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TUBES: Hard? Soft? Medium?

B

bassninja7

Mar 1, 2008
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Napoleon, OH
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#1
so i am about a day and a half from winning an ampeg all tube amp on ebay and all it needs is new power tubes, the pre's were just replaced.
it takes 6550's, so i got to looking on MF and there are different options to chose from....

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Svetlana-6550-Tube?sku=212622
bring down the option list^

what are the differences??

oh, and i have an 8ohm cab....700w handling with 300RMS
will i be ok for like 4 months?
 
#6
Spedracer said:
If you really want it bad then up your bid to at least 750-800. Depending on the amp of course, but the only tube amps i can think that go for that price are like peaveys and traynors. Lower end amps.
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thats great and all...:hmm:

my main point of the thread was to find out the difference between the three options of tubes.....
 
#7
I personally think it could take running at 8 ohms for 4 months. I've run SVT's at 8 ohms before and they didn't blow up. It was for a one-nighter but it worked fine. I wouldn't run it 8 hours a day but occasional use should be OK. But get it 4 ohms ASAP as it's really not meant to run at 8 ohms..
 
#8
bassninja7 said:
so i am about a day and a half from winning an ampeg all tube amp on ebay
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Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

and all it needs is new power tubes, the pre's were just replaced.
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...or not. In general for tube bass amps, eBay descriptions are about as accurate as renditions of "Eruption" at Guitar Center on a Saturday afternoon.

it takes 6550's, so i got to looking on MF and there are different options to chose from....

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Svetlana-6550-Tube?sku=212622
bring down the option list^

what are the differences??

RE: TUBES: Hard? Soft? Medium?
Click to expand...

Those are BS "bias ratings" that express transconductance relative to a fixed bias voltage. They're meaningless and misleading. Don't concern yourself with them because they don't convey any useful information for an end user and very little for a tech. Besides, power tubes should be replaced and calibrated by a qualified tech, unless you like throwing money away and possibly trashing your amp and cabs.

oh, and i have an 8ohm cab....700w handling with 300RMS
will i be ok for like 4 months?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't risk it. That's 700 volts to start out with. For every impedance spike above what the transformer can conduct, you're AT LEAST doubling that and the thing about electricity is that the higher the voltage, the longer the potential arc can be. Think about all that burning up your out transformer windings, tube sockets, tubes, and possibly you.
 
#9
JimmyM said:
I personally think it could take running at 8 ohms for 4 months. I've run SVT's at 8 ohms before and they didn't blow up. It was for a one-nighter but it worked fine. I wouldn't run it 8 hours a day but occasional use should be OK. But get it 4 ohms ASAP as it's really not meant to run at 8 ohms..
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I think the volume restriction Bowser imposes on you gave you a safety net. Crank that amp into 8 ohms and it's a WAY different story.
 
#13
fireincairo said:
To the original poster: Buy a Weber Biasrite and you will never have to take your amp to a tech for power tube swaps again. Also, I would suggest buying your tubes from a smaller dealer that actually tests and matches the tubes personally. Someone like www.dougstubes.com or www.kcanostubes.com

Good luck and happy hunting!
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thanks for the advice(:
 

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