retubing my sovtek mig-50...

[mig50]

hopefully sometime in the next few months i'm going to retube my beloved sovtek.

the tubes in it right now are fine, but i've decided to use this as my clean amp, so i'm going to need some harder tubes.

what i'm looking for now are some nice, super clean sounding tubes that don't break up.

i'm not going to be changing tubes til august at the earliest, so i've got plenty of time to research.

i'd love to get the ball rolling with some suggestions from you guys.

also, the amp currently has two 5881 power tubes and three 12ax7 preamp tubes.

 

[59paul]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

Try some Groove Tubes " Whites ". They stay very clean. ....

 

[Scott_F]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

Does this amp have a bias adjustment pot in there somewhere? I really hope so. Should have asked this before I impluse bought one the other day. I'm planning on trying a set of KT66HP's in there if they'll fit. If not, I'll put some of the Groove Tube 6L6GE's in there. Probably 4's so they'll break up early.

 

[mig50]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

i'm hoping there's a bias adjustment in there somewhere. like i said, i've never changed the tubes, so i don't really know. if you can give me some clue as to where it would be, i don't mind opening it up and checking it out for you.

 

[mrid]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

i'm hoping there's a bias adjustment in there somewhere.

There is...it's pretty easy to find. Look for a slotted plastic protrusion sticking up.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

mine will be here in a few days. depending on how well it handles those KT66HP's will go a long way in determining how long I keep it.

 

[mig50]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

bumping this.

i'm going to be gone for the weekend. if i come back and find some more tube suggestions, i'll be super ultra mega happy.

 

[mig50]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

bumping again

 

[McLaughysSN]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

i'd like to know as well, as im probably going to be re-tubing my mig-60 in the near future

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

I'd say try some NOS Phillips 6L6 WGB's...and you MUST rebias your amp everytime you change the output tubes. It's not optional...if you want the best possible tone. You can do it yourself if you have a multi meter but if you've never done it before, get some help from a tech. You can electrocute yourself easily! Lew

 

[Scott_F]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

I tried KT66HP's in mine, I put some better 5881's in there. Got some 6L6's coming my way soon to try. Put some EL34's in there, rebiased and something didn't smell right, so I yanked them pretty quickly. Funny, but the EL34s sounded the best! Too bad I was about to fry the amp!

My preamp tubes are a balanced JJ in V3 and two NOS Brimars in V1 and 2.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

FOrgot to add, the KT66HPs were really really good, but a bit too much bass. Went with the 5881s for a while, then decided I'll probably just sell it at some point after I try the 6L6s.

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

hopefully sometime in the next few months i'm going to retube my beloved sovtek.

the tubes in it right now are fine, but i've decided to use this as my clean amp, so i'm going to need some harder tubes.

what i'm looking for now are some nice, super clean sounding tubes that don't break up.

i'm not going to be changing tubes til august at the earliest, so i've got plenty of time to research.

i'd love to get the ball rolling with some suggestions from you guys.

also, the amp currently has two 5881 power tubes and three 12ax7 preamp tubes.

A change to 12At7 or 12Au7 will greatly lower the gain of that amp. You could start by messing with the pre tubes.

 

[mig50]

Re: retubing my sovtek mig-50...

kevlar-awesome. sounds like a great starting point. any suggestions on what brand(s) i should try?