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First post - TubeDepot 5E3+ Tweed build and stuff

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  • #31
    THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT THEY SHOULD FIX IT

    And "Mullard" should atop "reissuing" 6L6GCs, too...


    Okay, I'm going back to sleep now.

    Jusrin
    "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
    "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
    "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

    Comment


    • #32
      Originally posted by Enzo View Post
      That is a popular misconception spread by Aspen Pittman. The G all by itself means glass. The C means third revision.
      Are these the ones with the soft vacuum or the hard vacuum?
      Originally posted by Enzo
      I have a sign in my shop that says, "Never think up reasons not to check something."


      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by pdf64 View Post
        It may be that the JJ 5Y3 has the same characteristics as a vintage 5Y3, I suspect it's the Russian ones that got the bad rep for modern manufacture ones.
        Yes the warning's been given at Audio Asylum and Amp Garage for years, Russian 5Y3 have a low forward voltage drop much like 5AR4/GZ34 so you find your B+ drifting well over expected value.
        This isn't the future I signed up for.

        Comment


        • #34
          I think it was some early Sovtek 5y3's that were responsible for the high voltage issue. I know many Rusky tubes are made in the same factories. Where are the JJ tubes made.?. I always thought those were Rusky tubes.?.
          "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

          "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

          "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
          You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

          Comment


          • #35
            JJ has their very own factory, now in Slovakia. The 3rd of the 3 remaining manufacturers. I do know Shuguang is a conglomerate of like a dozen factories; not sure about Sovtek. I know they have a factory in Saratov, not sure if there are others.

            JJ used to be Tesla a while ago; I think they got all themachinery & the building, but a lot of knowledge was lost. I think they've done well with the comeback.

            Anybody know anything about EI tubes? I thought they were also from the former Czechoslovakia? I think I bought the last 2 6C10s on earth & they were EI brand.

            Justin
            "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
            "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
            "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

            Comment


            • #36
              After a leisurely 16 hour drive I'm back in the land of humidity and green grass. I have a few vintage 5Y3's to pick from. The one I picked does indeed drop the HV a little more than the JJ did. The tube is a JAN CHS 5Y3WGTA made by Sylvania. I'm going to try to post some pics (I only type that because I think I'm out of posting jail but I have no idea if they'll post

              Check this out, I let the amp warm up for about 10m. 339V 41.8mA, a little over 14W. The JJ 5Y3 gave me a little higher HV, not much though, but the power is essentially the same. The amp sounds gooooood, especially when I cranked it up. It even made my guitar playing sound good... uh... no... wait... I think I was listening to a YT video or something. My playing is still bad but at least it's loud and a little edgy. Seriously, the amp has really nice range. The bass response is really nice. Kind of like a Fender circuit would

              I'm not going to re-bias based on posts above this one. I kind of want to put the JJ back in and "save the JAN NOS tube"... but the other side of the brain is screaming at me "You're going to wear the tube socket out if you don't stop... save it for what? It's a tube, use it". I think I'm going to let that side of it win. For now

              Thanks for the help!

              Tube box porn and bias widget readings photos below. A couple of things - my photo host says they'll be updating the site (forgot what day, Sunday I think) so these my disappear and come back. I messed up an uploaded instead of linking the photos the first time I tried to write this post. I think I've detached those and they will disappear in an hour (says the attachment manager)




              i like how they mixed tube and valve in the same sentence





              This is the amp (kit) right after I built and tested it. I don't build kits anymore but as kits go, other than the weird rectifier issue, this one was pretty nice.



              Comment


              • #37
                Nice 'work bench'!

                Comment


                • #38
                  Thank you. It's a little cluttered right now. My workbench is probably the only thing (as far as my house goes) that I miss. I intentionally made it a standing workbench to minimize back problems (we aren't made to sit all the time).

                  Here's a wider shot. The area around the bottom is a little cluttered. The "item" on the floor is a Yaesu FTdx 560 Ham radio that I picked up for $20.00. It's a bit of a basket case but I think I can teach it to talk again. Maybe.



                  A little nicer view with a test signal going into (and coming out of ) some of the test equipment on the rack.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Justin Thomas View Post

                    Anybody know anything about EI tubes? I thought they were also from the former Czechoslovakia?
                    Just bumped into this the other day, EI machinery was bought by the Brimar UK project that's going on right now.
                    EI was in Yugoslavia (Serb).
                    https://brimaruk.com/menugbvp/about-the-gbvp/
                    Originally posted by Enzo
                    I have a sign in my shop that says, "Never think up reasons not to check something."


                    Comment


                    • #40
                      That's great! I just hope they also have the metallurgical know-how to carry on. The machines are just tools...

                      Justin
                      "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
                      "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
                      "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Originally posted by Justin Thomas View Post
                        That's great! I just hope they also have the metallurgical know-how to carry on. The machines are just tools...

                        Justin
                        Right! That's been the issue with some of the Rusky tubes. They have the machinery and the plans, but the materials aren't just the same, it's probable that known stringencies in the process don't get the respect they require and the scientists that could make adjustments on the fly aren't in house. That's sort of how Stan put it when making a report on the matter once. Overall though I'd say we're doing alright now with the current offerings from Russia and China. Though we're still sorely lacking an el34 that can take the heat and/or doesn't rattle. But I'd say that we're pretty fat with 12ax7's, 6l6's, 6v6's and el84's. So we got THAT going for us
                        "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

                        "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

                        "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
                        You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Originally posted by Justin Thomas View Post
                          That's great! I just hope they also have the metallurgical know-how to carry on. The machines are just tools...

                          Justin
                          True, but imagine trying to adjust the movement in your fine vintage swiss wristwatch with a 3" masons chisel.
                          The only good solid state amp is a dead solid state amp. Unless it sounds really good, then its OK.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            It's not that they don't have the tools for the job. Mote akin to having holes in the recipe. I can have a $500 KitchenAid mixer but if I don't know whether that recipe says Baking SODA or Baking POWDER, I could end up with something "edible," but definitely FAR from what I wanted...

                            Justin
                            "Wow it's red! That doesn't look like the standard Marshall red. It's more like hooker lipstick/clown nose/poodle pecker red." - Chuck H. -
                            "Of course that means playing **LOUD** , best but useless solution to modern sissy snowflake players." - J.M. Fahey -
                            "All I ever managed to do with that amp was... kill small rodents within a 50 yard radius of my practice building." - Tone Meister -

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by Justin Thomas View Post
                              It's not that they don't have the tools for the job. Mote akin to having holes in the recipe. I can have a $500 KitchenAid mixer but if I don't know whether that recipe says Baking SODA or Baking POWDER, I could end up with something "edible," but definitely FAR from what I wanted...

                              Justin
                              As an analogy guy, here's another for that one.
                              "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

                              "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

                              "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
                              You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Well I built a 5E3 with a Tube Depot circuit board, and I too used a GZ34 tube rectifier. I had to play with the resistor value to get the cathode bias right. I added a switched "fixed" bias board, and a NFB thinking I wanted the option to "clean" it up a little. The GZ34 does overdrive a little sooner, but I have a 5Y3 to install now, and see what it delivers.
                                (I like the circuit board, but after assembling, I realized the traces weren't connected through the board, so I had to solder top and bottom!)

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