2 Ch Triple Rec with EL-34s?

[MetalHorse442]

So I'm thinking of retubing my Triple Rec head with EL-34s from eurotubes.com. I am wondering if anyone has any clips or can tell me what EL-34s sound like in a rectifier. I am thinking of going with them not only for price but because every other tube amp I've had was loaded with EL-34s. I play a different style of music now and am wondering how EL-34 tubes would sound in it.

By the way 2 channel recto users...Do you know about how old my 2 channel triple rec is, the serial number is R-014106


Thanks!

 

[MetalMatt]

Well I don't own a 2 Ch DR, but I can comment on EL34's in a recto. EL34's lend a tighter low end, a boost in the midrange and not as smooth highs (Might be due to the stock mesa tubes). The sound is more aggressive and brighter. I prefer 6L6's for cleans, so cleans with EL34's didn't do it for me. Hope I could help

 

[Russ]

Pull your chassis and look at the inspection dates for your best idea of how old your amp is.

 

[fishyfishfish]

Go with the EL34L's from Eurotubes, I love mine. Another thing, get a matched 12AX7 for the phase inverter, I think it makes the amp sound more expressive.

 

[MetalHorse442]

Thanks for the advise, I emailed Bob from Eurotubes and he said that for my style EL-34s wouldn't be his recommendation. He said the integrated sextant of KT88 and KT66s would be his reccomendation or the 6V6. Does anyone know anything about those? Good to know about the balanced tube. I will have to remember that.

 

[MetalHorse442]

Thanks for the advise, I emailed Bob from Eurotubes and he said that for my style EL-34s wouldn't be his recommendation. He said the integrated sextant of KT88 and KT66s would be his reccomendation or the 6V6. Does anyone know anything about those? Good to know about the balanced tube. I will have to remember that.

 

[MetalHorse442]

Thanks for the advise, I emailed Bob from Eurotubes and he said that for my style EL-34s wouldn't be his recommendation. He said the integrated sextant of KT88 and KT66s would be his reccomendation or the 6V6. Does anyone know anything about those? Good to know about the balanced tube. I will have to remember that.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Thanks for the advise, I emailed Bob from Eurotubes and he said that for my style EL-34s wouldn't be his recommendation. He said the integrated sextant of KT88 and KT66s would be his reccomendation or the 6V6. Does anyone know anything about those? Good to know about the balanced tube. I will have to remember that.

honestly, I wouldn't mess around with the integrated quads/sextets - they're gimmicky and not a cheap little experiment either. keep it simple!

KT-88s are also a hi-fi tube. nice for bass amps, home audio, etc., not best for most guitar amps unless you rely only on your preamp and don't want the power tube distortion signature to be part of your sound. they can sound really big and warm, esp for cleans, but I don't see them fitting the character of the DR/TR well. I think the current draw is pushing the limits for the amp too. lots of reasons not to go KT88 . . .

I guess the big question is, what style of music are you playing now? I would say not to be afraid of losing low end - the preamp circuit of the Rectifier will keep it from ever sounding truly thin (like an unmodded Marshall JCM 900 :shock: ). Get a sextet of KT77s if you like a slightly smoother tone with a little more bass. If you want to get the edgier tone of a true EL34, get the MESA relabeled NOS Siemens/RFT tubes (STR-450) or the Groove Tubes Mullard XF2 reissue. My opinion is that if you're looking for a real change, go with a true EL34 - don't mess with any hybrid setup until you're sure you're not happy with the traditional setups (all 6L6 or all EL34).

 

[MetalHorse442]

See I used to have a Genz Benz el Diablo head and I used to run a Laney and both had EL-34s and that was when I played power metal. The EL-34 sound was great. I play in a modern hard rock band now, cross Three Days Grace, Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, and stuff like that. I need a big low end. I want something that's good in the high range too because I play a lot of solos with the band and on my own I like doing Dream Theater kinda stuff. I am really happy with the stock Mesa tubes that came with the amp but they are almost 4 years old now and the tubes are showing signs of dieing and the tone has gotten really bad lately and it doesn't sound like it used to. I want to have a similar sound to what I did before, but I don't have the money to retube with all Mesa tubes. I was thinking of going for stock mesa tubes for the Pre's and then the JJs for the power section. According to Bob with Eurotubes the 6v6 sounds a hell of a lot better then the stock 6l6 tubes mesa puts out.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

According to Bob with Eurotubes the 6v6 sounds a hell of a lot better then the stock 6l6 tubes mesa puts out.

wow . . .that is very subjective. 6V6s have an earlier breakup and less power than 6L6s - a different kind of distortion when they break up too.

ever listen to a Fender Deluxe Reverb? that bluesy grit when you turn it up past 5/6? that to me is the definitive 6v6 sound. not a Recto tone by any stretch. for modern hard rock with lots of low end, you want 6L6s.

my recommendation would be to contact doug at www.dougstubes.com and get a sextet of matched SED (winged C) 6L6s. Tell him you have a Recto and he'll make sure they draw the correct amount of current. Retubing a TR is never cheap but that is the cheapest way to get "good" tubes in there.

you should also consider new preamp tubes if the amp is 4 years old. Doug has a "variety pack" that he recommends for Recto preamps that a lot of folks seem to be happy with.

I find the JJ6L6s to be more sterile than the SEDs. I would not recommend a full JJ retube (a few placed strategically in the preamp can work well but all 5 slots with JJ will sound dull - blanket over the speakers effect.) Just an opinion, but one shared by a lot of folks on this board. if you have time to search you'll find a lot of praise for the SED 6L6s and a lot of recommendations to use the JJ Ecc83 preamp tubes sparingly.

lead tone on a Recto can be helped big time using an OD.boost pedal but it will never have the lead tones of a Mark. it's easy to get a killer drop-tuned rhythm tone though . . . little bit of a tradeoff. good tubes will help make the lead tone better though, especially preamp tubes.

hope this helps . . .

 

[MetalHorse442]

Thanks, I planned on doing a total retube. I haven't been able to use my recto tubes for a while now cuz i have a bad one and it blows the fuse on standby in recto tube mode right now. I've been using it in diode mode for some time now. I think for power tubes i'm going to get a set of the JJ 6l6's just because they are cheaper then any other power tubes i'm finding right now, and on the recto tubes i'm not sure what to go with I did like the 5ug4's but something a little less mushy would be nice. Any recommendations on that are welcome too. But yeah I'll check out the place you recommended for the power tubes, I'm going to be retubing the head by the end of the month. So after I do I'll have to give you guys some before and after sound clips.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Thanks, I planned on doing a total retube. I haven't been able to use my recto tubes for a while now cuz i have a bad one and it blows the fuse on standby in recto tube mode right now. I've been using it in diode mode for some time now. I think for power tubes i'm going to get a set of the JJ 6l6's just because they are cheaper then any other power tubes i'm finding right now, and on the recto tubes i'm not sure what to go with I did like the 5ug4's but something a little less mushy would be nice. Any recommendations on that are welcome too. But yeah I'll check out the place you recommended for the power tubes, I'm going to be retubing the head by the end of the month. So after I do I'll have to give you guys some before and after sound clips.

for rectifier tubes, get new old stock 5u4gb (Phillips, RCA, GE, etc.) - not terribly expensive. some folks go to a 5ar4/gz34 to get less sag but no amp maker recommends doing this. Doug, Myles Rose, the guys at Groove Tubes all recommend going with a direct replacement too b/c increasing the voltage is a bad idea. The NOS rectifiers last much longer and only run ~$15-$20. I would imagine you'd be using the solid state rectifiers more often for modern hard rock/metal though.

 

[MetalHorse442]

I actually much prefer the sound of the recto tubes. I used them till the day one of my recto tubes died. It sounds like bob at eurotubes.com is into pushing the limits of an amp. I guess that's good if you're going for a brown sound or something. I really like they way my amp sounded before the tubes started taking a dive.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

I actually much prefer the sound of the recto tubes. I used them till the day one of my recto tubes died. It sounds like bob at eurotubes.com is into pushing the limits of an amp. I guess that's good if you're going for a brown sound or something. I really like they way my amp sounded before the tubes started taking a dive.

that's cool that you use the tube rectifiers - most don't.

Bob is in to pushing limits for sure. sometimes this is a good thing but in my opinion, this is easier and safer to do with Marshalls and Peaveys than it is with Mesas based on the way Mesas are designed/engineered (sometimes overengineerd) which leaves little room for modding).

best of luck with the retube. let us know how it works out 8)

 

[MetalHorse442]

thanks for all the info though, in the 5 years i've had tube amps this the first one I've had long enough to retube it and I'll be keeping this one for quite a long time, i'm really happy with this amp. Using the tube rectifiers was the whole reason I bought a triple I love the sound of the tube rectifiers. I will definately give everyone here a before and after on sound clips. I definately am cautious about any mods on my amp because I like the way it sounds stock so doing things like bob was saying is a little uncomfortable for me as my recto is my baby, I don't even let anyone carry it but me and it doesn't ride with anyone but me on the way to shows and I am very meticulous about keeping the dustcover on it when it's not in use.

 

[fishyfishfish]

Back to your question about the EL34's, I didn't care for mine in the Recto, to much mids and not enough bass, but that is just an opinion. I have quads from Mesa and Euro tubes, and I still went back to the Boogie 6L6 because of the versatility of the sound, my Rec is my # one amp now and I use it for everything from country to jazz to death metal, so I like it to be in the neutral tone zone so to speak. If you like what you got, just use the same thing.

 

[DaxNelson]

I just got a full retube from Eurotubes: the E34L high gain kit. I hated it... sounded totally not aggressive. I went straight back to the groovetubes that were in the amp when I bought it. I was really shocked at how much the overall sound was lacking...... if I could do it again, I'd check out what doug's tubes has to offer. I think b/c they sell different brands, they will be able to better fit a player's personal tastes.