trinityamps.com

Finished a Tramp build today.

It was a first build so I decided to go slowly and check everything as I got along.

The instructions and schematics that come with the amp are indispensable, as is the forum.

Here are a few pictures of the completed Tramp.

No sound came out at first try but played fine after I realized I had forgotten the ground wire originating from the big capacitors on the Eyelet Board.

It is the best amp tonewise I have ever tried and easily beats my Blues Jr and Traynor oldie.

Edited to correct a few typos and add that the speaker is a BBQ 10A100T, 25 watts, 8 ohms.

Has anyone tried the Tramp with an RCA 6L6GC Black Plate tube?

I found one on Ebay on May 14 and should be receiving it in 10 to 15 days.

Looks great!



A LOT of people miss that one. I did.

When I realized it, I looked at the layout and it's there. Always was.
..and when you realize what's all connected there and notice that it doesn't go anywhere without that ground wire, *WHACK* right on the forehead.


re: the RCA tubes. I have a box full of tubes from probably the 80s if not earlier that I have to go through.
However, I think I might try to get my hands on some Ruby Tubes to test drive. My local music store just started carrying them.

Thank you Dodgechargerfan. It plays great too!

As I posted on your amp building thread earlier, your pictures were very useful to a newcomer like me. And I came often on the forum to view them during my build.

The Tramp sounds real good with the 6V6 tube, but I am curious to know how it will sound with a 6L6. Maybe it will give more clean headroom and probably more overall volume. The VRM should be useful to tame it if it gets too loud. A Ruby should be good.

AFAIK they're just cheap low quality tubes that have been heavily burn-in tested. I would recommend not spending money on Ruby Tubes. Same for Groove Tubes.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

What tubes do you recommend then?

JJ, EH, Tungsol, Mullard, Sovtek and Genalex

There are others. While I have not had good luck overall with Ruby, I have been using a Ruby12AT7 as the PI in my Triwatt and prefer it to the other 12AT7 I have(chinese no brand). The Ruby will be replaced as soon as I buy a new stock of tubes(some old, some NOS and many new stock).
So if all you have is Ruby for local and they don't cost an arm and leg. Try them, they might be good for you.
We all have different ears and taste. I use mostly Tung-sol and Electro Harmonics, some people find them too bright but I love them.

Zaphod will direct you to the dark side as thats his personel preference.

You will soon find that your collection of tubes will grow. Some you will like and some will be full time spares. But thats tubes.


The 6L6 makes the Tramp! Try it you will like it

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Fantasy Noise is what my shop of dreams is called and was the only way to beat my addiction, like many here I suffer from G.A.S.


Tele's make the best noise

The used RCA 6L6GC bought on Ebay has been posted today.

I will try it as soon as it arrives.

Meanwhile, back to my Tramp.

For 6L6s, I would recommend buying a 6L6GC of one of the traditional American brands, such as GE, RCA, Sylvania, Raytheon, Tung-Sol, etc. The beauty of this amp is you only need to buy one, not two, and you don't need to worry about any matching issues. If you lurk around a little you can pick up some nice tubes on eBay for quite reasonable money.

For example, see http://cgi.ebay.com/RAYTHEON-ELECTRONIC ... 35b2207341 This is a military spec 6L6 which hardly anyone is bidding on.

Is Raytheon on the dark side??

You can sometimes strike lucky with GT and Ruby, but you never know when you will or not. It just depends on what their buyers happened to get a batch of for a low price.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

I will certainly lurk on Ebay for these tubes Zaphod.

It's worth it!

Sorry meant to type darker.
I don't think I have used ratheon in an amp

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Fantasy Noise is what my shop of dreams is called and was the only way to beat my addiction, like many here I suffer from G.A.S.


Tele's make the best noise

100% agreed. It's a nice amp with the 6V6, but it really comes alive with a 6L6 IMO.

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SG + Brit tube head = Nirvana

Which 6L6?

See my previous post, which I've copied here.


Well I hate ice-picky brightness, if that's what you mean. I have pretty good high frequency hearing and some amps go through my eardrums like a knife, although the owners probably can't themselves hear what's wrong. I generally prefer to chose speakers to keep the high end smooth and sweet. What I like about octal power tubes is that they usually have a warmer, fatter response than EL84s. Like many people I don't much like the harsh tones of an EL84 in a single-ended amp.

Raytheon 6L6s are great tubes. They were made purely for the defence/aerospace market.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

should the tubes be new? what country should i look for on the raytheons?

They will all be pretty old actually, but not used. Sometimes used are also OK, if they're being sold as tested on a tube tester and rated "very good" or "excellent". And all these various brands should be made in USA ones (like I said in my previous post), the home of the 6L6!

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

How about the RCA blackplates?

Holy grail for tone - but usually expensive. Basically you can't go far wrong with any of the US-made 6L6s.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

www.audiotubes.com/6l6.htm

If you go to the above, you will get a bunch of good answers.
I am not connected with the site, I just find it very useful for info.

_________________
Fantasy Noise is what my shop of dreams is called and was the only way to beat my addiction, like many here I suffer from G.A.S.


Tele's make the best noise

so would i purchase a 6L6 or a 6L6GC? Is there a difference and is there anything I should be aware of when purchasing?

I know some sites say

"This version has a 30 watt plate dissipation, 500V plate rating and 450V 5watt screen rating."

Will the old 6L6gc blackplate tubes work in the tramp?

Sorry kind of new with this.

Thanks

I'm new too Geo but for what it's worth I think any 6L6GC, old or new, should fit and run fine in a Tramp.

As for the plain or non GC 6L6 type, I'm not sure, but I think they should be OK, however I would not put the VRM at maximum voltage just to make sure. Maybe 7 or 8 would ensure that the tube does not get too much voltage. I think I read something to that effect in another thread.