Tube question

[michael123]

i took my twin to a recommended tech for bias and retubing..........i asked him to put in sovtek tubes(6L6 and pre amp tubes). he recommended tubes called "ARS' he said that they are a little more expensive than what i've asked for but they are what is best for a twin.

i told him to hold on for a minute. i'll let him know later....so here i am asking the experts, you guys. i've never seen any posts on here regarding tubes called 'ARS' do i need a different tech? or are these tubes ok?how much do they cost? i thought that i should be paying $30 per pair for 6L6 and about $12 per for the pre amp tubes .

thanks,
michael

[GilmourD]

Originally Posted by michael123

i took my twin to a recommended tech for bias and retubing..........i asked him to put in sovtek tubes(6L6 and pre amp tubes). he recommended tubes called "ARS' he said that they are a little more expensive than what i've asked for but they are what is best for a twin.

i told him to hold on for a minute. i'll let him know later....so here i am asking the experts, you guys. i've never seen any posts on here regarding tubes called 'ARS' do i need a different tech? or are these tubes ok?how much do they cost? i thought that i should be paying $30 per pair for 6L6 and about $12 per for the pre amp tubes .

thanks,
michael

ARS? Never heard of them myself, but i'm not the end all be all of tube catalogs with legs. LOL There aren't really that many tube factories in the world, so it's quite likely his ARS tubes might be relabeled Sovteks (which are actually relabeled Reflector tubes). I'm not a big fan of Sovteks myself. I feel that they lack huevos.

My personal recommendation is Svetlana/SED. I used them in my 1965 Dual Showman (head version of a Twin with no reverb) and my 1969 Bassman head. I've heard that Electro-Harmonix makes a good 6L6 (their 12AX7s kick ARSE!) and JJs (formerly Tesla) are pretty good.

You can get any of those at www.thetubestore.com . I don't work for them and I don't guarantee your happiness with them. Just a happy customer passing the word. AllParts also distributes Svetlanas.

[ramblinmike]

but dont listen to me cause i'm new to this whole tube thing. well compared to everyone here. i've only owned a tube amp for a little over two years. good luck though!

[Jammin'John]

1-800-422-4250 :D

[stantheman]

"best for a Twin".....there are 2 tones on a Twin, clean
and CLEANER. Save your money and get 4 decent any
brand tubes UNLESS you're only gonna run two tubes
instead of the full compliment. My money says the "tech" had his higher price tube "in-house". I'm very
aware of all the "just been serviced by "MR.GURU" amps
on e-bay that sound "FANTASTIC".....make that "wary".
It really would take 4 distinctly CRAPPY tubes to make
a 4 6L6/5881 Twin/Showman sound other than what
it IS. Save your money. If "MR. GURU's" tuneup was so wonderful why are those amps' always getting sold....
ever wonder about that?

[5965]

Basically, I'm not sure they'd be my first choice. I suppose, if he was willing to install them and let you hear what they sound like without obligation, that might be an alternative. Just don't let him steer you into something you're not happy with.

IIRC, they're either Chinese or rebranded Chinese (there are more brands than manufacturers), and I'm not aware of anything that would cause them to be either more desirable or expensive than the tubes in the price range you were expecting. More like the reverse.

Tubes and tube quality have changed frequently over the last 5-10 years, and prices for the same tube can vary dramatically from supplier to supplier. I'd suggest checking or posting on other sites for current posts and reviews on the subject. [I haven't followed it.] Specifically, look for info about your particular application. Different tubes work differently in different amps.

Personally, I think that in your amp the preamp tubes contribute at least as much to the overall tone as the power tubes, and I'd consider reliability to be as important as sound (at least, until you get into the super-expensive range). That's particularly true if you're gigging. Chinese tubes, in general, don't have the best reputation for reliability.

In a perfect world, it'd be best to get the tubes that you really want first, rather than having something else put in and biased.

[sunkidd]

In a pinch I bought some ARS tubes once.... The only tubes available, at the time, nearby. I think they were relabeled Chinese tubes from Arizona.... ARS might test them for microphonics or something and distribute them.... they probably do Sovteks as well.

[Tim Swartz]

ARS is a distributor and seem to do a fine job of testing tubes. They put their label on the same Chinese, Russian and eastern European tubes that Groove Tubes, Ruby and other distributors do. They also put their name on NOS tubes. Ask your tech what the tubes actually are. If he is stumped, you should probably shop for a tech.

[michael123]

Originally Posted by Tim Swartz

Ask your tech what the tubes actually are. If he is stumped, you should probably shop for a tech.

he said tesla, but i thought that the word 'tesla' would appear on the tube?

[Tim Swartz]

The Teslas I've been getting for the last few years are now marked JJ. It would be very easy to wipe this or any other paint off w/ acetone. I've bought quite a bit of stuff from ARS over the years, for awhile they had a real good price on JAN Philips 6L6WGBs, and they just put their ARS logo on the tube without taking off the existing blue Philips lettering.