Tube info

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bluefuzzguitar
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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:28 am

[quote="Billy Batz"]Ive been thinkging about a 6CA7 quad for a long time now. Has anyone else used both a 6CA7 and Mullards and can you comment?[/quote]

I currently have a quad of 6CA7's in my Super Bass. The GT KT66HP's that were in there gave up the ghost last week (fried a resistor too!). In a way I'd been waiting for that moment because I was smart enough to have bought a quad of 6CA7's and KT88's in advance so I could hear what they sound like in my Super Bass. The 6CA7's that are currently in there are exactly as I described in my post in which I break down the various tube types I know the sound of. In other words: dark, bass-heavy but without sacrificing the highs, EL34-like mid grind coupled with 6L6-like glassiness, a true British/American hybrid with plenty of headroom. I like the sound of these tubes a lot and I can recommend them, Dan!

Mike
There's no tone like your own

bluefuzzguitar
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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:31 am

[quote="Gtr_tech"]Some corrections to the Tube Info post:

The English "KT" prefixed tubes are Kinkless Tetrodes, not triodes.
The "kink" that was removed does not refer to an audible quality, but to the plate current graphs through thier operating range. This imperfection, or "kink" was caused by secondary emission from the screen grid. The advent of beam forming plates to replace the suppressor in a standard pentode brought about the new kinkless tetrode. Not counting the beam plates as tube elements causes some to refer to them as tetrodes.
Americans called them "beam power tubes".[/quote]

I stand corrected. Told ya I'm a player who only knows what he hears and doesn't know the first thing about the layout and construction of tubes. :wink:

Mike
There's no tone like your own

Billy Batz
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Post by Billy Batz » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:32 am

Im just curious if you consider them a better substitute for mullards then modern EL34s. I thought I saw someone say that.

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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:43 am

[quote="martin g"]Hi, do you know what factory build KT66HP for GT? Sovtek, svetlana, EH? Which could be the best?[/quote]

The Russian KT66HP's are made in the Saratov factory and they are not to be confused with the Sovtek 'KT66' which is really a 6L6WXT in a bigger bottle and sounds like cardboard compared to the KT66HP. Sovtek, Svetlana and EH are all made in the old Sovtek factories and are basically one and the same brand now belonging to the same group of owners. The old Svetlana plant is now producing tubes under the Winged C (=C=) brand and is not to be confused with what's now labeled as 'Svetlana'. Then there are the JJ tubes which are all built in the old Tesla factory.

What is best is subjective. George is no longer carrying GT KT66HP's and has switched to Valve Art (Chinese KT66's) because he's had too many bad batches of GT KT66's. Myself, I've had some very positive experiences with KT66HP's and still recommend them over any other current-production KT66. JJ is definitely a top brand and is known for strong, solid tubes with lots of output and headroom. =C= is also great. If you're looking specifically for KT66's your choices are either a Russian-made one or Chinese-made one. You can get the Chinese Valve Arts from George here or the Russian GT KT66HP's from other sources. Whatever you do, DO NOT buy the Sovtek 'KT66' tubes as they are not true KT66 replicas and are both weak in sound and construction.

Mike
There's no tone like your own

bluefuzzguitar
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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:50 am

[quote="Billy Batz"]Im just curious if you consider them a better substitute for mullards then modern EL34s. I thought I saw someone say that.[/quote]

I understand from George's experiences with Mullard EL34's that they are cleaner with more headroom and less shrill-sounding than modern EL34's. In that sense, 6CA7's are definitely a better choice than current-production EL34's. I dunno to what extent they compare to a real Mullard as I've never had the privilege of playing them and hearing them for myself but they definitely fit the bill better than the EL34's on the market today which all seem to break up too fast with too many nasty upper mids, at least to my ears.

Mike
Last edited by bluefuzzguitar on Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
There's no tone like your own

bluefuzzguitar
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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:53 am

George,

Is there any way you can still make this a sticky thread? You and Shane both felt all this tube talk is very useful for others reading or partcipating in this thread. At the time you couldn't log in and this thread sort of faded into oblivion. Now it's back from the dead. Please sticky this topic.

Thanks,

Mike
There's no tone like your own

Billy Batz
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Post by Billy Batz » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:11 am

bluefuzzguitar wrote: I dunno to what extent they compare to a real Mullard as I've never had the privilege of playing them and hearing them for myself but they definitely fit the bill better than the EL34's on the market today which all seem to break up too fast with too many nasty upper mids, at least to my ears.

Mike
Yeah. I totally agree there. Ive never stuck mullards in my amps but have played amps with mullards. They seemed much tighter, smoother and larger in some ways. Fatter maybe but I couldnt really seperate just the tone of mullards formt he amp.

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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:27 am

Dan,

This goes back to my reply to that Polish guy earlier. If you're looking for a smoother, cleaner sound with later breakup/more headroom than modern EL34's your choice is either a KT66 or 6CA7. The KT66 being more akin to a 6L6 and the 6CA7 being more like an EL34. Both tubes retain that Marshall mid grind, no worries there, just a question of which sound takes your fancy. George himself commented in another topic that the KT66 reminded him of the sound of Mullard EL34's, much more so than current-production EL34's. I imagine 6CA7's are not too far off the mark either. So if you're looking for a Mullard-type sound without laying down a huge wad of $$$ I suggest you either go for KT66's for a more 6L6-like approach or 6CA7's for a more EL34-like approach. Lemme know what you decide and what your findings are.

Mike
There's no tone like your own

Billy Batz
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Post by Billy Batz » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:35 am

I was already set to get a pair before posting today. Ill probably order some this week.

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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:49 am

A pair of 6CA7's, I presume? Remember, I'm supposed to read your posts with a dry, sarcastic humor in mind. :wink: :P

Mike
There's no tone like your own

Billy Batz
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Post by Billy Batz » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:57 am

Oops. I mean a quad. :)

That there is my disclaimer. I got in trouble too many times because I cant help being sarcastic. Its my personality and it translates accross my typing hand but not everyone can see the sarcasm and think Im just being an asshole. Maybe.

bluefuzzguitar
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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:48 am

Dan,

I was referring to the sexual connotation (he said 'pair', huh-huh, huh-huh). Join the club, Dan, I'm much the same way. I guess that's why we both like fuzzboxes and cleanish-sounding tubes with lotsa headroom (which in turn makes fuzzes sound better too). 8)

Mike
There's no tone like your own

Billy Batz
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Post by Billy Batz » Wed Apr 20, 2005 10:39 am

mmmmm..... umh hmm umh hmm umh hmm

bluefuzzguitar
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Post by bluefuzzguitar » Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:01 pm

I am the grrreat Cornholio. I need t.p. for my bunghole! :P

Yey, I finally made it to a sticky topic! Thanks, George!

Mike
There's no tone like your own

Guest

Post by Guest » Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:19 am

To the Guy that plays with single coils.
I would stay away from JJ 12ax7, JJ el34, or even the New Sensor Mullards. Way too brittle for single coils, for my taste.

Cheaper option:
Go with winged C/SED el34 and USED or NOS Mullard Preamp Tubes.
NOS and good condition Amperex, Mullard, and Telefunken
preamp tubes can be found for $50 a pop

Mo Money option
Or if you have a larger budget, go with the stuf already suggested NOS GE or Slyvania 6ca7 big bottle (I saw a quad of NOS Sylvania sell for about $200, on ebay recently) After reading this thread, I'm wanting to try
KT66.

Money's no object option
NOS Mullard XF2 double Halo
$400 to $500 on Ebay
Genelex NOS KT66, KT88

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