The Triode mode curves show bunching up to the right much more than the left, resulting in 2H, not 3H distortion. Typical of triodes in general.
Note to self, engage brain before opening mouth.
In SE mode it will be 2H, in PP it where 2nd is cancelled, 3rd will dominate as the distortion will become symmetrical using two tubes.
Note to self, engage brain before opening mouth.
In SE mode it will be 2H, in PP it where 2nd is cancelled, 3rd will dominate as the distortion will become symmetrical using two tubes.
Last edited:
To answer the OP's question, the 6L6 remains extremely popular among both DIY and commericial builders. It has reasonable drive demands and remains reasonably priced as long as you don't demand NOS. The only reason I don't use them is because I have a box full of 6550's
I was interested in the part of the thread discussing the reliability of guitar amps. It is worth noting that the design of many of these amps, solid state or tube, is atrocious, and I am not talking about "brand X" - they are major manufacturers. Many of the solid state amps I see have heat sinks that are so small that failure is absolutely guaranteed as soon as conditions are suboptimal under high or max power. In tube amps, the power supplies are often woefully undersized or the outpuit tubes are biased so hot that their life is drastically shortened. In most cases (not all) the primary objective is to build them cheaply rather than well, with the result that failure occurs at a high rate.
I was interested in the part of the thread discussing the reliability of guitar amps. It is worth noting that the design of many of these amps, solid state or tube, is atrocious, and I am not talking about "brand X" - they are major manufacturers. Many of the solid state amps I see have heat sinks that are so small that failure is absolutely guaranteed as soon as conditions are suboptimal under high or max power. In tube amps, the power supplies are often woefully undersized or the outpuit tubes are biased so hot that their life is drastically shortened. In most cases (not all) the primary objective is to build them cheaply rather than well, with the result that failure occurs at a high rate.
The old Fenders are quite bullet proof. The new ones are something else. In the late 70s, Fender pushed 75W out of a pair of 6L6!!! That's crazy. Companies counting on guitar output is not a continuous signal, just loud spikes with low average power. That's the reason I blew two tubes doing the speaker break in using a continuous signal. Each tube lasted no more than one hour and I notice one glow before it died.
I am surprised the BF and the early 70s SF Fender do not sell for more on ebay. They are the most reliable amps, all hand wired, well designed amps. You try to buy a new one of that quality, it's going to be $3000. I bought a 73 non master volume Pro Reverb for $545 a year ago, that was a steal, all original. I am holding on to it. I just change the filter caps, check all the wires and keep it as is. Since then the price has gone up quite a bit, but it's still cheap to me.
I am surprised the BF and the early 70s SF Fender do not sell for more on ebay. They are the most reliable amps, all hand wired, well designed amps. You try to buy a new one of that quality, it's going to be $3000. I bought a 73 non master volume Pro Reverb for $545 a year ago, that was a steal, all original. I am holding on to it. I just change the filter caps, check all the wires and keep it as is. Since then the price has gone up quite a bit, but it's still cheap to me.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.