Mark IV - EH 6L6 or Svetlana 6L6 ?

paleamberglow · Jul 12, 2006

i need to retube my Mark IV... after reading some reviews I decided to get EH 12ax7's for my preamp and either Svetlana or EH 6L6's for the power amp. I'd like to hear anyone's opinions and sound descriptions of these 2 tubes
cheers,
-david

paleamberglow · Jul 13, 2006

well i got impatient , haha, ended up ordering 5 EHX 12ax7's (one balanced for phase inverter) and a matched quad of Shuguang 5881 / 6L6's , since they were the closest match to what I have in my mark IV now (standard mesa 6l6's from a couple years ago - STR 420). hope i made a good choice... i was gonna go with the SED 'winged C' power tubes but i couldnt really afford them right now

Russ · Jul 14, 2006

Those 12ax7's should sound good and sparkly. The 420 comparable chinese should sound fine too. It would be only gaining slight flavor if you would choose a different power tube. The 12ax7EH is a nice 12ax7 but I prefer my old GEs and RCAs. I am currently stuck with a handful of SPAX7s that sound ok but rather generic russian in flavor. I have taken them out for use as spares and mixed in a GE, an RCA, and an EH. This allows me to swap around without having to break out the kit. I like the JAN Phillips too but mine is a bit wasted. I am running 420's and will probably try the 430's or Winged C's next if I don't go to the GT 6L6GE.

fatboy135 · Sep 15, 2006

in my point of view the eh are a bit dirtier that "c". I think that mark 4 and the fabulous clean channel demands a matched "C" tubes

MikeKCA · Sep 17, 2006

fatboy135 said:
in my point of view the eh are a bit dirtier that "c". I think that mark 4 and the fabulous clean channel demands a matched "C" tubes

This is generally true in power tubes but not necessarily the case for preamp tubes.

bscfo1 · Sep 18, 2006

I like your choices. The Svets 6L6's sounded great to me. It just seems more punchy and full using all 6L6's. I guess it just depends on what you want to do. I really like the clean channel with all 6L6's. In the Rhythm and lead channel, with EL34's in the outer slots, it's a little more "furry" when cranked. Like that too. It's very subtle, but it IS there.

The Mark IV is great even with the stock tubes. But if you generally like the tone, but it just isn't smooth enough and maybe even a little bit harsh or sterile, look into tweaking the preamp side. Look in your manual for the preamp tubes and what channel they affect. Then buy different tubes to customize it based on what you think each channel needs. Enjoy.