture of a V8?
Click to expand...

Sure thing!

1_front.jpg


1_rear.jpg


1_rear_2.jpg
 

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