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- Valve Types:
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  - ECC83 (12AX7)
  - ECC82 (12AU7)
  - ECC81 (12AT7)
  - EL34
    The EL34 (6CA7) valve was originally introduced back in 1949 by Philips the parent company of Mullard.
    Among the first amps to use EL34 valves were the Marantz 2 (1955), Dynaco Mark II (1956), and the rare Pye Mozart, a single-ended 9-watt British unit from 1956.
    The EL34 valve’s popularity was sealed when Jim Marshall selected it for his JTM45 guitar amp in 1965. He went with it because it was cheaper and easier to get in England than the 6L6 he had used previously.
    That amp went on to become a standard for the British blues-rock sound. The EL34 tube also found its way into Hiwatt, Orange, and Laney amps, all made in Britain, as well as the popular Canadian-made Traynor brand.
    Although Philips no longer makes the EL34 tube, it is manufactured by Electro Harmonix, JJ Electronics and Sovtek which deliver top quality output tubes with stunning tone.
    Of course, many amplifier manufacturers rebrand these valves in their own name.
  - EL84
  - KT66
  - KT77
  - KT88
  - 5881
  - 6550
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The 6550 Valve and 6550 Tube

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 23 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Stuart ukguitarampguy 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I'm a Berkshire based amp tech and have fitted literally hundreds of valves sold by Ampvalves. Always reliable and I get a personal servivce too if I have any queries. Very good company in my view.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Isabelle Worthington 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service , friendly and helpful very knowledgeable. Thank you so much amp now working as it should.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Anthony White 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Absolutely brilliant service from Ampvalves.co.uk
I will not hesitate to use this excellent company again.
Easy website to navigate, with valves arriving well packaged and on time.
Ampvalves provide a service I've not experienced for years. Try them. You wont be disappointed.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Steve 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. New valves arrived today from Ampvalves. Awesome. I loved the sound of my Victory V40 when I bought it new - and now it's even better. Great valves and superb customer service. Highly recommended.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Alex Fischer 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I recently purchased a replacement tube set for my Line 6 DT25 Head amp from Ampvalves.
The website is very user-friendly and makes it easy to find the perfect tube set for your amp.

Due to an error by the parcel service, my shipment did not find its way to me. After contacting the support, I was helped immediately and competently.

The quality of service was truly exceptional and exceeded my expectations. A special thanks to Barry Tyler. Hey Barry, you did a very good job.

The tube set arrived afterwards in excellent condition, exactly as described on the website.

The quality is remarkable. It’s well worth the money for their high-quality tubes. I highly recommend the tubes from Ampvalves.
Also, my amp gives grateful feedback with a wonderful fresh sound.

Alex from Switzerland
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Max Bevan 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Will never buy valves anywhere else. Incredibly well set up website to find the correct tubes. Very well priced and very quick delivery. Will be recommending to everyone! Thank you!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   David Dawkins 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Amazingly helpful, truly above and beyond with their customer experience. I was pretty stuck, through my own fault, and still they went the extra mile to get me back up and running. Thank you so much.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   kev herbert 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Cant fault them extremely helpful & prompt with delivery.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Steven Wilson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent place to grab your amp valves. Great choice of valves, amazing customer service and prompt responses to queries via email. I was unsure of the best valves to use for my amp and sound, they gave me great advice. When I ordered the valves I used the wrong delivery option and they even sorted that out for me. Highly recommended.
  
 
  
  
 
    Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

Always on the quest to pack more power into a single tube, the 6550 was launched in the 1950s by Tung-Sol. Tung-Sol is an American company who specialise in vacuum tubes. They still sell their reissue of this famous valve. The 1950’s version was rapidly improved in the 1960s to produce the MKIII version. Since then the valve has been further developed by other manufacturers so now a great valve is even better.

Click here to see the range of 6550 tubes for sale in our on line shop

The 6550 tube or 6550 valve has a plate dissipation of 42 Watts. This means it can handle a LOT of power. Compare this with, for example, the 6L6GC which can handle 30W or the EL34 which can handle 25W. The 6550 valve allows for amplifier designs up to 100W (peak) using just a pair of valves. This would normally require four EL34s.

Ampeg started using 6550 valves in their SVT range of amps, typically 6 per amp yielding an awesome 150 watts of raw power. A side advantage is you can also do your toasted teacakes on the heat chucked out by 6 of these 6550 beasts.

6550 valves in hi-fi applications

The 6550 tube was also used in many Hi-Fi amps from the 1960s.

Hi-Fi users love the warmth, the tone and just the “feel” of these valves.

It’s fascinating to note the harmonic distortion for these valves is about 10%. TEN PERCENT!! Compare that with the 0.005% for a good transistor Hi-Fi amp! This doesn’t matter if you’re using the 6550 tube in a guitar amplifier of course since a guitar amp is effectively a fuzz pedal in a big box!

The JJ 6550 Valve

We have been in the guitar valve business for decades and have chosen the JJ 6550 as our favourite. The JJ version of the 6550 is a ‘straight bottle’ version of the original Tung-Sol (which came in a pear-shaped bottle). These JJ 6550 valves produce a really excellent sound in both bass and guitar amplifiers. They are also sensibly priced. Often a JJ 6550 will be half the price of a Tung-Sol 6550 reissue.

Technically, the 6550 valve is a high power beam pentode. That means it has five electrodes. A cathode, an anode and three grids. It has a standard octal base with a keyway for lining it up with the socket.

If you are looking to buy JJ 6550 valves or JJ 6550 tubes, click on the links below.

The 6550 Valve and 6550 Tube

6550 valves in hi-fi applications

The JJ 6550 Valve

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