diff --git a/tests/src/unit-disable-tuple-reference-conversion.cpp b/tests/src/unit-disable-tuple-reference-conversion.cpp
index 913bca9f1..6d978620b 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-disable-tuple-reference-conversion.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-disable-tuple-reference-conversion.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,14 @@ using nlohmann::ordered_json;
 #include <type_traits>
 #include <utility>
 
+// clang before 4 and GCC before 5 cannot create a std::tuple of basic_json
+// references at all, with or without JSON_DISABLE_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION:
+// the tuple constructors make them instantiate basic_json's conversion operator
+// for libstdc++'s internal tuple bases, which fails hard
+#if (defined(__clang__) && __clang_major__ < 4) || (!defined(__clang__) && defined(__GNUC__) && __GNUC__ < 5)
+    #define SKIP_TESTS_FOR_JSON_REFERENCE_TUPLES
+#endif
+
 TEST_CASE("JSON_DISABLE_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION")
 {
     SECTION("json is not constructible from a one-element tuple of a json reference")
@@ -37,6 +45,7 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON_DISABLE_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION")
         CHECK_FALSE(std::is_constructible<ordered_json, std::tuple<ordered_json&>>::value);
     }
 
+#ifndef SKIP_TESTS_FOR_JSON_REFERENCE_TUPLES
     SECTION("issue #2226 - tuple<const json&> from tuple<json&> keeps the reference")
     {
         json j = true;
@@ -54,6 +63,7 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON_DISABLE_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION")
         const std::tuple<json> t2(std::forward_as_tuple(std::move(j2)));
         CHECK(std::get<0>(t2) == "text");
     }
+#endif
 
     SECTION("other tuple conversions are not affected")
     {
@@ -64,16 +74,20 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON_DISABLE_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION")
 
         // tuples with more than one element, even when holding references
         int i = 1;
+#ifndef SKIP_TESTS_FOR_JSON_REFERENCE_TUPLES
         CHECK(json(std::forward_as_tuple(i, j)) == json::array({1, true}));
         CHECK(json(std::forward_as_tuple(j, j)) == json::array({true, true}));
+#endif
 
         // one-element tuples holding references to other types
         std::string s = "text";
         CHECK(json(std::forward_as_tuple(s)) == json::array({"text"}));
         CHECK(json(std::forward_as_tuple(i)) == json::array({1}));
 
+#ifndef SKIP_TESTS_FOR_JSON_REFERENCE_TUPLES
         // a reference to a different basic_json specialization
         ordered_json oj = true;
         CHECK(json(std::forward_as_tuple(oj)) == json::array({true}));
+#endif
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-regression2.cpp b/tests/src/unit-regression2.cpp
index 7db0e8e6e..6446f5f8c 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-regression2.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-regression2.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,14 @@
     #define SKIP_TESTS_FOR_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION
 #endif
 
+// clang before 4 and GCC before 5 cannot create a std::tuple of basic_json
+// references at all, with or without JSON_DISABLE_TUPLE_REFERENCE_CONVERSION:
+// the tuple constructors make them instantiate basic_json's conversion operator
+// for libstdc++'s internal tuple bases, which fails hard
+#if (defined(__clang__) && __clang_major__ < 4) || (!defined(__clang__) && defined(__GNUC__) && __GNUC__ < 5)
+    #define SKIP_TESTS_FOR_JSON_REFERENCE_TUPLES
+#endif
+
 #define JSON_TESTS_PRIVATE
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
 using json = nlohmann::json;
@@ -556,7 +564,9 @@ TEST_CASE("regression tests 2")
         // this conversion (see unit-disable-tuple-reference-conversion.cpp)
         const json j = true;
         CHECK(std::is_constructible<json, std::tuple<const json&>>::value);
+#ifndef SKIP_TESTS_FOR_JSON_REFERENCE_TUPLES
         CHECK(json(std::forward_as_tuple(j)) == json::array({true}));
+#endif
     }
 #endif