EL34 Suggestions

[sonar]

I had to stop buying XF1s probably at least 10 years ago and XF2s a few years after that, when they got absurd but I still have yet to find anything that can hold a candle to them in most Marshalls. After those, I was kinda ok with the NOS SEDs but still felt they were not as full and nice as the Mullards in the low end and low mids. I still run vintage preamp tubes but it's hard to justify vintage power tubes to myself, these days.

Agreed.

I doubt I'll ever pay for NOS EL34's. Even way back when I went Tesla over NOS Mullard, but that was mostly due to lack of funds.

 

[zombiwoof]

You can still get NOS pairs of RFT/Siemens EL34's for +/- $150 or so. Some are the packaged Mesa versions. Worth it IMO.
Al

 

[NotScott]

While I like the Shuguang EL34's, I'm not certain they are the best for the Komet and my ears. While I love the crunchy mids, they are compressing a bit too fast and I think they could use some more lows and highs.

I had a pair of JJ KT77s in my Mark III Boogie. They sounded like bigger EL34s with more lows and top. However, they drifted out of match very quickly and never really had the harmonic complexity I like. I hear the Gold Lion KT77s are more reliable and do not sound as congested as the JJs so I am going to give them a try in the Komet. From what I have read, the GLs should solve the early compression issue and add some of the sparkle and thump that I grew accustomed to with the KT66s but still retain much of the aggressive EL34 mid character.

Regardless of outcome, this should be a fun experiment. I will post results later.

 

[EndGame00]

You can still get NOS pairs of RFT/Siemens EL34's for +/- $150 or so. Some are the packaged Mesa versions. Worth it IMO.
Al

I still have a pair of Mesa-labeled RFT/Siemens el-34.. I find them a little smoother sounding than any el-34 tubes I own....

 

[RAG7890]

While I like the Shuguang EL34's, I'm not certain they are the best for the Komet and my ears. While I love the crunchy mids, they are compressing a bit too fast and I think they could use some more lows and highs.

I had a pair of JJ KT77s in my Mark III Boogie. They sounded like bigger EL34s with more lows and top. However, they drifted out of match very quickly and never really had the harmonic complexity I like. I hear the Gold Lion KT77s are more reliable and do not sound as congested as the JJs so I am going to give them a try in the Komet. From what I have read, the GLs should solve the early compression issue and add some of the sparkle and thump that I grew accustomed to with the KT66s but still retain much of the aggressive EL34 mid character.

Regardless of outcome, this should be a fun experiment. I will post results later.

I just had to post this here Scott, since you mentioned KT77's.

Cheers, Rudi

 

[NotScott]

Cheers to you Rudi!

 

[RAG7890]

Hey, hey , hey................tone report coming. Good luck with it Scott.

I'm going to try mine in my '68 JMP50 in a month or so to see how they sound compared to EL34's.

Cheers, Rudi

 

[NotScott]

Hey, hey , hey................tone report coming. Good luck with it Scott.

I'm going to try mine in my '68 JMP50 in a month or so to see how they sound compared to EL34's.

Cheers, Rudi

For once, USPS delivered early and I received the tubes Tuesday. However, the carrier never bothered to ring the doorbell or knock on the door and just left the package on my front porch. I was home all day and could have tested them then. The Mrs. found the package when she came home but, as cool as she and my neighbors are, I am not about to crank the Komet when they are all home.

I wanted to try them out today. However, real life called and I had to give a presentation for a new sound system to a client today, which turned into an all day affair.

Hopefully tomorrow I can let em rip, assuming the Mrs. steps out for a bit. If so, tone report incoming! I may or may not post clips. My Komet is ghosting more than I think is to be expected and I may have to do a cap job on it. They are the original caps and it may just be that time.

 

[Pleximan]

You could use THD yellowjacket converters and use EL84's. it would drop the wattage a little bit and give you a more saturated tone at a lower volume. EL84's are my favorite Power Tube to use. Otherwise the new production Mullard EL34'S are my favorite EL34.

 

[NotScott]

You could use THD yellowjacket converters and use EL84's. it would drop the wattage a little bit and give you a more saturated tone at a lower volume. EL84's are my favorite Power Tube to use. Otherwise the new production Mullard EL34'S are my favorite EL34.

I like EL84s plenty. But I already have:

Vox Night Train
A Trainwreck 4xEL84 clone
64 AC30
65 AC10SRT

so I am covered for all possible EL84 tones.

I am not too familiar with the technical specs of the yellow jackets but, I don't think they will account for the 480V plate voltage of the Komet. 400V is really pushing an EL84 about as far as it will go.

I spent some time this morning with the Komet switching between the SS rectifier module and the GZ34. I also decided to try it through my Power Station rather than just knocking it down a tad with a parallel Hot Plate. I like the EL34s MUCH better through the Power Station and with the GZ34 than through the Hot Plate with the SS module.

The SS module tightened up the amp a bit and gave it a bit more bite and attack but it rather neutered the harmonic bloom that the Komet is none for. Interestingly, the ghosting decreased significantly running through the Power Station as compared to the parallel Hot Plate arrangement. I am curious now why the Hot Plate sounds so dull with the Komet. With my 73 Marshall, it sounds very transparent.

I also tried cranking the piss out of the EL34s and ran them at 70% dissipation. The clean tones suffered a bit but the overdriven tones were hot, nasty and snarling, just like I like them!

I will have to do some more unattenuated tests on Monday between the KT77s and the EL34s. But for now, I am warming up to the Shuguang EL34s.

 

[Pleximan]

The yellow jackets can run up to 520pv, there is just no substitute for actually cranking an amp up. I have a Rivera Rockcrusher it's very transparent, but there's a tone the speakers add when you have the amp up that just isn't possible to duplicate at low volume.

KT77's are good I used them in a Straub Cantus a few years ago. Bold, chimey, harmonic laden, high fidelity tubes, they have a nice bite to them. I used JJ's.

 

[mrdannyboy]

Mullard, Amperex, Siemens, Valvo are all great. Can be expensive, RFT could be your best bang for your buck.

How many you need? I have a spare pair of Mullards and could help you out. I have lots of references here. Shoot me a pm if interested,. Cheers boss.

 

[mrdannyboy]

Cheers to you Rudi!

Are those reissues? If so how do you like them. If they are NOS, lol you have big pocketbooks. Cheers

 

[NotScott]

Are those reissues? If so how do you like them. If they are NOS, lol you have big pocketbooks. Cheers

NOS KT77s????? Talk about unobtanium! Sorry, these are new production Russians.

I just tried the KTs in the Komet. Here is what I heard compared to the Shuguang EL34s:

1) They definitely have more thump on the low end. They make a Strat sound very authoritative. However, it may be a bit too much for a Les Paul but is easily dialed out from the amp.

2) The high end is extended compared to the EL34s but, they have more of a glassy high end compared to the warmer/softer high end of the EL34s. Works great with Strats clean and overdriven. It does improve clarity on neck buckers when you crank up the gain. The best thing here though is that this treble peak seems to sit right where an old Marshall Treble control sits, so it can easily be dialed up or dialed back at will without sacrificing the extended presence that maintains clarity.

3) The breakup and feel of this tube is very different from the ELs. If you are a studio guy, the ELs sound like a compressor set for a lower threshold with a soft knee break. The KTs sound like the threshold has been increased 6 dB and the response set to a hard knee. The ELs gradually go into compression as you hammer them. They are very smooth in their transition from clean to dirty. The KTs are not as smooth. They compress rather abruptly at a very fine point.

4) The KTs sound like a hi-fi vs the ELs FM radio vibe. That is a bit of an exaggeration but, you can easily hear the extended response and clearer midrange of the KTs compared to the ELs.

Through the Komet, I liked my Strats better with the KTs, both clean and dirty. The extended frequency response just makes for a huge Strat sound. Yes, the glassy highs can make for some shreeking if you are not careful. However, when I really cranked the amp, the glassiness faded away and I was left with very clear and detailed upper mids.

My Les Pauls clean, preferred the KTs. They gave the guitars a clarity that humbuckers can never seem to get enough of. That clarity worked very well on the neck pups, particularly when overdriven. However, I didn't care for the KTs with the Les Paul bridge buckers cranked up. They just sounded too polished and too hi-fi to my ears. They sounded like a recorded LP and not a live LP. I was able to compensate for this by dialing up the mids and backing down the cut control on the Komet. It resulted in a very good tone but it is not that raunchy, screaming, my-amp-is-about-to-blow-up tone that I love and am used to and ELs deliver effortlessly.

If you are player that relies on compression no matter what you play, the KTs are probably not for you. If you are a fan of that raunchy, in your face midrange snarl, the KTs are probably not for you. But if you are a dynamic player who likes dancing around that fine line between clean and mean and you are into huge Strat tones or require the most clarity for your neck buckers, you need to try some KT77s.

 

[Gryphon]

Did I just read 34 posts about EL34s and see no-one mention the SED Winged C's? Those are so good that when I sold my Marshall 50 years ago I kept a spare set ... just in case

 

[sonar]

Did I just read 34 posts about EL34s and see no-one mention the SED Winged C's? Those are so good that when I sold my Marshall 50 years ago I kept a spare set ... just in case

Production discontinued.

 

[mrdannyboy]

NOS KT77s????? Talk about unobtanium! Sorry, these are new production Russians.

Yeah no doubt. lol, You never know though. I believe there is a pair of NOS EL84's up for a grand on the bay CRAZY.

 

[Gryphon]

Production discontinued.

..which of course makes them sound even better lol.

 

[NotScott]

..which of course makes them sound even better lol.

You are a bad, bad man.

 

[NotScott]

Rather than start a new thread and rehash a lot of what has been discussed here already, I thought it best to just add to this one. I was going through my tube stash the other day and found these:

These are Mesa labeled Sylvania 6CA7s that came new in my Boogie back in the day. I had completely forgotten about them and I am not sure exactly why I removed them. I just finished trying them out in the Komet and...

If you aren't familiar with 6CA7s, they are the American equivalent of an EL34. By equivalent, I mean similar specs but, that is where the equivalency ends. They have more low end than an EL34 and sound more balanced. They are also not as compressed. However, the 6CA7s have this sweet presence that adds clarity when the amp is idling but, crank it up and the high end crunches up nicely and the harmonics these things generate are unbelievable. I definitely understand why Eddie loved these tubes. I am running these at about 60% dissipation and they rock. Unfortunately, NOS Sylvanias are hideously expensive and the recent EH clones I have heard come close to copping the feel but not the harmonic content and top end drive of these. These are special.

Bottom line, I am done tube rolling in my Komet. These 6CA7s will be in there until they fall apart. If you ever find some NOS Mesa STR416s, get them, they are well worth it!