1590 West Algonquin Road #111
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
Voice Phone 847-496-4546, Monday-Friday 8AM to 4PM USA Central Time
FAX only 847-963-1568, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week e-mail: brentjes@audiotubes.com
1590 West Algonquin Road #111
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
Voice Phone 847-496-4546, Monday-Friday 8AM to 4PM USA Central Time
FAX only 847-963-1568, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week e-mail: brentjes@audiotubes.com
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The 6V6 is a family of octal based beam power pentodes which were widely used in mono and stereo amplifiers, musical instrument amps, and in the audio outputs of television, motion picture and public address equipment. They were very popular in the USA during the period of 1940-1970 as they were inexpensive to make, and packed a pretty good audio punch in a small octal based package. Vintage tubes are currently available in three styles: a large ST shape (coke bottle) envelope which is the 6V6G and is the earliest type of 6V6; a smaller GT package encompassing the GT, GT/G, GTA, and GTY suffixes, and a metal jacketed envelope which is usually found on the 6V6 with no suffix in the number. It is important to note that the bases of various brands may have all 8 pins in the octal base, or a lesser number of pins in other brands, or even in the same brand but a different production year. This is normal. Pin one is ground on the metal 6V6 tube, but is not connected to anything on the other 6V6 types. Pin 6 is also not connected internally and may be missing from the base totally, Again, this is normal. We offer singles and electrically matched pairs of these tubes, with the matched pairs being required in guitar amps or hi-fi amps using more than one 6V6. Our matching is done at full power output and maximum ratings on a Textronix 576 curve tracer, which yields more accurate results than tube testers or other matching devices other dealers use.
Most of the action today with vintage 6V6 tubes centers around the smaller glass GT package. This is the type most often found in electric guitar amps, and the current desire for the "tube sound" has caused demand for these tubes to skyrocket. Unfortunately, the modern made Russian and Chinese versions of the 6V6 often cannot handle the high plate voltages some of these amps use, and they self destruct in a bright laser light show. Only the USA made vintage 6V6 tubes will do. Any of the 6V6 USA made tubes I list here should work fine in any amp calling for 6V6 or 7408 outputs. ALL of my vintage 6V6 tubes have the full octal base, with the black bakelite going up one inch on the sides. These are NOT the later 1970s "coin" or "wafer" base which are considered inferior by many. NOTE: the adhesive that bonds the bakelite base to the glass is often dry and fragile in these old tubes. NEVER pull an octal tube out of the socket by the glass, as this will often break the adhesive bond. A slightly loose base will not affect the operation, sound, or lifespan of the tube. If you accidently break a base loose, you can re-bond the base with a thin bead of gel-type super glue or marine varnish. Allow the adhesive to cure for 24 hours before using the tube. The metal jacket version of the 6V6, labelled 6V6 with no GT in the suffix, has basically undergone no changes since it's introduction in the late 1940s. It is the SAME tube inside as the GT types, is the same height, and will work perfectly in any circuit calling for a 6V6. You may want to check out the metal 6V6, as they are currently priced less than all the other types, and will still give you that great tube sound.
NOTE ON THE METAL SHELL 6V6 TYPE: Pin 1 of the 6V6 family of tubes is usually not connected in the glass tubes, although some of the greyglass types may have the pin internally connected to the grey RF shield. The metal jacket 6V6 (no suffix) has PIN 1 CONNECTED TO THE METAL SHELL. This effectively turns pin 1 into a GROUND PIN. It is important to make sure there is no voltage or active circuit connection (other than ground) on the pin 1 connection for the 6V6 tube in your amp if you plan to use a metal shell 6V6 tube. IMPORTANT NOTE: You should ALWAYS check and/or adjust your amp output tube's bias settings when replacing 6V6 or ANY power output tube!
NOTE ON MATCHING PAIRS AND QUADS: We can supply matched pairs or quads when stock is available. Usually pairs are listed on this page if available. Inquire if you need quads and we can check availability for you. Matching is within 5% of plate current draw under load, and within 5% of transconductance (Gm). This has proven to be well within tolerance of most amps over 15 years of selling these pairs. Of course, various amps will run these tubes at differing plate voltages, which may affect the match on any particular amp. Our tubes are guaranteed to match properly on your amp. However, it is expected you will adjust the bias or otherwise inspect your amps bias operation when installing these tubes. Our guarantee does not cover tube or amp damage caused by incorrect bias adjustment or amps in need of internal repair.
GUITAR AMP OWNERS, PLEASE READ: The importance of proper bias in your amp for a new set of tubes cannot be overstated. New tubes will draw more plate current than old tubes, and your bias should be checked and adjusted as needed. Failure to do so could cause the new tubes to draw heavy plate current and "red plate" where the plates get red hot. Running just a few minutes in this condition will destroy the tubes and could damage your amp. This will void the warranty on the tubes!
ALSO, PLEASE NOTE: Your tube warranty belongs to you. If you send your new 6V6 tubes to any third party; a repair tech, a friend, even your grandmother, the tubes are out of your control and certanly out of our control. The warranty will be void as we cannot be responsible for shipping damage beyond our original shipment to you, or damage caused by any third party.
The differences in the GT package you will find listed below are basically these:
The 6V6G This is the original type of this tube, and dates back to the late 1930s. It is easy to spot, as it is much larger than any of the GT or metal type envelopes. It is a large ST shape (coke bottle) tube, and without looking at the label can be confused with a 6L6G. Most examples I have seen have a gray RF shielding sprayed on inside the glass, making the interior difficult to see. These are the tube of choice for authentic retubing of antique radios that used this tube, although a GT, GT/G, GTA, or metal type will replace the G type directly. Very retro looking in 6V6 powered amps, but chassis space is a consideration if you are swapping out a set of GT tubes, as these are much taller and wider.
The GT and GT/G usually have "greyglass", which is an RF shielding sprayed on inside the glass and hiding the plate from view, and is often streaked from where the spacers were inserted during manufacture. The coating ranges from pale grey in RCA to heavy black in GE and Ken-Rad. Most of these are blackplate and are the earlier type of GT. The Joint Army Navy military spec 6V6GT tubes look very similar, and will always say "JAN" on the base. Often, they will also be labelled as VT-107A. These are fine quality military spec tubes that are becoming rare. The RCA greyglass 6V6GT has become such a "fad" tube that worldwide stocks of this out-of-production beauty are vanishing at an alarming rate. I have great difficulty finding them and then they sell out as soon as I get a few. Take heart, as RCA made this tube for other manufacturers. If you see a light greyglass, blackbase with silver lettering that says GM, Delco, Crosley, Motorola, Magnavox, Admiral, Fender (just to name a few), RCA made them. These are EXACTLY the same tube as the RCA labelled 6V6GT greyglass. The RCA sound is creamy and smooth, unlike any current production tube, and is the most authentic 1950s and 1960s carrier of the "Fender Sound." Some of the earliest versions of this tube had a nickel collar around the base, Tung Sol and GE to name two brands, and these are rare and collectable today. NOTE: the adhesive that bonds the bakelite base to the glass is often dry and fragile in these old tubes. NEVER pull an octal tube out of the socket by the glass, as this will often break the adhesive bond. A slightly loose base will not affect the operation, sound, or lifespan of the tube. If you wish, you can re-bond the base with a thin bead of gel-type super glue or marine varnish.
The GTA is nearly always clearglass, and may have either a bottom or top mounted getter, grey or black plate, and is the newer version of the 6V6. The GE and GE made GTA types have controlled heater warm up also.
The GTY type will always have a brown micanol (low loss) base, but otherwise could be either clearglass or greyglass. Often, the Joint Army-Navy military spec tubes will be brownbase, but NOT ALWAYS! Some JAN tubes are blackbase, but they ALWAYS will say "JAN" on the label. JAN tubes are built a bit more rugged than their civilian counterparts, and may be a good choice for musicians who take their amps on the road. These tubes, while out of production, are still plentiful, due to the heavy demand for the RCA 6V6GT. The GTY is actually a better tube, and smart 6V6 buyers will stock up on a few now, as these are bound to be tomorrow's "fad" tube.
7408 This is the industrial version of the 6V6. As far as I have seen, only glass versions were made, but it is possible there are some metal jacket types out there, but their appearant rarity leaves them out of consideration here. I have seen both clearglass and greyglass versions. They should perform on par with the military spec types, and are absolutely interchangeable with any 6V6 type. They were never plentiful, and today are rather hard to find. If you are replacing a 7408 and I am out of stock, any of the military spec tubes will work nicely as a substitute.
5992This is a military/industrial version of the 6V6GT, is probably the best sounding 6V6 tube you will ever get your hands on, and is rather rare. I have only seen versions made by Bendix, but GE lists it in their Characteristics book so they must have made some as well, or relabeled the Bendix military surplus tubes. The US Air Force was supplied these as spares from the Sperry Gyroscope Co, and they have the 5992 number taken off, and the Sperry part number on the base. I have even had stock of these with the National Electronics labels and "6V6GTA" on the box and tube. These are real Bendix tubes, as Bendix Red Bank was the ONLY manufacturer of this incredible tube. These have rugged brown micanol bases, heavy glass, a short boxy black plate structure, three mica spacers and dual top mounted D getters. The brown bases can vary in color from beige down to rich mahogany and sometimes have varying shading on the same base. This is probably the ultimate holy grail tube to have in the 6V6 world, but their scarcity today keeps them in a fairly obscure corner of that world. Clients tell me these blow away even the NOS RCA blackplate greyglass tubes! They are indeed awesome, and will never be made again. All of these tubes glow blue inside and have slightly longer warm-up time than the 6V6GT, this is normal. They are plug and play compatible with any 6V6 type tube, with normal bias checks and/or adjustments as you would do whenever replacing any power tubes. Also, all of these tubes have various colors to the base, ranging from light tan to dark brown, and often mottled. This is also normal! These are worth seeking out as they are built like a tank and may outlast both you and your amp!
ALL of these vintage tubes will outperform any of the modern made junk, and the demand has grown to the point where I feel many will benefit from this detailed 6V6 list on my site. Please e-mail me if you have any questions.
NEW! CURVE TRACER MATCHING AVAILABLE! We can match most small signal preamp tubes and we now match all of our power output tubes on a Tektronix 576 curve tracer. This runs the tube at full rated plate and screen voltage, and plots the curves at 10 different grid bias levels. The most accurate method to test tubes, the curve plots can actually be compared to the printed examples for each tube type that appear in the manufacturer technical data sheets and books.
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Tube |
Description | Price Each |
Quantity In Stock |
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Quantity in Stock new listing categories: "In Stock" = we got 'em, come and get 'em! "Temporarily Out of Stock" = Dang it, we just ran out, but check back real soon! "Call/e-mail" = these are rare tubes and stock changes quickly. Please call us for the latest inventory, and we can often outsource these tubes for you. |
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See new stock listing key at left |
5992 Industrial / military grade 6V6GT, Bendix MATCHED PAIR |
New Old Stock in ORIGINAL boxes, Hickok and Tektronix 576 curve tracer tested, VERY RARE. A FEW ARE BACK IN STOCK! Rugged military tubes from the Bendix Avaition Corporation, Bendix Red Bank labs, heavy glass, tan bases, triple mica, short boxlike blackplate, dual top D getters. This is a 6V6GT in army boots, yet it is a plug-and-play replacement for any 6V6 tube. An awesome sounding tube in both guitar amps and hi-fi systems! The rarest and the best, may outlast you and your amp! You think RCA greyglass tubes sound good, wait 'till you hear these babies. These are all early 1960s military surplus stock that were resold to National Electronics and have National labels but are genuine 5992 tubes that are Bendix Red Bank manufactured. Matched to within one or two percent Gm and plate current! SINGLE TUBES ARE $175.00 EACH. Note: it is normal for these tubes to usually glow blue inside, and the base color ranges widely from light tan to dark brown, also normal! |
$399.00 per pair |
out of stock |
6V6GTY Aviation / military grade 6V6GT Eclipse-Pioneer/Bendix Aviation MATCHED PAIR |
New Old Stock original Bendix boxes, RARE. Rugged military/avionics grade tubes from Eclipse-Pioneeer, a division of the Bendix Avaition Corporation, heavy glass, brown bases, blackplate. These are the next best thing to the type 5992 Bendix at a huge savings. I've been told I'm giving away these rare dudes at this price. This is a 6V6GT in army boots, military aircraft grade yet it is a plug-and-play replacement for any 6V6 tube. An awesome sounding tube in both guitar amps and hi-fi systems! The rarest and the best, may outlast you and your amp! You think RCA greyglass tubes sound good, wait 'till you hear these babies. Matched to within several percent Gm and plate current! SINGLE TUBES ARE $70 EACH. |
$140.00 per pair |
out of stock |
6V6GT Raytheon or Tung Sol Nickel metal collar base, Blackglass, RARE 1940s vintage MATCHED PAIR |
New old stock whitebox. Very scarce tube, with the bright nickel collar around the base. Rich and creamy sounding, and nearly impossible to find in matched pairs, especially the blackglass version. Some have OEM labels, but are Tung Sol and Raytheon made. Single tubes are $75.00. |
$150.00 per pair |
singles in stock |
Watch a brief video showing the most popular 6V6 vintage tubes! |
Click the screen at left. |
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6V6G (ST shape) RCA made oem labels, blackplate greyglassMATCHED PAIR |
New old stock White Box. Pre-WWII era 6V6, large ST (coke bottle) shape. A very nice pair with a Gm match within 5 percent. These have the early 1940s RCA (or Zenith OEM) label on the base, and are greyglass. Hard to find these in matched pairs! |
$60.00 per pair |
single tubes in stock |
6V6G (ST shape) RCA blackplate greyglass or blackglass |
New old stock, White Box. Pre-WWII era 6V6, large ST shape. A few are labelled with other brands, but are RCA made. |
$25.00 |
out of Stock |
6V6G Mazda France made large coke bottle shape |
New Old Stock original box and white box. A very nice 6V6G, not often found in the USA. Most are Blackplate and greyglass, Mazda made with Mazda, R/T, Philips, Tungsram, Visseaux and Belvu labels all with 1950s date codes. Early large glass ST type. These Mazda made tubes are similar to Pope, Amperex and other premium brands. Pairs are $180.00! |
$90.00 |
one tube in stock |
6V6GT Amperex / Philips made greyglass, made in Holland |
New Old Stock original box and white Box. A very nice 6V6, not often found in the USA. Blackplate and greyglass, very similar to the RCA greyglass. These Holland made tubes are similar to Pope and other premium brands. Pairs are $80.00! |
$35.00 |
out of Stock |
6V6GT RCA blackplate clearglass |
New old stock original box or whitebox. Very scarce tube, as most RCA clearglass types had greyplates. Matched pairs are $109.00. Some are marked 6V6GTA but are the older black plate GT type. Some made for various brands of organs. |
$49.00 |
single tubes in stock |
JAN 6V6GT / VT107A TYPE JAN RCA made blackplate greyglass or blackglassMATCHED PAIRS |
New old stock White Box and original box. A LARGE stock of 1943-1945 dated military tubes just in! The rare blackglass and greyglass military version of this wonderful RCA made vintage tube. Many different labels (mostly Ken Rad) but all are RCA made. Difficult to keep in stock as supplies dwindle and demand soars. This version is probably one of the the best guitar amp tubes ever made. These are extra rugged, look and sound the same as the famed RCA GT blackplate greyglass civilian version, and are very carefully matched! Most have the Raytheon, Sylvania, or Ken Rad label but are blackglass or greyglass GT the same RCA made tube as the original GT. The earlier Raytheon and Ken Rad labels have the rare blackglass. All have the "stop sign" RCA factory mark on the glass. THE RCA made tube to have if you need durability and long life! CLIENT COMMENTS: "Hi Brent, I wanted to let you know how thrilled I am with the 6V6 tubes I purchased for my Ampeg amp! The JAN RCA greyglass tubes have such a sleek and unique look, and the tone is three dimensional and HUGE! The amp now sounds much larger and more powerful than its 20 watts would have you believe, and the sonic texture and depth are simply breathtaking and gorgeous. The midrange detail is particularly impressive and effective in a mix. The breakup is very smooth and subtle. I'm using it on bass, guitar, and electric piano with great results. J.B." |
$140.00 per pair |
out of Stock |
6V6GT / VT107A JAN RCA blackplate greyglass |
New old stock White Box and original box. The rare military version of this wonderful greyglass vintage tube. Difficult to keep in stock as supplies dwindle and demand soars. Made for various brands but all are RCA made. Priced per single tube. |
$70.00 |
In Stock |
6V6GT RCA blackplate greyglass MATCHED PAIR |
New old stock White Box and original box. Very popular vintage tube, in fact the most asked-for tube for Fender amps. Difficult to keep in stock as supplies dwindle and demand soars. I have hand selected and matched these on a Hickok 539A, closely matched for Gm and plate current draw. Then they are performance matched at full amp voltages on our Tektronix 576 curve tracer. Some are military stock with brown bases. CLIENT COMMENTS: "Hello Brent, Just wanted to let you know I got the tubes and installed. When I biased the RCA 6V6’s they were a perfect match! I really love the way they sound in my 65 PRRI. I love it so much, even though I got the 2 year warranty, I probably will buy some back up tubes once I recover a little bit of cash. Thanks again for your advice and great tubes (especially the butt ugly (12AX7) ones that sound beautiful! Best regards, Michael" |
$109.00 per pair |
out of Stock |
6V6GT RCA blackplate greyglass |
New old stock White Box and original box. Very popular vintage tube, singles perfect for the Fender Champ. Difficult to keep in stock as supplies dwindle and demand soars. Priced per single tube. |
$55.00 |
In Stock |
6V6GT RCA blackplate greyglass |
Used tested good White Box. Very popular vintage tube. Difficult to keep in stock as supplies dwindle and demand soars. Even used ones are much better than the junk being made today. Matched pairs are just $50.00. |
$25.00 |
In Stock |
6V6GT made by RCA, OEM labels, blackplate, greyglass and blackglass |
New Old Stock White Box. One of our most popular bargain priced NOS tubes! Made by RCA for Admiral, Bogen, Emerson, Ford,Philco, Sylvania, Delco, Marconi, and Magnavox, just to name a few of the many labels. EXACTLY the same as those labelled RCA, with the RCA factory "stop-sign" logo! Expect to see these skyrocket in price as the RCA tubes become scarce. Save now while you still can! MATCHED PAIRS JUST $50.00 PER PAIR! Construction varied slightly depending on production year, some are rare RCA blackglass types. As mentioned, the brands on the labels vary, and your pair will likely be two different labels and construction types. No picking of brands or construction type at this price! Guaranteed to be RCA "stop sign" logo on the glass tubes, and guaranteed matched on our Tektronix 576 curve tracer. |
$25.00 |
single tubes in Stock |
6V6GTA RCA clearglass MATCHED PAIRS |
New Old Stock original Box. These are carefully hand selected and matched to within 2 percent of each other, plate current and Gm. Especially good in Fender amps. Like all RCA 6V6 tubes, these have bottom getters. These are the best of the late Golden Age of RCA 6V6 tubes, and prices are climbing so grab some now! A few early production tubes are still marked 6V6GT with black plates but are actual GTA tubes. Single tubes are $45.00. We also have some late production black plate and grey plate clear glass GTA RCA tubes with button (wafer) bases in pairs or singles. The button base will fit perfectly and they do not sound any different than the wider black base version. |
$99.00 per pair |
out of stock |
6V6GTA RCA made clearglass |
New Old Stock white Box and original box. This tube is also popular, especially good in Fender amps. Like all RCA 6V6 tubes, these have bottom getters, most are button or wafer base. Several are OEM made by RCA, and labelled with different amp brands, some are military with brownbases. Priced per single tube. |
$40.00 |
out of Stock |
6V6GT Sylvania blackplate 1950s greyglass or clearglassMATCHED PAIR |
New Old Stock original box or whitebox. Heavy internal glass coating, (some in stock are military clearglass) blackplate. These have the green or red labels on black bases of the late 1940s, and green labels from the 1950s, and have a nice Gm match to within 4 percent. A few are made for Philco in original Philco 1950s boxes. Try them, these sound like the RCA at a big savings! SINGLE TUBES ARE $35.00 EA. |
$80 per pair |
SINGLES In Stock |
6V6GTA Tung Sol blackplate MATCHED PAIR |
New old stock original box or whitebox. An excellent, creamy smooth sounding late 1950s vintage 6V6 tube, USA made by Tung Sol. SINGLE TUBES ARE $40.00. |
$80.00 PER PAIR |
out of stock |
6V6GTA General Electric. |
New Old Stock original box. These are from a nice late 1960s job box of GE tubes. Fantastic NOS blackplate quality, bargain price, these will outperform any of the current production trash out there! HAND MATCHED PAIRS JUST $85.00 PER PAIR! CLIENT COMMENTS: "Brent, I had a chance to install these tubes in my amp last night - Bogner Goldfinger 54, uses pairs of 6L6 & 6V6 in the output section. I continue to be blown away by the noticeable improvement with these vintage tubes. I biased the 6L6s at 34mA and the 6V6s at 20mA, and they sound incredible. The increased clarity is just crazy & I can add some bass in the eq without the amp sounding woofy. This is a clean amp with very little preamp gain, so the output tubes make such a big difference. In the past couple of years, I’ve bought quite a few tubes from you & have not been disappointed once. Thanks again. E.G." |
$39.00 |
out of Stock |
6V6GTY JAN military type brownbase, all USA made brands |
New Old Stock Original Box and whitebox. A nice military greyglass 6V6 tube, built to last! Most were made by Sylvania or RCA, but too many brands to list here. Brownbase, blackplate, bottom getter. MATCHED PAIRS ARE $109.00 PER PAIR. CLIENT COMMENTS: "Hey I just want to say thanks to you guys I got my 6V6GTY pair matched and my 12 a X7 and they're doing really good in my kit 5e3. You know it's always a gamble when you buy tubes online but I got a feeling you guys know what the hell you're doing and I'll be talking to you guys soon. So far so good and thank you so much for sending me some good stuff. I know I didn't buy the most expensive things but what I got was way worth what I paid. E.T." |
$49.00 |
single tubes in stock |
6V6GT/A Other USA made brands, glass envelope |
New Old Stock Original Box and whitebox. Many USA vintage brands too numerous to mention. Most are greyglass with blackplates. Get huge savings on these NOS USA made 6V6GT tubes! |
$15.00 |
In Stock |
6V6 metal, RCA |
New old stock, white Box |
$15.00 |
out of Stock |
6V6 metal, General Electric or other brands |
New old stock, white Box |
$15.00 |
IN stock |
7408 GE or Sylvania,Industrial grade 6V6GT, full octal base. |
New Old Stock original box. Nice heavy duty 6V6GT on par with the GTY and VT107A military types. These General Electric / Sylvania tubes are from the 1960s and built like tanks! MATCHED PAIRS ARE $70.00 PER PAIR. |
$30.00 | out of Stock |
7408 Industrial grade 6V6GT, various brands |
New Old Stock whitebox. Nice heavy duty 6V6GT on par with the GTY and VT107A military types. MATCHED PAIRS, WHEN AVAILABLE, $50.00 PER PAIR. |
$20.00 | out of Stock |
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