Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

[jeremy]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

yes it is. still got em and use em, great tubes for sure. not sure what ill do when those die. i have em in my modded celtic tweed bandmaster.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

Different tube all together.

Lot of folks beleive that because Musicman used these that you can pop&swap these with EL-34.

Hopefully, they also have money for the new transformer and service fees....

Can you show me a reference that indicates that 6CA7s are not electrically compatible with amps designed for EL34s? Other than the crazy high voltages in some old MusicMan amps, I haven't found any caveats about putting 6CA7s in an EL34 amp.

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

Hey, :smack: I gotta couple 6l6's in my tweed Fender Bassman. Let's see what one of them do fro me.

Peace,

Darrin

 

[ACH91332]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

what about Tesla KT66? when i was having my JTM-45 fixed the guy told me he wanted Tesla and nothing else.. i even told him i had found some GEC or some Gold Lions but he didnt want them he said to go with Tesla.. Something tells me this guy isnt all that great at amp servicing because there has been twice the time that a amp didin't work properly and had to be taken back to him to rectify his failure to fix it. I need to find a new amp tech lol but im stil curious about Tesa because he seemed to swear by them and he would claim his amp guru friend swore by them too

Well I really like JJ's. They bought Tesla. Idk if you're talking about NOS Teslas or current production JJs but I like all of JJs tubes that I've used. Their EL34 types are the only EL34 tubes I like which includes the EL34, E34L, and KT-77. Their 12AX7s are more rugged than most. The tone is alright but like I said are built better. I use a JAN GE 5751 for my driver because I like that tone but JJs are really bang for your buck as far as production models. I can go either way on preamp tubes because all brands and types sound different but I really like their power tubes. Never had any issues.

 

[pzaxtl]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

The Gold Lion reissues are supposed to be a nice tube. Dr. Z is using them in new Route 66's. I've got a set but haven't installed them yet so I can't really speak from experience, just that a lot of Route 66 owners are really liking those tubes.

One tube to stay away from is the Tung-Sol kt-66. Here's a little more info as to why:

http://drzamplifiers.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=route&action=display&thread=2723

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

When my JTM45/100 blew a tube, I had to drop in a set of JJs in a pinch.

I would however really like to get a set of of above average KT66s for it. I don't want to spend GEC money, but something in the $300-$400 range is doable.

 

[Thunder]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

Have you considered any 6CA7-types?

I second that. I have 6CA7's in my Marshall and they sound great. Not as compressed
and more tone-full than standard EL34's.

 

[ACH91332]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

Wouldn't a KT77 function like a 6AC7? I mean a lot of people will beotch that a EL34 and 6AC7 are the same which makes sense since they are different designations for the tube but a real 6AC7 is a beam tetrode version of the EL34. Since the KT77 is like a 6L6 and EL34 hybrid (soundwise) this would lead me to assume so.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

You have two different 6CA7's tradionally. One was actually a European EL34 just given the American designation. The other is the 6CA7 in the fat bottle. This tube is a beam tetrode rather than a pentode. The tube manuals give it the same specs as a European EL34 though.

The original KT77 is a beam tetrode version of the thin bottle EL34. However, it didn't really sound all that different from a EL34. Mostly it was thought of as a tougher EL34.

These days its hard to say if your really getting a re-issue attempt of a NOS version or if its just the label or name. For example, we have KT66 labeled tubes that are really KT88 guts in a bigger bottle or 6L6 guts in a bigger bottle and so forth....

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

Has anyone tried JJ's EL34L?

Peace,

Darrin

 

[ACH91332]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

E34L*? Yeah, I have. They're solid. Really punchy but really aggressive. They are a good tube but seem to be sorta flat without a mid spike or scoop.

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

E34L*? Yeah, I have. They're solid. Really punchy but really aggressive. They are a good tube but seem to be sorta flat without a mid spike or scoop.

Yeah E34L, Thanks for your input.

Peace,

Darrin

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

The E34L is actually closer to a KT77 than an traditional EL34 IMO. Lots of bass for an 34 type. Darker for sure. They don't bias up the same. You may need to expand the range of your bias ciruit to keep them from biasing up a little cold.

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: Kt-66, 6l6, kt-88, 6550 & el-34

The E34L is actually closer to a KT77 than an traditional EL34 IMO. Lots of bass for an 34 type. Darker for sure. They don't bias up the same. You may need to expand the range of your bias ciruit to keep them from biasing up a little cold.

Thanks LPB, The Mercury has a bias adjustment on the amp, so I have some room to work with. Thanks for your input.

Peace,

Darrin