Quick Question on Power Tubes

I'm kinda a tube noob. I still use the same four 6L6s that my DR came with from the previous owner, who said he never changed them either. They all look identical, with no markings. They sound great. (Might even still be the ones installed in the amp in 1992 by Mesa themselves.) I took them out, cleaned the sockets, and changed all my Mesa preamp tubes for NOS tubes recommended by shredd (sweet) and ended up not remembering what order they were in. Does it matter if they're all apparently identical (no differences to the eye)? Or could it hurt my amp if I accidentally changed the order?

Thanks in advance for any info.

By the way, shredd, if you read this, I currently have:

V1 RWN (RFT) ECC83
V2 RWN (RFT) ECC83
V3 GE Long Gray Plate D Getter 12AX7
V4 Mesa (Probably from '92...)
V5 RCA Tungsram 12AX7A

I have this on the way for that V4 and am still looking for a mullard for V2... Thanks for all the help.

Unless they are a matched quad, which you can't tell, the pairs should be installed :

XYYX

You should have replaced the power tubes first, they're probably nearly dead anyway !

Shredd6 you think these power tubes that Leng has could be the legendary Mesa STR415's? Theres no other power tube that would have lasted 16 years. I would not change them out if this is the case. STR 415's have a lifespan of 10000 hours and are Sylvania 6L6's.

NWOFORLIF

shredd6 said:

Yea, if the original owner didn't change them out, you might be due for new power tubes.

I still find Mesa power tubes to be just fine. I have a pair of Red and Yellow for my backups. Not much different than my Seds to my ears. The Seds seem to allow a little more low end to be present, but as far as response, I don't hear any significant difference. I'm a Recto user anyway. I just like the heavy punch of the rectos in bold setting. I'm probably a minority when it comes to that these days. Hahaha.

Cool deal with the preamp man. That's a real deal high gain distortion setup. For experimental purposes, you should try the CV4024 in your V5 as well when it comes. It's just kind of cool to hear the difference.

Peace.

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I'll take pics after work tomorrow. I'd be interested in knowing what they are, even if it's time for a change.