6L6GCMSTR OR EL34 Tubes? In A Mesa Rectifier Head

[GnawingOnRaw]

The original 6l6gc mstr or the electro harmonix EL34?
Based on experience, which set lasts the longest and which can generate a hotter sound?

I play death metal, and I like a lot of bass in my tone.

 

[Old BF Shred]

All things equal, 6L6 will give more low end than el34. If you want max bass response, stick with the 6L6.
Good luck!

 

[user 17506]

I put some EH el34's in my Single Rec yesterday and not only do I prefer the sound/feel but if there's a reduction in bass response then I can't notice it.
It's worth trying for yourself I reckon.

 

[GnawingOnRaw]

I put some EH el34's in my Single Rec yesterday and not only do I prefer the sound/feel but if there's a reduction in bass response then I can't notice it.
It's worth trying for yourself I reckon.

Thanks for the reply guys.
But I have noticed there isn't a lotta base in the MesaRectos to begin with, you know what I mean?
I also have a peavey 5150. I tell ya, the bass is incredibly awesome. And that's what I generally like when it comes to amplifiers. Features! Because everything else comes from my GT-8 box.

But tell me more about your sound set-up tho. What sorta style do you play? Can you name some bands?
Do you keep your bass/mid/treble/gain at 50%, or do you go all the way?
Can you run a test for me please? Can you turn the bass knob all the way up, presence at 50%, add a little gain with a little treble? How does it sound now? You should hear some distinction.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Run some Winged C 6L6s in your Rectifier...

 

[GnawingOnRaw]

Run some Winged C 6L6s in your Rectifier...

Will this Mesa accept it? I think it's a fixed bias set. Let me know.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Run some Winged C 6L6s in your Rectifier...

Will this Mesa accept it? I think it's a fixed bias set. Let me know.

Just ask the valve store to get it rated for Mesa use, and that's pretty much it...

 

[LerxstLee]

Regular or chocolate milk in my new glass?
I am lactose intolerant.
Any suggestions.

I apologize, I could not help myself.
I don't want to hit submit but,
/cheers

 

[GnawingOnRaw]

Regular or chocolate milk in my new glass?
I am lactose intolerant.
Any suggestions.

I apologize, I could not help myself.
I don't want to hit submit but,
/cheers

What the hell? What is this? You need some milk, kid?

 

[GnawingOnRaw]

Run some Winged C 6L6s in your Rectifier...

Will this Mesa accept it? I think it's a fixed bias set. Let me know.

Just ask the valve store to get it rated for Mesa use, and that's pretty much it...

Cool but let's say I was buying it from an online source. What then?
By the way, isn't the winged an old school tube? More rockish than metalish?

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Cool but let's say I was buying it from an online source. What then?
By the way, isn't the winged an old school tube? More rockish than metalish?

The Winged C 6L6s is basically the new version of the old Svetlanas (the same company lost the naming rights to New Sensors). They are very reminiscent of the old Slyvania and Phillips 6L6s. They sound better than the stock Mesa STR440 6L6s. Not that the stock ones are crap, the Winged Cs sound better IMO...

As for ordering online, just specify what amp those valves are going into, and the store should be able to rate and match them for your amp...

 

[GnawingOnRaw]

Cool but let's say I was buying it from an online source. What then?
By the way, isn't the winged an old school tube? More rockish than metalish?

The Winged C 6L6s is basically the new version of the old Svetlanas (the same company lost the naming rights to New Sensors). They are very reminiscent of the old Slyvania and Phillips 6L6s. They sound better than the stock Mesa STR440 6L6s. Not that the stock ones are crap, the Winged Cs sound better IMO...

As for ordering online, just specify what amp those valves are going into, and the store should be able to rate and match them for your amp...

Thanks, dude. Yeah I definitely have to do an upgrade on this. I don't like it at all. Neither this pair nor the EL34s. I want something with bass.

 

[MesaENGR412]

Try some TAD 6L6GC's (Tube Amp Doctor). I've heard they have a lot of bass response. I'm going to get them for my 5150 II. I'll get their brand EL-34B's for my recto when i'm ready to retube it.

-AJH

 

[212Mavguy]

Please don't quote my post in three, five, or even ONE quote box deep...OK? Am in my cups on xmas eve and feeling more than a bit direct in choice of words. No offense meant right up front.

OP's writing about not a lot of bass in Rectos...beg to agree to disagree on that one, hugely.. Might not be Big Butt Bertha Goot-en-tight to your ears but it's very much there in the circuit design. GB Mister Smith!

It's often about the idle current your tubes run in your amp...BIAS. Please read Randall Smith's "White paper" about bias. Just about any 6l6 ever made has bass out the *** in its inherent design. Best way by far is to operate an amp with a bias pot, or even better, main bias pot setting plus a bias pot for balancing bias between pairs of output tubes for a push pull design, or bias pot for each tube within a pair. That Monsta-tone dude, he knows what to do. 8) You pays yo money, his price is cheap, you won't get screwed. Personally, I can make a cheap-*** set of Chinese, Russian, or Czechoslovakian new production 6l6gc's sound better than a vntage pair of RCA or GE blacklate 6l6gc if the vintage tubes are biased too cold and the new production ones are biased right to their sweet spot/zone.

TAD 6l6 are based on a couple of vintage 6l6 gc designs with more than a little tribute to the old school. With proper bias, they have been reported by forum members to sound best out of new production 6l6gc. Hope this helps, especially the OP.

 

[GnawingOnRaw]

Please don't quote my post in three, five, or even ONE quote box deep...OK? Am in my cups on xmas eve and feeling more than a bit direct in choice of words. No offense meant right up front.

OP's writing about not a lot of bass in Rectos...beg to agree to disagree on that one, hugely.. Might not be Big Butt Bertha Goot-en-tight to your ears but it's very much there in the circuit design. GB Mister Smith!

What are you sayin??

Look, dude, regardless of the tubes, even though I already tried a couple pairs just to prove a point, this thing is plastic.

With that kinda money it's not just worth it. How come my 5150 can go extremely low, no problem. Less features, simple design, pure power.
One way to see a different tone, is to try out some tubes to see if you get 'that' tone you're looking for or somewhat close.
I mean I could prob'ly mod it, or maybe I should... go straight to the output transformer. Because the tone might be suffering from a low grade model that Mesa has used for these series.

 

[LerxstLee]

http://kcanostubes.com/products/554/TAD-6L6WGC-STR.htm

http://kcanostubes.com/products/509/TAD-6L6GC-STR.htm

I have no experience with the 6l6GCs by TAD, but I do have and still use the 6L6WGCs, I bought a matched
quad from this place. I have more tubes than I should have.
I just looked at my bass controls on my DR-RK, using the quad 6l6s, my bass is on 10:00 on ch1/2
and at 12:00-1:00 on ch 3/4. For the price of TADs, I could not be happier. My rca's,mesa, and sylvania's,
can stay in their boxes for now, or at some point I will sell them or use them on another amp.
This is my opinion, these tubes sound great to "me", the people I jam with, and "most" people I run into while playing.
Given that, I do not expect you to have the same results nor settings. We are different players with many,many different
variables in the signal chain. Well that is an educated guess.
It is my bet that you may like these tubes overall,esp in the bass area. For less than a steak dinner what do you
have to lose? Wait, a steak dinner. If you choose to try these tubes, tell him what amp you have
and he should send them to you with the "correct" settings and you may be able to skip a bias mod. This is just a suggestion. Sit back, try a reasonable price set of tubes, even ask him if you can send them back if you do not like them.
If I ever need tubes its this person or Brent Jesse. A simple email with what I need and they have come through for me.
When I test their tubes, what they sell me is what I get. I am not having that experience with two other vendors lately.
That is a whole different post, that will never exist. I try not to flame merchants unless I have been burned and I can say with a great degree of certianty they know it.
I am only trying to help with a simple suggestion, using my experience with the TAD 6l6wgcs, that I use in my DR.
Yet, this may not make you the least bit happy. I am pleased with my non adjustable bias for the dr-rk 6l6s and
the tad tubes I purchased from this link above simply asking for tubes that will "properly" bais up in my DR-RK.
It has been a year and they are still fine.
/cheers

 

[weissach r&d]

i've had good luck with the individual bias pot mod. you can tweak those badboys DEAD. with a pair of svetlanas (winged c). you can get most any sound. any sound available from a rectifier series circuit! a lot 'o amps come across my bench. the mesa's though now far removed still carry that fender heritage. it will never sound like your 5150. a simple tube change cant affect the tone of an extremely complex rec. circuit as much as amps with a far shorter signal chain i.e. peavey 5150/6505, marshall jcm,s, any orange,dr. z the list is endless. the rec. sound (for the most part) is in the circiut. As Mr. smith intended. I love 'em for thrash! hope i helped/no intent to offend.

 

[Neptical]

These problems are the same reason why I got rid of my Single Rectifier ( SOLO 50 ). No matter what I did to it in the last 10 years I owned it, it never did sound good.

I agree with many on this--the Rectifiers to me sound quite sterile and bland. That is NOT the tone Boogie is known for--thus is why I switched back to long time friend..the "mark" Series.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

I would have to disagree, especially judging the entire Rectifier series based on the Single Rectifier. Granted, the Mark series is great, but it would have to be apples vs. oranges to me...

 

[LerxstLee]

These problems are the same reason why I got rid of my Single Rectifier ( SOLO 50 ). No matter what I did to it in the last 10 years I owned it, it never did sound good.

I agree with many on this--the Rectifiers to me sound quite sterile and bland. That is NOT the tone Boogie is known for--thus is why I switched back to long time friend..the "mark" Series.

My amp sounded so Bad I sold it TEN (10) years later to get one that sounded better. :lol:

Now that might just be one of da bestest quotes I ever didded hearded.