JJ Full Re-Tube Kit from Eurotubes

Anyone tried one of these kits on their V?

I need some new tubes and can't really afford my usual complement of Tung Sol's and Winged C tubes.

What about the high gain option? Does it add fizz?

Thanks in advance!

I ended up compromising and getting just a set of Tung Sol preamp tubes.

They sound quite bright on the Mark V. Hopefully the high end will mellow out a bit after a few hours

What power tubes are you using? I found the Mesa STR440 to be on the brittle side.

The TS that I have used, bring out the lows. You could always drop the presence down. I normally keep the Treble control on all channels set to 10 O'clock. Even with SED =C= 6L6GC, KT77, brightness can be abundant.

If you have not yet, give EH EL34 a try. I had good results after burning in the tubes (a few weeks of use). I did like the JJ6CA7 which would have become my favorite tube I have ever used but they only lasted for 2 weeks until one failed. I tried two of the survivors in my Mark IV and they immediately got toasted. (had them in there before). Not sure if there is a quality issue with the JJ6CA7. Those sounded awesome while that lasted. Many have used EH 6CA7 with good results.

The EH power tubes are not very expensive, The JJ tubes were dirt cheep but did not last long.

I've used JJ power tubes for quite a few amps and like them. I do NOT recommend their preamp tubes as they are too dark and lack definition.

I am using the Tungsol preamp tubes with SED Winged C 6L6's and they sound great.

I have a head with two Bogner 1 X 12 Celestion V30's

I have not tried the JJ 6L6GC power tubes. Not sure how good they are. Hopefully they will last longer than the 6CA7. I have a few JJ preamp tubes I pulled from a Carvin amp. Yes there is reason why I removed them. They seem a bit hotter than the Mesa branded tube. Not bad or anything but the Mark V is bright enough, unless you like that.

I wonder how the new Mullard 6L6GC's would compare to the EH6L6 or the Svetlana 6L6 or Tuns Sol 7581. I have the Svets 6L6, TS 7581 and the EH EL34. I also have the good tubes too (SED 6L6GC in Mark V, SED EL34 in RA100 and Gold Lion KT77 on reserve for when the SED's die).

I was so tempted to get the Eurotube Kits for the Mark V. The 6CA7 sounded incredible but I did not have luck with them lasting more than 2 weeks in use.

I spend a few days tube rolling three amps. Mark V, RA100, and Mark IV. What I found that worked great in the Mark V (as is the case with any tube roll or speaker selection, it is subjective)

V1, V3, V4= Preferred Series 7025 (selected Ruby HG tubes from the tube store, figured why not give them a try).
V2 = Mullard reissue
V5, V6 = CV4004
V7 = Sovtek LPS
R= EH 5U4G
V8-V11 SED =C= 6L6GC. The Tung Sol 7581 or the Svetlana 6L6GC almost sound very close but on the brittle side.

What I liked about the combination I ended up with is much better definition in CH3 MKIV mode, CH2 Crunch is intense. Actually all modes sound great in all three channels. One thing to consider, my tube roll exploited the best characteristics of the SED =C= tubes. It may be different with other power tubes.

I hope you find something that works at a reasonable cost.

Thanks for all the responses and feedback!

It's mesmerizing to see how many combinations of tubes there are out there lol

I ended up using the following combo:

V1=Tung Sol 12AX7 Current Production (I bought about 6 of these in slightly different gain ratings. They got all mixed up and have no idea what this one is gain-wise lol)
V2-V6=JJ ECC83S
V7=Sovtek 12AX7LPS

I left the old Mesa SRT-440's in the power amp. I will be replacing these with Ruby's (same ones pretty much) in the near future.

My amp sounds amazing now! The only gripe is that I probably ended up using a slightly lower gain Tung Sol in V1 and need to crank up the gain a tiny bit more to offset it.

A little bit of headroom does not hurt. Having to add gain is better than not being able to reduce it when you have too much. I had that problem with the Mesa 12AX7A (JJ tubes). CH3, had to set the gain around 9oc otherwise it was nothing but squeal or lack of definition (along with treble cut and presence practically off). Things have changed and got better with different tubes. The Tung Sol helps reduce the higher harmonics since there is some roll off of the higher frequencies.

You could always try a JJ in V1 and see how the Tung Sol changes tone in other positions. Don't change anything if you are happy with the end result of your last preamp setup. Also matters how old your power tubes are, if they are dropping in tone due to age, change in preamp tubes may not be as noticed as it would be with new tubes. Don't leave out the Rectifier tube either when changing power tubes. You would be surprised how much of a difference there is with a new Rectifier tube (as they age they tend to leak current and become less efficient, since the rectifier runs in parallel to the silicone diodes it will reduce the DC voltage levels as it begins to fail slowly. Once the rectifier fails, you will get no sound at all as it will pull down the High voltage rails that feed the amp. It should blow the fuse if you are lucky but often it does not and typically drops the DC levels to a point you will not hear anything but a muffled signal from the speakers that only a mouse can enjoy.

I have been tube rolling over and over again.... To find the perfect tone and it is not easy.. So what I posted earlier has changed.

I still like the PS 7025 in V1, V4 and V5. I have a vintage Mesa (1990) 12AX7A in V2 (enhances the mids) and two Mullard reissues in V3 and V6 and the old trusty Sovtek LPS in V7 (matched tirodes). I found the Mullards to be a bit on the muddy side if you use them in V1 or in the late gain stages for CH3. However they do offer some great headroom when used on the tube positions that control the master volumes (V3 and V6). The PS tube as similar tone characteristics as the Mullards but offer more gain with slight compression (every thing remains tight especially the bass). Mullards in the gain stages were on the loose side, much looser than a TS. Using Mesa or JJ in the V4 and V5 positions works well too. I have tried the Tung Sol Gold and found them to be lower gain than the standard Tung Sol.