Mark V owners who also own a Marshall JVM...

[LesPaul70]

Will EL-34's get rid of the congested and honky sound of channel three or would that problem be solved with the preamp tubes? Also will EL-34's make the amp sound smoother in any way(particularly the treble notes) because that is the last thing I'd want.

I wouldn't call EL34s "smoother" in general - to me, the opposite seems to be the case. EL34s give you a grainier overall sound with more midrange dirt, bite, bark and growl. Yes, it does balance the frequency response in general by filling the midrange notch present in 6L6s (and you can dial that back out with your Mid knob if you want) and, to a degree, even out the dagger-like high-frequency spike you get with the stock 6L6s, like Marek said above. So if that's what gets you going, EL34s might not be for you. (And the spike might not even be a problem with some cabs.)

EL34s are definitely not for everybody - but I would heartily encourage everybdoy to try them personally before making decisions. There was a youtube video that demonstrated the differences between the two power tube types (I can't remember who did it, nor what brand tubes they used), but my impression was that they used the same settings (optimized for 6L6) for both tube sets instead of dialing in a sound that would showcase the strengths of EL34. For example, you can't crank the Bass knob with 6L6s without getting mud. With EL34s you can, and you may actually need to open it up a little to experience a comparable low-frequency response.

So don't listen to what we say about EL34s. Just try them yourself - they are not that expensive - and see which you like better.

Now, if only Mark V had Progressive Linkage, it would be so much easier.
(Progressive Linkage is, incidentally, my #1 most wanted feature for a Mark "Vb". It would be killer!)

 

[MarekRosinski]

+1...

One Man's Honk Is Another Man's Growl...

 

[braintheory]

+1...

One Man's Honk Is Another Man's Growl...

When I think of growl the first thing that comes to my mind is the sound of a triple rectifier played very loud, which is kind of the opposite of a honky sound.

 

[MarekRosinski]

+1...

One Man's Honk Is Another Man's Growl...

When I think of growl the first thing that comes to my mind is the sound of a triple rectifier played very loud, which is kind of the opposite of a honky sound.

see, exactly, when I think of growl I think of Marshally mids that scream and cut over the band. completely subjective...

 

[MarekRosinski]

+1...

One Man's Honk Is Another Man's Growl...

When I think of growl the first thing that comes to my mind is the sound of a triple rectifier played very loud, which is kind of the opposite of a honky sound.

see, exactly, when I think of growl I think of Marshally mids that scream and cut over the band. completely subjective...

but I guess some people refer to that as roar, so maybe your right..
let it be,
One Man's Honk is Another Man's Roar...

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

I would recommend the Winged C 6L6s personally...

 

[JlMMY]

I own a vintage / modified Super Lead, a JVM, and the Mark V. I think Marshall is the way to go for most rock. I have gigged with both and prefer the JVM overall. The Mark V does a good job pulling off the Marshall sound but not enough to get rid of the Marshall amps. I've been repairing amps for some years and have tried el34's in my Mark V. It is cool sounding but than the amp only has that one great crunch tone, loosing the versatility of the 6L6's. I can elaborate on EL34 vs 6L6 but this is slightly off topic. 6L6's just have better cleans vs muddy flat sounding cleans for the el's. El's do well with crunch so they do have a purpose but, in my opinion, el's are a one trick pony in the Mesa. I am running some vintage Telefunken 12AX7 pre amp tubes with RCA 6L6 power tubes and that took any harshness out of the Mark V. It is a great amp and I will keep it forever because of it's many strengths.

I wouldn't sell the Marshall's either. If I were a pro rock star I would be sporting Marshall stacks. Mesa works for my cover band because it can do so much but the JVM has very good reverb and cleans too. Channel one is wired for the power section before the preamp tubes like the old "plexis". Channel two is JCM800 and so on. There are a lot of great amps in the Marshall. If I could only have one, I would go Marhsall. Thank god I am not down to just one though because I love the Mark V too. I bought the Mark V in a combo so I could use it in small clubs. Me and my guitar buddy/s debate this topic often.

 

[MarekRosinski]

Out of curiosity where do you feel the Mark V shines in comparison? If the Marshall is Rock, is the Mark V more Fusion? Just wondering since you have had extensive experience with both and it sounds like you appreciate both on their own terms.

 

[satch4u3]

I tried some Tungsol EL34b's a while back and thought they sounded to honky. After throwing the stock 6L6s back in I realized I prefered them much more compared to the EL34bs.