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Post by steeltoe on Jul 9, 2016 12:36:11 GMT -7
Has anyone tried 5881s in their ZLux? Curious as to the difference this would make.
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5881s?
Jul 9, 2016 14:07:11 GMT -7
Post by Faze on Jul 9, 2016 14:07:11 GMT -7
No I have not tried them but had a older 1993 Vibro King I used them in and like those tubes.
I have some extra at home I would like to know if they where safe to use and also how they would affect the tone.
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Post by DRZ on Jul 9, 2016 16:06:47 GMT -7
I can't speak for all NOS 5881's, but I have installed a quad of medium range TungSol RI 5881, plug-n-play no bias adjust, and they sounded great. Much more Fender like in its tone, like a mini Fender Twin reverb ... sort of.
A bit more bite, cleaner overall, and an increase in power.
Z
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5881s?
Jul 13, 2016 14:57:27 GMT -7
Post by Faze on Jul 13, 2016 14:57:27 GMT -7
Thanks Doc Good info.
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5881s?
Jul 15, 2016 0:42:13 GMT -7
Post by zpilot on Jul 15, 2016 0:42:13 GMT -7
Ditto.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jul 15, 2016 15:58:37 GMT -7
I've got a quad of them on their way to my lair and I'll post on them when I get some good playing time on them.
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5881s?
Jul 23, 2016 13:34:28 GMT -7
Post by fishman on Jul 23, 2016 13:34:28 GMT -7
posted this in Tubes but this seems more to the point. Can this same thing be done with the JAZ 20/40? thnks Mike
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5881s?
Jul 25, 2016 11:40:56 GMT -7
Post by fishman on Jul 25, 2016 11:40:56 GMT -7
Here is the answer to the question from Dr. Z.
Jul 25, 2016 14:17:55 GMT -4 drz said:
Yes the power voltage , bias resistors, and half power circuit is identical in the JAZ 20/40 and the Z -Lux.
So a Medium range , matched Quad of TungSol RI 5881's will drop in and work fine in a JAZ 20/40.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Sept 24, 2016 6:27:05 GMT -7
So I've got a couple of months on the Tung Sol RI 5881 output tubes in my Z-Lux and they're staying put. The tone is very similar to the 6V6 tone, a bit more snap in the upper mids but any difference in tone eq's out and I love the fact that they're quiet. I went through 3 sets of JJ 6V6 and every set had one that rattled. I think I'd have to have two amps side-by-side and do an A-B test, switching back and forth, to really tell the difference. By the time I got the quads swapped out I couldn't really tell the difference, except like Doc says...a little more bite and more power. The amp sounds great. It's everything that I love about the Z-Lux and I highly recommend them.
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5881s?
Oct 27, 2016 13:05:13 GMT -7
Post by JasonM on Oct 27, 2016 13:05:13 GMT -7
I just ordered a quad of the Tung sol RI 5881s from Doug's tubes. I really like the way the JJs sound but I also have one that rattles and makes strange noises so after reading about premiumplus (Dave) going threw 3 sets of JJs and one of them always having an issue I'll give the 5881s a try first.
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5881s?
Nov 14, 2016 14:35:23 GMT -7
Post by shiner51 on Nov 14, 2016 14:35:23 GMT -7
I can't speak for all NOS 5881's, but I have installed a quad of medium range TungSol RI 5881, plug-n-play no bias adjust, and they sounded great. Much more Fender like in its tone, like a mini Fender Twin reverb ... sort of. A bit more bite, cleaner overall, and an increase in power. Z Maybe a dumb question because I am no tube expert, but what about Current production TungSol 5881? Will they be ok in my Z-Lux? My JJs are rattling and I want to try something new this time.
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5881s?
Mar 26, 2018 10:18:55 GMT -7
Post by scottunzicker on Mar 26, 2018 10:18:55 GMT -7
Has anyone tried 5881s in their ZLux? Curious as to the difference this would make. I've permanently switched over to 5881s. Doc's observations are spot on, but here's a review from a post I made a while back: Howdy all. After installing a matched quad of medium-grade Tung Sol 5881s in my Z-Lux and gigging that set up a few times now, I thought I'd share a few impressions. Short Version: They're staying. I really, really like their relative clarity and extra punch over the JJ 6V6s. If I were more into "crunch," I'd keep the JJs, but, as a blues player for about 20 years here in Austin, I've come prefer articulation over grind. Think more Jimmie Vaughan ca. 1979 than Johnny Winter. Longer Version: I'd read about Dr. Z's experimentation with the Tung Sol 5881s in another thread, and seeing as I've always been mostly a Fender guy ('71 Vibrolux, '66 Super Reverb, '95 Vibro King), I wanted to put his commentary that the 5881s made the Z a little more "fender-like" to the test. A reason I never bought a Deluxe, by the way, is that I'd never been a fan of the way 6V6s sounded when pushed really hard. Being as they were different beasts, though, I went ahead bought my Z Lux (in blackout, btw) back in January. I absolutely loved the tone straight out of the box. The built in tremolo and reverb are a MUST for me, as I'm firmly in the guitar-cable-amp camp of players (I gig about 3-4 nights most weeks, btw., in addition to my full time gig as a technical writer - yes, my wife is extremely patient). Even though it wasn't as prominent as in a Deluxe, though, the sorta-scratchiness in the upper-mids of the 6V6s were there when I had the Z Lux going really hard. It was still a great tone, but, again, after seeing the Good Doctor's commentary, I decided to try the 5881s. Well, not only did the mid-scratchiness go away, the amp, if possible, became even more 3-dimensional, articulate, and "punchy," to my ears, anyway. There seems to be somewhat more volume than with the 6V6s, though not obnoxiously so. The treble response has smoothed out a bit, to my ears, and the bass is tighter. And yes, the mids seem more "scooped" a la a blackface sound. Ah, I should also mention the guitar lineup. On my usual Tuesday gigs, the bandleader has expressed in no uncertain terms her preference for humbuckers, so I plug in a very convincing replica of a Jimmy Page #2 Les Paul, with Thro Bak pickups, paper in oil caps with good pots. Another gig calls for my ES335 with Lollar Imperials. And for the soul band, I use my '95 Fender Custom Shop 50's Mary Kaye strat w/old Lindy Fralin pickups. Only with the strat do I ever use the "boost" function, and then only sparingly. I find humbuckers drive the preamp plenty to get the tones I want, and, again, I only use the boost sparingly with the strat (by way of a 1/4" plug with a 500k audio taper pot I soldered onto it, acting just like the boost pedal Dr. Z sells). Anyhoo, if y'all can think of anything else I should add to this description, let me know. Thanks, and keep on pickin'. Read more: ztalk.proboards.com/thread/75581/5881-impressions#ixzz5AsOUWqwk
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5881s?
Mar 26, 2018 12:03:19 GMT -7
Post by scottunzicker on Mar 26, 2018 12:03:19 GMT -7
I've permanently switched over to 5881s. Doc's observations are spot on, but here's a review from a post I made a while back: Howdy all. After installing a matched quad of medium-grade Tung Sol 5881s in my Z-Lux and gigging that set up a few times now, I thought I'd share a few impressions. Short Version: They're staying. I really, really like their relative clarity and extra punch over the JJ 6V6s. If I were more into "crunch," I'd keep the JJs, but, as a blues player for about 20 years here in Austin, I've come prefer articulation over grind. Think more Jimmie Vaughan ca. 1979 than Johnny Winter. Longer Version: I'd read about Dr. Z's experimentation with the Tung Sol 5881s in another thread, and seeing as I've always been mostly a Fender guy ('71 Vibrolux, '66 Super Reverb, '95 Vibro King), I wanted to put his commentary that the 5881s made the Z a little more "fender-like" to the test. A reason I never bought a Deluxe, by the way, is that I'd never been a fan of the way 6V6s sounded when pushed really hard. Being as they were different beasts, though, I went ahead bought my Z Lux (in blackout, btw) back in January. I absolutely loved the tone straight out of the box. The built in tremolo and reverb are a MUST for me, as I'm firmly in the guitar-cable-amp camp of players (I gig about 3-4 nights most weeks, btw., in addition to my full time gig as a technical writer - yes, my wife is extremely patient). Even though it wasn't as prominent as in a Deluxe, though, the sorta-scratchiness in the upper-mids of the 6V6s were there when I had the Z Lux going really hard. It was still a great tone, but, again, after seeing the Good Doctor's commentary, I decided to try the 5881s. Well, not only did the mid-scratchiness go away, the amp, if possible, became even more 3-dimensional, articulate, and "punchy," to my ears, anyway. There seems to be somewhat more volume than with the 6V6s, though not obnoxiously so. The treble response has smoothed out a bit, to my ears, and the bass is tighter. And yes, the mids seem more "scooped" a la a blackface sound. Ah, I should also mention the guitar lineup. On my usual Tuesday gigs, the bandleader has expressed in no uncertain terms her preference for humbuckers, so I plug in a very convincing replica of a Jimmy Page #2 Les Paul, with Thro Bak pickups, paper in oil caps with good pots. Another gig calls for my ES335 with Lollar Imperials. And for the soul band, I use my '95 Fender Custom Shop 50's Mary Kaye strat w/old Lindy Fralin pickups. Only with the strat do I ever use the "boost" function, and then only sparingly. I find humbuckers drive the preamp plenty to get the tones I want, and, again, I only use the boost sparingly with the strat (by way of a 1/4" plug with a 500k audio taper pot I soldered onto it, acting just like the boost pedal Dr. Z sells). Anyhoo, if y'all can think of anything else I should add to this description, let me know. Thanks, and keep on pickin'. Read more: ztalk.proboards.com/thread/75581/5881-impressions#ixzz5AsOUWqwkHi Scott!! Your description is complete. The doubt now is.....this set with this value (Gm 4.500/4.700) www.boxguitar.com/it/valvole/223-tung-sol-5881-quartetto.html?search_query=5881&results=7 could be fine for my Z-Lux or there is some risk?!? Thanks!! Littlegiop - Yes, those are exactly the tubes you want. When you order them, contact the seller and make sure they send you a "medium grade" set. Tung-Sol rates their power tubes from soft to hard, and you want the medium set for your Z-Lux, per Dr. Z's recommendations. That's a fair price, too. With the exchange rate, that's about what I pay here in the states. Ciao!
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