rectifier tubes for the s6424

I have decided to post something because there were no posts under this TUBE topic and because I'm bored.....hahaha. If you already know about this information I rant on for those who don't and just to hear myself. Anyways, topic: "ruggedized" NOS and vintage 5Y3-types for the rectifier tube position. I've yet to build my kit but I have already secured and used a Philips 5Y3WGTA for my (circa 1960) Gibson Explorer 1x10" amp (dual 6V6). These tubes impart no tone quality changes in my humble opinion (except that they make the sound "sag" a little compared to solid state rectifiers, of course) BUT they do bring the rest of the amps tubes up to power slower.....resulting in longer tube life. And I must protect those "Tung Sol" labeled RCA 6973's in my s6424 amp (soon to be up and running). Instead of 3-to-5 seconds to fully power-up to where you get a signal coming through the speaker ("strum") it takes 10-15 seconds with the "ruggedized" unit. And the tube cost me only $8.00! In the meanwhile, I will try to get this beautiful vintage USN G.E. 5Y3WGTB (that I've got my eye on) for my s6424. It too has a really low price. Look for: 5Y3WGTA, 5Y3WGTB, 6087 and and 6106 tube types for these burly and indutrial-strength units. I hope the info I have provided concerning this topic is correct and applicable and is interesting to someone.

It is actually important to use those NOS 5y3s with the s6424 kit because they drop to the proper voltage. The new 5y3s run these amps too hot and can cause problems. Glad you posted this I forgot to mention it to you.

There is actually about a 20vdc difference between the 2.

I have noticed, as my amp has settled in, that the voltage has dropped slightly - it now settles at 333V at the + of C22C. Thinking that it might be worth trying a "new" 5Y3, I popped in a Sovtek tube and read 373V! It would be nice to get the reading back up to spec but I'm not sure how to get there.