6V6G -- WOW!!

[rfgordon]

I may have mentioned somewhere in another post that a colleague at work bought "several hundred" tubes from the widow of an old TV repairman. He's been dishing them out to me a few at a time--all used ones that test good on his machines. Mostly 12A-- series, a few 5U4s (sold those to very happy Blackface owners) and a bunch of 6V6GTs of various make.

There was one oddball, though, a big, coke-bottle shaped 6V6G. I have to admit I've never seen one of these before. I was a bit skeptical of it cuz there's something rattling around in there...

However, at Burley Maple rehearsal today I popped it into my Wards Airline pseudo-Champ (my absolute fave amp). Wow. Amazing tone. I love that little amp, but talk about sweet, full, 3D tone! And cranked up--the growl almost made me swoon...

So, am I the last to know about these old beauties? Or is this just a chance macth between my Monkey Ward lunchbox amp and a very old tube?

[mhuss]

The 6V6G tube predated the more familiar 6V6GT, and has somewhat lighter specs (info in TDSL notwithstanding). If sounds good, use it!

--mark

[jelle]

Yeah, I know them...

Sound has more breakup than the newer versions but beware of the voltages! Lighter specs as Mark mentioned.

Less headroom but great sound and it looks very cool too! Mine are from about 1940..I have them in orig box..

Jelle

[David Root]

Conventional wisdom says that the larger the glass, the better the tone. Audiophile types use the word "spacious" to describe this phenomenon. Certainly the plate, grid, cathode & screen are further apart in the larger bottles.

At least as important IMHO is the quality of materials and no-compromise design and manufacturing philosophy that obtained in the '40s, and '50s, for that matter. These tubes were never "value-engineered". They were "engineered" without relation to cost. (Tighter JAN specs were mechanical, not electrical). To me, that explains completely why current production tubes, with rare exceptions, simply don't cut it compared with NOS from this era. I'd even include the first half of the '60s, I have a couple early '60s RCA blackplate 6L6GCs that are indeed magical.

[dartanion]

I've got a quad of Marconi 6V6Gs that I love. Got them a few years ago for a great price.

[rfgordon]

I went to tell my colleague that I really liked that, as he put it "oddball 6V6." He said he'd been digging thru the tubes more and found some NOS tube types that were on the list I had given him. javascript:emoticon(':D')
Very Happy

He said he had NOS 6L6s and 6V6s at least, and maybe some 12AX7s--was I interested? Yep. He said he'd have to charge me more--he had been charging me $4 per used vintage tube. OK, so what's "more?" For the NOS 6L6s in matched pairs, $15 per tube. He said, "I think that's reasonable." Oh, yeah, that's reasonable! javascript:emoticon('')
Wink

I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

[lastwinj]

I went to tell my colleague that I really liked that, as he put it "oddball 6V6." He said he'd been digging thru the tubes more and found some NOS tube types that were on the list I had given him. javascript:emoticon(':D')
Very Happy

He said he had NOS 6L6s and 6V6s at least, and maybe some 12AX7s--was I interested? Yep. He said he'd have to charge me more--he had been charging me $4 per used vintage tube. OK, so what's "more?" For the NOS 6L6s in matched pairs, $15 per tube. He said, "I think that's reasonable." Oh, yeah, that's reasonable! javascript:emoticon('')
Wink

I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

i'll take a pair.....6L6 and 6v6. need some for personal stock.......

germ