Types of POWER TUBES for Electric Guitar Amp: EL84 – 6L6 – EL34 – 6V6. ✅ MOST POPULAR models and brands (Guide).
Our tube amplifier has two types of tubes: preamp tubes and power tubes. The purpose of these tubes is to amplify the low signal coming from our guitar to obtain a much more powerful signal that can drive the speaker or speakers.
Although the preamp tubes amplify the signal, we still would not have enough signal to drive a speaker. That is where the power tubes come into play, to strengthen the signal coming from the preamp.
Power tubes have a significant influence on the sound of the amplifier, as they are responsible for amplifying the signal coming from the preamp. Consequently, these tubes can deteriorate the signal or add noise if they are not of acceptable quality. In addition, power tubes also contribute their own particular tone to the sound of the amplifier.
These types of tubes cannot be replaced by other models, and we must respect the type of valves that came with the amplifier as standard.
Tube amplifiers can have one, two, or four power valves, as these tubes work alone or in pairs.
So it is not acceptable to buy two power valves from different brands, or from the same brand without pairing them. They must have been selected by the company to be sold together.
The most commonly used power tubes are the EL84, EL34, 6L6, and 6V6.
Class A and Class A/B Guitar Amplifiers
To change the preamp tubes, we don’t have to adjust anything on the amplifier. But to change the power tubes, we would have to adjust the bias on most amplifiers, such as class A/B amplifiers.
On the other hand, this would not be necessary for class A amplifiers, such as the Fender Blues Junior or the Vox AC15, both of which are class A. However, it never hurts to have a technician or the store that sold us the power tubes check our class A.
On the other hand, for a class A/B amplifier such as the Laney Cub12 R, we will have to adjust the polarization or bias when installing a new set of power tubes.
Amplifier Polarization Adjustment
My recommendation is to leave this job to a musical instrument store or a professional technician.
It is best to indicate our particular amplifier model to the company that will sell us the tubes, so that they can advise us properly on everything related to changing the power tubes and any possible adjustments to the amplifier.
These categories, class A or class A/B, do not refer to the quality of the amplifier. They simply specify how the power tubes work.
I will detail the different models of these tubes one by one. But first, I want to add that these tubes are not interchangeable with each other. In other words, you cannot put EL34 tubes in an amplifier that uses EL84 tubes because, among other things, their connections are different.
POWER TUBES for Guitar Amp: EL84
The EL84 is a type of tube used by many amplifier brands. Its tone is characteristic of Vox amplifiers, but it can also be found in Fender and Laney amplifiers.
Among the most commonly used replacement tubes for the EL84 model is the JJ/Tesla, given its good results in terms of tone, resistance, and price.
Tubes 6L6
The 6L6 provides the characteristic tone of powerful Fender amplifiers, such as the Fender Hot Rod or the Super Reverb. A high-quality 6L6 at a very reasonable price is the Ruby Tubes 6L6GCMSTR MP.
An alternative to the 6L6 is the KT66. Used by many musicians to achieve greater warmth and more balanced tones, although they are a bit expensive.
POWER TUBES for Guitar Amp: 6V6
The 6V6 also provides the tone of large Fender amplifiers such as the Deluxe Reverb, but with a greater tendency to distort than the 6L6. The 6V6 can also be found in high-gain amplifiers such as the Marshall DSL15C.
The TAD 6V6 S JJ is a superb 6V6 tube with a delayed onset of distortion, ideal for clean sounds.
Tubes EL34
EL34 tubes can be found in powerful high-gain amplifiers such as Marshall and Blackstar. A great replacement for these tubes is the TAD JJ EL34.
An alternative to the EL34 is the KT77. These tubes offer greater clarity in tone and powerful bass.
In this model, we have the KT77 JJ, which is slightly more expensive than the previous one but offers excellent performance.
For low-power amplifiers between one and five watts, but with high gain such as the Blackstar HT-5R or the Marshall DSL5C, a single 12BH7 tube is usually used. A great replacement would be the TAD RT043 Tube 12BH7A STR.
Power valves have a shorter lifespan than preamp tubes, but this depends on the type of tube and brand. As a standard lifespan, we can say that they last around 1500 hours.
To increase the durability of the tubes, it is recommended to avoid getting them dirty during installation. So, it is a good idea to install the tubes with a dry cloth in your hand, taking care not to drop the tube on the floor.
