Telecaster Guitar Forum - View Single Post - Advice on changing tubes in a Hot Rod DeVille 410

MJ Harnish · April 10th, 2003, 02:13 AM

The GT's are not necessarily bad; it's hard to say b/c GT is primarily a tester/relabeller so your tubes could come from the same factories as those that produce Sovteks, Svetlanas, or Ruby. I think most of them probably come from the same chinese factories that produce the lower end 6L6's out there. Alternatively they might be GT labelled Sovtek 5881's which Fender likes to use b/c they're pretty rugged, reliable tubes.

The big problem with most new Fenders, particularly the HR series, is that they are biased cold in order to extend tube life. It also gives you more clean headroom. However, this can make them sound a tad sterile or even harsh. So the first thing I would do is have the amp properly biased. If it still doesn't sound good to you, you can try a different type of tube (I like the Svetlana 6L6GC's (~$32/pair)). Just make sure to have the amp properly biased.

April 10th, 2003, 02:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
MJ Harnish Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hattingen, Germany Posts: 457	The GT's are not necessarily bad; it's hard to say b/c GT is primarily a tester/relabeller so your tubes could come from the same factories as those that produce Sovteks, Svetlanas, or Ruby. I think most of them probably come from the same chinese factories that produce the lower end 6L6's out there. Alternatively they might be GT labelled Sovtek 5881's which Fender likes to use b/c they're pretty rugged, reliable tubes. The big problem with most new Fenders, particularly the HR series, is that they are biased cold in order to extend tube life. It also gives you more clean headroom. However, this can make them sound a tad sterile or even harsh. So the first thing I would do is have the amp properly biased. If it still doesn't sound good to you, you can try a different type of tube (I like the Svetlana 6L6GC's (~$32/pair)). Just make sure to have the amp properly biased. __________________ MJ Harnish Suburbs: Where they cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them.