what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

[guitfiddle]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

I keep coming back to 6L6s

[Edgecrusher]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

KT88 and 6550 are pretty much the same tube. Just saying. They're interchangeable.

Not necessarily. Keep in mind most tubes sold today labeled as KT88 arent really KT88's they are just rebottled 6550's most of the time. In the original specs 6550's were designed for up to 600v's where the KT88's were designed for 800v's.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

IF you can get them to break up, the 6550s hold together a little longer and break up really quick once you get them there. They tend to be a little "crunchier". the KT88s are fatter and smoother on breakup.

But that's splitting hairs, err tubes.

This isnt so much a truth about the design as it would be about individual brands of each.

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

This isnt so much a truth about the design as it would be about individual brands of each.

About what characteristic? Breakup or general tone?

Most 6550s stay clean until breakup, and then it's a pretty quick transient. More often than not, it's a fairly harsh distortion, but some have a nice "crunch". Apparently, the JJ 6550 is quite nice. Generally, they aren't as powerful sounding as a true KT88. Most 6550s Ive tried are a little "glassy" sounding.

A "true" KT88 goes into breakup more gradually and tend to be bigger and fatter sounding than a 6550.

6550 dissipates 42 watts.
KT88 dissipates 50 watts.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

That was exactly my point You keep saying "most" the differences your attributing to tube type are more indicative of tube brand and model than the actual type as a whole.

[esandes]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

i must say, i had a EL84 powered peavey classic 30 and it sounded fantastic. the thing got super hot. the 6L6 have no soul. my fender doesn't even break up at 7 volume. the EL34 are magic.

[ratherdashing]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

I voted 6L6, because with the right design you can make it sound like ANYTHING.

Example: an EL34-based amp will never get that sweet, bubbly 6L6 clean, but I've heard plenty of 6L6 amps that can do the EL34 roaring crunch.

[GregJr]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

Ruby 6L6MGSTR in my 5150 (1991) 100W head. SWEEEEET!

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

That was exactly my point You keep saying "most" the differences your attributing to tube type are more indicative of tube brand and model than the actual type as a whole.

So what was wrong with my original statement?

[GAS-a-holic]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

I've owned amps that used EL84s, EL34s & 6L6s, but I always come home to Marshalls so EL34s for me.

[esandes]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

I've owned amps that used EL84s, EL34s & 6L6s, but I always come home to Marshalls so EL34s for me.

not all marshalls use EL34s. as someone else posted incorrectly..tube type and amp brand aren't always exclusive to each other.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

So what was wrong with my original statement?

The point I was making was that whats being highlighted are the differences between brands not types. If you want to compare an Genalex KT88 to a RCA6550 this can be done. But when you try to compare the whole family type of KT88 to 6550 you wind up making generalizations cause they dont all react the same. Even more so they dont all react the same in different amps.

The thread is really silly without specifying what amp. Without getting long winded about it the tubes are just 1 part of the circuit that makes a whole amp.

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

But that's just it, the 6550 tube type stays clean longer than the KT88 type until it heavily breaks up, kinda like falling off a cliff. The KT88 has a nice smooth, gradual breakup, like cresting a hill. Sure, certain brands may exhibit slight tonal differences, but my point was that this is the big difference between these two types, regardless of brand.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: what's your favorite power tube type for tone?

Lets just agree to disagree. Very few amps push a KT88 hard enough to make it break up at all let alone smooth and gradually.

I have an original GEC set of KT88's that came in my Marshall Major in that amp they will only break up slightly and thats at a volume that you could use to strip the paint off the neighbors house. Ive tried this same set of tubes in my Mako Dorado 2 different JCM800's a 78 JMP and the VHT Pitbull UL I used to have. This exact same set of tubes reacts different to each one of these amps

[TheGreatJuice]

Depends what amp I'm running but for an Orange, Marshall, or something similar, I prefer the KT777's. Nice British crunch and clarity