Guitar Tube – Tube Amp Power Tube Reissue Vs. Vintage
Vacuum tube amplifiers are some of the most sought after amps in the industry
due to their warm rich tones. For years people have compared certain types of
amp tubes for their sonic richness and warmth. More than that, it seems to be
the older vintage models that win most guitarists over for their great guitar tone.
The big problem usually occurs when trying to find new oldstock tubes, or at least
tube that may be similar in it’s characteristics.
In this article we are going to look at the KT66 power tube. This well respected
tube was introduced in the mid 1950’s by the Marconi-OsramValve Company. They
marketed their tubes under the name of “Genalex”. The KT66 was Europe’s
version of the American 6L6GC.
The KT66 tube is quite larger than the 6L6 in physical size. It also has quite
a big sound to go along with it’s size. The tube was used in the famous Marshall
Bluesbreaker Combo in 1965 – 1966. Marshall eventually changed to the more readily
available EL34.
If you’re lucky enough to find an original new old stock matched pair of KT66
tubes, you should be prepared to pay around $600.00. This is the current cost
of these “original” bad boys.
On the other hand, you can get a matched pair of the reissue Genalex KT66 tubes
for a much more affordable price of $99.00. These reissue tubes duplicate the
large clear bottle of the UK tube, as well as it’s brown base, gold-ink lettering
with prancing lion logo, gold plated screen, and huge plate structure.
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The comparison between the original and the reissue are as follows:
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- The early original KT66 tubes sounded big and brawny, with extended lows
and a very rich and detailed set of mids and highs. Something all guitar players
tend to look for in a quality tube.
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- The reissiue Genalex KT66 tubes sounds incredibly similar to the original.
They deliver an almost identical sense of presentation and focus. They didn’t
seem to drift into the dreaded saggy zone when pushed into distortion. As
with the original tubes, the reissues KT66’s overdrive voice is throatier
and more british-sounding than the 6L6’s, and they respond beautifully to
the changes in picking and volume dynamics.
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It’s very easy to see why this robust-sounding tube remains so popular with
savvy musicians. With such a great-sounding reissue tube available at only a
fraction of the cost of the originals, it’s an attractive replacement for any
6L6 amp that has enough cabinet space to accommodate the KT66’s tall bottle.
As far as long-term reliability of the reissue, it’s hard to say for sure because
the superbly made original is a tough act to follow in that regard. However,
if you’re interested in getting great guitar tone with the highly acclaimed
KT66 power tube, the reissue Genalexmodel really hits the mark.
I hope this has helped shed light on the highly acclaimed KT66 power tube.
For more information on Great Guitar Tone see details below.
Thank You,
Robert Lee Molton