simple dual 6V6 heads

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Jaguar018
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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Jaguar018 » Fri Apr 07, 2017 5:34 am

marqueemoon wrote:Interesting. Unfortunate name though.
On the back of the amp there are some dangling truck nuts. :w00t:

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by NoiseNoiseNoise » Fri Apr 07, 2017 5:58 am

marqueemoon wrote:
W.L.Weller wrote:http://ballseffects.com/amplifiers/

I'm pretty sure the Balls 20 is a 2x6V6 amp.
Interesting. Unfortunate name though.
"Your amp sounds like balls!"
"Why, thank you!"
This is a signature. If you're reading this you've gone past the end of my post.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Apr 17, 2017 8:45 pm

Tried a Valvetrain Trenton in Portland over the weekend. Too clean for my purposes with the tone stack engaged, and without it it was kind of a raggety mess, and not in a good way.

Old Town Music didn't have a Benson Monarch in stock, but they had one of these little Wolff combos. 10W EL34 power, but it was pretty sweet. The bright switch was a little too crispy to be usable with single coils, but otherwise I liked it a lot (other than being a combo).

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It made me realize I'm probably overly fixated on the output tube type.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by scotty66 » Tue Apr 18, 2017 4:39 pm

Perhaps the Epiphone Electar Century ? 2 6V6's and 2 12AX7's ... 18 watt. Volume , tone and dark, normal and bright inputs . They take pedals quite well. I know it's not a "head" but small enough to sit on a cab .

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Apr 21, 2017 10:50 pm

scotty66 wrote:Perhaps the Epiphone Electar Century ? 2 6V6's and 2 12AX7's ... 18 watt. Volume , tone and dark, normal and bright inputs . They take pedals quite well. I know it's not a "head" but small enough to sit on a cab .
I do like the look of these.

I also tried a Fender Excelsior and liked it well enough too. I just generally prefer heads because they are as a rule less prone to rattling and can be physically separated from the speaker easily if it becomes a problem. My back is also kind of wonky, so spreading out the load helps.

Combo-wise a Musicmaster Bass is at the top of the list. Nowhere near as refined sounding as a Princeton, but I like the snarl, and they're pretty light.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Racing » Sat Apr 22, 2017 4:30 am

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A while back i did this. A dual 6V6 amp setup to be rowdy enough for dirty work,yet still being able to be dialed for cleans. The concept is that the amp fits within the speaker cab for transport. Whole thing weighs in at maybe 10kg or so.
Gain,tone and PPIMV. That´t it.

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Then..if you can find one. An Ampex 620. Rather neat little package that to the letter "folds" to become a suitcase. Again a deal of less than 10kg. Yep. Twin 6V6´s.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Bert Camenbert » Sat Apr 22, 2017 5:03 am

I don't know how common they are in your area, but theTraynor DH15H is a good amp for the money. The old YBA-2a is even better, but its 6V6 version is kind of rare.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Embenny » Sat Apr 22, 2017 6:24 am

Bert Camenbert wrote:I don't know how common they are in your area, but theTraynor DH15H is a good amp for the money. The old YBA-2a is even better, but its 6V6 version is kind of rare.
I actually recommended the Dark Horse on page 1 - and I agree that it's a good amp. Especially since the OP likes simple circuits, the "pure" mode that bypasses the tone stack leaves just the gain and master volume. Doesn't get much "purer" than that.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Bert Camenbert » Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:20 am

mbene085 wrote:
Bert Camenbert wrote:I don't know how common they are in your area, but theTraynor DH15H is a good amp for the money. The old YBA-2a is even better, but its 6V6 version is kind of rare.
I actually recommended the Dark Horse on page 1 - and I agree that it's a good amp. Especially since the OP likes simple circuits, the "pure" mode that bypasses the tone stack leaves just the gain and master volume. Doesn't get much "purer" than that.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see that. Yeah, that amp is pretty sweet, but certainly not as rugged as the old 6V6 YBA-2a. If the OP was in Canada, that's what I would recommend.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by andy_tchp » Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:09 pm

marqueemoon wrote:
W.L.Weller wrote:http://ballseffects.com/amplifiers/

I'm pretty sure the Balls 20 is a 2x6V6 amp.
Interesting. Unfortunate name though.
Just needs to be paired with one of those "Growler" guitars for the full genitalia-themed rig.
"I don't know why we asked him to join the band 'cause the rest of us don't like country music all that much; we just like Graham Lee."
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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Jaguar018 » Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:40 am

andy_tchp wrote:Just needs to be paired with one of those "Growler" guitars for the full genitalia-themed rig.
How about this one?
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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by marqueemoon » Wed May 10, 2017 3:47 pm

Hopefully my search is over. Just pulled the trigger on an At Mars Specialist. One popped up on Reverb at a decent price with a small enclosure and repurposed Filmosound badge instead of the (less attractive IMO) new cosmetics. It also uses a detachable power cable and has a 3 position low cut added by the builder. Even has the style of handle I like.

Obligatory picture from the listing:

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Pretty stoked.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Dom » Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:11 pm

How is the At Mars Specialist working out for you? I just picked up a 1956 Filmosound 385 Projector that I want to convert for guitar use.

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:32 pm

Dom wrote:How is the At Mars Specialist working out for you? I just picked up a 1956 Filmosound 385 Projector that I want to convert for guitar use.
Love it!

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Re: simple dual 6V6 heads

Post by Dr Tony Balls » Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:00 am

W.L.Weller wrote:
Thu Apr 06, 2017 10:18 am
http://ballseffects.com/amplifiers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm pretty sure the Balls 20 is a 2x6V6 amp.
Correct.

marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:18 pm
W.L.Weller wrote:http://ballseffects.com/amplifiers/

I'm pretty sure the Balls 20 is a 2x6V6 amp.
Interesting. Unfortunate name though.
Also correct.


I've done many a 6V6 build in the past, and the Twenty was one of them. Most recently also did a Brownface Deluxe style head, a plexi-style circuit with 2x6V6 in an repurposed Ampeg cab, and a 4x6V6 double power Tweed Deluxe head:

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Instagram: thetonyballs

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