6GK6 are awesome....if you put a switch between pin 1 and 3 , 8 and 9 you can change between 6gk6 and 6bq5
I built a 30 watt + TMB combo with 10gk6 and it is still my favourite guitar amp...this goes HARD and sounds rich and full.....I built it as a practice amp then put a neo patriot with it and do gigs with it now....its that good !!!!
Only paid about 3 bucks a tube as an experiment and powered the filaments with a 9v toroid then rectified it to give me 11.9 vdc for the 12ax7's
I have bought 4 spare sets for coffee money...I favour the GE's....consistant and "strong"
I think its well worth the effort....to those folk who have newer amps built on pc boards DONT try converting it....unless you know exactly what your up against...but for those who don't ,go for it
I have a test amp I am continually changing and I ran a el84 and a 6gk6 together without issue......and best of all , there is a Euro make as well..
I came across this ancient thread while searching......😉
I built a 30 watt + TMB combo with 10gk6 and it is still my favourite guitar amp...this goes HARD and sounds rich and full.....I built it as a practice amp then put a neo patriot with it and do gigs with it now....its that good !!!!
Only paid about 3 bucks a tube as an experiment and powered the filaments with a 9v toroid then rectified it to give me 11.9 vdc for the 12ax7's
I have bought 4 spare sets for coffee money...I favour the GE's....consistant and "strong"
I think its well worth the effort....to those folk who have newer amps built on pc boards DONT try converting it....unless you know exactly what your up against...but for those who don't ,go for it
I have a test amp I am continually changing and I ran a el84 and a 6gk6 together without issue......and best of all , there is a Euro make as well..
I came across this ancient thread while searching......😉
The 6GK6 and the 6BQ5 / EL84 are the same tube with a different pinout. Compare the specs and curves. The 6GK6 is somewhat cheaper, but not in large supply, or current production so the price will eventually rise.
If you build your own amps with a switch or PCB jumpers on the stated pins there are several other tubes that will also work, but aren't as stout as the EL84, therefore require lower voltage and / or current.
For a lower powered screamer (about 10 W) try the 7KY6 or 5686.
The 6HA6 / 6HB6 was another good choice that will make about 20 to 25 watts, but they all dissapeared when they got talked up here.
There are others, but more extensive rewiring is needed.
If you build your own amps with a switch or PCB jumpers on the stated pins there are several other tubes that will also work, but aren't as stout as the EL84, therefore require lower voltage and / or current.
For a lower powered screamer (about 10 W) try the 7KY6 or 5686.
The 6HA6 / 6HB6 was another good choice that will make about 20 to 25 watts, but they all dissapeared when they got talked up here.
There are others, but more extensive rewiring is needed.
I have a bag full of unboxed pulls from military spares, all used, but most good. I had over 100,000 assorted tubes in similar condition. I spent about 5 years sorting through them all deciding which tubes to keep. I had rigged up several different test amps for this purpose, but I don't know where the notes from all this testing went during two hurried house moves.
The test amp for most P-P output tube testing used a driver board that could drive anything well into grid current if needed, a test socket board, a pair of variable power supplies, and an "expendable" OPT. The OPT could be wired for 3300, 6600, or 13200 ohms. I also had a small Edcor that was either 8000 or 10000 ohms (probably 8K). It got fried a few weeks ago during an experiment that went wrong. It's mate hasn't been found yet, so I don't know for sure if it was 8K or 10K. I saved the tubes, so the results must have been promising. I remember thinking small guitar amp.
I haven't gotten back to them since the original testing. They will plug right into one of my SPP boards, so I will light some up in the near future since I have some other tubes to try.
I would start around 250 volts. 10K looks like a good choice too. I will try my old expendable OPT since it has survived my abuse for over 10 years.
The test amp for most P-P output tube testing used a driver board that could drive anything well into grid current if needed, a test socket board, a pair of variable power supplies, and an "expendable" OPT. The OPT could be wired for 3300, 6600, or 13200 ohms. I also had a small Edcor that was either 8000 or 10000 ohms (probably 8K). It got fried a few weeks ago during an experiment that went wrong. It's mate hasn't been found yet, so I don't know for sure if it was 8K or 10K. I saved the tubes, so the results must have been promising. I remember thinking small guitar amp.
I haven't gotten back to them since the original testing. They will plug right into one of my SPP boards, so I will light some up in the near future since I have some other tubes to try.
I would start around 250 volts. 10K looks like a good choice too. I will try my old expendable OPT since it has survived my abuse for over 10 years.
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