Anyone try the Tung-Sol 6L6G new production?

[ksmith63]

These tubes are intrigueing.
http://www.tubedepot.com/ts-6l6g.html

Supposed to be a 6L6G that is rated with higher specs of a 6L6GC. The few opinions that I've found online have all praised it as sounding very fat + in your face (plus it looks freaking cool!). Seems like the perfect tube for the Mesa/Boogie D-180 that I recently bought.

[Danglin' Fury]

No but I have tried their EL34's and they are way awesome. Nice break-up with a very tight bottom. And I likes me a tight bottom

[Myles]

These have specs no different than any other current production 6L6 and their curve traces are nothing to write home about.

Bottom line here ... if you like the way they sound then that's nice but they are no better design wise and are not any more consistent than the current crop of production tubes out there.

The size of a bottle has no impact on things from a tone or performance standpoint but the height of the plate assembly in these tubes will tend to make them less capable of handling physical microphonic issues .... part of the reason that as tube technology progressed the mass was relocated closer to the base and bottle size was reduced. They might look cool but that look does have a price in durability.

[ES350]

I kinda gave up expecting any magic pixie dust from current production stuff...I'll gladly pay the same money or maybe 25% more for ANOS.

[ksmith63]

These have specs no different than any other current production 6L6 and their curve traces are nothing to write home about.

Bottom line here ... if you like the way they sound then that's nice but they are no better design wise and are not any more consistent than the current crop of production tubes out there.

The size of a bottle has no impact on things from a tone or performance standpoint but the height of the plate assembly in these tubes will tend to make them less capable of handling physical microphonic issues .... part of the reason that as tube technology progressed the mass was relocated closer to the base and bottle size was reduced. They might look cool but that look does have a price in durability.

it seems like the 6L6G is supposed to sound a little different then a 6L6GC. the 6L6G of the past had much lower specs then one of the newer 6L6GC but this tung-sol is supposed to have the 'old sound' (not sure what that is exactly but seems to be a little thicker?) but with the same specs as the 6L6GC. so basically it seems like a 6L6 that looks cool and sounds a little different.

how does the height make it less capable towards physical microphonics? also what do you mean by 'physical microphonics'?

btw my curiosity / ability to buy into marketing crap led me to order some (probably should have ordered the =C= but whatever). they are backordered but should be here in a week or so. I will let you guys know if they are any good.

[Myles]

it seems like the 6L6G is supposed to sound a little different then a 6L6GC. the 6L6G of the past had much lower specs then one of the newer 6L6GC but this tung-sol is supposed to have the 'old sound' (not sure what that is exactly but seems to be a little thicker?) but with the same specs as the 6L6GC. so basically it seems like a 6L6 that looks cool and sounds a little different.

how does the height make it less capable towards physical microphonics? also what do you mean by 'physical microphonics'?

btw my curiosity / ability to buy into marketing crap led me to order some (probably should have ordered the =C= but whatever). they are backordered but should be here in a week or so. I will let you guys know if they are any good.

Give me a call over at 65amps and I will go over the physical microphonics issues but it really is just physical science of more mass being farther away from the point of support and vibration enhanced by this design.

In the end, it is just another 6L6 and there are design specs for a 6L6 if if a tube does not meet these specs on average production expectations it is not a 6L6 but just some out of spec offering of some type of tube which was intended to be a 6L6 and failed in the attempt. I hate when folks try to market a defect as a feature and if they say that this tube is an "upgraded" 6L6 it probably indicates that there was a lack of control or cut back on cost of grid wire or a reduction in wraps on the grid (to save money) of inconsistent spacing that allowed one of the parameters such as plate current to go above spec. So ... marketing will take that sort of defect and flip it into something like .... "new ... improved ... 15% stronger than a regular 6L6". They will usually add .... "just be sure to bias accordingly".

Nonsense.

[jeremy]

myles what are your favorite new production 6L6 tubes?

i usually use the gt6l6gc or the tad short bottles.

if i havent mentioned how excited i am that you are here let me do it now!!

[Myles]

myles what are your favorite new production 6L6 tubes?

i usually use the gt6l6gc or the tad short bottles.

if i havent mentioned how excited i am that you are here let me do it now!!

My favorite production 6L6 tubes are the real winged C Svetlana out of St. Petersburg (not the Svetlana / Sovtek ones out of New Sensor as sometimes there is confusion) and the GT 6L6GE.

The Svets are a copy of the Sylvania STR387 which is a great sounding tube and was one of two used in the BF Fender era. The other used was the GE. I like both of them and in the end it is personal preference.

As far as the GT ... since Fender took over GT I am not sure as to the production status of that tube.

Doug Preston has both of them at pretty nice prices - http://www.dougstubes.com/58816l6.html - and the GT GEs are normally $70 a duet and Doug is quite a bit less.

A set of real Sylvanias these days from Mike at www.kcanostubes.com run $180 for a matched duet ... quite a bit more than the current Winged C tubes but they will last a very long time and that might be a consideration.

Both those guys are great.

$46.40 a duet from www.tubesandmore.com or $92.80 for a matched quad for the real winged C's. $54.95 for a duet of 6L6GEs from these folks as a side note.