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Post by Burnsy on Oct 28, 2017 7:23:16 GMT -7
Has anyone tried a NOS 5V4GA in a Maz 8 yet? I know it will work just fine, but I'm curious how you liked it before I order one.
My JJ GZ34 is rattling like crazy and driving me nuts! Not an issue for gigs, but it'd be nice to avoid it. I'm usually fine with new production tubes, but I've had a lot of rattling rectifier tubes lately.
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Post by dcarver on Oct 29, 2017 1:05:20 GMT -7
Yup, I tried one in my Maz 8. In pentode mode I couldn't tell any difference between a NOS 5V4GA and a NOS 5AR4. In triode mode, I like the NOS 5AR4 a little better. The difference was subtle, but the amp seemed to lose something with the 5V4GA. I keep the 5V4 as a backup. (dergit)Markus did a good video comparison in this thread in the Tubes topic : ztalk.proboards.com/thread/6263/on-tube-rectifiers?page=3It's on page 3 down towards the bottom of the page.
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Post by captainron (Ron) on Nov 2, 2017 20:23:20 GMT -7
I've had a NOS GE 5V4GA in my stingrays and liked it. I was thinking of trying it in my Maz 18 this weekend. I'll let you know what I find. I have a few NOS 5V4GA's laying around.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Nov 3, 2017 9:32:47 GMT -7
I had a 5v4 in my Maz 18NR for a month or two, and it fell apart (the glass separated from the base) I glued it which didn't hold, and finally gave up and went back to the 5AR4. I'm glad I did, because the amp just sounds overall better with it. The 5V4 tended to make it lose it's immediacy and the low end got loose. Bottom line is Doc knows which tube sounds best, and he ships his new amps with them. I just can't advise any changes. I've even tried NOS tubes and they really don't sound better, at least to my ears. Doc really knows his craft and it is humbling to admit that after working on amps for my whole life (I'm a 65 year old retired electrical engineer) that I can't make his amps better. Z amps are the ONLY ones that I can honestly say this about. I'm pretty good at voicing amps but Doc stands WAY ABOVE me. He's great. I'm good. End of story!!!
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Post by zpilot on Nov 3, 2017 12:47:38 GMT -7
Same here. I've been working on amps for 40 years or so. All my other amps are tweaked in some way. I've never had a desire to do anything to my Z's other than install some NOS tubes and change speakers and I usually wind up with one of the original options. I haven't even looked inside except for briefly a MAZ 38, which was my first Z. I was more than satisfied that the workmanship was first rate and I couldn't do anything to improve it. Time is better spent fussing about other gear.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Nov 3, 2017 13:51:33 GMT -7
Me three, I’ve given up trying to improve Zs, inside or outside of the chassis. I use the Z website page under Support-Tube Info or just look at the tubes the amps ship with and get exact replacements. Doc makes it easy.
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Post by dcarver on Nov 3, 2017 16:57:18 GMT -7
There is one thing you can do to them .... The Purple Jewel Light
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Post by zpilot on Nov 3, 2017 19:04:56 GMT -7
Unless your cab is red.......according to my ex-wife.
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Post by purpletele on Nov 4, 2017 0:05:03 GMT -7
Unless your cab is red.......according to my ex-wife. I had a red jewel in Erika the Red Remedy. It was too much red. I changed it to purple and I felt my serotonin levels change.
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Post by Burnsy on Nov 26, 2017 19:05:59 GMT -7
Thinking about this one some more... since this is a single ended, true class A amp, you're not going to have any sag or change in current, so there really shouldn't be a difference in "feel" between the two rectifier tubes in this amp.
The 5V4GA impedance is a little lower than the 5AR4 (100ohm vs ~180ohm), so the B+ will be a bit higher, which could account for a small change in sound.
I may give it a shot and see. It's really not about sounding better than it is about reliability and lack of rattle. It's pretty easy to find a good quality NOS 5V4GA compared to the big $$$ people pay for a NOS GZ34.
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Post by prspastor on Dec 12, 2017 11:44:22 GMT -7
There is one thing you can do to them .... The Purple Jewel Light
All my Z's have purple jewel lights!
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