Fender: GE/RCA tube history 50'/60'
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emil noothout
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Fender: GE/RCA tube history 50'/60'
As i understand Fender has used both General Electric and RCA 6l6gc tubes in their amps in the fifties and sixties. Does anyone know which brand in which period was used. I'm especially interested in the brownface and blackface period. When was the GE with the clear top, and the RCA blackplate used?
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Donny Hinson
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Back in the mid '60s, my Twin Reverb came with RCA's. I tried the GE tubes a few times, and used them when I couldn't get the RCA's. The GE's were cheaper, and I didn't notice a lot of tonal difference, but the GE's seemed to get inter-electrode (heater-cathode) shorts more often. The shorting problem was very evident...the amp hummed badly, and the plates got cherry-red! Several nights, I wound up playing with 2 of the 6L6's removed, just so I could get through the night. As a result, I kept a stock of the 6L6's on hand, just in case!
When I started playing, the RCA's were $3.75 each, and the GE's were $3.25 each
Ahhhhh...the good old days!
When I started playing, the RCA's were $3.75 each, and the GE's were $3.25 each
Ahhhhh...the good old days!