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6L6 GC vs. 6V6 Tubes - What's the Difference?


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Here's the situation. I have a Gibson GA50T amp, and it uses two 6L6 GC power tubes, and one of them broke. I went to my local guitar store and they only had 6V6 tubes. So my questions are:

 

#1. What's the difference between the two types?

 

#2. Does it matter if I put in 6V6's instead of 6L6's?

 

#3. Although I know I need to get a "matched pair," and I know the matching has to do with resistance or something, what affect does that "number" have on the amp (i.e. I've seen sets listed as "high" - "middle" - "low" or with three different numbers but have no idea what the difference really is)?

 

TIA!

Matt

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Cool amp! My tech has one of those that's grown roots in his shop....needed both transformers, I believe, and the owner abandoned it, rather than fix it. I thought about buying it from him and fixing it, but I really have no use for it, and it's quite the scabby road turd anyway.

 

Lots of difference between those tubes, not the least of which is lower power and less headroom with 6v6. That said, you MIGHT be able to get them to work in that amp, but it's not plug and play. Only a qualified tech could tell you one way or the other, and he's then going to have to adjust the bias for those tubes.

 

The matching between tubes has to do with gain. The higher the gain, the more headroom you'll have.

 

If I were you, I'd just bite the bullet and take it in to a good tech. It's probably due for a full service anyway, isn't it? Regardless, he'll be able to make it sound better than you've ever heard it.

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The matching between tubes has to do with gain. The higher the gain' date=' the more headroom you'll have.[/quote']

So the higher the number or rating, the more I can turn up the volume before I start to get distortion, right? :-k I followed the link twanger posted (thanks! :-k ) and dug up some other info that said that the higher the rating/headroom, the less responsive the amp becomes to the (volume changes of the) force of your playing, correct? #-o

 

If I were you' date=' I'd just bite the bullet and take it in to a good tech. It's probably due for a full service anyway, isn't it? Regardless, he'll be able to make it sound better than you've ever heard it. [/quote']

I actually had a full service done on it a little over a year ago, and I really don't want to have to spend the $ do it again. I guess I would need to at least have it re-biased, even if I pick up a pair of (matched) 6L6's.

 

I'm just new to the world of tubes, and I don't want to mess up the amp. [-X

 

Matt

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So the higher the number or rating, the more I can turn up the volume before I start to get distortion, right?

If the manufacturer grades lower to higher gain tubes with a progressive numbering system. Those are pretty vague guidelines that they use, though, so it's really not much more than a rough guesstimate. Someone who carefully hand selects tube matches based upon his own careful testing are going to be much more apt to provide tubes that fit the specifics of what you're looking for.

 

I guess I would need to at least have it re-biased, even if I pick up a pair of (matched) 6L6's.

Yes, that would be best. It's a hassle, but it's really the only way to assure top performance. Besides that, as you make return trips to your tech, you'll develop a relationship with him, and he'll become a veritable fountain of information for you in the future. If I'd have known how much a guitarist can learn and gain from a good tech, I'd have made it a religious practice all along.

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