Where to buy EZ81??

[sws1]

Where can I order and EZ81 as a backup to the one I have? (Or as a way to test the one that I have). Not looking for anything fancy, just one that works.

[Aaron]

seems like its hard to find a reliable source of these. everyplace I've seen only has a couple in stock. Still, a google search for ez81 or 6ca4 might help.

you're probably best off getting a weber copper cap.

[s2]

Antique at tubesandmore.com has them NOS. Electro-Harmonix has started making new ones. I'm not sure where to get them, but several guys on the board have used them and say they are fine.

[goneracin]

I have used the EH ez81/6ca4 and they worked great. I havent had them long enough to tell if they rival the NOS stuff for durability, but so far so good.
I can get you some if you need, or I know MOJO sells them too.

[chickenpickin]

I can second the fact that the EH 6CA4's work well. I tested one in an 18W against an NOS RCA and each yielded identical plate voltages. Longevity is another story but construction is usually one of EH's strong points. They are about $14 at Tube Depot.

mick

[KingCrimson]

http://www.tubedepot.com/6x4.html

[bentonAR18]

I bought my EZ81 at Triodeel.com for $14.95 along with some cloth-wrapped wire, tube sockets, and a deluxe output transformer (it was only $19.95). I needed the other stuff, too, but I don't remember if he has a minimum order size or not. The EZ81/6CA4 cost was reasonable, but I haven't built my 18 yet so I can't tell you about the quality. It's an electro-harmonix from Russia; code printed on the side of the tube is 04 07, and there is code in the glass on the bottom that looks like a reverse of 14. Anyone out there know what that code means? Anyhow, tube and box look brand new; I'll report on quality once this baby is put together.

Triodeel shipped quickly and as promised. They also have a great deal on a smaller sized chicken head knob for $.95 each, so I bought a half dozen of those (they got colors, too). They were great to deal with: I noticed that one of the knobs was missing the set screw so they sent me another one out the same day I called him. It looks like the specialize more in hi-fi tube amps and DynaClone iron instead of guitar stuff, but they were really nice folks to deal with and have some interesting stuff. My 2 cents...

John

[Love2solder]

Go to the Tubestore.com great prices quality web site.

[KingCrimson]

Anyhow, I'll report on quality once this baby is put together.

John

But how do you know if a rectifier tube is quality or not once your amp is fired up? I know rectifier amps have the sag/compression that's different from the solid state rectifier, but could you really tell the difference between rectifier tubes? Obviously you can tell the difference with preamp or power tubes, but just wondering what you will be looking for.

I remember a thread about what tubes various people here use, and no one mentioned the rectifier tube. I asked why nobody said anything about it, but no one answered. But I would think it's gotta be almost as important as the others, although probably more subtle with different brands and such.

Is it durability and voltage that are the main issues with rectifiers moreso than the actual tone or the way they react?

[markd]

Is it durability and voltage that are the main issues with rectifiers more so than the actual tone or the way they react?

Durability is a prime factor for sure. But the output voltage is a good indication of how an individual tube rectifier will react. If you look at the voltage charts in the downloads you can see that the PT high voltage secondary voltage(V6,pins1&7) is very close on most of the amps listed. But the EZ81 output voltage can vary quite a bit(V6,pin3).
This could be, in part, because the current draw of the different amps varies a bit. But it also is because individual EZ81's( even from the same manufacturer) have slight internal differences. Some EZ81's are stiffer than others. They drop less voltage for a given current draw. They will have a higher output voltage, and they will "sag" less when loaded down. Having some different EZ81's, from different makers, is one way to adjust the plate voltage and sag of an individual amp. That will affect the tone somewhat.
It is a subtle difference, so swapping EZ81's is best left for a "Ken Fisher" moment after an amp is completed. ha! But it is obvious enough for me to hear it, so someone might consider it important. On the other hand, if someone has limited resources they should spend their money on better power and preamp tubes, or other component upgrades, IMO. Searching for that "magic mojo" EZ81 seems kind of silly to me. But if you get your hands on a few Mullard EZ81's, you might just find one. ha!
markd

PS. Does anyone out ther have one EZ81 that "sounds" better than other ones to them? What do you think is the reason? Does it sag more or less than other EZ81's? I tend to like the stiffer ones. YMMV

[dotfret]

I have one EZ81 that I prefer - it's a Daltronix (Made in Japan) that I fit in my 50w Wallace on special occasions - with a Mullard or RCA it creams at lower volume levels, with the Daltronix it goes a notch higher before it creams. Don't ask me why, or where you can get one!

[KingCrimson]

.... with the Daltronix it goes a notch higher before it creams. Don't ask me why, or where you can get one!

I found it here, if you can read some Japanese:

http://oldtube.com/Oldtube-PriceList.htm

Actually it's not available, but it's probably where you WOULD find one.

Here's a currency converter:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

[dotfret]

OOPS - sorry, forgot the original question! OK, I'm sourcing some right now - they're in Belgium - I will post as soon as I know they are available. I forgot this is the hardest bit of an 18w to find.

[s2]

They also have a great deal on a smaller sized chicken head knob for $.95 each, so I bought a half dozen of those (they got colors, too).

What is the width on those knobs? I've been looking for some smaller size ones for my preamps...

[KingCrimson]

s2,

How would you describe one of your preamps coupled with the 18 watt?

Or is it mainly for amps that have no mojo, in order to spice them up?

[T-bones]

Can't say I can hear a difference in the EZ-81's. I don't understand what all the hoopla is about rectifier tubes, they are not a tone tube. They do there AC-DC thing that's about it. These purist pay $75- $200 for Mullard Philips GZ34's and the price of any NIB Mullard EZ-81 is nearing $35- $40 dollars which is silly but some people think there better than the current stuff. Most of these tubes will out live us. People must change these on a weekly basis or they like looking at them in there pretty little boxes. I use the current ones today and have only bought two of them and there in my two amp's. I must say a lot of folks are overlooking all of the Japanese tubes out there. 12AX7's 6L6's 6BQ5's etc. The Japanese Mullard Philips tubes are very well made and have that tone that the current preamp tubes can't deliver. The Matsu. valves are most exellent along with the Raytheon, Hitachi. There getting bought up these days because once you buy one you wan't to get some more. I'd go with the current EZ-81 and put the rest of your cash into a CD of your choice. Los Lobos "The Ride" is quite exellent. T-bones

[dotfret]

Just in case I forget to do anything - if you can't afford to take a chance, want a reliable supply of what goes in that socket, you can always go to

http://www.watfordvalves.com/

suppliers to the stars - and quite reasonable prices for what you get!

[DutchMarco]

I got my EZ81s from tubeampdoctor.com/.de (forgot which HLQ). A rather expensive shop but they had the EZ81 which was convenient .

[s2]

s2,

How would you describe one of your preamps coupled with the 18 watt?

Or is it mainly for amps that have no mojo, in order to spice them up?

Well, it isn't really my intent to peddle my wares on this site, but since you asked...

The clean channel is somewhat of a hybrid between the trem channel's preamp and that of the tweed Deluxe. I took the best characteristics of each and merged them together. The result is a clearer tone with a little more jangle and less of a mid bump.

The drive channel hails from Marshalls gone by, but I didn' just copy one. I designed one from scratch to try and duplicate Jimi and SRV's tones. The focus is on saturation at lower gain levels and overdrive at higher settings. I tried to keep it from going into hard clipping until maxed out. There is a whole lot of voicing and attenuation circuitry in there between triodes to keep thing under control.

Having said all that, they are most certainly preamps and not distortion pedals. They sound best when used with a power amp, plugged straight into the PI of the 18, or plugged into the effects return of another amp. You can plug it into an amp's input, but you need to roll the tone control back to compensate and be aware that the output is strong enough to overdrive your amp's preamp--that can sound great or terrible depending.

What you could really use for an 18 is one of my pedals. I'm bringing an all-tube treble booster to market soon, which totally kicks a$$ with the 18 Watt. I also have a tube overdrive pedal in the works which would give you the added dimension of a little preamp overdrive in front of the 18's rowdy personality. Both a wickedly cool with an 18 Watt. They are about a month from production. BTW, they run at over 200VDC on the plates, so these are the real deal.

Of course I realize the audience of this post is more likely to want to build one than to buy one :)