Lets talk about replacement Tubes.

[mantis]

Hello all,
I was told by a amp technician that most if not all same model number tubes are basically the same. They measure the same but could sound slightly different but not so different where you would probably notice.
So my amp uses Sovtek 5881/6L6WGC from the factory and it's Bias is setup where I don't have to do anything just buy new Tubes and away I go.
Now I know there are other brands of this tube which I learned the 5881 is just a Military number and the 6L6 is a consumer number. But then there are letter after the 6L6 that can vary. WXT WGC just to name 2.
I know amps like Soldano , Mesa Boogie , Blackstar, Fender etc will use a 6L6 power amp tube set. I also know there are many different brands of these tubes you can buy.
My question is IF you amp came with one brand and you switch to another but use the same basic kind of tube, do you or should you get the amp re biased?

I picked up a set of Ruby Tubes in the 6L6 matched Quad set and I paid a lot for them $96.00 plus PA tax. I put them in and they sound ok I guess. They sound better then the worn out Tubes that where in there which where the Sovtek. I'm not sure if I'm hearing things right but I think I hear some strange overtones on certain things I'm doing. I have not just plugged in dry yet which I'm gonna do that today as I know exactly how my amp sounds with fresh tubes in it. It's sounds incredible.
The channel that suffers most is my OD channel. The Cleans even when the tubes are worn still sounds damn nice and clear. You feel a bit mussy but it's not so annoying that you don't want to play , run out and get new tubes. The OD channel on the other hand loses it's tightness and structure. It starts to sound like I rolled the volume down on my guitar and I don't have enough output to drive the distortion tight. Honestly it goes from crushing high tight gain to a more Solano like gain structure which has a touch of classic rock to it. The SLO100 head when you just plug in sounds amazing for what it does. It's not as high gain as my Krank is. It's not as low end powerful as it or Death metal like I'll call it for a lack of a better term. The SLO100 has a crazy awesome Mid range that is probably the best in the business but it's high gain just doesn't get out of the 80's for me anyway.
So what do you guys do for tubes? Do you stick with what comes with your amp or buy other brands? I'm not looking to make any improvements in my sound as my amp sounds exactly how I want it to when it's fresh. But IF buying Ruby tubes, Groove tubes or any other brand are going to be a better choice then the Sovtek that Krank decided to use then I'm all for it. The Sovtek tubes are a pain in the ass every time I gotta buy them. I have to search my ass off to find them or order them from a local shop. I'm not very comfortable buying online unless someone in here says THIS PLACE is a great place to buy replacement tubes.

Thanks guys in advance.

Dan

[nickyboy]

From what I gather, there are only one or two actual manufactures of tubes and they are then sold and re-branded.
I'm surprised you can't find sovtek in the states.
I'm assuming you are an slo100 owner?
I've just put a new quad of sovtek's in and it sounds great...but with all the mythology about tubes I'm wondering about biasing etc.
I'm gonna buy a bias tool and learn how to do it..I think weber make one - in the states.
One thing I have noticed is that the soldano doesn't really start to shine until it's past 4 on the master. I'n content with the amount of gain and like that the clarity is there. If I'm shredding at home I'll use an old peavey bandit and the gain is insane on it...but very artificial sounding - sorf of fake.

Tell me bout your krank?
How does it compare to the slo?

[mantis]

Hi nickyboy,
I don't own a Solano SLO100 but I played one for an hour or so with all the new 2016 Charvel Pro mod's and a few Jackson Guitars.
I compare my Krank to the SLO100 as it's one of the only higher gain heads I have ever played that has a wonderful Fender like clean channel with NO break up at all. Head room for days.

My Krank is the Original design Revolution 1. It's 100 watts with 4 Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH preamp tubes and 4 Sovtek 5881/6L6WGC power amp tubes.
It has 2 channels with the OD channel or as Krank calls it the Krank channel 2 volume controls so you can switch between rhythm volume and lead volume. Thats all it does.
The gain structure is not suited for classic rock, I have tried to gain it down to 1 or even 1/2 of 1 and it just has this overly to tight sounding gain. It doesn't smooth out like marshall does at low gain settings which IMO is perfect for that classic rock tone. I'm a heavy metal guy so I run my gain at 3 and it's plenty with clarity and attack.
The amp is stupid loud and is one reason I want a smaller practice amp so I can practice scales and things at home without waking the dead but want a good sounding practice amp. I looked at the BlackStar HT5R which is on top of my list right now.
The clean channel on the Krank Revolution 1 is remarkable. When I played the SLO100 Soldano and then came home to my Krank, I didn't feel like the SLO was better in any way which in many peoples eyes is the Holy Grail of amps. My Krank's clean is so damn good you would think I was playing through a Fender Twin reverb or a Bassman 10. It has that crazy dynamic range like a Fender amp which I do believe Krank took the design of a Fender Bassman 10 head and hot rodded the hell out of it but retained the clean channel as it should be.
When I pursed the Krank Revolution 1, I was strongly considering a 5150 from Peavey, a Dual Rectifier from Mesa Boogie and Bogner Ubershall which was just slightly out of my price range but I was gonna break the bank to get what I wanted. I had no idea who Krank was but when I plugged into one, I fell in love. I didn't however like the Kranenstien as it's clean channel was dirty like the 5150. The Mesa had a strange sounding clean channel but I really liked it's OD channel.
If I had to do it again and buy a SLO100 or a Revolution 1, I would take the Krank every time unless I was planning on playing Classic rock, hard rock kinda stuff and some 80's metal. I don't think the SLO 100 is suited for a todays modern High Gain sound . I much prefer a ENGL type gain structure. It's what the Krank sounds like if you where to compare it to something made today. I think without actually plugging into a ENGL, the ENGL might be a better sounding High Gain amp. I really want to play a few of them and then decide IF it's the replacement for my Krank. I have yet to find an amp that I feel strongly about.
I had a JSX from Peavey years ago and that head was awesome but the Noise drove me insane. The Clean channel was very nice and the OD channels where awesome. I really liked that amp. I sold it in favor of my noiseless Krank.

[Texas Crude]

I just bought a set of four EH EL34s from thetubestore.com. Shipped from Canada to Texas in a couple of days, and am pretty happy with the sound of them. I paid under $80 for them.

[catzodellamarina]

My Zinky Blue Velvet 50-watt combo uses Sovtek 5881/6L6WGC. This is the ONLY recommended tubes for this amp. I guess the key word is recommended. It would probably run with a comparable 6L6 or other brand name. But I'm too chicken and stick with what Bruce tells me to use.
I also played it safe when I had a VHT Two-Ninety-Two.

Now with the Peavey stuff I owned, I played with brands. I have also used other brands and letter suffixes (only with 12AX7's) in my 5150 III.

So if it was my Soldano, I would do what Mike recommends.

[catzodellamarina]

I messed up and posted twice.