Adapt & Build Princeton Head with 6L6s?

[JoeM]

Terry, have you played any 6V6 amps, like a DR? I'm a fan of the 6V6 sound I guess, though I did gig a lot on my SR.

[big_teee]

Terry, have you played any 6V6 amps, like a DR? I'm a fan of the 6V6 sound I guess, though I did gig a lot on my SR.

No I haven't.
I've always liked the LP and Marshall sound.
I want something Fendery with reverb to play clean with a strat.
T

[JoeM]

Either way, 6V6 or 6L6 it's going to sound great, but the 6V6 will break up sooner. I'm really enjoying my DRRI, and with a new Weber speaker I just got from Mission Amps, it's a great sounding amp.

[big_teee]

Either way, 6V6 or 6L6 it's going to sound great, but the 6V6 will break up sooner. I'm really enjoying my DRRI, and with a new Weber speaker I just got from Mission Amps, it's a great sounding amp.

I was wanting something with good syrupy fender tone, with headroom.
What kind of wattage are you getting from the JJ 6V6s.
Or maybe that was Tubeswell running those?
T

[JoeM]

Yeah, that's tubeswell with the JJ 6v6. I use Tung-Sol RIs for the 6V6s.

[tubeswell]

The JJ6V6S is nominally a 14W tube, but in truth its probably a 16Wer. Either way they make more power than a 6V6GT. The plates are bigger than a 6V6GT (the JJ plate structure is quite similar to a russkie 6P3S - a 6L6 equivalent) and the JJ is a pentode AFAICT, wheres a 6V6GT is a tetrode. The JJs have a nice wide bandwidth but have a bias voltage and load resistance similar to 6V6GT. The JJs can easily take 450 plate volts, so they are ideal for PR and DR spec amps. I'd guess my PR cloney thing with the DR OT makes about 15-18W. It is quite loud and fendery in a 6V6 kind of way (see soundbyte with strat), and keeps up easily in jams and in small-club gigs un mic'd in that way that a tweed deluxe would.

[big_teee]

The JJ6V6S is nominally a 14W tube, but in truth its probably a 16Wer. Either way they make more power than a 6V6GT. The plates are bigger than a 6V6GT (the JJ plate structure is quite similar to a russkie 6P3S - a 6L6 equivalent) and the JJ is a pentode AFAICT, wheres a 6V6GT is a tetrode. The JJs have a nice wide bandwidth but have a bias voltage and load resistance similar to 6V6GT. The JJs can easily take 450 plate volts, so they are ideal for PR and DR spec amps. I'd guess my PR cloney thing with the DR OT makes about 15-18W. It is quite loud and fendery in a 6V6 kind of way (see soundbyte with strat), and keeps up easily in jams and in small-club gigs un mic'd in that way that a tweed deluxe would.

Sound clip is very nice!
Is that just Reverb, or maybe some echo, or other pedal effects?
You play very well.
T

[tubeswell]

Just the reverb and a slight (hardly discernable) bit of tremolo (from the amp's own effects). Mic'd with an SM57 into my desk and into garbage band - dry signal all the way. In the 3rd verse I switched the reverb off the lead so you can compare the difference. The more trebly sound on the lower notes is the bridge pup on my strat, the fatter sound on the higher notes in the 1st verse is the neck pup.

[JoeM]

Pete,

Is the amp the Weber kit? Stock parts? Sounds great!

[big_teee]

Pete,

Is the amp the Weber kit? Stock parts? Sounds great!

Sounds like I may need to order the Weber kit!
T

[tubeswell]

Pete,

Is the amp the Weber kit? Stock parts? Sounds great!

The only changes I made were the tubes (Sovtek 5U4G, JJ6V6S and NOS pre-amp tubes), using a locally-made PT (designed for 230VAC 50Hz mains, with a 340-0-340 HT winding), a mosfet source follower as a buffer stage for the LFO (with 5G9 CF values - See schematic), using separate caps instead of a cap can, and my own layout for the main board (to allow galactic grounding with the separate filter caps). I may've snuck in one or two mustard caps here and there - I can't remember without opening it up. The on-board speaker in that recording was the el-cheapo Weber Sig12A (ribbed cone). I have since upgraded to a 12A125A.

[ElectroTerr]

When I bought my Princeton it had been converted for 6L6s. It sounded great.(JBL speaker) I've had returned to normal and I think it sounds even better. Its easily in the subjective range, so its basically which tube's sound you like as a matter of taste.Nice sound clip. My experience involved much more distortion and the 6V6s quality sounds better to me.

[JoeM]

This is PR I'm recapping. It belonged to a late friend of mine, now owned by his son-in-law. Originally it was a gift for his 13th b'day, (1967). Except for tubes, it's dead stock. Sounds amazing too!

[big_teee]

This is PR I'm recapping. It belonged to a late friend of mine, now owned by his son-in-law. Originally it was a gift for his 13th b'day, (1967). Except for tubes, it's dead stock. Sounds amazing too!

Very nice Amp! It's Immaculate.
I graduated High school that year and went to Army Basic Training.
Does it have a 10, or 12 inch speaker?
And what brand and model speaker?
Thanks,
Terry

[JoeM]

The baffle has been cut for a 12", and before he passed, my friend put a JBL D120 in the amp. I just received the new caps, at this point the only change from stock is a proper 3 prong AC plug. I'm surprised it sounds so good, he did use it a lot, so that's probably why.