Curious about some tubes for MARKIV

[fatbagg]

Ok...I tried EH, and didnt like them...sounded too flat and bright for me...So I got all JJ's (5 preamp and 4 6l6) Well now Im running two el34 and 2 6l6. Im gonna be retubing soon...I am mostly a leadplayer, and was curious as to some sound differences...What would be a dynamic, smooth tube, that will keep things tough and...jammin'. I like a good heavy sound too, but mainly im looking for a tube that will be real smooth and dynamic and stuff...HELP!?

I was thinking of trying tung soll preamp and =C= (sed?) 6l6 and el34... good bad? suggestions?

 

[Boogiebabies]

The SED's in Simul EL-34/6L6 is a superb combination. For pre's, I think the
Tung-Sol's are marketing hype from EH. They are still made in Saratov, not New Jersey. I too am a smoothie and use NOS Svetlana EL-34's and 6L6's with the V1 and V5 being the GT 12AX7M and the V2,3 and 4 are Ruby/GT 12AC7 C9's. In the third C+ i'm running GT 6L6GE's and GT 6CA7GE's with the same preamp setup. It is extremely nice as well, but ungodly expensive. When I feel really jonesing, I use 4 new Mesa STR-415's and 5 NOS RFT 12AX7's for the most gain and smoothest tone with tons of drive, warmth and headroom.

The JJ 6L6GC and E34L are a nice warm setup, but only the Groove Tube tooling. The E34L is designed just like the old superior toned Tesla E34L.
They are close, but not exact. I would avoid JJ pre's unless you want really smooth. They do help tame this bright amp, but look forward to changing your setting to bring some treble and presence back.

 

[fatbagg]

awesome...So...preamps...?whaddya think would be nice to try? tried the jj golds?

 

[Shep]

i use all JJ's but if you want alittle more life put a tung sol in V1 ..

mesa str 420's in the power section.. i don't think Ed said anything about the 420's.. they are a sweet tube if you can get them..and he really likes them to as well as well as most people on this board..

 

[Russ]

Smooth and dynamic while tough and jammin'? Mainly smooth and dynamic and stuff? That is pretty tough. It takes some time swapping tubes in and out.

You could try NOS preamp tubes. Telefunken and Mullard are first that come to mind. GE's seem pretty smooth but not quite as musical. RCA's are a good all around tube. As Boogiebabies pointed out the RFT is nice. Mazda gray plates are pretty similar. You might try Amperex or Bugle Boy's too. Brimar and Tungsram are other choices that stand out. The old Tesla tubes are excellent also but hard to find. BTW those JJ's (Tesla wanna-be's) have a dark tone that is somewhat dull though they do have nice gain. They would make a good support tube but not necessarily my choice for V1. Another great support tube is the C9 as Boogiebabies mentioned. I have heard lots of great stuff about the Tung-Sol RI. I don't think that it is marketing hype though because there are many that are using them and really liking them. They seem to be a rounder sounding tube than the typical EH. Another good support tube would be the Sovtek LPS.

I'd say if you haven't tried them, find some STR420's. They seem really nice in the power section. I have a quad of those in my Mark IV and I have no complaints. I am probably going to have to retube my power section soon, so I too am shooping different stuff but I know if I find a set of 420's I might just get them because I already know they sound good. The GT 6L6GE is a reissue of one of the best 6L6's ever made. You certainly wouldn't go wrong trying those. I might just try them myself because of Boogiebabies' reviews. I haven't heard the 6CA7GE yet nor the old 415. The old 415 is supposed to be a good sounding very longlife tube. Too bad all tubes can't last 10,000 hours.

 

[Platypus]

Tossing in my coins for the GT 6L6GE, I've never been more impressed with a tube.

 

[Guitarzan]

Tossing in my coins for the GT 6L6GE, I've never been more impressed with a tube.

I'll second that!

 

[6L6C]

I have been using the 6l6/EL34 combination a while, I use to use 6L6 straight across but have not found anything I really care for in a while. When I got these tubes www.dougstubes.com I broke down and went for the 6L6’s straight across. My Mark IV never sounded this good EVER! I’m loving the SED’s and the preamp package that Doug put together for me but I also plan on getting the 6l6/EL34 combo in SED’s. might go for some 6V6’s also. I love to change it up especially while recording.

V1 Tung-Sol reissue 12AX7
V2 high gain JJ ECC83S
V3 Penta Labs/Shuguang 12AX7C
V4 Unlabled/Shuguang 12AX7C
V5 balanced Sovtek 12AX7LPS

Power section (4) winged=c= SED 6L6GC[/quote]

 

[Russ]

I hope that Penta is a recent C or a C9. I had a couple in a preamp that came stock and they sucked. There again, those were early 90's. Good tip on the winged C.

 

[6L6C]

I hope that Penta is a recent C or a C9. I had a couple in a preamp that came stock and they sucked. There again, those were early 90's. Good tip on the winged C.

Yeah it is a “C”. Im really happy with the mix of preamp tubes that Doug put together. And those SED’S mmmm real nice.