Megafrog Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 I am looking at re-tubing a Fender Super Champ X2 as my 6v6s are going bad but I was curious, what tubes do you guys use? We have a ton of seasoned players here and I am hoping to get some input based on your expertise. Typically I use JJs or Rubys but that is mostly because I don't like expending a ton of money on tubes and would rather invest in guitars themselves. This particular amp is my go to at home amp that is both loud enough and dynamic enough to do most anything I want when noodling at the house. I bought the amp with Groove Tubes in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Get any NOS US or UK made tubes you can find. There are only 3 tube factories in the world, Russia, Slovakia and China. The brand name and price determines the quality of the tube. Older tubes, especially the Mil grade ones are likely to be better quality and should last well too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Tung Sol's have a little more breakup and are creamy sounding, JJ's are clear sounding, durable and sound bigger than most 6V6's, TAD's are a little higher end but are IMO the best sounding 6V6 in Fenders. Groove Tubes are from various manufacturers and you have to look at the tube to see what kind of tube it really is. Anyway, TAD's are pretty nice! Quality varies all the time from different manufacturers. Except for Sino tubes. They're consistently good. Most TAD's are sino tubes. Ruby's are usually sino tubes too. Other tube types - 12AX7's - It's usually good to mix different brands in the preamp. I always use a tung sol in v1 of pretty much any amp. They're pretty musical but can be microphonic once in awhile. JJ's are pretty good for certain tubes in Marshalls or where you want a little clear top end, but not so good for Fenders. Sino 12AX7's are the only tubes that are durable in v3 of Marshalls and certain other places. JJ had tons of 12AX7 failures a few years ago. 6l6's - TAD 6L6WGS-STR blackplates are the best. It's an RCA small bottle reproduction. Great sounding, very durable. JJ's are durable and chimey. Tung Sol Reissues sound awesome but don't last well in lots of amps. EL34's - Right now, JJ's are failing left and right. Just badly microphonic, some shorting. According to inside info from one major amp manufacturer, the Electroharmonix EL-34's are the only EL-34 that is reliable right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 I have been using a lot of TAD's lately. I have been happy with them and have had no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megafrog Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 I think I will go for the TADs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Depends on the amp and the tube type. JJs are consistent but can be average sounding. I do like their 6V6s quite a bit however and have them in a few Fender amps. I prefer Tung Sol for 12AX7s - except in my JTM45 where Svetlana's absolutely kill. It also depends on the sounds you use. If you use a ton of high gain it likely doesn't matter at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 12AT7's - If you have Fenders that need them, there are lots of NOS JAN Phillips 12AT7WC's out there and they're about the best 12AT7's you can buy. They're one of the only NOS tubes that are still available in quantity. Lots of other NOS tube types have been sorted through a few times and the quality can be sketchy. But these 12AT7's are fresh and sound great. Ebay Search We've gotten like 20 of them from this guy - [thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 12AT7's - If you have Fenders that need them, there are lots of NOS JAN Phillips 12AT7WC's out there and they're about the best 12AT7's you can buy. They're one of the only NOS tubes that are still available in quantity. Lots of other NOS tube types have been sorted through a few times and the quality can be sketchy. But these 12AT7's are fresh and sound great. Ebay Search We've gotten like 20 of them from this guy - [thumbup] I will second that. NOS JAN Philips are just amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 I will second that. NOS JAN Philips are just amazing. Third.. great for 5751 tubes as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 They’re even good for transistors. When I see JAN I’m stoked, if it’s USAF that’s full blown geek out time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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