your favorite 6v6gt is?

Had a set of french made mazda 6v6's in my rivera designed ChampII and one finally fried last night. I have a spare set of GE's that I put in and the tone is quite a bit different but not in a bad way. The bass is still nice and tight and holds together but the highs are a touch more harsh than the mazdas. The breakup comes quicker and has more hair on it. They seem more touch senitive also. Even got some feedback goin with them. I need to get the amp biased also but so far the General Electrics are going to be fine. I do have 1 RCA new in the box left but I'm not sure where and if I can afford another one LOL. What is your favorite 6v6gt, new or old?

Mazda would be there. RCA, Bendix. Actually I tried a Mazda 5Y3 GT in a Supro clone the other day, that is really cool. The bad news is tube prices seem to be going insane. The good news is, relative to gas, how much is insane for tubes? I think I like old RCA's in Fenders the most. Or the Bendix subs.

i wish i could afford RCAs, but the NOS Phillips have been good to me at a far lesser cost. i've got some GEs as backup, but i would replace my Phillips if they were to go out.

Ive tried a bunch and have settled on old Sylvania 6V6gt's.

well I've always had more than a just a couple of 6V6 amps so
I stocked up back in the day and I like blackplate RCAs the best
although I have spare pairs of Mazdas, Bendix 5992s, and some
very cool 50's NOS Aussie Super Radiotrons that look very much
like RCAs inside the glass - all of these courtesy of KCA.

whoops, and I just remembered I also have some JAN military surplus
(circa 1965) Sylvanias - a great deal from a private sale.

I have some grayplate 60's GEs in one amp and they sound sweet. those
replaced some fake Amperex that were actually Sovteks with a switched
base! I recognized the fakes by the flying saucer getters that
are used in all Russian tubes. ick. those things sounded nasty.

anyway: seems to me there's a subtle tonal difference for all old tubes
and that goes for individual tubes not just GE vs RCA vs Telefunken
or whatever.. what I've learned from having a tube locker is that one
can try ten different combinations of tubes in an amp and it can and
will sound and perform differently each time regardless if all the tubes
are of the same brand or not.

JAN Philips, Mazdas, TUNG-SOL RI's and JJ's.

IMHO, they are all great but some work better than others in specific applications (with specific amps).

Can't say I have a favorite 6V6GT tube as yet?
I just got my first 6V6 tube amp.....and it came with a pair of beautiful sounding RCA 6V6GTA tubes.
So I guess I'm already spoiled?

Steve

I have some nice Brimars in my 5E3 that sound very nice and a set of JAN Phillips in a SFDR that are nice as well. It really is an experiment with amps and tubes. +1 for Mike at KCA too. Send him an email and tell him what you are looking for out of the amp and I would bet he has a recommendation.

I don't have any particular brand choice as long as they are NOS, as far as new production, I like Tung Sol RI's and JJ's, and EH will do in a pinch.

Agreed. I'm just astounded at the rapid price increases. I've got old RCA's and stuff because I've had it. And it seldom wears out.

First choice, RCA. Second, any NOS like Philips, GE, etc. Current production, JJ.

Hytrons

I actually like the JJs...seriously...I have some NOS 6v6 tubes (Sylvania, RCA, Tungsram) and I think the JJs perform equal or better than them in my amps; -just my opinion and by all means feel free to ridicule me (I have my flameproof suit on).

I keep a set of NOS Sylvanias in my Tweed Tremolux more for appearance and 'period correctness' than tonal improvement. In that amp the old Sovtek 6v6 tubes even sound decent and they're some of the worst 6v6s IMO.

just my opinion and by all means feel free to ridicule me (I have my flameproof suit on)



Heretic!!!... :grin:

(1) JAN Philips, (2) Sylvania, (3) Tungsol RI

Agreed. I'm just astounded at the rapid price increases..

Off topic but....Have you seen the prices on the SED 6L6GC's (aka =C= )? Yikes! I remember when they were $12 a tube a few years ago--now they're $22. A great, warm-sounding tube for 6L6 tubed amps but man ~ a C-note for a quad? Wow.

I actually like the JJs...seriously...I have some NOS 6v6 tubes (Sylvania, RCA, Tungsram) and I think the JJs perform equal or better than them in my amps; -just my opinion and by all means feel free to ridicule me (I have my flameproof suit on).

I keep a set of NOS Sylvanias in my Tweed Tremolux more for appearance and 'period correctness' than tonal improvement. In that amp the old Sovtek 6v6 tubes even sound decent and they're some of the worst 6v6s IMO.

I like JJs too. They can laugh at me as well. I sure am glad I have some spares, 6L6 and 6V6.

RCA 6V6GTA, followed by RCA 6V6GT blackplates

GE coin base 6V6GTA's are my favorite. But with that said I run JJ's in the SFDR that I use to gig and rehearse with. At full volume I just don't hear much of a difference. Now, sitting in my music room and playing I can hear a HUGE difference but with the Vol. at 7-8 and the drums and bass blasting in my ears I couldn't tell an RCA from a GE from a JJ.

RCA Blackplates and a Real Gem..... JAN Raytheon

I've got a stash of RCA's that'll last me for a while.
The only tube pricings I've seen that have gone into the realm of the absurd are the older Genelex KT-66's; pairs are going for more than some Amps:confused:
Seriously - a decent circuit and a decent tube'll do the do.