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Post new topic 6L6 Tube Gunk - Photo Added
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Author Topic:  6L6 Tube Gunk - Photo Added
Jim Cooley


From:
The 'Ville, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 7:37 am    
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I noticed some buildup on two of the 6L6 tubes in my '73 Twin Reverb. The other two tubes are clear. The tubes are a matched quad, about 6-8-years old. The amp was gone through and updated by a Fender certified tech just after I replaced the tubes. It has adjustable bias set close to the middle of the recommended range. I also retensioned the tube sockets. It doesn't look encouraging. What say y'all?




Last edited by Jim Cooley on 5 Jul 2019 3:45 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Jim Cooley


From:
The 'Ville, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 9:50 am    
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After further review, the buildup is on the outside of the bottles. I don't see anything coming from above the tubes. I'm starting to wonder if I had a piece of plastic stuck in there at some point in time. I haven't found anything though.
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Ken Morgan

 

From:
Midland, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 10:15 am    
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I’ve never seen anything like that on any tube that wasn’t a direct result of a foreign object. I’d really consider (just me...) replacing them, as uneven heat dissipation might cause some other components to fail
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Midland, TX
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Michael Butler


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 11:04 am    
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did you try to clean it off with warm, soapy water or alcohol? scrape it with fingernails. pull the tubes first.

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Jim Cooley


From:
The 'Ville, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 11:11 am    
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I pulled both tubes. It's definitely something melted to the outside of the bottles. I scraped it off without much trouble. I dug around under the reverb bag and found a small unopened orange plastic bag containing a few screws. It is not melted. I also found a couple of loose flat washers. I don't store stuff like that in my amps, but who knows? Maybe some time, a long ago and far away, there was an orange bag of washers in there. Anyway, I'm calling this case solved.
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 1:21 pm    
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I'd guess that a stray plastic bag is the culprit. Winking
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Jim Cooley


From:
The 'Ville, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 3:45 pm    
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I played through it for quite a while after scraping the residue off the glass; no problems. I feel silly for posting this before I pulled the tubes. Thanks for chiming in, y'all.
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 5 Jul 2019 4:45 pm    
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Donny Hinson wrote:
I'd guess that a stray plastic bag is the culprit. Winking


Especially since the gunk looks kinda orange in color. Cool
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