Nitrobattery
Well-known member
is it do-able?
EL34's in a DC-5?
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Nitrobattery
Well-known member
anyone?
Call Mesa M-Th PDT ...they can answer you. My layman's response would be yes, but with mods as voltages/current draws are diff between 6L6 and EL34s. Moreover, why would you want to? If you want EL tone, try and tweak it with tube and speaker/cab selection, or get an EL amp would be my advice.
Edward
Edward
Nitrobattery
Well-known member
I like the amp, I just want to try it with EL34's...or more to the point E34L's
LithiumZero
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Yesterday I used the slave out of my DC-10 Head and the power section of an EL-34 powered Marshall JCM 900 4100. I sounded much more crunchy and aggressive than it does with 6L6's. I really liked it. Great attack and grind! I think you would have to upgrade the transformers in the DC-10 if you wanted to run EL-34's in it so it would be a pretty expensive mod that you probably wouldn't get your money back out of if you were to sell it. IMHO it would be a GREAT mod to the DC series amps!
6L6's draw .9 amps from the 6.3 volt filament taps on your Power Transformer.
EL34's will draw 1.5 amps.
This means that you may end up taxing the Power Transformer to the limits of it's abillities. It may last several years, or it may take a huge dump at your next gig.
4x6L6 = 3.6 amps
4xEL34 = 6 amps
a difference of 2.4 amps.
You could do it if you removed the filament taps from the Power Tubes and added an additional Power Transformer that only supplies the 6.3 v filament taps to the Power Tubes.
These are relatively small and can be placed inside the amp's chassis, so it will look completely stock (with the exception of the tubes). I have bought these from Mouser, www.mouser.com, for little to nothing.
You will also have to do a little math to fix the bias circuit, or add an adjustable bias pot like I did.
Hope this helps. Don't do it yourself, if you don't have the skills. Amps can kill.
EL34's will draw 1.5 amps.
This means that you may end up taxing the Power Transformer to the limits of it's abillities. It may last several years, or it may take a huge dump at your next gig.
4x6L6 = 3.6 amps
4xEL34 = 6 amps
a difference of 2.4 amps.
You could do it if you removed the filament taps from the Power Tubes and added an additional Power Transformer that only supplies the 6.3 v filament taps to the Power Tubes.
These are relatively small and can be placed inside the amp's chassis, so it will look completely stock (with the exception of the tubes). I have bought these from Mouser, www.mouser.com, for little to nothing.
You will also have to do a little math to fix the bias circuit, or add an adjustable bias pot like I did.
Hope this helps. Don't do it yourself, if you don't have the skills. Amps can kill.
