Contributing

Are all 6V6 tubes the same?

Are all 6V6 tubes the same?

The general answer is no, for the most part, 6L6 and 6v6 tubes are not interchangeable as they don’t bias close enough. Amps are calibrated to use specific valves (6v6, 6L6, EL84, etc.) and are not always well suited to multiple valve usage without circuit modifications.

What tubes are interchangeable with 6V6?

The 6L6 and 6V6 share the same pinout and are compatible in equipment specifically designed to use either one. The 6L6 may be used in most 6V6 audio applications if the heater supply will handle the increased current. In a single ended amp designed conservatively for the 6V6 a 6L6 probably will work fine.

Can you use 6V6 in place of 6L6?

A few — but definitely not all — 6V6 amps can handle 6L6 or even EL-34 power tubes. While you may gain some headroom, the tone of the amp may also change. For example, the bass may become tighter with 6L6s, but you will lose the chime of the 6V6s.

How many watts is a 6V6?

In single-ended tube amps one 6V6 output tube can produce about 5 watts of power. In push-pull tube amplifiers 15W is typical. Although Fender is best known for their 6L6 tube amp designs, they have had huge success with the Champ, Princeton, and Deluxe tube amps that all use 6V6GT output tubes.

Are 6V6 power tubes?

The 6V6 is a beam-power tetrode vacuum tube.

What amp uses 6V6?

Here are a few amps which use the 6V6 valve: Fender Deluxe Reverb. Fender 68 Custom DeLuxe reverb. Fender Champ.

Are 6L6 and 5881 tubes the same?

You can immediately notice that the 6L6 and 5881 are in the same family of valves. They are part of the general evolutionary process for this particular valve. So they are similar, but not identical tubes. In other words, there are no 6L6 tubes which are identical to the 5881 tube.

Do tubes affect tone?

Bowers: There are some solid-state circuits that do an impressive job for tone, but the reason guitarists gravitate to tube amps is the harmonics. The secondary harmonics of a tube are additive to the harmony of the note, where the secondary harmonics of a solid-state amplifier are dissident to the tone.

What amp uses EL84?

Vox AC30
The most common tube amp that uses EL84 tubes is the Vox AC30, as well as most other amps manufactured by Vox. Their circuit design is generally regarded as the “classic” use of EL84 tubes, providing a sweet gain-y midrange sound and a medium output volume.

How do I choose amp tubes?

For those just looking for a new set of tubes to get your amp back up and running, look into the tubes the amp came with and start from there. If you want the same sound, get the same or very similar tubes. If you want to experiment, try other brands or styles of the same type of tube.

Can you swap EL34 for 6L6?

You do have to change the resistors. EL34 is way different for bias voltage than 6L6.

Do preamp tubes affect tone?

More to the point here, though, is the fact that the gain of the first preamp tube—often referred to as a “gain stage”—very directly impacts the tone that you achieve from the amp as a whole.