• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Tad ?

Bluesey

New member
Joined
Jul 18, 2001
Messages
232
Yes they work. I've used them in Fender hot rod deluxe and you can get a real good sound out of them. I am going to buy a pair for a 65 Princeton reverb I have recently aquired. They make for a nice qiet amp. They will get suprisingly loud when cranked, especially if your amp reauires 2 TAD's.
 

Charlie R57

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
369
Thank for the review Bluesey
Might give em a listen if they
don't cost to much. :)spin
 

Sean

Goldie's Man in London
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
2,021
Another great "why the hell hasn't someone thought of that before" idea, I'd like to check these out as well. Wonder what they cost?
 

Sean

Goldie's Man in London
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
2,021
Stupid company, another good idea bites the dust.
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
THD makes something similar, called Yellowjackets, for about the same price, I think.
 

Bluesey

New member
Joined
Jul 18, 2001
Messages
232
Guy's they're actually about $100 to $130 for a pair. That includes the adapters. The replacement power tubes are less than $10 a piece.
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
Well, that perks my ears up then .
I don't know the point of them though- are we supposed to be looking for power amp distortion out of them at low volumes?
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
All I saw was a picture, Charlie.
But at 130 bucks a pair, I know two people who are interested in them!
So, how much plate voltage does a 1987X have?;)
 
Last edited:

Sean

Goldie's Man in London
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
2,021
Me too.

I bet they give off a shit load of extra heat, the power has to go somewhere...
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
London winters can be cold, right? So what you do is play for a few minutes before you leave the house, stuff these into your pockets- instant hand warmers!;)
 

Charlie R57

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
369
Sorry ED the text was there for me
This is what it said
The TAD series. 1watt tube adapters.



Many of us own great amps that are WAY TOO LOUD for non-stage situations. We've all annoyed loved ones and neighbors trying to let the power tubes in our amps get a workout, and most of us have flirted with permanent ear damage or met local law enforcement personnel in the process. Most players don't realize that 3-5 watts can be surprisingly loud for home practice situations. At 5 watts RMS, a fully cranked PORTABLuEs, for example, can be too loud for some basement players.

Our TADs are direct replacements for your amp's higher wattage power tubes. A pair of TADs will bring your beloved 50-watt Plexi down to a very manageable 3-4 watts. The same is true for that fine sounding Blackface Super. Simply replace your output tubes with the correct TADs and away you go. There is no adjustment or rebiasing needed.

Finally, power tube saturation at reasonable volumes.







The TAD-1 is the first in a series of 1-watt tube adapters. The TAD-1 uses a 6AK6 miniature tube to generate wonderful tone at a reduced volume over a 6V6, 6L6, KT66, 6550, or EL34 output tube. The TAD-1 is designed to be used in any single output tube, class A, cathode biased amplifier.

The TAD-1 can also be used in some amplifiers that use a pair of 6V6, 6L6, KT66, 6550, or EL34 output tubes which are class A, cathode biased such as a TWEED DELUXE.

The TAD-1 is available in three versions:

TAD-1L for amplifiers with a plate voltage between 350-400VDC.
TAD-1H for amplifi It cut it's self off there.
 

johnny be loud

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
5
TAD REPLY

After reading the post on this new product
I contacted the company about the high pricing.
He emailed me back this is his responce...Hi John,

Thanks for the heads-up on the forum posting. I think that you might be surprised at just how much hand-wired electronics have to be stuffed into the TAD-2 adapters. It's far from being a simple pin-to-pin conversion. Given the parts and construction time involved, they're underpriced by any sane business model. But even if they were simple and inexpensive to build, there is no more cost effective way to get output tube distortion from a high powered amp. Attenuators are pretty expensive.

Just in case you're ever interested in picking up a pair, please be aware that the 6AK6s that we use in our TADs sound very much like 6V6s only with a little more bite when pushed. This means that EL34 powered amps will take on a more "American" tone with TADs installed. We make certain to let Marshall owners know what to expect before we accept an order. We'll also address this on the web site the next time it's updated.

Best Regards, Bob Stern--Smicz Amplification.
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
Gotta love that. I have newfound respect for Smicz, and I'm going to order a set of those Tad IIs, 'American' sound or not.
John, you're a great resource. Thanks. You'll get more of my business too!
 

LHakim

Active member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
2,113
Tads

I spoke to Smicz himself a few months ago about the tads. The only thing I can add to whats been posted already is that once installed you have to find new settings on your amp otherwise you get too compressed a sound. Also he told me that after word started getting around about the tads tube dealers told him that large blocks of 6AK6 tubes were getting bought up. There is still a decent supply of them but expect the prices to be going up on them.
 
Top