KT88 tubes for Monos

Since switching to a single ended pentode Dennis Had amp I've found it to be FAR more revealing of tube types, including the rectifier tubes…it came with a set of Gold Lion KT88s but recently I swapped 'em out for some old but barely used Sovteks, and damn…the Sovteks (no longer made it seems) sound beautiful, and they were inexpensive.

Yeah…if you tour (although most bass players don't) you better take extra tubes along, especially in that KT150 amp I now am certain somebody will build due to the popularity of this thread (!). The SVT has to get the award for longevity as they're STILL used all over the place, although the full size 8X10 cab is a real pain to haul around. We use a 4X10 "half stack" at some of my mixing gigs and that thing is way more reasonable and sounds fine.  My PF series "flip top" rig got a LOT better after the 15 loosened up, and the thing is a conversation piece for sure…and inexpensive…6L6 tubes in my '61 Bandmaster were my first tube experience and I'm not sure I EVER changed those…for years…and I hauled Twins Reverbs around…too damn heavy...

Here's too much information: bdp24…You’re correct sir, exactly why I said "make a KT150 based BASS amp?" After around 5 decades of pro guitar playing, I currently mostly use a rare Reverend Goblin 5/15 watt 6V6 push pull all tube combo amp with a Jensen Neo 10 (actually 2 of those Jensens as I also have a single 10 extension cab that makes the Reverend even better sounding), and a Burriss Royal Bluesman tube rectified 18 watt class A single ended EL84 head with a Mesa 12 cab. Mesa currently makes great tube bass amps, and I was around for their early 80s beautiful 400 watt bass amp (a GREAT amp) but, again, no 150s yet. WHY WHY? My bass amps are a 150 watt little Eden Nemesis 12 thing that sounds amazingly good, and a retro Ampeg class D PF series 15" rig that’s sort of adorable (amp flips over into the speaker box like the old ones…cool). I’m doing a gig with Jim Campilongo soon and he’s made the classic Fender Princeton Reverb his thing…12 watts maybe? Small guitar amps rule man…oh yeah…uh huh...

Never trust musicians who know about tubes…trust me…I've been a pro musician for around 5 decades and I'm utterly untrustworthy, a fact you can trust. Also, why doesn't a musician amp company (like Mesa) make a KT150 based bass amp? WHY NOT? What the hell is WRONG with those guys? (rhetorical question…I like Mesa)

I don't care if the blue glass JJs sound good or not, but NOW I just want a set of them because they look so cool (I think Jedinite used those when he was using the same amp I have and liked them)…I've used JJs in guitar amps and they're a great tube, but I have to wait until my GLs wear out before trying the Blue Tubes…which sounds like a medical condition…sorry...

I had issues with some sloppily made Psvanes (albeit 12AX7s, not 88s) so I won't be trying those again, but having rolled Tung Sol 6550s, KT120s, Sovtek 88s, and KT150s through my amp I wound up becoming curious about the (new version, not NOS) Russian Gold Lion KT88s and stuck 'em in last year…they sound great, maybe the best match with my Jolida 502p amp than all of the above, and since they're relatively inexpensive they're kind of a bargain. Highly recommended.