Reverting to stock Crack (Missing Parts)

[misterbobster]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently trying to diagnose my crack with speedball as I bought two new Thomson 6080WA tubes and one of it is giving vv soft volume and another only working on the left channel with the right channel not producing any sound.

Was planning to do a voltage/resistance check and wanted to revert my unit back to stock Crack but can't seem to find my parts box for the rest of my components. Can someone advise what parts I would need to get for this modification? Or is there any way for me to do a diagnosis on the Crack with the Speedball mod?

Much thanks!

[Paul Birkeland]

Does your amp work properly with other 6080s? 

If you got the Thomason 6080WA tubes on eBay, those are known to be problematic and I wouldn't recommend ripping apart your amp to try to get it to work with tubes that may not ever really work properly. 

[misterbobster]

Yes, it does work with the stock GE 6080 that came with the Crack. Thanks for the heads up - didn't realize that they were known to be problematic, it was indeed an ebay purchase. Been trying to look around for an alternative 6080 online but can't seem to find good/decent ones at a reasonable price around lately.

[Doc B.]

Been trying to look around for an alternative 6080 online but can't seem to find good/decent ones at a reasonable price around lately.

Yes, the time has come when prices have gotten stupid. Happens with a lot of things we "revitalize". Take a look at reel to reel tape deck prices now vs. 2005 before we started the Tape Project. Some models have increased about fivefold or more. Unfortunately this increase in tube prices will drive the price of the Crack kit up too, as we are also having to pay more and more for the tubes we supply. These days we are paying about double what we paid two or three years ago.

IMO the money would be better spent upgrading to a Crackatwoa than it would on $100 6080s. The additional circuitry in there vs. the Crack does a very good job of narrowing the sonic differences between various 6080s, and IMO makes them all sound better than any tube sounds in a Crack.

[Mucker]

FWIW .... I had a pair of those Thompson 6080WA tubes. They didn't make it past 2 hours. Worst tubes I've ever had to deal with. They did sound ok but not any better than a typical 6080.

[misterbobster]

Yes, the time has come when prices have gotten stupid. Happens with a lot of things we "revitalize". Take a look at reel to reel tape deck prices now vs. 2005 before we started the Tape Project. Some models have increased about fivefold or more. Unfortunately this increase in tube prices will drive the price of the Crack kit up too, as we are also having to pay more and more for the tubes we supply. These days we are paying about double what we paid two or three years ago.

IMO the money would be better spent upgrading to a Crackatwoa than it would on $100 6080s. The additional circuitry in there vs. the Crack does a very good job of narrowing the sonic differences between various 6080s, and IMO makes them all sound better than any tube sounds in a Crack.

Yeah looking at the trends of the prices, it does seem to be consistently going up. Forum threads from 5-10 years ago show Tungsols 5998 at $80 and that was considered rip off back then - now its almost impossible to find and the ones that are available go for the price of a Crack kit. Thanks Doc B for the advice!

[misterbobster]

Thanks guys for all the good advice and experience, going to stick with my stock tubes and just enjoy the music for now

[Doc B.]

I have a drawer of a few 6080s that are appreciating. I also have regrets over throwing NOS graphite plate Bendixes in kits when we ran low of other types years ago, because I didn't think they sounded anything special and there was no collector jones for them at the time. Then there was a while in the late 90s when I was selling NOS 45 tubes to friends for $15, right before they went up to more like $80. Live and learn. I just saw someone asking $2950 for a pair of RCA 845 tubes. Glad I didn't sell mine.