6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

[jeremy]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

i actually like the vibrolux, its not a bf amp but i still like it. i think id like it better with 12"s but its a nice sounding club amp. the reverb is kinda weird.
at lower volumes you need to crank it to get enough but when the amps turned up loud the reverb is way way way more sensitive. its a quirky amp but when ive used one on stage it was not bad at all. and the trem is very sweet, not that i use it much but for 5 minutes a night it would be cool

[Dirt123]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

How about getting an old BF bassman head & a 1 x 12" cab?

I have also seen an old BF bassman refit as a custom 1X12" combo. That kind of a mod is easy electronically; you’re not changing the amp wiring, just the cabinetry. Easily reversible.

[jeremy]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

you can get sf bassman heads pretty cheap and then mod them to bf for not too much money, a buddy of mine just got one CHEAP!!

[Quencho092]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

I want reverb in a combo that is new and has a warranty.

The custom vibrolux gets a strange hum when i play it at GC, and breaks up too soon. I don't want to have to put a negative feedback loop in there for it to keep its composure. I wanted to get a deluxe, but it breaks up too soon as well. The twin is just a monster in price, weight, and wattage.

I like my bandmaster, it has the right amount of power, and breaks up gently at around 6-8 on the volume. So i figure a decent BF style amp w/ 40-50 watts 1x12 or 2x10 would be perfect. They dont have it. My only choice is the deluxe.

You guys sure that there's no other way to boost up headroom?

[Hot _Grits]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

i actually like the vibrolux, its not a bf amp but i still like it. i think id like it better with 12"s but its a nice sounding club amp. the reverb is kinda weird.
at lower volumes you need to crank it to get enough but when the amps turned up loud the reverb is way way way more sensitive. its a quirky amp but when ive used one on stage it was not bad at all. and the trem is very sweet, not that i use it much but for 5 minutes a night it would be cool

I have used mine into a 2x12 and it's a tradeoff. You get better bottom end response, but you also lose some of the midrange character of the amp. I also swapped the tubes in the last two slots and that helped the smoothness of the reverb. I'm not a huge reverb guy.

I've currently got mine in the studio alongside a blue angel, a 60s ampeg reverberocket and a blackfaced sf super reverb, and the vibrolux is doing all the work.

As for why they don't do a straight reissue, well they did for a bit. the Custom vibrolux is the same circuit as the brownface vibroverb reissue. That amp has the nfl built in and sounds great, though the speakers aren't as nice.

Honestly, the nfl mod is sub-100 dollars and completely reversable. Just get a tech to use a push pull pot. It's a GREAT feature, being able to switch between the two sounds.

Funnily enough, I played a brand new custom vibrolux a couple of weeks ago and it was way too bright compared to mine. So maybe I've got a good one, or the earlier speakers are nicer. Who knows. But I'm not getting rid of mine. You should hear it on 6 with my strat. It's godly.

[Quencho092]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

where on the volume control does it start to break up, Grits?

The vibrolux would be my IDEAL amp, but im still worried about its clean tones and if it has too much hiss. If it can keep most of its composure until 5 on the volume with a low bass setting, i'd be happy.

[Quencho092]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

And about the 6L6's in a Deluxe Reverb, many people have done it without problems in the reissue.

I'm pretty sure 6L6's would increase the headroom, because they breakup much later than 6V6's, or am I wrong? I guess you guys misunderstood when imentioned 'wattage increase' instead of 'headroom increase'.

[Hot _Grits]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

With the feedback loop switched in, I get to just past four on the volume before it starts to overdrive, which is quite an audible jump in clean headroom. basically the headroom increases to slightly more than that of a hot rod deluxe. Which is fine for my applications. With the feedback loop in, you're getting as much clean headroom as pretty much any other class a/b 40 watt amp will give. If you need more, then you're looking at 60 watt amps...

[Hot _Grits]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

Dunno about the deluxes, but I swapped 6l6s into the 6v6 slots of my Blue Angel and experienced no appreciable headroom increase.

[Quencho092]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

what guitars do you use on the vibrolux?

So in stock mode, you're getting cleans up to 4?

[SoPhx]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

The CVR has no NFB---hence the hiss and early breakup. No thanks. Everyone I've heard or used had a clanky midrange that was unpleasant.

Running 6L6 in a 6V6 equipped amp is a crapshoot. Increased current draw, overheating, bias out of range, and for little benefit. I've done it, but have since decided that the stock 6V6 sounds a whole lot better. OTOH---the JJ 6V6 can handle the higher voltage of 6L6 equipped amps and will get a slight reduction in volume and headroom. Remember, there is little difference in terms of dBs between a 22 watt amp and a 40 watt amp.

[jeremy]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

this is a 14 year old thread man

[SoPhx]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

The question gets asked allatime. And the JJ 6V6s is a newer development.

[jeremy]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

i was using the jj 6v6 back when this thread was started. they are good tubes but sound sorta between a 6v6 and 6l6. it really comes down to transformers. how much current draw can the power tranny take and what the b+ on the power tubes is. i put a set of 5881 in my old bf dr, the tone is different than with the 6v6 but there wasnt much difference in volume

[justFred]

Re: 6l6's in a 6v6 amp?

From what comes up on forums that are dedicated to tube amp stuff...the answer is if you want a 6L6 amp get one designed for them.