[jcassity]

****************I THINK I HAVE FOUND THE ISSUE

with no tube installed on the 6sq7, yet the filament pins 7 & 8 safely jumped,  PIN 6 of the 220k ohm resistor has about 20v which will degrade if i let it warm up. so the voltage will continue to decrease.

up to this point i have been lifting the side of the 220k ohm resistor at the 50L6 side which makes the noise / problem go away.

i kept the 220k ohm resistor terminated over at the 50L6 this time and lifted a cap and the 220k ohm resistor off the socket of the 6sq7 pin 6.
with no tube installed and filament pins 7 & 8 safely jumpered,  and with the 220k ohm resistor lifted off pin 6 of the 6sq7, my voltage readings are:
-the end of the 220k R tied to the 50L6 is 108vdc
-the free end up in the air that normally lives on pin 6  as i have pictured now reads 84vdc ***THIS IS THE VOLTAGE I need with the resistor terminated.

so as soon as i terminate the resistor back on pin 6, without a tube installed, the voltage will crash and drop.

sounding like a bad socket?????????
or bad solder joint(s)?? ~which i can easily reheat up and recheck.

see picture..
see the resistor and cap i lifted off pin 6 
see the jumper wire setup (fused) to the right of the set on the bench to jump the 6sq7 socket filament pins 7 & 8.