Which 6L6?

[marantz1300]

I like the tone of my Boogies with the standard Mesa 6L6s. But the credit crunch is crunching me and they aint cheap. What other tubes are as good sounding? Mesa dont make their own tubes,so who do they get them from and are they the same? Or should I just bite the bullet and stick with Mesa tubes?

 

[CoG]

Allegedly the Mesa STR-440 are Shuguang/Ruby 6L6GCMSTR, which are a bit cheaper on their own. JJs are even cheaper and sound good to me, but I find that they really don't last long (~3 months!) if I play loud!

 

[boogietone]

Just get SED winged C 6L6's from Dougstubes. They'll make you .

 

[CoG]

those are even more expensive than Mesas, though... I think OP is worried about his wallet.

 

[boogietone]

My bad. I assumed the =C= were less than the Mesa's. And you know what they say about assuming...

The SED's do sound a heckuvalot better IMHO.

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

I'd stick with M/B tubes, at least you know they're in spec, matched and tested thoroughly. And they're guaranteed for 6 months ! You could get cheaper ones that are just matched but are they the right spec and will they last..it's a gamble. I wouldn't risk it personally unless you use someone like Watford Valves.

 

[CoG]

I've never, ever heard of anyone hurting their Boogie by using the wrong spec 6L6. Boogie bias specs are widely known and if you just specify what amp it's for to any tube reseller you won't have a problem.

And actually, I take it back, the SED 6L6 are only about 5 bucks more per pair than the Mesas. The Rubys are $10 cheaper and are pretty much the cheapest and most reliable production 6L6 out there. If you go to "Tone Kits" on the dougstubes.com page the very first ebtry is Mesa-rated Rubys.

 

[marantz1300]

Just found this. Derek Roco - www.watfordvalves.com

 

[edward]

Try TungSol Reissues. I have no experience with their 6L6s, but their 12ax7 and 6v6s reissues sound great IMHO ...and I have compared them to others! Don't know what they cost, though.

And on that last note, I would not go cheapie on your tubes as that is a critical part of your tone. If the budget is tight (um, I know all about that!), then just wait and save rather than buying tubes you won't be as happy with. Ultimately, the SED Winged C (the real ones) are the ones I use ...like them so much I have them in both my DC and MKIII. I'd consider the TungSols as a good 2nd. Hope this helps you.

Edward

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

Just found this. Derek Roco - www.watfordvalves.com

That's where I suggested above ^ !! :wink: They are very good, but bear in mind the prices don't include VAT or delivery which starts from a fiver !! You must also bear in mind that unless you buy their HARMA brand, the tubes are just matched, they don't go through all the tests like those or Boogie ones do. You MUST specify for a Mesa amp too. Despite what's said above, a lot of guys have caused damage to their amps by not understanding the fixed bias thing and just sticking any old tube in them ! :shock: And the other risk is trusting the vendor - they all have their own methods of testing, which give different results - which is worrying !! The cheapest place for Boogie tubes for UK buyers is Thomann I believe.

 

[rvschulz]

I have have very good experiences with the RUBY MSTRS ... sound even and very durable. for the money, they seem to be the best sounding to my ears.

can not listen to JJs ... sound bad. i need a good sound for my money. with that said - i put a pair of older winged c's in my Mark III and ... WOW. but they were more expensive than the Rubys.

 

[mesa verde]

I like the tone of my Boogies with the standard Mesa 6L6s. But the credit crunch is crunching me and they aint cheap. What other tubes are as good sounding? Mesa dont make their own tubes,so who do they get them from and are they the same? Or should I just bite the bullet and stick with Mesa tubes?

Personally I use Electro-Harmonix 6L6 tubes in both the Mark III and Mark IIb.
Yes there are subtle nuances in tones using different 6L6 power tubes but all
these little nuances dissappear once you crank it up and play at band volumes
in live venues. Tonal nuances are fine for bedroom wankers and studio jocks
but for gigging out with live band and cranked up - all that matters is tube reliability
and durability because whatever 'nuance' tonal differences there are - hey these
are Mesa/Boogie amps and they come with Tone controls! Imagine that!
So you can dial them in for great sound no matter what 6L6 power tubes are in there
(except for really beat and used up tubes starting to glow red).

So just yourself a duet of matched EH 6L6 GC's and give them a try.
They last night after night and the amps never sounded better.
The Marks get played at least 30 hours a week and that doesn't include
the time they are sitting at idle (volume turned down and not on standby)
and the EH 6L6's last about 8 months or so. If you use your amp less
than expect at least a year or much more out of these tubes.
Rugged construction, good tones. What more do you need ?

And yeah - the tone cork sniffers out there might mention many other
brands or varieties of 6L6 tubes - both NOS and current production -
but for straight up rockin out live band playing - the EH's are fine and
don't cost a lot compared to winged C's, old NOS 6L6 RCA or Sylvanias..etc.
My advice is to always keep a set of really nice power tubes and preamp tubes
to have for recording/live mic'ing at studio - but get the daily drivers for
nightly playing and home practice.. etc. Electro-Harmonix tubes both
power tubes and preamp tubes are installed in both Boogies and the
Marks (IIb and III black stripe) sound great and never give us any problems
every night we play through them.

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

EH 6L6GC = Mesa/Boogie STR430