Does a 6V6 need to line up in the socket?

[tedzepplin]

I just bought an old silverface Fender Musicmaster bass amp with two 6V6 tubes. The tubes don't seem to have a notch which makes them plug in only one way. I can rotate them and plug them in in many directions. -- My victoria amp with a 6L6 has a notch so it is lined up properly when it's put in place.

will the 6V6 pair work fine any way they are plugged in?

[Matt H]

no
you must line them up correctly

the tubes should have a guide pin, as all octals do. however, it's possible it broke off. if so, you should be able to look at the base and see where the guide WOULD have gone and then plug it in as if it was there.

[Southbay Ampworks]

No...you should get them properly aligned before firing that amp back up...if it hasn't blown up the tube or something already... I know from experience! :)

[tedzepplin]

Thanks!
I'll take it to my local amp shop and let them take a look because I don't see any marks indicating where a guide pin used to be.

[Reeek]

Some Musicmaster models came with 6AQ5 tubes. Do the tubes you have have a plastic base or are they taller and slender and all glass like an EL84?

Some Musicmasters were 6V6 and some were 6AQ5. Probably due to the year they were built.

http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/musicmaster_bass.html

[tedzepplin]

my tubes have 6V6 printed on them and the sticker inside tha cabinet say it uses 6V6 tubes. the tubes in the amp now are not as slender as an EL84. But they don't have a large plastic base like the 6V6 in the photo you posted.

[Reeek]

Do the sockets have a center hole with a slot for a guide pin? What brand is stenciled on the tubes? Sovtek?

[Swarty]

It sounds to me like you have some "nude base" 6V6s. These just have a wafer at the bottom, no real base. Most were GE, but there may have also been a Sylvanias made this way. I've also had RCAs, but they were rebranded GEs. It is fairly common for the guide pins to break off any octal tube. There is nothing electronically wrong with the tube, but it does need to be alligned correctly.

[tedzepplin]

It sounds to me like you have some "nude base" 6V6s. These just have a wafer at the bottom, no real base. Most were GE, but there may have also been a Sylvanias made this way. I've also had RCAs, but they were rebranded GEs. It is fairly common for the guide pins to break off any octal tube. There is nothing electronically wrong with the tube, but it does need to be alligned correctly.

yeah, that's them. the very middle is a glass post - not really a post but glass extending here a post should be in the middle. It doesn't look like any pins broke of - looks like no guide pins were ever there.

Today I'm going to www.solidbodyguitar.com in minneapolis to have them help me.

[tedzepplin]

I just got back from the shop and the tubes I had were crappy cheap bad tubes. I got new tubes and the amp sounds great! the new tubes have guide posts!

[Shea]

In the future, if you ever have a good tube that's missing a center pin, Antique Electronic Supply carries an "octal tube keyway replacement" that you slide over the pins, and it has a center post to replace the one that broke off the tube.
I've gotten by without those things, by lining up the broken tube visually and plugging it in. But if I had made a mistake, I could've fried something.

Shea

[Wakarusa]

In the future, if you ever have a good tube that's missing a center pin, Antique Electronic Supply carries an "octal tube keyway replacement" that you slide over the pins, and it has a center post to replace the one that broke off the tube.
I've gotten by without those things, by lining up the broken tube visually and plugging it in. But if I had made a mistake, I could've fried something.

Shea

Not long ago this guy buys a tweed super clone on FleaBay and brings it in cuz it sounded terrible.. no headroom, bad freq response.. just nasty.

After I rotated the Antique Electronic Supply Octal Tube Keyway one pin to the left on the one power tube, the problem cleared right up :cool: