6L6 vs KT66 vs 5881 in same amp....general differences?

[jimfog]

Hey,
I've been gigging a lot recently with my wonderful, new (to me) Sewell Wampus Cat. Just really digging it!

So far, I've had the best luck with a set of 6L6GC's (Svetlana), but I don't have a huge amount of experience with different power tubes. Since it's Cathode biased, I can run it with any 6l type............so what kind of flavor differences might I expect among the different tubes? I really like what I'm getting now, but as a Tele guy I can see situations where I might want a wee bit more fatness and/or headroom.......

Any advice appreciated!

-Jim

[karmadave]

6L6 = Smoother
KT66 = More agressive
5881 = Earlier breakup
7581 = More headroom

YMMV, but to me this describes the subtle basic differences. Others may have a more different option or can elaborate.

-KD

[Old Tele man]

+1 on karmadave's comments.