Retubed my '86 Mark III Purple stripe -- tube differences

[AR]

I bought my Mark III from the original owner, a coworker and friend of mine. He let me know that he had retubed the amp once, sometime in the early 90s. When I purchased it from him, he included the original factory tubes, and of course the aftermarket Mesa tubes.

The amp was never played hard (or that much), so the tubes never burned out or otherwise failed, he just assumed it was time to switch. I just did the same, and purchase some Mesa matched sets of EL34s and 6L6s. First off, the amp sounds great right off the bat, but I noticed some interesting things.

The new EL34s I bought are MUCH slimmer than the USA-made Mesa EL-34s that were in the amp (http://makeharmony.com/images/view.php?gid=15&phid=4).

The 6L6s are about the same size as the USA made ones, but the new ones weren't actually the same size. One was a little bit shorter than the other -- although in pictures it appears that it is just set higher when plugged in (http://makeharmony.com/images/view.php?gid=15&phid=0)

Also, is there any market for the original '86 and slightly-later-model tubes?

Rest of pics:
http://makeharmony.com/images/view.php?gid=15&phid=0

 

[Dutchman]

Your old EL34 Tubes are USA tubes, the old 6l6's probably are too. Most likely Sylvanias.
They are what tone hounds look for. If it where me I'd keep them as they are hard to come by and expensive these days.
The new tubes are from either China or Russia, the size of the bottle is not all that important, it's what's inside that counts.

 

[Bruce Dickenson]

Your Mk III sounds like my story. I bought mine from a guy who got it directly from mesa in 86. He thought he broke it after 6 months, put it back in the flight case for 10+ years and sold it to me in 1998. All it was was a blown tube. Practically brand new. I'm in need of new tubes now as well. I just need to break down and get 2 EL-34's and 2 6L6's and quit being a cheap a$$.

 

[AR]

Yep - mine had some nice scorch marks on the power supple (nothing crazy, just letting me know it'd been used). Otherwise, never gigged, sold once to another friend and then returned to the original owner a month later.

It was missing one dial which I bought from Mesa a few months back. $20 for the sucker, and it doesn't match . Adds character though - the larger numbers on that dial let you know that "Lead Master" is serious business!

I got the deal of the century on it though - I was looking for a good OD pedal to beef up my Fender Twin, and stumbled onto this amp which I thought would be great for a friend of mine. He turned it down but when the price came out it fit the budget I had for the pedal solution so I went for it.

You know, he did change the original stock tubes out just because he assumed he should -- not for any sonic reason. I bet they still work -- I'll have to try them out.

 

[AR]

:double:

 

[Boogiebabies]

Do not throw any of the old tubes out. They need to be tested and are extremely expensive and hard to find. I have not seen a real Phillips 6CA7/ Mesa STR-416 in a long time. They may test very good as NOS tubes can usually go for 10-12,000 hours.

 

[AR]

Do not throw any of the old tubes out. They need to be tested and are extremely expensive and hard to find. I have not seen a real Phillips 6CA7/ Mesa STR-416 in a long time. They may test very good as NOS tubes can usually go for 10-12,000 hours.

Where can I find a market for that sort of thing. I have 4 6L6s and 4 EL34s, all American made.

 

[Boogiebabies]

You need to look for a HAM radio group in your area and I can guarantee you that a bunch of them have a tube tester. Also, you can try to find a reputable tube dealer and ask him to test them for a fee. The reason I brought this up is that Sylvania/Phillips 6CA7 "Fatboys" can go for $ 150 and up for a used duet. Maybe more with the MESA label. The same goes for Phillips/Sylvania 6L6GC's. They are expensive, but I personally have a thing for Mesa labeled 415 and 416's. They just complete the true vintage Boogie tone and look. With these tubes you have the capability to hear what tubes the amp was designed around. I am thrilled for you that you have them.

 

[AR]

You need to look for a HAM radio group in your area and I can guarantee you that a bunch of them have a tube tester. Also, you can try to find a reputable tube dealer and ask him to test them for a fee. The reason I brought this up is that Sylvania/Phillips 6CA7 "Fatboys" can go for $ 150 and up for a used duet. Maybe more with the MESA label. The same goes for Phillips/Sylvania 6L6GC's. They are expensive, but I personally have a thing for Mesa labeled 415 and 416's. They just complete the true vintage Boogie tone and look. With these tubes you have the capability to hear what tubes the amp was designed around. I am thrilled for you that you have them.

I just pulled the original stock tubes out of storage to see what they were. Turns out I'm the proud owner of one matched set of USA STR415/6L6 and one matched set of USA STR416/El34. I've also got the other original 6L6s -- matched STR420 and matched STR425. I guess when the amp was bought it was running 4x 6L6 even though I think I read that Mesa doesn't advise doing that anymore.

Pics!

 

[Boogiebabies]

I would bet those Blue Label Mesa tubes are still good. The STR-420's are Chinese and the 5881's are Sovtek.

I would hold onto them, even just to look at.