shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

[Empty Pockets]

So i shipped my Bassman head to my new home in atlanta...it got here today full of broken glass. :banghead: it needed new tubes anyway but i was really stoked to play it tonite.

anyway...can you guys recommend me some good power tubes? looks like one is still intact but i figure i might as well change them both. I want to be able to get as heavy of a sound as possible at as low a volume as possible...not sure if that means 'high gain' or 'low gain' when we're talking about tubes.

It's the 1968 Bassman head, 50 watts, i'm pretty sure they're 6L6 power tubes...

i'm probably goin to the shop tomorrow to buy them so quick answers will be appreciatd

-x

 

[blueslegend8]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Welcome to Atlanta. Sorry about the broken tubes, commercial shipping companies suck!

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

i just cleaned out the broken tube and pulled the one that survived. apparently they were SOVTEK 5881WXT's. this has got me confused and a little bit worried because the fender amp field guide and other places say that the AB165 Fender Bassman circuit uses 6L6GC's.

what the funk is happening here? do i need to get it rebiased to work with 6L6's again? if i'm doing that, could i just have them use EL34's instead? i don't know much or anything about tubes so sorry if i sound a little retarded.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

and thanks for the welcome you must've sent that while i was typing my other post.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

You can use any of that "family" with a proper biasing. 5881's are going to break up a little sooner than big bottle 6L6's. If you like the way it sounded, go find some more of that tube. I'd like to suggest that you give the new reissue Tung Sol 5881's a try. i love em.

 

[J Moose]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

I believe those amps are fixed bias as well right? So you can plop 'anything' in there... 5881, 6L6, 6v6? and it'll run just fine.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Nice. So if one of those 5881's is intact, I don't have to buy a set? I can just replace the shattered one? If so, this is awesome, smiley-making news.

-X

 

[J Moose]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Maybe you could put just a single one in but I'd still replace the pair... they work as a push/pull set. It'll sound 'best' with a pair.

Probably run a bit happier too.

Keep the intact one as a spare in case 'ya smash another tube down the line...

lol

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

haha good advice. thanks for the help bro.

 

[missionamps]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

haha good advice. thanks for the help bro.

Reread what my friend Scott F said... pay particular attention to the comment about PROPER BIAS!!!
Without that you could have a pair of new power tubes light up like a Xmas tree and turn to mush in a few minutes or be running so cold that amp will sound like a broken one anyhow.
If you are unfamiliar with tube amps and power tube replacement, talk to a local tech first. There is no harm in that and shows good common sense.
Consider buying a QUAD set of tubes (four matched tubes)... from a local tech and getting two of those installed with bias voltage (and subsequent idle current) set correctly for YOUR amp and the new set of tubes.
Why? They aren't free and generally, power tubes are NOT plug and play.
Many of us will do this for a first time customer for free or a fairly low cost if the tubes are bought from us too.
From that point on, you can use the other remaining two tubes without hesitation or buy the exact same rating tubes from a dealer.
Then you have a decent chance of being able to plug them in with no change in the bias circuit.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Reread what my friend Scott F said... pay particular attention to the comment about PROPER BIAS!!!
Without that you could have a pair of new power tubes light up like a Xmas tree and turn to mush in a few minutes or be running so cold that amp will sound like a broken one anyhow.
If you are unfamiliar with tube amps and power tube replacement, talk to a local tech first. There is no harm in that and shows good common sense.
Consider buying a QUAD set of tubes (four matched tubes)... from a local tech and getting two of those installed with bias voltage (and subsequent idle current) set correctly for YOUR amp and the new set of tubes.
Why? They aren't free and generally, power tubes are NOT plug and play.
Many of us will do this for a first time customer for free or a fairly low cost if the tubes are bought from us too.
From that point on, you can use the other remaining two tubes without hesitation or buy the exact same rating tubes from a dealer.
Then you have a decent chance of being able to plug them in with no change in the bias circuit.

i read what he said about proper biasing, but J Moose has a few Fenders from this era and he mentioned fixed bias, so I figured he was right...

does anybody know if my amp has a fixed bias or not? and if i replace the broken tube with another SOVTEK 5881 that's just like the unbroken tube, why would biasing be required? i know i sound ignorant but that's only because i am...but you guys can fix that y'know?:friday:

 

[Curly]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

http://www.aikenamps.com/WhatIsBiasing.htm

 

[wixedmords]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

"Fixed bias" means an amp needs to be set to a specific bias. Usually "cathode biased" amps don't need to be biased.

 

[jeremy]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

correct.

fixed bias = adjustable

cathode bias = not adjustable (actually it is but it isnt something that you typically want to do)

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Alright! Thanks a lot guys.

Now do any of you know a reputable amp tech in the Atlanta area?

 

[kjrocks]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Maybe you can hook up with the infamous Atlanta posse. The Guy Who Invented Fire, Bbent and blueslegend I believe. I bet they could help you out.

 

[rashayritto]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

man that sucks dude, you should never ship an amp with the tubes still inside

 

[Ayrton]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

Alright! Thanks a lot guys.

Now do any of you know a reputable amp tech in the Atlanta area?

Call John Davis @ 770-886-8286. He has a shop up in Suwanee.

 

[J Moose]

Re: shipping mishap...time for new tubes.

For years now... like, WELL over 10 I've been taking my amps to a local north Jeresy cat who gets overflow work from guys like Matt Wells & Bruno... I'd hope he knows what he's yakkin' about...

Anyway...

He's ALWAYS told me & my buddies that for the most part, the old blackface & blonde Fenders, silverfaces like the Bassman heads etc. operate on a non-adjustable and generally, won't EVER really need to be adjusted and as long as the amp is 'healthy' (I'll leave you to figure that out!) then no harm can/should/would be done by NOT re-biasing.

The only time he's ever really adjusted it is when going from old tubes, like RCA's or GE to something new like Sovtek's or some made in China bottles...

Kinda like Mesa Boogies...

Even then, he said it's generally because the amps with old 'stock' tubes probably haven't seen ANY maintence since the JFK or Nixon era's.

I'll stand by my original advice... if MTpockets had Sovteks in there now and it was runnin' fine... then a new set of Sovtek bottles won't blow anything up.





Could be wrong though...