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i read about this from somebody at the fender forum. They said that as long as the bias was set properly this was ok. Is this safe, and how much more wattage/headroom would it give?

I find the 6L6s warmer than the 6Vs...I run 6Ls in my Blue Angels......as for wattage, I would imagine it would be a little lower, but don't quote me on that!

i thought 6v6's were lower power than 6L6's.

The problem with putting 6L6's in a 6V6 amp is not the bias; that can be adjusted. The problem is the current draw of the tube filaments. A 6L6 requires more power to heat up, if you put 'em in a vintage amp that is designed for 6V6s, you may overload the filament power supply, which is usually a seperate winding on the main power transformer. Then you gotta replace the power transormer, which is not cheap. I have heard of 6L6s being used successfully in old Fenders, Neil Young has 'em in his old Deluxe, maybe Fenders were over-enginered. Wouldn't surprise me.

A Blue Angel is designed to accept 6L6s, another reason to love Boogies!

I don't have a technical explanation to give, but the two best techs in my town have told me that 6l6s can be put in a 6v6 amp but under no circumsatnces should 6v6s be put in a 6l6 amp.

6v6 cant handle the same voltage as a 6l6

i like the 6v6s in my blue angel- certainly warm sounding!


Originally Posted by Big Boy BobThe problem with putting 6L6's in a 6V6 amp is not the bias; that can be adjusted. The problem is the current draw of the tube filaments. A 6L6 requires more power to heat up, if you put 'em in a vintage amp that is designed for 6V6s, you may overload the filament power supply, which is usually a seperate winding on the main power transformer. Then you gotta replace the power transormer, which is not cheap. I have heard of 6L6s being used successfully in old Fenders, Neil Young has 'em in his old Deluxe, maybe Fenders were over-enginered. Wouldn't surprise me.

A Blue Angel is designed to accept 6L6s, another reason to love Boogies!

Are the reissues over engineered?

I also heard that unplugging the normal channel preamp tube would boost headroom also. Is this true, and would the absence of a tube help the power transformer supply enough power to the 6L6 heater filaments?

Would putting a SS Rectifier instead also relieve the load on the heater filament segment of the power transformer?


Originally Posted by Hot _Grits... under no circumsatnces should 6v6s be put in a 6l6 amp.

Unless its a mark IV and you have 'tweed power' and then you can use 6v6's

Maybe I'm completely off base here- and I'm no amp mechanic by any means, but isn't the general output of a 2 6L6 amplifier somewhere in the neighborhood of 45-50 watts?

And isn't the general output of a 2 6V6 amp somewhere around 19-22 watts?

Not that you get your power from the tubes...

Unless your amp is designed to swap completely different power tubes (like those THD amps) I wouldn't think it's the brightest idea.


Originally Posted by The Golden BoyMaybe I'm completely off base here- and I'm no amp mechanic by any means, but isn't the general output of a 2 6L6 amplifier somewhere in the neighborhood of 45-50 watts?

And isn't the general output of a 2 6V6 amp somewhere around 19-22 watts?

Not that you get your power from the tubes...

Unless your amp is designed to swap completely different power tubes (like those THD amps) I wouldn't think it's the brightest idea.

That is the safest route.

Next safest would be to leave the mods to the professionals, i.e. if you have a tech that says a mod will work amp; you trust 'em, go ahead.

Myself, I thinks there are so many different amp options out I would have to exhaust before I would risk damaging a cool old amp by performing an uninformed mod to it.

Regarding whether RI Fenders are over-engineered, I don't know. My understanding is that the components are similar to the originals, and therefore probably carry the same ratings, so a mod that works on an old amp should work on a new one.

Also, a silicon rectifier will affect the plate voltage supply to the tubes, but the 6.3 volt filament winding does not go through the rectifier, so changing to a silicon rectifier doe not affect the filament current.


Originally Posted by Big Boy BobMyself, I thinks there are so many different amp options out I would have to exhaust before I would risk damaging a cool old amp by performing an uninformed mod to it.

Uninformed mod. Very good choice of words.

A friend was interested in doing a mod on his amp. He did the mod, broke the amp, and it may not be able to be repaired. The amp was the Mike Soldano designed Yamaha amp. A very dishonorable end to a really cool amp.


Originally Posted by Quencho092i read about this from somebody at the fender forum. They said that as long as the bias was set properly this was ok. Is this safe, and how much more wattage/headroom would it give?It wouldn't give any more wattage. The amp will only operate at the wattage it is designed to operate at. This is why you can't use 6v6's in a 6l6 amp. The 6v6 tube can't handle it and 6l6 will handle more power. This difference will be in tone. 6l6's have an extended tonal range.

My question for you is, what don't you like about the 6v6? I really prefer them over 6l6. They are a little sweeter sounding overdriven as far as I'm concerned.

i just wish there was a REGULAR BF reissue 40 watt amp. That vibrolux custom thing gets hiss and early breakup, w/ weakened reverb on both channels and no negative feedback loop, why can't they still sell the REISSUE?

Now fender only sells a 22 watt deluxe, all the way up to a 40 watt super reverb back breaker! There's no in between thanks to the modifications they did to the vibrolux custom.

i actually like the vibrolux, its not a bf amp but i still like it. i think id like it better with 12quot;s but its a nice sounding club amp. the reverb is kinda weird.
at lower volumes you need to crank it to get enough but when the amps turned up loud the reverb is way way way more sensitive. its a quirky amp but when ive used one on stage it was not bad at all. and the trem is very sweet, not that i use it much but for 5 minutes a night it would be cool

How about getting an old BF bassman head amp; a 1 x 12quot; cab?

I have also seen an old BF bassman refit as a custom 1X12quot; combo. That kind of a mod is easy electronically; you’re not changing the amp wiring, just the cabinetry. Easily reversible.

you can get sf bassman heads pretty cheap and then mod them to bf for not too much money, a buddy of mine just got one CHEAP!!

I want reverb in a combo that is new and has a warranty.

The custom vibrolux gets a strange hum when i play it at GC, and breaks up too soon. I don't want to have to put a negative feedback loop in there for it to keep its composure. I wanted to get a deluxe, but it breaks up too soon as well. The twin is just a monster in price, weight, and wattage.

I like my bandmaster, it has the right amount of power, and breaks up gently at around 6-8 on the volume. So i figure a decent BF style amp w/ 40-50 watts 1x12 or 2x10 would be perfect. They dont have it. My only choice is the deluxe.

You guys sure that there's no other way to boost up headroom?


Originally Posted by jeremyi actually like the vibrolux, its not a bf amp but i still like it. i think id like it better with 12quot;s but its a nice sounding club amp. the reverb is kinda weird.
at lower volumes you need to crank it to get enough but when the amps turned up loud the reverb is way way way more sensitive. its a quirky amp but when ive used one on stage it was not bad at all. and the trem is very sweet, not that i use it much but for 5 minutes a night it would be cool

I have used mine into a 2x12 and it's a tradeoff. You get better bottom end response, but you also lose some of the midrange character of the amp. I also swapped the tubes in the last two slots and that helped the smoothness of the reverb. I'm not a huge reverb guy.

I've currently got mine in the studio alongside a blue angel, a 60s ampeg reverberocket and a blackfaced sf super reverb, and the vibrolux is doing all the work.

As for why they don't do a straight reissue, well they did for a bit. the Custom vibrolux is the same circuit as the brownface vibroverb reissue. That amp has the nfl built in and sounds great, though the speakers aren't as nice.

Honestly, the nfl mod is sub-100 dollars and completely reversable. Just get a tech to use a push pull pot. It's a GREAT feature, being able to switch between the two sounds.

Funnily enough, I played a brand new custom vibrolux a couple of weeks ago and it was way too bright compared to mine. So maybe I've got a good one, or the earlier speakers are nicer. Who knows. But I'm not getting rid of mine. You should hear it on 6 with my strat. It's godly.