Vacuum Tube Classics and reflections on October

In this post I am going to continue my vacuum tube series of data sheets and look back on some of the activities during the last part of October.  



Earlier this month I wrote about the Stubb's BBQ for 1,000 down at Union Rescue Mission http://la-economy.blogspot.com/2010/10/bar-b-que-for-1000.html and the 6th L.A. Ampshow.

The 65 Amps press party on the two new amps in my post where there are a lot of photos posted as well at http://la-economy.blogspot.com/2010/10/weekly-wrapup-in-few-photos.html 

Moving on to the tube info.....
  
These are two sought after classics.  The GEC KT-66. KT stands for kinkless tetrode as a side note.  The tube is interchangeable with a 6L6 but is a very different tube with very different response and tone.  More lows and lower mids is one way of looking at things.  Bigger is a words some use to describe the tone.

A typical GEC KT66 will have about 10mA more plate current at the same plate voltage and bias than a typical (spec) 6L6.  This means they are not plug and play, a bias check and adjustment is a good idea.

Some amps that use the KT66 in the music instrument world utilize ultra-linear output transformer circuit designs.  Most high end audio amplifiers that use this tube do the same.  An ultra-linear output transformer is not a requirement.  These tubes sound huge in amps such as Fender amps from the tolex and black face eras.

The complete data sheet set:

http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/Tube/KT66.pdf

The second tube data sheet set is the Tung Sol 5881.  This is from the era when a 5881 was not the same as a 6L6.  They were still interchangeable but they were in different tubes.  The plate dissipation was higher on this particular tube back in this era by about 20% over the 6L6 of the day.  23 watts was the plate rating on this tube.  6L6 tubes of the day were typically about 19 or so watts.  This tube was the big monster in the 6L6 family of the day and was the tube used in amps such as the Fender High Power Tweed Twin.  Today the rating of the 6L6 or 5881 is typically 30 watts.  The 5881 of today is generally a 6L6 with a 5881 label or at times made in a shorter bottle to look more akin to the original shorter bottle Tung Sol or other 5881 tubes in the past.  There is even one company out there that bought the Tung Sol name and puts the label on current tubes that have little in common with the originals from a design standpoint.

The complete data sheet set:

http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/files/tsol5881.pdf

Moving on to other activties this last month.

The month was busy with things like the L.A. Ampshow, the press conference at 65 Amps, consulting work on new amp designs and there were a lot of folks in town from out of town who I took around and showed the sights.  Those things changed the basic nature of my general activities but in a nice way.

I made fewer trips to Skid Row in October in the evening than I usually do in a month.  I only made nine night trips.  I did make a few day trips.  A few were to www.urm.org - Union Rescue Mission.  One trip was for the Stubb's BBQ and another trip was to take a friend from out of town to see Skid Row, see URM and talk to the folks on the street.  I think many misconceptions were erased in his mind after talking one on one with many of the folks that live on the street.

The month of October was a busy month for the folks at Union Rescue Mission.  Andy Bales wraps up the month with this video.  A lot of very cool things happened this month.  I will try to get some statistical data to post later or perhaps ammend this blog entry. 

Thanksgiving is upon us.  The folks at Union Rescue Mission could use a bit of help.  Some of their comments: 

Please consider sponsoring a Thanksgiving table this holiday season. It costs just $36.80 to provide Thanksgiving dinner for a table of 20! Your gift not only provides a delicious holiday celebration, but an opportunity to transform lives.


Thanks to donated food and wonderful volunteers, it only costs $1.84 to provide a hot meal to our guests here at URM. And this Thanksgiving, we’re planning a mouthwatering menu complete with turkey, stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and pumpkin pie heaped with ice cream!

But the nourishing meals that you help provide are just the first step. By making people feel truly at home for Thanksgiving, they begin to relax, open up and find hope again.

You can help directly by following this link:
http://www.urmblog.org/thanksgiving-2010/


I did a bit more than typical this month.  Last Sunday I shot with Jason King and Fabrizio Buschini over at www.moorenmoore.com  Jason broke a firing pin return spring which was fixed in the field.  Jason is the head fellow behind http://www.internationalsportingclays.com 

Jason is on the left launching for Fabrizio as I take the photo

Jason's broken pin ( 5 pieces ) prior to repair.  Jason had spare parts on hand

I continued to watch the economy, the unemployment picture and the battles of the upcoming election.  I posted a number of links to stories which I thought were notable:

On 60 Minutes last Sunday - take a look at the video.  This might be you or could be you.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/21/60minutes/main6978943.shtml

It is really a numbers game - smoke and mirrors. After 26 weeks the first wave are no longer counted as noted in this piece - Initial and Continuing Claims Fall -

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Initial-and-Continuing-Claims-zacks-770718825.html?x=0

Foreclosure mess will take years to clean up -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39874969/ns/business-personal_finance/

99ers and Tier 5 Unemployment Extension Supporters – Tier 5 in Their Face
http://www.worldnewsheardnow.com/99ers-and-tier-5-unemployment-extension-supporters-–-tier-5-in-their-face/3558/

99ers: How Many People Have Run Out Of Unemployment Benefits?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/28/99ers-how-many-people-hav_n_774769.html

Parents Told to Dump Disabled Kids at Homeless Shelters
http://www.parentdish.com/2010/10/28/parents-told-to-dump-disabled-kids-at-homeless-shelters

Homeless camp near Hollywood Bowl is dismantled
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hollywood-homeless-20101028,0,4735989.story

Some of my posts on twitter which reflect some of what I am involved in:

36 Ind. unemployment officers to have armed guards -  People getting a bit more angry?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-unemploymentoffic,0,1207554.story

http://all247news.com/unemployment-extension-2010-and-tier-v-%e2%80%93-myth-vs-reality/7048/

From my friend Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission - we share cell phone food shots
Better shot, Myles, of 5 lb. Ribeye roast cooked in crock pot for my birthday! http://twitpic.com/30kokc

I had a bit of a cold for a few days (which is still with me at this time) so I took life a bit slower in the evenings.  I compiled over 300 food shots into a slide show. These shots are from the last two or so years, from about September 2008.

Most of these meals I have eaten. Probably over 95%. 

I am 5'10" and weigh 170 or a bit less. Still. Perhaps it is walking a few miles each day that helps.

These shots are from cell phone cameras and good cameras. Some of from friends. Some are meals cooked by and eaten with friends.

Some of these shots are from people who send me their cell phone shots as they are eating and I send back my shots.

Thanks to too many folks to begin to list here but you know who you are!

These photos have been reduced in size and resolution.

Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services.   I offer consulting services to various amplifier designers and manufacturers.  The link www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com has links to music industry forums which I moderate and direct email contact information.  My shop is located in the complex at www.65amps.com.  If you wish a tour of 65 Amps please feel free to contact me directly.  When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.

www.urm.org

Vacuum Tube Series - 5751 Tung Sol, RCA, GE

Vacuum Tube Series

I updated this to add the link to the RCA version as a second data sheet set.

This will be a continuing series on vacuum tubes and amplifiers.



Some folks do not realize that the 5751 vacuum tube produced today is little more than a 12AX7 that did not make the grade as a 12AX7. .....

Vacuum Tube Information for Tube Fans

Just a bit of info for tubes fans - over on my GAB website you can download part II of my Tube Primer. It is a PDF file and about 100 pages that has a bit of info on vacuum tubes. Feel free to share.

http://www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/Tubeprimerandselection320-2.pdf

Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services.   I offer consulting services to various amplifier designers and manufacturers.  The link www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com has links to music industry forums which I moderate and direct email contact information.  My shop is located in the complex at www.65amps.com.  If you wish a tour of 65 Amps please feel free to contact me directly.  When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.

www.urm.org

Does Privacy Exist?

Can one person make a difference?  A social media question?  An issue of privacy?  Where are we headed in regard to information dissemination? 

This week I saw the movie Social Network.  No big surprises but it made me think about the trail some of us rode to get to places like Facebook today. .....

Bar-B-Que for 1,000

Today Stubb's Bar-B-Q sauces and marinades (http://www.stubbsbbq.com/ ) came to Union Rescue Mission and put on one heck of a lunch for 1,000 folks.

These Stubb's folks are the real deal.  On the back of a business card there is information on a program they run called "Feed the World".   On their website they have an area that talks about this.  The link is:

http://www.stubbsbbq.com/ftw_help.php

I talked with a number of their crew that came in from Texas including their President Kurt Koegler.  Terrific folks.  They brought everything; all the food, supplies, cooked it all and served it themselves as well.  Talk about a turn key BBQ meal!

Alex Cornejo, the head man of the Volunteer arm of http://www.urm.org/ gave me a little insight as to what was going to happen in a small audio clip.  http://guitaramplifierblueprinting.com/audio/alex101310.wma

I will post a few cell phone shots of the activity today.  Next time I go down to http://www.urm.org/ I will bring one of my better cameras to augment my cell phone camera.

Some of these shots are from Andy Bales, the CEO of Union Rescue Mission.  I will note his shots with a bit of commentary.

The above shot was from Andy Bales.  He and I often swap food shots on twitter or facebook.  Andy is @abales on twitter if you wish to find the guy or attempt to keep up with the man.

One of my shots of Andy Bales in the blue shirt.  The man never stops.  He ate his lunch in under three minutes and jumped on his phone to answer emails, send info out to many folks and attend to the business of the day.

When one talks BBQ one thinks of meat.  My task started with pickles.

This is less than 1/3 of the pickle jars we emptied into serving trays to serve lunch for over 1,000 folks. I opened most of the jars with my bare hands. I was glad there were not too many more jars than what was on hand.



Other folks had different tasks such as BBQ beans for 1,000

Here is the guy that made it happen, the President of Stubb's Bar-B-Q Kurt Koegler.  He brought his crew to Los Angeles from Austin Texas. 

Make no mistake.  This trip to Los Angeles was anything but a one shot deal.  They have done a bit of this before and have more to do in the future.  Their "tour" schedule is just as agressive as any of the artists I work with AND what they do seems to be a lot more work than a typical set at a typical concert.  Like I said, they supplied it all from plates to drinks, prepared, cooked and served.

Their tour can be seen at http://www.stubbsbbq.com/ftw_tour_schedule.php

The above two shots are from Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission

Alex Cornejo - the head man of the Volunteer arm of http://www.urm.org/ getting ready for a great lunch.

Pudding for 1,000 - just the start of the pudding stock on hand.

Buns for the first few sandwiches.  There were mountains of buns. 

The cellophane bags the buns came in when empty quickly filled an industrial trashcan.  This was about fifteen minutes into the first lunch shift.

Somebody had to try the first sandwich.  This task was Andy Olivas? (not sure of the last name or spelling).  Andy works with Alex Cornejo in the Volunteer Division at http://www.urm.org/.  If you want to volunteer drop Alex note or hit the page at http://www.urm.org/get-involved/volunteer-center/  You can also find Alex on twitter at @urmvolunteers

Some folks took front scene shots.  I took this behind the scenes shot.

At the end of the first shift of lunch the folks from Stubb's took a few moments to eat themselves before the next wave of people came into the dining area.

 

The shots below are from the folks at Stubb's Bar-B-Q.  They were copied from their facebook page and show a different perspective than my own shots above.

Side note - Jennifer in the center of the above photo showed me the ropes today.

There is even more .....

Just Another Night on Skid Row - Andy Bales

I thought I'd take a few minutes to recap some of what Andy Bales was doing yesterday late evening on 10/9 and early the morning of 10/10. 

To set the stage in a manner of speaking, back in June I posted a story that was written by Erin, one of the staff at http://www.urm.org/

My Terrifying Night on the Streets of Skid Row

by Erin on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 ......

Weekly wrapup in a few photos

If a photo is worth a thousand words this may be a short story of the last week. 

Last week there was a press conference for two new amplifier models from http://www.65amps.com/  There were about a half a dozen magazines at the shop and by mid week the London Pro as carried in eighteen publication mentions.  In the first half of the week there were over 100 orders.

The 6th Annual Los Angeles Ampshow was held October 2 and 3.  I was the moderator on the Tone Wizzards panel for the 6th year which is always fun. 

These are all cellphone shots.  If you want some better ones of the ampshow there are some better camera shots and some of these cell shots in the album here -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myles111us/sets/72157624965369099/

Less words ... more photos ....

A bit concerned about my health

Just take me away in cuffs now.....

And I thought I had a busy week? I am a lightweight.

I thought I was busy?  Many of my friends think I am busy.  I am a lightweight.

Last week was the 6th annual Los Angeles Ampshow. 

There was a major press event at 65amps announcing their release of two new amplifiers. 

Friends and associates from all over the globe, from as far as Norway and Singapore, decended on Los Angeles for these events.  I was running at about 100 mph the entire week.  The folks at 65 Amps had been running at 200 mph for the last month.

Many of you saw my posts on the net on the events.  Busy few weeks.

As busy as I thought things were for me I sat down this morning and reflected on my week.  I then looked back on the week of my friends at Union Rescue Mission - http://www.urm.org/ 

I thought about the 113 degree heat last week which was the highest recorded heat in the history of Los Angeles since 1877 when statistics were first collected.  The people of URM pushing carts weighing 1500 pounds through the streets of skid row so they could pass out cold water bottles to the people on the street.   They do this anytime the temperture is above 85 degrees.  It was a hot week.  They were busy.  A lot.

113 degrees and the man is smiling?.....

Press conference, ampshow and more

The last week has been very busy.  There was a press conference on 10/1 where http://www.65amps.com/ showed two new amp models to the media at  press party.  Many friends were there and many random photos were taken, some seen here.

Rather than wear an amp company shirt or music company shirt I wore one of my shirts from Union Rescue Mission ( http://www.urm.org/ )   The shirt got a lot of comments, started a lot of great dialogue with others and made a great statement. .....