Lonestar Classic 100 Watt head with EL34's

[dennisl59]

Captain Obvious here. Well with a new quad set(tested) of these tubes(not Mesa brand($$$), by the way) in this amp, EL34 bias, with the 50 watt setting, using either channel, Tube Rectifier Tracking set "on' and 'Tweed' power switch enabled...this amp is a totally different animal driving a Lonestar 2x12 open back cabinet vs the 6L6 configuration. I wanted to experiment with the amp as an EL34 50 watter...and I am NOT disappointed. I don't use any boost/overdrive pedals(swore those off). It's like having a brand new amp.

 

[Crooner]

Can you elaborate? I'm looking at a LSC and on the recommendation of none other than Andy Timmons, I intend to slap some EL34s in it to achieve the tone I'm after (nice pristine cleans for pedals, rock and roll sound with a slightly British lean, and a tighter low end than 6x6s).

How do you compare your LSC before and after the swap to the EL34s?

Thanks!

 

[dennisl59]

Wow...A question~!. The answer is: it depends. If you're running all four(4) EL34s in 100 watt mode, it's more 'British' than 'California' sounding. Since I don't have professional studio engineering ears, it's a very subtle/feel change in my opinion. Either way, the LSC 100 watt head is the first and last 100 watt head you'll need. It's simple to dial in(use the examples in the owners manual for starting points) and powerful. And if Timmons has been using them for years and years now on the road that's good enough for me. I bought mine from his 'home store', Guitar Sanctuary. He also has a 'rig rundown' on the Premier Guitar website too. Zero Buyers Remorse.

 

[123thefirst]

I tried EL34's before I did a circuit mod on my Lonestar Classic and rather liked what I heard. They removed a lot of low and low-mid bulge in tone and that reduced the huge-ness of the sound from what I remember. The result was more focused, rounder sounding, more balanced, especially in the channel 1. I came closer to the tone I was searching for in both channels. But I switched back to 6L6's and have been trying to develop further mods to get exactly the tone and feeling I'm searching for first, before experimenting further with different tubes.