From bbolto–(at)–arthlink.net Fri Sep 27 15:27:04 CDT 1996
Article: 23596 of alt.guitar.amps
Path: geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!news.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!uunet!news-in2.uu.net!nntp.earthlink.net!usenet
From: Brad & Dona Bolton
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps
Subject: NOS 6V6 vs. Sovtek 6V6 report
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 13:47:19 -0700
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I’ve been playing a rebuilt Deluxe Reverb on lots of gigs, and noticed
that it was very bright sounding, like listening to a guitar plugged
directly into a mix board. Painfully so. I removed the 47 pf cap that
bypasses highs around the volume cap, and it was still too bright. I
didn’t think the power tubes were to blame, because all my old rebuilt
Fender amps are pretty bright. So I received some NOS JAN GE 6V6′s for
repairs and threw a couple in the DeLuxe. Holy mackerel, Andy, the
sound I remember from my halcyon teenage days! Very warm, stronger
mids, and NO annoying harshness. I even have to reinstall the 47 pf cap
because the amp isn’t quite bright enough. I was amazed at the drastic
difference between the 2 tubes. The GE compresses the sound a little
more than the Sovtek, which may not be to everyone’s liking.

Summary – if your 6V6 amp sounds like it lacks treble or dynamics, try
the Sovteks. Or service the amp, which may be what it needs. If you
need a bright, dynamic amp for a heavily processed guitar tone, the
Sovteks may also be a good choice. But for most situations, I think NOS
JAN tubes are much more musical, if you don’t mind the slight
compression. And, the added midrange helps counteract that 330 Hz notch
in Fender amps!

Brad Bolton, Kent Ohio’s very own plate load prima dona.