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Post by guitarman on Jan 27, 2006 17:38:26 GMT -7
I have used a few rectifiers with my Ghia as experiments. I believe the stock tube is the best i have found. mine came with the hotter tube (GZ34 I believe) and I went back to stock immediately.
different 5Y3 rectifier tubes didn't make much difference to me......YMMV
but hey, it won't hurt to change them out and form you own opinion...keep us informed
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Post by zdogma on Jan 28, 2006 5:57:19 GMT -7
Oops. I accidentally deleted the original question. In short: Using a different rectifier type will change the ghia's sound, what about different 5Y3's? At any rate I tried these 3 nos rectifiers, JAN, brimar, and RCA 5y3, and... No real difference that I could hear. I wish I had a new GT to compare. Anyone else tried this?
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Post by ampaholic on Jan 29, 2006 5:11:32 GMT -7
I've only had my Ghia a few days but it came (used) with a 5V4 rectifier. The person I bought it from says this was the original tube from when the head was new. I took an RCA 5Y3 out of a VibroChamp I have and tried it. It certainly seemed to soften the tone a bit, in a good way, and there may have been a slight reduction in volume. It appears as if Ghias are shipped from the factory occassionally with a rectifier tube other than the recommended 5Y3. Does anybody know why? Customer request perhaps or does the Dr. feel some Ghias just sound better with a different rectifier?
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Jan 30, 2006 10:03:30 GMT -7
This is just a guess, but if it comes from the Z factory with a certain rectifier tube, perhaps Dr. Z chose a rectifier tube that set the voltages where he wanted to see them... Amps are a very dynamic equation... Perhaps the power tranny was just slightly cool and a 5V4 was just enough in that particular amp to bump the voltages into a range where the amp just sings! Or perhaps there was a variance in lot of 5V4's where they ran a little cooler more in the range of a 5Y3, so it was a perfect substitute. Or perhaps just a touch more clean headroom was desired out of that Ghia, so a 5V4 was just the ticket. Either way, the difference between a 5V4 and a 5Y3 is relatively small, even if both tubes are at exact spec... I doubt many folks would even notice the difference. Now if we're talking a 5AR4 (GZ34) versus a 5Y3, then yes, most folks would notice that difference. While the Ghia CAN run a GZ34, you're going to get better power tube life out of a 5Y3, and to my ears the Ghia sounds sweeter and fatter with the 5Y3. It's not bad with the GZ34, and I really like that tube in other amps, but for what I like in the Ghia, a 5Y3 (or 5V4) is absolutely perfect. In particular, I like the NOS Mazda 5Y3GB because: 1) It looks really cool (see the pic), and 2) Since there is no standby on the Ghia, I like the fact that the Mazda has indirectly heated cathodes and therefore takes about 15 seconds to warm up before it applies B+ voltage to the power tube plates. By the way if you're going to install a Mazda 5Y3GB, and I'm not sure if this is the case with all Ghias, but with mine I had to pull the chassis to plug the tube in, and then slide the chassis back in and bolt-it up once the tube was installed. There was not enough clearance to plug the tube in without doing this. The 5V4 also has indirectly heated cathodes... perhaps that could be another reason that Dr. Z would install one at the factory? Again though, I'm only guessing here, NOT speaking for Dr. Z by any means. It'd be an interesting question for him to answer... straight from the horse's mouth if you will! Dr. Z?
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Post by myles on Jan 30, 2006 11:42:57 GMT -7
I prefer the 5Y3. The other rectifiers are too hot and harsh for my taste, the rise time is too fast and tube life shorter.
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Post by guitarman1 on Jan 30, 2006 12:13:04 GMT -7
I compared a NOS Mazda 5Y3GB and a NOS GE 5Y3 in my Ghia last week and couldn't hear any difference. I also compared a Mazda 5AR4/GZ34 to a Sovtek 5AR4/GZ34 in my Maz Sr. and the Mazda sounded considerably better.
Has anybody compared a NOS 5Y3 to a new production 5Y3 in a Ghia?
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Jan 30, 2006 13:01:32 GMT -7
I've compared NOS v. current production 5Y3's in a Ghia... No tonal or feel difference whatsoever. I've noticed pretty much zero difference amongst different brands of 5Y3's as well (compared GE, JAN Phillips, Sovtek, Raytheon (RCA), and Mazda).
Different type of rectifier certainly make a difference, but if we're talking about the same type, then the rectifier tube is as close to being a 'utility' tube as it gets - either it's working or it's failed... no dramatic tonal impact like the other tubes in a Ghia. What you gain by going with a NOS 5Y3 in general is durability and longevity, which makes them worth the extra money IMO.
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Post by niversen on Jan 30, 2006 17:09:58 GMT -7
"In particular, I like the NOS Mazda 5Y3GB because: 1) It looks really cool (see the pic), and 2) Since there is no standby on the Ghia, I like the fact that the Mazda has indirectly heated cathodes and therefore takes about 15 seconds to warm up before it applies B+ voltage to the power tube plates."
+1 on this idea. That what I have right now. Just gotta figure out why the amp keeps blowing fuses.
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Post by bluzsteel on Jan 31, 2006 8:26:29 GMT -7
mine came with a RCA 5Y3GT
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Post by zane on Jan 31, 2006 16:02:21 GMT -7
"In particular, I like the NOS Mazda 5Y3GB because: 1) It looks really cool (see the pic), and 2) Since there is no standby on the Ghia, I like the fact that the Mazda has indirectly heated cathodes and therefore takes about 15 seconds to warm up before it applies B+ voltage to the power tube plates." +1 on this idea. That what I have right now. Just gotta figure out why the amp keeps blowing fuses. I put one of those Mazda's in my Ghia when I 1st got it...mine kept blowing fuses too...I changed back to the RCA tube that was in it when I got it
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Jan 31, 2006 19:57:11 GMT -7
really? the mazda caused it to blow fuses? I've had no such trouble and that mazda's been in mine for well over two years now.
I've got a 1.5 amp fuse in mine though (which is what it came with), and I just read myles post that the Ghia has a 1 amp fuse... Hmmm, is it supposed to be 1 amp or 1.5 amps?
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Post by zane on Feb 1, 2006 0:24:57 GMT -7
really? the mazda caused it to blow fuses? I've had no such trouble and that mazda's been in mine for well over two years now. I've got a 1.5 amp fuse in mine though (which is what it came with), and I just read myles post that the Ghia has a 1 amp fuse... Hmmm, is it supposed to be 1 amp or 1.5 amps? Yeah I blew 3 fuses with the Mazda in mine...changed back to the RCA , haven't had any problems since...
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Post by guitarman1 on Feb 1, 2006 6:53:31 GMT -7
really? the mazda caused it to blow fuses? I've had no such trouble and that mazda's been in mine for well over two years now. I've got a 1.5 amp fuse in mine though (which is what it came with), and I just read myles post that the Ghia has a 1 amp fuse... Hmmm, is it supposed to be 1 amp or 1.5 amps? I haven't checked the actual fuse value in mine, but the chassis is marked as 1 amp. I've had no problems with my Mazda 5Y3GB or with blowing fuses either.
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Post by zdogma on Feb 1, 2006 6:59:11 GMT -7
Same on mine, 1 amp. I have never blown the fuse.
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Post by bluzsteel on Feb 1, 2006 8:35:41 GMT -7
1 amp no prob
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Feb 1, 2006 9:27:36 GMT -7
cool, thanks for the clarity guys... guess I'll have to switch up that fuse when I get a chance.
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Post by steveinnashville on Feb 1, 2006 14:47:23 GMT -7
Working from an early post asking about my Ghia's tubes:
"-5AR4, weird symbol/logo, "Electron Tube MADE IN CHINA", rectifier, right?" is what was in it when I received the Ghia. I sought out some kind of tube on the net that had been recommended by Dr. Z and on some forums, I can't remember for the life of me and all of the paint on the tubes has disappeared completely. I am 99% sure that it is some upgrade I had made from the Chinese 5AR4... somebody drop some names of replacements for this tube that might have been popular in boutique circles in say, the year 2000. I might remember the name, then.
"The Carmen Ghia, from right to Left, is running an Ei 12AX7, an unreadable 5751 that used to have a green script now faded to nothing, a matched pair of JJ EL84s and then the large (rectifier?) tube has no readable label at all... it does bear a lot of resemblance to the 5AR4, but it doesn't appear to be of identical manufacture, the base and components look a "little" off from the 5AR4, so I have no idea."
So, any help as to figuring out what might be what in here would be appreciated. I did make it sound way better than it did originally by adding a 5751, the Ei tube and whatever rectifier change I made (swapping out the Chinese 5AR4 for a now-unreadable tube)... oh, well. Maybe a tube-autopsy could tell what it is after it dies, or it might be fun experimenting with new tubes again...
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Post by guitarman1 on Feb 3, 2006 7:22:11 GMT -7
Not sure about the other tubes, but the 5751 could be a GE. The 5751 GE in my Ghia has green print, and I think Z shipped allot of these in Ghias. They are a very common NOS tube.
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