Phaez Amps [merged]

[bufbills]

Originally Posted by matmont1305

I love the Tesla.
Just like to try a KT66.
Considering I didn't care for a 6V6, would a 6L6 be similar?

Its its big brother. Actually more voltage than an EL34. Randy had to up my bias range on my Black daisy to accomadated 6l6GCs, making me wonder if it would work in the 10w DC. They are very similar to KT66s which is why I suggest it. I emailed Randy to see if it would work as is.

[Chop'emDown]

You can run a KT66 or 6L6 in a DC10, no problem. I've run a a Mesa 5881-6L6 in mine. I found the sound of the 6L6 to be similar overall to my non-JJ 6V6s - except the 6L6 had a bit more power and more headroom; breakup comes later and is much smoother. The JJ 6V6 is it's own animal and actually sounds closer to an EL34 than a 6L6 to my ears.

Haven't tried a KT66 yet but it's on the list.

[V2]

Originally Posted by Chop'emDown

You can run a KT66 or 6L6 in a DC10, no problem. I've run a a Mesa 5881-6L6 in mine. I found the sound of the 6L6 to be similar overall to my non-JJ 6V6s - except the 6L6 had a bit more power and more headroom; breakup comes later and is much smoother. The JJ 6V6 is it's own animal and actually sounds closer to an EL34 than a 6L6 to my ears.

Haven't tried a KT66 yet but it's on the list.

thanks for this. I am running a JJ 6V6 and don't find much tonal difference between it and the EL34 I have.

Matt - try a 6L6! I'd love to get your report.

[bufbills]

Matt, Copy and paste from the reply Randy sent.


"oh yeah, and the DC10 is self biasing. EL34/6L6/KT66/6V6"

[bufbills]

Asdain and Chop. I wasnt sure about 6L6GC as opposed to the other 6L6 varieties. The GC is different than the others. Ive got some sweet big bottle GEs. 1960 and a few other singles.

[Asdain]

Originally Posted by bufbills

Asdain and Chop. I wasnt sure about 6L6GC as opposed to the other 6L6 varieties. The GC is different than the others. Ive got some sweet big bottle GEs. 1960 and a few other singles.

every 6l6 variant should work fine!
i personally tried various 6l6 types in my own little SE build
(which has become somewhat close to the DC-10, thanks to randy for his Info )
and ended up with a current production Sovtek 6l6WXT+

[Falconbill]

Originally Posted by Shai`tan

Apparently my Jackal is complete. Just waiting for a pic.

I just threw in a pair of GE NOS Short Gray Plate 12AX7s in V1 and V3 of my Jackel, and my Phaez absolutely loves those tubes.

[bufbills]

Originally Posted by Falconbill

I just threw in a pair of GE NOS Short Gray Plate 12AX7s in V1 and V3 of my Jackel, and my Phaez absolutely loves those tubes.

Those are nice tubes. Ive used them in my JTM. You would also like the long plates.

[wyldewyatt]

Originally Posted by bufbills

Matt, Copy and paste from the reply Randy sent.


"oh yeah, and the DC10 is self biasing. EL34/6L6/KT66/6V6"

Sorry for my lack of expertise with tube amps but can you swap out for 6550 tubes and will it self bias these? I have always wanted to hear these tubes. Can anyone describe their difference in tone compared to the other tubes such as el34 etc. Also could you ever install kt88s if so what kind of character do these tubes have?

[Falconbill]

Originally Posted by bufbills

Those are nice tubes. Ive used them in my JTM. You would also like the long plates.

I need to get an ECC83 for V2. Currently got an ECC803, which is probably not a good choice. I think Chris (Chop'm Down) is using a new Sovtek 83 in V2, so I'm going to try that. Chris is the one who turned me onto the GE's in V1 and V3 and I couldn't be happier with those tubes. Absolutely killer.

[Falconbill]

Originally Posted by wyldewyatt

Sorry for my lack of expertise with tube amps but can you swap out for 6550 tubes and will it self bias these? I have always wanted to hear these tubes. Can anyone describe their difference in tone compared to the other tubes such as el34 etc. Also could you ever install kt88s if so what kind of character do these tubes have?

Before you even consider changing your power/output tubes, you need to determine if your amp is cathode (self) biasing versus fixed bias. You can probably google your amp model with "bias" to determine that.

[Falconbill]

Look what I found. Pretty early Phaez. Sounds killer.

Treker custom guitar and Phaez hand built amp - YouTube

Treker custom guitar and Phaez hand built amp - YouTube

[wyldewyatt]

Originally Posted by Falconbill

Before you even consider changing your power/output tubes, you need to determine if your amp is cathode (self) biasing versus fixed bias. You can probably google your amp model with "bias" to determine that.

I have ordered a custom dc 10 based amp called the phaez railgun.

[matmont1305]

Originally Posted by wyldewyatt

I have ordered a custom dc 10 based amp called the phaez railgun.

Come on man, didn't your mum teach you that it's rude to tease!
Tell me more about this Railgun of yours.

[Chop'emDown]

Originally Posted by bufbills

Asdain and Chop. I wasnt sure about 6L6GC as opposed to the other 6L6 varieties. The GC is different than the others. Ive got some sweet big bottle GEs. 1960 and a few other singles.

I've always been told you can use the 6L6GC in any 6L6 slot but not the other way around. The GCs are able to withstand higher voltages than regular 6L6s.

[Chop'emDown]

Originally Posted by wyldewyatt

Sorry for my lack of expertise with tube amps but can you swap out for 6550 tubes and will it self bias these? I have always wanted to hear these tubes. Can anyone describe their difference in tone compared to the other tubes such as el34 etc. Also could you ever install kt88s if so what kind of character do these tubes have?

Pretty sure it's limited to EL34, KT66, 6L6 or 6V6.

[V2]

Originally Posted by wyldewyatt

Sorry for my lack of expertise with tube amps but can you swap out for 6550 tubes and will it self bias these? I have always wanted to hear these tubes. Can anyone describe their difference in tone compared to the other tubes such as el34 etc. Also could you ever install kt88s if so what kind of character do these tubes have?

The 6550s are close to KT88s and can be swapped for KT88s (and vice versa) in many amps. But I don't think they can be used in place of 6L6s or EL34s without some change in the circuit values, at least in fixed-bias amps. Not sure about cathode-biased amps like the DC10, however...

[onioner]

Somewhere in the gargantuan belly of this beast of a thread there's a post where I express concern at the ambient noise emanating from the Corona. What I learned from that post was that the guts of an amp should be fully surrounded by conductive material. Farraday Cage, or somesuch, though that just makes me think about Lost, which isn't pleasant, so I'd rather not think of what it's called. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get to it, but I finally did buy some sheets of aluminum and cut them to fit the amps. Wow. Yup. If you haven't, you should do that. I imagine this is only an issue for folks who make their own cabs, and don't really know what they're doing, but if you're anything like me, that could mean you. Both Phaezs became bone quiet. Did great things for the Ceriatone 5E3 too, though it's still certainly nothing like quiet. Just a lot less loud.

So, folks, consider this a public service announcement. If your amp's chassis isn't surrounded by conductive material, best get you some and close it in.

[redking]

Originally Posted by onioner

Somewhere in the gargantuan belly of this beast of a thread there's a post where I express concern at the ambient noise emanating from the Corona. What I learned from that post was that the guts of an amp should be fully surrounded by conductive material. Farraday Cage, or somesuch, though that just makes me think about Lost, which isn't pleasant, so I'd rather not think of what it's called. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get to it, but I finally did buy some sheets of aluminum and cut them to fit the amps. Wow. Yup. If you haven't, you should do that. I imagine this is only an issue for folks who make their own cabs, and don't really know what they're doing, but if you're anything like me, that could mean you. Both Phaezs became bone quiet. Did great things for the Ceriatone 5E3 too, though it's still certainly nothing like quiet. Just a lot less loud.

So, folks, consider this a public service announcement. If your amp's chassis isn't surrounded by conductive material, best get you some and close it in.

Your talking about closing up the bottom, right?

[onioner]

Originally Posted by redking

Your talking about closing up the bottom, right?

Yup. I just used a lot more words.

[Splattle101]

Originally Posted by bufbills

Asdain and Chop. I wasnt sure about 6L6GC as opposed to the other 6L6 varieties. The GC is different than the others. Ive got some sweet big bottle GEs. 1960 and a few other singles.

Quick 6L6 family tree:

6L6 - metal envelope. Poor heat dissipation, therefore power limited to 12-15 Watts.
6L6G - very big coke bottle shape. Freaking huge. Similar to 6L6, but better heat and power handling: 13-18 Watts.
6L6GA - slightly smaller coke bottle shape (ST shape), same as 'G': 13-18 W.
6L6GB - small straight sided bottle. Same as GA, 13-18 W.
6L6WGB - rugged, milspec, up-rated 6L6GB. Rated to 400 V on plates, 18-23 W
5881 - industrial version of 6L6WGB. 18-23 W.
6L6GC - mother of all 6L6s with laminated anode structure allowing better heat dissipation, rated to 30 Watts.

They all draw the same heater current, so you can run any higher-rated 6L6 in any application that used a lower rated one. So you can put a 6L6GC in any socket a 6L6 came out of. But if you put a low rated 6L6 - such as a 6L6G - into an amp that runs 6L6GCs, the valve will probably die.

You could try the 6L6G in your amp. If when you turn it on it doesn't immediatly red plate, you could then measure the plate voltage and the voltage drop across the cathode resistor. That will allow you to calculate the cathode current, which is pretty close to the plate current. Current x voltage gives you power, so this will enable you to see whether your valve is in a happy place. Provided it's not going a cheery cherry colour, and provided you don't play it furiously before doing these measurements, it shouldn't hurt anything. So stick it in and have a quick measure to see how she likes it.

[bufbills]

Originally Posted by Splattle101

Quick 6L6 family tree:

6L6 - metal envelope. Poor heat dissipation, therefore power limited to 12-15 Watts.
6L6G - very big coke bottle shape. Freaking huge. Similar to 6L6, but better heat and power handling: 13-18 Watts.
6L6GA - slightly smaller coke bottle shape (ST shape), same as 'G': 13-18 W.
6L6GB - small straight sided bottle. Same as GA, 13-18 W.
6L6WGB - rugged, milspec, up-rated 6L6GB. Rated to 400 V on plates, 18-23 W
5881 - industrial version of 6L6WGB. 18-23 W.
6L6GC - mother of all 6L6s with laminated anode structure allowing better heat dissipation, rated to 30 Watts.

They all draw the same heater current, so you can run any higher-rated 6L6 in any application that used a lower rated one. So you can put a 6L6GC in any socket a 6L6 came out of. But if you put a low rated 6L6 - such as a 6L6G - into an amp that runs 6L6GCs, the valve will probably die.

You could try the 6L6G in your amp. If when you turn it on it doesn't immediatly red plate, you could then measure the plate voltage and the voltage drop across the cathode resistor. That will allow you to calculate the cathode current, which is pretty close to the plate current. Current x voltage gives you power, so this will enable you to see whether your valve is in a happy place. Provided it's not going a cheery cherry colour, and provided you don't play it furiously before doing these measurements, it shouldn't hurt anything. So stick it in and have a quick measure to see how she likes it.

Thanks for the good post.The amp in question is designed to take an EL34. I was under the impression that 6L6GCs were rated at 35w.

[Shai`tan]

Ok, just sent my last funds to Randy for my Jackal. Here She be.

My Les Paul Forums - Shai`tan's Album: My Gear - Picture

Can`t wait. Just ordered my Scumback M75. May pair it up later with an H75.


Gary

[bsruther]

That's a nice looking amp. Alas my Jericho is still at least 3 weeks away.

[bufbills]

Originally Posted by Shai`tan

Ok, just sent my last funds to Randy for my Jackal. Here She be.

My Les Paul Forums - Shai`tan's Album: My Gear - Picture

Can`t wait. Still have to order my Scumback M75. Will do that tomorrow.


Gary

Jims pretty quick, even when hes busy, so no problem there. Enjoy!!

[Falconbill]

Originally Posted by Shai`tan

Ok, just sent my last funds to Randy for my Jackal. Here She be.

My Les Paul Forums - Shai`tan's Album: My Gear - Picture

Can`t wait. Still have to order my Scumback M75. Will do that tomorrow.


Gary

You're going to love it. BTW, did you get Jim to break in your M75?

[bufbills]

Originally Posted by Falconbill

You're going to love it. BTW, did you get Jim to break in your M75?

Yes! thats a must

I think he should do the FBI on them all.

[Shai`tan]

I just ordered the FBI version M75.

[bufbills]

Black Daisy in the house! Extra gain stage with 4 12ax7s. 35w. Haven't done much tweaking yet, and most everything is set about noon. (except the master and gain) Ive pushed the gain up and its a beast. Very "Round and Round" sounding with the gain at about 2 o'clock. When you go above that, it gets in to very high gain territory. With the mids down and the gain dimed, it could do modern metal. Not my thing, but its in there.
Im running a Mullard in V1 and Amperex Heerlens int the remaining three spots. Amperex brown base double D EL34s in the power section. Ill try some other EL34s and 6L6s this week and will post my opinions. So far so good, and Im very happy with it. Looking forward to some tube rolling, and eq tweaking. Wife was tired so I shut her down so she could go to sleep. More this week.

[matmont1305]

Originally Posted by bufbills

Black Daisy in the house! Extra gain stage with 4 12ax7s. 35w. Haven't done much tweaking yet, and most everything is set about noon. (except the master and gain) Ive pushed the gain up and its a beast. Very "Round and Round" sounding with the gain at about 2 o'clock. When you go above that, it gets in to very high gain territory. With the mids down and the gain dimed, it could do modern metal. Not my thing, but its in there.
Im running a Mullard in V1 and Amperex Heerlens int the remaining three spots. Amperex brown base double D EL34s in the power section. Ill try some other EL34s and 6L6s this week and will post my opinions. So far so good, and Im very happy with it. Looking forward to some tube rolling, and eq tweaking. Wife was tired so I shut her down so she could go to sleep. More this week.

Awesome mate. Chassis and gut shots needed on this one!