Tube questions

[dagosto]

Originally Posted by IbanezAndTamaDrums

Whats the matter with Guitar Center? o.o I havent ever had a problem with them, though I do prefer the Guitartrader.com right down the street from where I live

They are just a big (almost) monopoly. 'Twas a little joke.

[IbanezAndTamaDrums]

Ah. I just like them because they have a huge stock, unlike a lot of other places. They overprice a lot of stuff that you could get online for cheaper though >.>

[dagosto]

I remember seeing them selling Danelectro pedals for $60 when the same ones where going for $30 on the internet. I'm sure they sold plenty.

I personally prefer supporting the smaller online businesses when I can for things like tubes and stuff.

[IbanezAndTamaDrums]

Yea and everything is much cheaper as well, as mentioned, my 2 favorite online stores are musiciansfriend.com and guitartrader.com

[gtrdr]

Aight peeps - first post!
I'm getting the feeling that gearwire is much more studio-oriented than guitar-oriented, which is really cool b/c i'm a guitarist just getting into studio recording. On the other hand, I can probably answer a lot of questions regarding all kinds of guitar stuff. So here goes:
6L6GC - first thing, the 6L6 is a power amp tube with an octal base (8 pins), also known as a pentode or sometimes tetrode tube (or valve, if you're british) because of the 5 elements within (two are connected, so sometimes its considered to have 4 elements). The -GC DOES NOT stand for the giant corporate gear shop; the G stands for 'glass,' as in the stuff it's made of, and the C is the third generation. Thus you will find the following variations on the 6L6 (also from least to most powerful, essentially):
6L6 - a metal tube (hence, no G)
6L6G - the first glass 6L6
6L6GA - the 2nd glass 6L6
6L6GB - take a wild guess....
6L6GC - the current version (basically fully evolved)

There are some that have W's on them, like 6L6WGB, which are military grade. In fact, the famed 5881 is the same as the 6L6WGB - they numbered them like this, I'm convinced, because they liked to make it confusing. The 5881 is essentially interchangeable with the 6L6GC in just about every amp I can think of, with the requisite of rebiasing, which should be done even for tubes of the same type (unless exactly the same manufacturer and grade, and even then it's good to check the bias now and again, or have it checked by a competent tech so you do electrocute yourself). The 5881 is slightly less efficient, so you may lose one or two watts, but also gain a warmer sound that many find beautiful.

My rec's for new 6L6's are the 6L6GE, which is a new production AMERICAN MADE TUBE! This is made by Groove Tubes from original General Electric tooling and materials, and it sounds better than anything I've tried from Russia, China, or Slovakia - it also costs about $70 a pair, so you'll pay a little more, but then its not much more and they'll last that much longer, so it's worth the $$$. ElectroHarmonix 6L6GC's, or the graded Groove Tubes manufactured by EH, are a good cheaper alternative. JJ 6L6GC's are also fine tubes.

[Ol'boy rivers]

And, I think the 6L6GC is a 5881 equivilent. Cheack with an expert before tube swapping.