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Post subject: SuperSonic and 6V6 power tubes
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:19 pm
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Hi All;

I'm new to this board but not to guitar. Been playing 40+ years, all styles, but I'm mostly a rock player.

OK long story short... I'm thinking about replacing my DRRI with a SuperSonic.

I've been looking at them for a little while, and really like them. Classic Fender clean, with the rock crunch I need - without using a tone-sucking pedal. My only concern is that I'm one of those players who like to make the amp WORK, so the preamp sections come to life and growl a bit, and then roll back the volume on the guitar if I want glassy-clean. 60w is a little too much power to do that in clubs. Definitely peel your face off, volume-wise.

I don't like attenuators.

I read somewhere that you can pull out the 6L6 power tubes normally installed in Fender amps, and replace them with 6V6es, and thereby lower the output power to about 20w. Can the SuperSonic be run with a 6V6 power section? Has anyone tried it? What were the results?


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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:36 am
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If you were to do this, you would be voiding your warranty...I'm sure you will read ton of stuff on the net that conversion from 6L6 to 6V6 is possible - but all of this is at your own risks. I don't think the super-sonic was designed to handle the 6V6 - otherwise Fender would have used this as a selling point in their marketing material for this amp.


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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:28 am
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Many 6V6s can't take the higher voltage that 6L6s run at. The JJ 6V6 can, but it's more 6L6-like to begin with.

I don't know about voiding the warranty, but you'd definitely need to rebias to run on 6V6s.

From what I've seen, the consensus on the SuperSonic is that it needs to be loud to sound good. So it may not be the right amp for you. How about the Custom Vibrolux Reverb?


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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:52 pm
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Thanks for your input.

I don't think the Vibrolux will do the job.

First, because of the variety of music I play (from country to hard rock), I need a channel switching amp, which is part of the reason I'm thinking of replacing my DRRI. The other part is that in order to get the DRRI to "work", it has to be dialled up a bit, which equals "way too loud". With that being the case, at 40w, the Vibrolux will be a tad louder still...

Maybe I'm mistaken about the power tubes. I understood that a 6V6 was essentially the same as a 6L6, except the 6V6 was lower in output power., Apparently in the old tube guides, 6V6's were listed as a direct replacement \ alternative for a 6L6. I thought it was therefore possible to install 6V6's in 6L6 amps to lower the output wattage, but you can't install 6L6's in 6V6 amps (without modification), because the 6L6 requires a higher voltage, and perhaps different output transformer.

Can someone clarify?


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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:55 am
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The 6V6 is not a direct replacement for the 6L6. It has a lower voltage specification as well as lower output power.

The 6V6s in your DRRI run at 395-400V; the 6L6s in a SuperSonic run at 485V. That's what you need to pull 60W out of a pair of 6L6s. By comparison, the 40W Blues Deluxe runs them at 427V. (Yes, I know that current is the other factor that determines power, but the issue here is whether 6V6s can survive in a SuperSonic.)

I'd say no. The JJs might survive, but there's only one way to find out. :(

Maybe the easiest solution is a pedal. You get the natural clean tone of the DRRI for country and all the rock crunch you want, at whatever volume level you desire. Yes, it's a little more fiddly than just plugging the footswitch into the amp, but you get to choose your overdrive tones and preserve your clean tone at minimum expense.


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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:00 pm
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Billm - Thanks for your input. Turns out it's a moot point anyway.

Looks like I'm getting the head and cab, because I've found a deal too good to pass up. A friend of mine bought the SS head and cab a few months ago and loved it. Besides his hand-made Kingsley amp, the SS was his favourite. Anyway, he has now decided the SS combo is more to his liking (and less of a PITA to move). He was going to trade in his head and cab to get the combo, and was looking at a straight trade. I told him I'd hive him $1300 cash (the value of the combo), and he said OK. I'll pick it up tonight... :D


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