What's Inside a 6L6GT?

Well, I wanted to know too.

A dead 6L6, a spare hour and a pair of needle-nose pliers is all it took to plow into one of these babies. Come along with me while I totally destroy one of the most popular beam-power pentodes ever made, Just To See What's In There!

 

Step One

I couldn't wait. Here I have already smashed off the glass envelope of the victim. In my amp, it hummed, rattled and was so microphonic that it sounded like a disintegrating bass drum when you tapped on it. It must die. Its well-behaved brother is still OK so he gets to live. A couple of whacks over the trash can with the Estwing hammer from the kitchen drawer, and now it is bare. Unprotected, like a freshly peeled lobster. Guts all available for INSPECTION.

The Doomed and the Spared

Next: off with their heads!