If I rewire the tube pins on the 6GW8's for 6AW8's would that work? I know the output power would be less.
Chuck

Sure it will work; how well it will work is another matter. 6AW8 tubes go for about 1/10th the price of 6GW8s; so I understand your motivation. However, to get the amp to sound decent you may need to change out the output transformer to impedance-match the different tube, and modify the power supply so that you aren't exceeding the new tube's maximum ratings. May also have to tweak the cathode resistor values in order to achieve proper biasing.

It may be less expensive/time consuming to find a separate triode and pentode tube with characteristics close to the two "halves" of the 6GW8, then wire in a new socket for the triode and rewire the original 6GW8 socket for the single-purpose pentode. That would minimize circuit tweaking, assuming that you could find suitable tubes. Maybe one 12AX7 (dual triode) supporting two 6BQ5 (beam pentode) tubes for a single-ended stereo amp- although that's just a guess, I haven't run the numbers on them. I may be mistaken, but I think that the 6GW8 was an evolutionary tube that just sought to combine two existing types into one package to reduce tube count in stereo gear; and the 12AX7 and 6BQ5 tubes were "likely suspects" to base the combo tube on.

:Sure it will work; how well it will work is another matter. 6AW8 tubes go for about 1/10th the price of 6GW8s; so I understand your motivation. However, to get the amp to sound decent you may need to change out the output transformer to impedance-match the different tube, and modify the power supply so that you aren't exceeding the new tube's maximum ratings. May also have to tweak the cathode resistor values in order to achieve proper biasing.
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:It may be less expensive/time consuming to find a separate triode and pentode tube with characteristics close to the two "halves" of the 6GW8, then wire in a new socket for the triode and rewire the original 6GW8 socket for the single-purpose pentode. That would minimize circuit tweaking, assuming that you could find suitable tubes. Maybe one 12AX7 (dual triode) supporting two 6BQ5 (beam pentode) tubes for a single-ended stereo amp- although that's just a guess, I haven't run the numbers on them. I may be mistaken, but I think that the 6GW8 was an evolutionary tube that just sought to combine two existing types into one package to reduce tube count in stereo gear; and the 12AX7 and 6BQ5 tubes were "likely suspects" to base the combo tube on.
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Thanks, I will check into the 12AX7, 6BQ5 combo. This amp belongs to a friend who can't afford the 6GW8's
In Feb I built Gordon Rankin's Bugle 45, a SET amp. It has unbelievable sound. Only 2 watts output.
Chuck