Is the 5881 the tube I'm looking for?

[joey_truelove]

In which end should I begin... I just replaced the Celestion G12T75s in my 112 and 212 cabs with Webers (Alnico Cali and SB+1230-55). Just prior to that I had found the sweeetspot with the Celestions where the crystaline vibe of the strings sound almost like a piano.

The Webers being rated lower, 60 and 30+30 are far more responsive and appear brighter and harsher in the presence frequencies. I do appreciate the rather dry "papery" effect to some extent but I miss the mellowness and in a sense the spongyness of the Celestions.

I basically rely on an old Fifty/ Fifty poweramp that I run a Marshall pre-amp into. The valves are STR Selected Rubies and it's like I can't make these get along with these new speakers. I'm a true blue fan of Lace pickups - as long as the attack of these can be tamed - and I appreciate the softer dynamics of the 6L6s compared to EL34s for this purpose.

I like the description of the 5881s with their dark tone. You think these might be right for me? Or have I simply bought the wrong speakers and should return these whilst there's still time?

Cheers!

 

[Russ]

I think that you should really give your new speakers a chance to break in a little. In addition to this, you may not exactly be using the proper settings for your new speakers either being that you just got done finding what you like in Celestions that were probably broken in already. Think two different speakers with two different characteristics one set broken in and the other not at all. If you do not find that you like the new speakers after playing them for a while switch back to the Celestions and try to recoup the cost of the new speakers by selling them to someone else that is looking for them.

I used to play Lace Sensors and I can say that the pickups themselves never changed. It was up to me to change the way I played them to get a different attack. The only way to get a different flavor out of them is to change the color of the series or the model if not playing the color graded ones. I found that the Blue ones were rather mellow then the Silver then the Gold. Of course, Red is pretty hot.

As far as 5881 v. EL34 goes... In the 90's Marshall began using 5881's in the JCM900's and in the 9100/9200 power amps. This was a change from the 6550 or EL34 offerings of the JCM800 and 9000 series power amps. The 5881 tended to crunch a little different. The 5881 was more American sounding like the 6550 while the EL34 still had the British flavor. So really if you like the dynamics of the 5881 then play 5881's. Some really like them. I personally love the 420's I have in my Mark IV. From what I have gathered they are actually closer to 5881's than 6L6's. This is not to say that I don't like EL34's because in my Marshalls (JMP and JCM800) I like the classic British feel of the EL34. Though a 2210 sounds pretty brutal with KT88's in it.

 

[joey_truelove]

Cheers Russ! Then I just wait till I break the speakers in properly and keep on tweaking my gear till I get where I want to go. Worth mentioning is the minimal use of dope on the GB H clone and no dope on the M clone.

I wish I knew which STR these Rubies have...

The change to 5881s should be based on their darker character and soft dynamics alone, which I hear they are supposed to have. I believe they're softer (or "spongier" in a negative sense) than the original 6L6s. Ideas?

 

[Russ]

The 5881's seem squashier to me so yeah I guess spongier would be a good description.

 

[joey_truelove]

The 5881's seem squashier to me so yeah I guess spongier would be a good description.

Much obliged! Well, anything with a soft dynamic range is of my interest.

It has come to my knowledge there are basically two kinds of 5881s out there: the 25W variety (e.g. Tung-Sols) and the 30W variety (e.g. Sovteks). The 25W variety can only handle plate voltages up to 400V and, making myself sound like a newbie, I have no clue how many plate volts my Fifty/fifty puts out. I've read elsewhere Tung-Sols have found their way into M/B amps without mentioning of issues or necessary mods done.

http://www.thetubestore.com/6l6review.html