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How preamp and power tubes interact with wattage and speaker ratings to yield the glorious tones of yesterday and today.

Famous tube amps from companies like Fender, Marshall, Vox, and others have come to define the sound of virtually all electric-guitar music. To varying degrees, we know that these amps sound different from each other—and we might even know some basic specs, like what kind of tubes different models use, and maybe some details about stock speakers. But it can be hard to understand some of the finer reasons why these amps sound different from each other.

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John Bohlinger uses a trio of guitars (a Gretsch Black Falcon, a '60s Tele, and a humbucker-loaded Kiesel) to test this interesting combo that pairs 6L6 and EL84 output tubes.