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A) Maker it easier to know its the proper tube for a specific amp. Or more cynically: B) Really just to extract more money from you.
REMEMBER THE 5881 WXT OR 5881/6L6 WGC IS A DIFFERENT TUBE THAN THE 6L6WXT, 6L6WXT+, & ELECTRO HARMONIX 6L6GC (WHICH ARE ALL THE SAME AS EACH OTHER).
Its also different from the Sovtek 6l6GB which you should not buy unless it is recommended for your amp. The Ruby Tubes 5881WXT+ seems to be a Chinese made copy of the 5881WXT!?! If anyone can confirm this please contact me. Avoid Overpaying for name brands unless you have to!
5881/6L6 WGC
5881 WX
Usage in Guitar Amplifiers: At about 23 watts the Sovtek 6L6GB should be treated as a direct replacement for a 23 watt 6L6GB or 5881. Dont stick these in an amp requiring 6L6GCs! However, despite its lower output, we treat the Sovtek 5881 WXT and 5881/6L6 WGC tubes as direct replacements for a 30 watt 6L6GC! The reason this works is that guitar amps are not designed to run their tubes at %100 of their rated output. If they did, the tubes would die a quick death. Instead, guitar amp power tubes are usually run at ~%50 to a maximum of ~%70 of their rated output. Because of their rugged military design, they can be run closer to their maximum output without killing them, and we can safely treat them as 6L6GCs.
If you know how to check and set the bias on your amp, set it to the bias specified on the schematic or in the owners manual. Its that simple. If you have neither the manual nor the schematic, a search on any search engine should reveal sites where you can download a free PDF version. It may take a
good 20 minutes to locate it on the schematic (do yourself a favor and rotate the page in your PDF reader so you can read it more easily) but its there, and its usually marked with a footnote or asterisk.
SHOULDNT I, LIKE, BIAS IT REALLY HOT FOR MAXIMUM TONE, DUDE?
Read the above section. You are already biasing them hotter. If running the tubes to the point of death was the best way to get a good sound out of your amp, the amplifiers designer would have indicated that on the schematic or in the manual. Many amp manuals do actually specify a range. My Fender Evil Twin has built in bias test points and the manual offers three bias settings: a hotter one for tone, a conservative one for max tube life and a medium setting in between them. In which case pick the one that sounds best. With Math and Charts: If you have a gig to play, rehearsal to go to, chords to practice, or pretty much anything productive to do in your life etc. feel free to skip this companion article: The Sovtek 5881 WXT/6L6 WGC Tube Guide III (Ok, you can skip to it as soon as I've finished writing it. Until then, you can read on.)
WHAT GROOVE TUBES/ FENDER/ MESA/ SOVTEK DISTORTION RATING SHOULD I GET?
First, lets clarify what we are actually buying as the tube Manufacturers use different ratings. The Groove Tube rating is the de facto standard, as they invented the whole rating idea to begin with. FYI: Fender recently acquired Groove Tubes but is maintaining both systems. Note that color codes are very confusing. For example, Fender red and Mesa/Boogie red are very different and are not interchangeable without rebiasing.
Fender
Blue Blue Blue White White White White Red Red Red
Mesa Boogie
Red, Yellow Green, Grey Blue, White -
Notes:
Will break up earlier and draw less current the closer to the GT 1 rating we get.
Design Spec.
Will break up later and draw more current the closer to the GT 10 rating we get.
If your amp is biased for, tubes with a specific tube rating use the chart above to find a replacement and dont sweat the rebiasing. Just make sure to get a matched pair (for 40-50 watt amps) or quad (for 85-100 watt amps). If you are setting the bias yourself or your amp has no adjustment (and unrated tubes), buy Sovtek Mediums or equivalent. Why? Heres the ugly truth: In the Groove Tube rating system, they set GT 5 to spec. Thats what manufacturers are trying to make when they make each and every tube. The closer we approach the GT 1 and GT 10 ratings, the more the tubes electrical characteristics deviate from the norm. While GT 4 and GT 6 are close enough to be considered normal, as you deviate from the medium ratings you are, in a very real sense, buying a defective tube. Will it have shorter life span or other problems? I really dont know. Just understand that the tube manufacturer was trying to produce a GT 5 rated tube every time they made a tube. Make your own decision from there. To simply things:
Then:
Replace them with a matched set of tubes of the same rating or an equivalent from the chart
Replace them with a matched set of tubes rated Sovtek Medium or an equivalent.
Replace them with a matched set of tubes rated Sovtek Medium or an equivalent. Set the bias according to the directions on the Schematic or in the owners manual.
Replace them with a matched set of tubes rated Sovtek Medium or an equivalent. Set the bias to the suggested figure on the Schematic or in the owners manual.
Buy a matched quad. Dont settle for 2 matched pairs unless your amp has a balance adjust. Even then a matched quad (all 4 the same) is much better!
Note: The Sovtek 5881 WXT and 5881/6l6 WGC have traditionally been very consistent, and close to spec. I received some reader feedback that the pieceto-piece consistency has dropped since the factory was bought by New Sensor, but I have not experienced this with any I have purchased.