EL34's vs. 6L6's

[Dino.]

Has anybody swapped out the EL34's for 6L6's?
Can it even be done?

My Dual Rectifier sounds great but I'd like to smooth out the gain and add a bit more sustain.
I've been reading about overdrive pedals, etc. but I really hate to go that route.
Then it dawned on me that swapping out the EL34's for 6L6's may give me the sound I'm looking for.
If I remember correctly, the bias is "fixed" on the Dual Rectifier, so if this can be done, I'm not sure how that will have an effect (if any).

 

[JCDenton6]

When I bought my 2 ch Triple it came tubed with EL34's, didn't sound bad but there was a congestion in the mids I didn't like, compression and less top end.
I recently retubed with Mesa STR-440 6L6's and the sound I was looking for was there, cleared up the mids, more top end sizzle/grind, more open sounding.

All you have to do is slide the switch in the back over to the "6L6" side and your good, if they're mesa branded tubes they will be in a safe bias range.
If you buy other 6L6's let the vendor know they are for a recto, so they can give you tubes in the bias range for a recto.

 

[ryjan]

http://mesaboogie.com/manuals/3chRecto.pdf

 

[knotts]

I put EL34's in my roadster. Switched it back to 6L6's in about a month and never looked back. I think the Rectifier series really craves 6L6's.

 

[thejay]

I have been using 6L6s in my ROV and EL34s in my Roadster... I do that because I can.... I do enjoy both types of power tubes in the Roadster. Certain channels sound better than others, ie BRIT sounds better with EL34s and the sound in general is a little more loose sounding. Depends on the sound you are going for in the end.

 

[Dino.]

Listened to some EL34 vs. 6L6 clips on YouTube and wasn't really impressed. :?
Decided to experiment yet again with different settings and found that setting the "silicon diode / vacuum tube" setting to SILICON DIODE and the "bold / spongy" setting to BOLD helped tremendously. I've had my dual rectifier now for three months and I'm STILL learning all the in and outs of dialing it in! :lol:

Yes, I read the manual (several times) but some things are just subject to preference and need to be heard for yourself. I still may invest in some 6L6 tubes just to see if I can tell a difference. Some say the difference is something that can be "felt" more than heard, so I'm a little curious.

Thanks for your input guys!

 

[knotts]

I always go BOLD. It depends on the sound you're going for, but I feel the amp has more punch at bold and 100 watts across most channels. I noticed that with my Lonestar as well; especially the clean channel. It has more shimmer to it and I think it reacts better to the dynamics of your pick attach. Just what I noticed, or seemed to notice anyway.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Some say the difference is something that can be "felt" more than heard, so I'm a little curious.

That sums it up pretty much. There is an audible difference between the two, but I believe a lot of it is lost in the recording process since the mic (amongst other things) imparts it's own EQ on the final tone.

Additionally, the amp still sounds like a Rectifier regardless of what power tubes are put into it.

In terms of feel, I find the differences pretty obvious. EL34s are more compressed, a bit more midrange and a bit more broken up sounding. 6L6s are a bit more open, have more top and bottom and are clearer sounding.

As for smoothing out the gain on a Recto, there's only so much you can do as the amp is specifically designed to produce that rough sort of clipping it's famous for. Switching to 6L6s will clean it up a bit and put more punch into it... but it'll still sound like a Recto.