Heritage Patriot Tubes

[slotunes]

Hello...I picked up a Patriot a while back, Killer sounding with the 6L6 tubes! Wondering if I can swap 5881 and the 5u4 rectifier in there safely? Ive tried this on my Colonial and it sounds great.I sent an email to Paul C. to no avail, Any info appreciated!

[H]

Is there a tube chart inside the cab or with the owner's manual?

 

If it's loaded with 6L6s currently, I'd guess the 5881 tubes would be fine with a re-bias. 6L6s are available in a few variants which have different capabilities. There are comparison charts all over the web which should let you check the specs of your 6L6 variant against the 5881. I'm running 1950's TungSol 5881's in my Vibrolux.

 

I don't know which rectifier this amp uses (perhaps a GZ34?) so no guesses from me on that one!

[212Mavguy]

…about the only fly in the ointment is the heater current on that 5u4, it's 3 amps versus 2 amps for 5ar4, 5v4, and 5r4, listed in descending order of output voltage under load. You might get what you want with a 5r4. I personally think the 5r4 is overlooked a lot. I have one in my '68 Super Reverb driving a pair of ancient oval plate Tung Sol 6ar6 with socket adapters, which I prefer sonically to their 5881, and that 5881 is an awesome tube. Those 5r4 Cetron or Bendix Red Bank tater mashers look cool and are built to be tough. Vintage 5r4 are inexpensive compared to a Mullard 5ar4 about a third to a half these days.

[Gitfiddler]

Much of the information around the net about Heritage Amps is currently being crammed into this thread:

 

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/topic/24764-lets-discuss-heritage-amplification-boutique-amps/

 

Click on the Heritage Owners Manual link in that thread. It has a section about tube swaps and biasing, etc.

 

As for contacting Paul Cochrane, it is best to do so through his Twitter account. He does not respond to emails. I caught up with him one late evening by phone and we had a great conversation about his amp designs, Heritage amps specifically and some trouble shooting I was doing at the time. Have not been able to reach him since.

 

Let us know what you learn about the tube swaps.

[slotunes]

Thanks guys for all the great info! I may try Pauls Twitter account or facebook. I may try the 5r4 recto swap with 5881s to see how it sounds. That's the beauty of these amps, they all sound great and are very tweakable.Keep any info comin in!Thanks in advance!

[rjsanders]

Paul tells everyone to call him, cuz he can't keep his e-mail box under control. been like this for years. the twitter thing is new. glad to hear of another channel to Murfreesboro.

 

(optional: call him up, order a Timmy at no cost to you 'til it's done. one week's trial & you can return for full refund, no questions asked)