Does anybody on here have a brownface bandmaster that they rutubed? If so, what did you use and why?
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Does anybody on here have a brownface bandmaster that they rutubed? If so, what did you use and why?
The tubes in mine are all RCA but I was wondering if there was a better tube setup for a nice early breakep.
If you got the money I would go with all NOS RCA preamp tubes and the real tugsol 5881 output tubes that are probily gone for 160 bucks for a matched pair now.
I would atleast get two NOS RCA 12ax7 tubes for the V1 and V2 spot, as these will pretty much set up the amps whole tonal structure and then the two NOS Tugsol outputs and it will sound killer as long as all the electrolitic filter caps( both preamp and power supply and bias supply) have been changed.
Nice amp you should love!
How does it sound? If it sounds good then it is good.
You're not going to dramatically lower the headroom with tube swaps anyway. Try changing the speakers for less efficient ones.
Is it a combo or a head and cab setup?
Uh, it's a '62 so it's clearly going to be a head.
It sounded good until recently. I plugged in last week and it sounded likje it had a diiferent type of breakup .It sounded thin and almost sounded like a blown speaker when the bass was emphasized.
More notceable with my les paul. I checked the speakers and no noticable rubbing or tears. I tapped on the tubes and one of the preamp tubes sounded like tapping onto a microphone with some crackling also.
There are 6 preamp tubes. Looking at the back , could someone tell me where v1, v2, and so on is? It has the original oxfords in it and I'd like it to break up a little early.
Brown Bandmaster should be a 3x10 combo - IIRC only made one year, 1960. I would use three P10Q and real Tung-Sol 5881. They be had for $100 a pair and are worth it. Pre-amp tubes make a big difference too, even within the same alleged gain factor. A Sovtek 12AX7 will distort much more than an EHX, etc. There is a difference of opinion on whether higher gain pre-amp tubes actually lower headroom or not. Many feel they make the amp both dirtier and louder.
+1 on TSs. They're just great and they get dirty easily and in a great sounding way.
FWIW, I think the blonde Bandmaster (6G7-A) is essentially the same as the other brownfaces of the period (6G13-A etc) with three tube trem and, while a blonde amp, is basically a brownface.
To be honest, I'm not sure a distinction can really be made between the blondes and the browns.
I mean, the 6G8 Twin was blonde in colour, but is pretty similar to the brown 6G13 but with more power so is it a brownface or a blonde amp?!
Nigtmare.
This one is a 1962 white tolexed bandmaster with a 2x12 cabinet. Any good places to purchase the tubes without waiting for them to pop up on e-bay?
KCA NOS sell them. They ain't cheap but they're rugged tubes and last a while.
http://www.kcanostubes.com/categorie...1/Tung-Sol.htm
I picked up four NOS ones on ebay for... $50 and two of them have been going strong in my 5F6-A for about three years now.
So these are the 6l6wgb's?
Yep, Tung Sol 5881s are direct subs 6L6WGBs. 6L6WGB, to the best of my knowledge, was a military designation for the 6L6G which is analogous to a real 5881.
I'd warrant that most modern 5881s are just 6L6GCs with different lettering on the side.
The old Tung Sols are widely regarded as the best but Canadian-made GEs get a good rep too.
Tommy.
Phillips WGB are cheaper than TS 5881 and will also lower the headroom.
OK, now that covers the NOS. How about tubes that are new and can be replaced and bought with no problem?
The Tung Sol reissue 5881 sound pretty good. I think they also are a bit quieter than most 6L6. I think the JAN Phillips 6L6WGB are pretty widely available and reasonably priced too.
Yeah, the JAN Phillips sound pretty good.
Oh, the stock Oxfords in those cabinets sound pretty damn good too. I had an old '61 white/oxblood cab, and it was heavenly.
Are the jan phillips just the ones I've been seeing from the 80's or can they be bought new?
80s
Thanks guys for all of the input! The amp is going by Louis Electric today just to see if everything is o.k. and then I think I'll go with the JAN philips.