EL-34s in a Recto....

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

I finally got my recto cab, and I'm liking it so far! It seems to be fuller than the avatar.....just bigger!

Now, this thought has been bugging me quite a bit lately.....how do you guys like EL-34s in your recto? I've been considering using them for quite some time, and actually have a quad of JJ E-34Ls lying at home, but I'm afraid I'm going to loose that flat out brutality of Channel 3 Modern I get with 6L6s......I DO NOT scoop my mids....at all!

What are your opinions of EL-34s in the recto? How does it affect each of the channels? I have heard Platypus's clips on channel 2 vintage, and they sound great! But I'm looking for a slightly more in your face tone.....will the EL-34s still be able to deliver?

I guess the obvious would be just to pop them in and try them, but I will not have a chance to crank the puppy up for a while, and I would like some more opinions first!

Thanks!

 

[diamondschwin]

i just made the switch from 6l6 to el34 and wow whatttttttttttttt a difference, i know your whole issue with too much buzz or fizz in the top end.. i had the same issue and the el34s did alot for that... its much better. the distortion has more midrange bite and attack.. less compressed. the bottom end is tighter, it seems the low end resonance has shifted up a bit, giving more punch, but it still has ridiculously mean lows... i really recomend trying them out, they make the amp less processed sounding and more gnarly... im in heaven..

right now im running

tungsol v1
mesa spax7a v2
stock 12ax7a in rest of positions
mesa el34 blue
diode rectifier

its a mean combo, soon im swapping JJs in for the 3rd and 4th pre positions, i think that will do some more awesome tone shaping!


oh yeah i also remember you and me had pretty much the same tone settings at one point... i think we have similar ideas for the tone we want, and from what you have said about the tone you want, and what i want, i think youll love em


enough talking

go rock those JJ E34ls out!

 

[Platypus]

Just bite the bullet and try it... it gets mighty brutal on the 3rd channel in Modern... I just tried out my new guitar with the same settings tonight and it has that classic 6L6 chug to it in that channel but much more focused and tight. It's not gonna be death metal heavy as the 6L6's but it's such a sweet tone, I don't think I'll ever go back at this point!

 

[diamondschwin]

i also wanted to add it made my clean channel have this nice vox like bite and darkness to it.. really cool stuff... plus it makes the vintage more usable for me.. the presence knob also seems more reactive.

 

[Guitarzan]

Ya got nothing to lose dude, do it!

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I'm gonna do it next band practice! Everything is sounding very good!

The low end on the recto is insane....I can't see myself missing any of that.....and things are getting a little too compressed at times. Nice, but for some heavy chording, it almost tends to thin out in the mix.

And I'm not going for death metal here....at all.....my music is very Tremonti influenced.

Breaking Benjamin for example....they use EL-34 loaded H&K amps and get brutal mid-full tones! So that's what's pushing me!

 

[JamesD]

I had actually heard that Breaking Benjamin used Randalls for the new record, but not sure if it is true. Either way, their new cd is awesome! If those are EL34's then i might just pick me some up, beacuse i love the tone they have on Phobia.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Aaron uses a Randall....no idea which one...but Ben uses a H&K Duotone, which runs EL-34s.....I love the guitar tones, but you also have to keep in mind they tune in drop B now.

Any more comments for or against EL-34s?

 

[disassembled]

How about both? You can run integrated quads on the dual rec (2 EL34 and 2 6L6). Bob at Eurotubes has been hookin people up with this setup for years.

 

[JamesD]

I thought about the both setup. With 6L6's and EL34's, the only thing i wondered about was not getting the full impact from either tubes. I am probably completely wrong on that, but that is what made me think twice on that.

 

[diamondschwin]

if anybody here is wondering if an el34 can do metal well heres the deal


in a recto of course they can!
in an amp like the rectifier the tone stack is extremely responsible for the gain and the tone, all that rectifier low end is from the circuitry not the tubes... the tubes just enhance or color the tone after the fact. especially when it comes to power tubes. the reason i changed to El34s is to round off the extended high end response and to push it more in the upper mids, lending the amp a more responsive tone, which is exactly what the swap has done, but i would definetly say that this mother can get heavy as all hell still, its all a matter of how you play and also that this amp was designed to obliterate the ideas of high gain amplification and it still does

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Sounds great! I'll be popping em in today during practice! All the recto lacks is mids....so EL-34s better be a nice fix!

Feel free to still chime in though!

 

[TheRazMeister]

IB...before you jump the gun and get excited about all the EL34 hype, keep in mind that Mesa..the guys that BUILT the amp and fine tuned the pre-amp section, chose 6L6's to be the primary power tube. The difference I noticed was minimal...the cleans were not as good although my leads seemed to jump out slightly more. Overall, not exactly a 'WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEVER TRIED THAT BEFORE" like I read on occasion. Also, I used the JJ E-34L's and they farted out after about a month. Bob wouldn't believe his tubes were bad and I'll never by a Eurotube JJ ever again. Also, in the "Tube" forum, there is a great post about why Mesa chooses their particular manufacturer.

Hey guys!

I finally got my recto cab, and I'm liking it so far! It seems to be fuller than the avatar.....just bigger!

Now, this thought has been bugging me quite a bit lately.....how do you guys like EL-34s in your recto? I've been considering using them for quite some time, and actually have a quad of JJ E-34Ls lying at home, but I'm afraid I'm going to loose that flat out brutality of Channel 3 Modern I get with 6L6s......I DO NOT scoop my mids....at all!

What are your opinions of EL-34s in the recto? How does it affect each of the channels? I have heard Platypus's clips on channel 2 vintage, and they sound great! But I'm looking for a slightly more in your face tone.....will the EL-34s still be able to deliver?

I guess the obvious would be just to pop them in and try them, but I will not have a chance to crank the puppy up for a while, and I would like some more opinions first!

Thanks!

 

[Platypus]

IB...before you jump the gun and get excited about all the EL34 hype, keep in mind that Mesa..the guys that BUILT the amp and fine tuned the pre-amp section, chose 6L6's to be the primary power tube. The difference I noticed was minimal...the cleans were not as good although my leads seemed to jump out slightly more. Overall, not exactly a 'WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEVER TRIED THAT BEFORE" like I read on occasion. Also, I used the JJ E-34L's and they farted out after about a month. Bob wouldn't believe his tubes were bad and I'll never by a Eurotube JJ ever again. Also, in the "Tube" forum, there is a great post about why Mesa chooses their particular manufacturer.

Hey guys!

I finally got my recto cab, and I'm liking it so far! It seems to be fuller than the avatar.....just bigger!

Now, this thought has been bugging me quite a bit lately.....how do you guys like EL-34s in your recto? I've been considering using them for quite some time, and actually have a quad of JJ E-34Ls lying at home, but I'm afraid I'm going to loose that flat out brutality of Channel 3 Modern I get with 6L6s......I DO NOT scoop my mids....at all!

What are your opinions of EL-34s in the recto? How does it affect each of the channels? I have heard Platypus's clips on channel 2 vintage, and they sound great! But I'm looking for a slightly more in your face tone.....will the EL-34s still be able to deliver?

I guess the obvious would be just to pop them in and try them, but I will not have a chance to crank the puppy up for a while, and I would like some more opinions first!

Thanks!

I'm pretty surprised to hear that Bob wouldn't help you out with the tubes, he's replaced JJ tubes for me without even a second guess and they came two days later.. he didn't even want the old ones back. That's unfortunate to hear you got such crappy customer service!

While you have valid points about the amp being designed for a 6L6 power section, the combination really works well. I've tried tons of different choices and what worked best for me were the JJEL34L's. Everyone has a different tonal pallete so I'd say I agree that comments like "OMG THIS IS THE BEST EVER FORGET THE 6L6's" etc are a bit presumptious.

Tubes just flip out for no reason sometimes, I've had Mesa tubes go on me , JJ's, GrooveTubes, etc. I stand by my comments in the thread you referenced in the Tubes forum.

There's no right or wrong answer to things like this

 

[TheRazMeister]

Plat...I made a comment on another thread that this is like comparing Fender and Gibson. There will those that love one and not the other. The best thing is to try and find forum-ites with the same basic mindset and musical taste....mix that with a grain of salt and then come up with your own opinion.

BTW - I really was disappointed in my experience with Eurotubes, I had heard such good things about them. I think my failing was that I came off as a Newbie and he may have thought I didn't have the "ON" button depressed. :lol:

 

[Platypus]

Plat...I made a comment on another thread that this is like comparing Fender and Gibson. There will those that love one and not the other. The best thing is to try and find forum-ites with the same basic mindset and musical taste....mix that with a grain of salt and then come up with your own opinion.

BTW - I really was disappointed in my experience with Eurotubes, I had heard such good things about them. I think my failing was that I came off as a Newbie and he may have thought I didn't have the "ON" button depressed. :lol:

You're 100% right in my opinion

 

[jbird]

I ran EL34's for a few years, went back to 6L6's! Missed the sizzle! The EL34's still retain that aggressive nature in a Modern setting, but I did'nt care for they're tonal range, or lack there-of! The lack of sizzly treble and bite. The lack of a deep bottom. The mids are OK, but not very flexible in range, as are the 6L6's. The cleans are nice, glassy, and bouncy, though thin, and break up too early! BTW, apparently your not suppose to run Diodes when in EL34 mode! Probably a tube related reliability issue, which Mesa also states why they don't choose to offer EL34's as stock tubes, less reliability!

 

[Barry]

Hey guys!

I finally got my recto cab, and I'm liking it so far! It seems to be fuller than the avatar.....just bigger!

Now, this thought has been bugging me quite a bit lately.....how do you guys like EL-34s in your recto? I've been considering using them for quite some time, and actually have a quad of JJ E-34Ls lying at home, but I'm afraid I'm going to loose that flat out brutality of Channel 3 Modern I get with 6L6s......I DO NOT scoop my mids....at all!

What are your opinions of EL-34s in the recto? How does it affect each of the channels? I have heard Platypus's clips on channel 2 vintage, and they sound great! But I'm looking for a slightly more in your face tone.....will the EL-34s still be able to deliver?

I guess the obvious would be just to pop them in and try them, but I will not have a chance to crank the puppy up for a while, and I would like some more opinions first!

Thanks!

At the end of the day its all personal taste . I prefer EL34's over the 6L6s . I use them quite often in my Road King. A bit brighter, breakup sooner . They are my cup of tea .

 

[songrider]

Well thanks to this thread I tried some EL34's in my Dual Rectifier and it is AWESOME!!!

I am going to stay with them.... tighter sounding and killed that high "buzz" sound.

 

[tele_jas]

Last year I took about 3 hours to play with switching out tubes in my Tremoverb to see the difference in 6L6s vs EL34's.

Ok.... 2 hours, here's the thread:

http://www.grailtone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1820&highlight=6l6s++el34s