6L6 STR-440 VS. 5881 STR-425 Russian

[Kincaide]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to decide which 6L6's to put in my two channel Dual Rec. Can anyone help explain the tone difference between these two tubes?

Any good experiences with either one of them?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[bigjay]

I just started using the 5881s in my Mark IV. They are perfect...just what I was looking for. In the Mark IV manual mesa says to use the 5881 for a more "vintage" tone, and that's exactly what they sound like. Basically not as much saturation as the standard 6l6s, but they have the same rich full tone.

I play mostly blues and jazz, and absolutely love the 5881s. I'm able to dial in just the right amout of distortion, where I can have the volume on my guitar at around a "6" and play 7th, 9th, and 13th chords without being completely muddy, but when turning my guitar's volume up to "10", it just sings.

With the 5881s I'm able to have more control to dial in that classic "blues" overdrive. To my ears, the 6l6s are more of a "metal" sound without getting into the el-34 realm.



- Jason