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That’s great news, Bar! I’m glad you’re able to hang onto that 6176 a bit longer and get some more use outta it!
Great question re saturation and when to use it.
For me, it’s really song/production-dependent. Acoustic guitar is a good example. If I’m recording a delicate singer-songwriter style track I’m usually looking for a full-range, high-fidelity acoustic guitar sound with no need for saturation. I may still compress it on the way into pro tools to get a good level without digital overs, but I prob wouldn’t drive the mic pre toward saturation in that instance.
However, I LOVE adding mic pre input gain saturation to acoustic guitars in a rock production! Like, if the strummy rhythm acoustics enter in the chorus… I need them to be loud and proud so they cut through the mix and fit nicely against hard-hitting drums and electric guitars. Even if it’s a folk-rock americana style, I might push the preamp input a bit hotter – not looking to “hear distortion” in the signal, but more to control peaks a bit and give the sound a subtle edge. In this case the amplifier component (the 610 input tube amp on your 6176) will kinda shave off the loudest peaks. This can work to your advantage, kinda like a compressor before your compressor – and it sounds cool in the right context!
Very cheap or poorly made preamps and other analog components sound terrible when overloaded like this on input. In my opinion, this is a huge part of what makes Neves, APIs, your UA 6176, and other great equipment so sought after — how they handle the extremes (intended AND unintended extremes, haha)! Great gear sounds AWESOME when pushed to the extreme, opening up new creative options. Not-great gear sounds harsh, unforgiving, and unusable.