Best amp for SG?

[Zippy]

Thank you, BillyZ!

[M Fowler]

Good information Billy, thanks.

[David Root]

I have a beat up '65 SG Standard and before it fell apart (the neck pulled out) it sounded best thru a pair of used '60s RCA blackplate 6L6GCs in the power end of..... a '75 Peavey Classic 50W 2x12 combo. True story.

Cranked of course, but close your eyes and become Pete Townshend, it was uncanny. Naturally I credit the tubes not the amp.

So I think Derek Trucks has got it right, even though he uses 7581As, also a killer 6L6.

[David Root]

I have a beat up '65 SG Standard and before it fell apart (the neck pulled out) it sounded best thru a pair of used '60s RCA blackplate 6L6GCs in the power end of..... a '75 Peavey Classic 50W 2x12 combo. True story.

Cranked of course, but close your eyes and become Pete Townshend, it was uncanny. Naturally I credit the tubes not the amp.

So I think Derek Trucks has got it right, even though he uses 7581As, also a killer 6L6.

[benoit]

I have a beat up '65 SG Standard and before it fell apart (the neck pulled out) it sounded best thru a pair of used '60s RCA blackplate 6L6GCs in the power end of..... a '75 Peavey Classic 50W 2x12 combo. True story.

Cranked of course, but close your eyes and become Pete Townshend, it was uncanny. Naturally I credit the tubes not the amp.

So I think Derek Trucks has got it right, even though he uses 7581As, also a killer 6L6.

Hey man, the Peavey Classic *0s may not be the holy grail, but all the ones I've played are very solid giggable amps, esp with decent tubes installed.

[spiralstairs]

6g6 is a great idea, imo, but I've always liked em better than marshalls

jtm45 with 6l6 is a good idea as well

Depends on what you want though - classic jtm45 or jcm800 is obviously going to give a sound many ppl think as 'the best', but I'd pick the above 2 ahead of those, or a modded blackface-type bassman

[Roe]

my favorite SG amps are 66 and 67 100watters. yes, I mean plexis

[dehughes]

Interesting.

Two questions:

1) Is there an appreciable tonal/vibe difference between 6L6s and 5881s in the JTM-45 circuit?

2) Would one have to use a different OT for 6L6/5881s vs. KT-66s in the JTM-45 circuit?

[paulster]

5881s seem, in my opinion, to have a little more crunch than 6L6es. They just seem a little warmer and seem to break up a little earlier which, for me, makes them ideal for low-gain, squishy, tube-rectified amps like the JTM45 and the Tweed Twin.

JTM45s used the same transformer for both tube types as far as I remember, and Brian Wallace from Marstran does a really nice reproduction of the old RS transformer.

[dehughes]

5881s seem, in my opinion, to have a little more crunch than 6L6es. They just seem a little warmer and seem to break up a little earlier which, for me, makes them ideal for low-gain, squishy, tube-rectified amps like the JTM45 and the Tweed Twin.

JTM45s used the same transformer for both tube types as far as I remember, and Brian Wallace from Marstran does a really nice reproduction of the old RS transformer.

Okay...two more questions:

1) How would you compare 5881s to KT-66s? I've never played a KT-66 amp (I know...where have I been...)

2) So, one would use the same OT for 5881s as KT-66s, and you'd recommend a Marstran, yes?

[sliberty]

I built a JTM45 a while ago with Marstran iron. At first I put KT66's in the amp, and lovedthe tone. Round, fat, and articulate. I had a problem with fuses blowing, and pulled them to make sure that they didn't bite the dust. I put in a set of Russian 5881's. Once my fuse problem was solved, I could have put the KT66;s back in, but never bothered. The 5881's sound great too. Hardly a noticeable difference. Go figure.

[dehughes]

I built a JTM45 a while ago with Marstran iron. At first I put KT66's in the amp, and lovedthe tone. Round, fat, and articulate. I had a problem with fuses blowing, and pulled them to make sure that they didn't bite the dust. I put in a set of Russian 5881's. Once my fuse problem was solved, I could have put the KT66;s back in, but never bothered. The 5881's sound great too. Hardly a noticeable difference. Go figure.

Oooh, good. I have a set of 5881s that I was hoping to "recycle" into a build of some sort, be it 6G6 or JTM-45. I'm heavily leaning towards the latter, though...I just have a thing for cathode follower tone stacks....just in my blood, I guess...

[dehughes]

As well, what tranny sets would you all recommend for a JTM-45 build? I"ve used Mercury and Heyboer, but have heard good things about Marstran. I'm leaning towards Heyboer, as I like their prices, but I know how important the "right " tranny is in an amp.

[sliberty]

My JTM45, and that of a friend of mine both had Marstran iron. And they are both killer. But I cannot compare to other iron as I have not used any others.

[M Fowler]

Before my old tired Fender Bassman head hit the road in 2003 I pulled all my tubes including my 5881 and just recently used them in my tweed bassman build, nice tubes.