30watt or 25watt tubes?

[Misanthrope189]

Hi there...my amp only specifies that it comes with Mesa 6L6 GC tubes, which thetubestore rates are 30watt tubes. Tungsol makes 5881 tubes that are 25 watt tubes...what would happen if I put the 5881s in my amp instead of the 6L6GCs? The amp is said to be a 100 watt amp, so with 30 watt tubes it's really sitting at 120 watts? Or is the extra wattage giving the amp more headroom? Would the 25 watt tubes break up sooner, and give me that pushed tube tone a bit sooner than the 30watt tubes?

Cheers,
Nick

[fett]

It should be a straight swap. I wouldn't worry about it. The watt thing is hype. Any 6L6 or 5881 (same thing) is built spec-wise to take it. If anything, the 5881's should be more mellow. My experience is with older 6L6's and 5881's so I may be way off base with the newer ones. So shoot me.

[toejam]

It should be a straight swap. I wouldn't worry about it. The watt thing is hype. Any 6L6 or 5881 (same thing) is built spec-wise to take it. If anything, the 5881's should be more mellow. My experience is with older 6L6's and 5881's so I may be way off base with the newer ones. So shoot me.

6L6, 5881 and KT66 are all good replacements for one another, but you should do a bias adjustment anyway.