Tube options

[s3mamill]

DH states that the 2 stroke can use 6k6, 6v6, 6l6, el34, and kt66 power tubes.

I’m thinking I’d like to try a 5881in there. Do you guys think this would be fine? I know its a 6l6 variant, but not sure if there are significant differences that would preclude its use. Just checking before I spend the money on the tube.

I haven’t gotten to the KT66 yet, but I really like the el34. I have only really played vintage fender amps and have never used this power tube before. I really like its sound and its been fun to jam with.

[Robin]

The 5881 is the loudest of the bunch and it has the most “marshall” vibe.
If you have a power tube retaining clip on the socket, it will need to be removed for a 5881 to fit, it has a larger base. We tested a lot of tubes including the KT-66 and 5881, they all sound and feel a bit different. So far, the conscience among my tone buddies always comes back to a good 6L6 for the Two Stroke. A good NOS rectifier tube sounds great too.

[Andy]

I agree with Robin on the 6L6. But I am a fan of the KT66 too. Just a bit growlier.

[s3mamill]

I like the EL34 a lot. The JJ is good. I got an NOS tesla and and it’s a little less powerful, but these tubes saturate like crazy. I haven’t spent a lot of time with the KT66 yet, but it sounded pretty good. EL34 is my fav right now.

As an aside, one thing that makes this amp great is it has allowed me to swap out more parts of the signal chain to experiment with tone. I’ll try guitars with different pickups with my other amps and that makes some difference, but to be able to swap power tubes has really been a lot of fun to mix and match and see what it does to the tone.

[Author]

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