Mark III NOS Tube Suggestions

['59fatburst]

Can you folks recommend an NOS power tube setup for my Mark III no stripe DRG? I'm not sure what works well for power handling, plate voltage, etc. I was looking at a pair of RFT EL34s only to realize they may not be able to handle the voltage. Obviously, I'm looking for plug and play and something that I wouldn't need to have biased. Thanks!!

 

[woodbutcher65]

NOS? That's going to cost you.

People are selling pairs and quartets of STR 387s and STR 415s on ebay, allegedly NOS. How well matched are they? Who knows? Are they really NOS or just not used enough that you can tell by looking? You won't know until you try them.

You can still get STR 415s from Mesa. For 250 bucks a pair. But I'd advise against it. Those should be saved for the most "Special" amps and purposes. (Mark IIC+ in the studio)

But just get new STR 440s from Mesa for 59 bucks a matched pair. They're plenty good.

 

[s-fresh]

In the past Mike B has suggested 5881s, Sylvanias or the TAD 6L6s for my 105PT Mark III. For EL34s he mentioned the JJ E34Ls should be able to handle the extra power.

 

['59fatburst]

Thanks, S-Fresh. I was thinking of trying the Siemen / Boogie EL-34's and Sylvania STR-387's. I once had a set of STR-387s that I dropped into my last MKIII and they sounded really good. I was also thinking about a Winged C EL34 / 6L6 set.

 

[xdg999]

I’ve been trying various tube combinations in my III+ DRG with the 105. Last weekend I put in Mesa Russian 2 12ax7’s, 440’s and 447’s and I’m really happy with the way it sounds. I save the 415’s for my 100 watt c+’s. I highly recommend sending your amp to Mesa for the III+/R2 mod.

 

[Dimezakk88]

Not sure if I’m in the right place but I just picked up my first Mesa boogie amp. It’s a simul class red stripe head . Does anyone have any suggestions on preamp and or power amp tubes . I’m primarily a metal guy if that helps. I’ve played this amp for a couple of hours here and there and it was a little difficult to dial in. Ive pretty much used marshall’s and peavey s . But if anyone can help out I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

 

['59fatburst]

I’ve been trying various tube combinations in my III+ DRG with the 105. Last weekend I put in Mesa Russian 2 12ax7’s, 440’s and 447’s and I’m really happy with the way it sounds. I save the 415’s for my 100 watt c+’s. I highly recommend sending your amp to Mesa for the III+/R2 mod.

I think that's the next step for me is getting the III+ mod. I have a full vintage preamp set along with a pair of Sylvania STR387's. Now, all I need to do is figure out which EL34 / 6CA7 tubes will work in there. Once I have those, I think it's off to Mesa for service and mods.

How would I shop for EL34's for this amp? Am I looking for tubes that will handle a certain plate voltage, etc?

 

[xdg999]

What preamp tubes are you going to use? The Mark III's originally came with Tungsrams and then Chinese Military Beijing 12ax7's. I really like the Chinese tubes. They're brighter and have more gain than the Tungsrams.

 

['59fatburst]

I've been using GE and RCA's. They sound pretty good!

 

[kdorsey]

If you aren’t a fan of bright/brittle, consider Mullard + RFT in V1-V3. Doesn’t have to be all sockets, but the RFTs darken things up solidly. I liked that in V3 best. The Mullard in V1 was great for making a more vintage Ch2. With an old long plate RCA in V1 and RFTs in V2 and 3, it totally rocked! Very different vibe from stock but still had the smokin’ MkIII character intact. Highly recommended. Btw, I have stock 6L6s/EL34s in the power stage.