Mesa Boogie EL84's matched pairs color code?

[trackerdan]

Hello, I went to my local Mesa dealer tonight to pickup a set of matched EL84's for my Mesa Studio Caliber DC2. When I get there I see that some boxes are marked match group grey and others are marked match group red. Now I'm confused, is this some "quality' or tone rating like GT has? Does anyone know?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[LerxstLee]

The bottom line here is;

Lower numbers will start to distort at lower volume settings on your amp, and have more dynamic touch and feel.
These are the GT 1-3 range, and the Fender "blue" painted tubes. Many Jazz or Blues players like this range, and
they work well for recording where levels are going to be lower, or in smaller venues.

Medium numbers are the most versatile, will drop into most amps and be very close to most factories bias settings,
and are the best general choice for most players wanting a versatile well rounded amp. These are the GT 4-7
range, and the Fender "white" painted tubes. The range of 4,5,6 are able to be used in Mesa Boogie fixed bias
amps, and on the Mesa scale convert roughly to:

Mesa scale Groove Tubes scale
Red 4
Yellow 4
Green 5
Gray 5
Blue 6
White 6

Nice to keep handy

 

[trackerdan]

Thanks, That's exactly what I needed to know.

Does anyone know if Mesa will freely give this information up on the phone?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[LerxstLee]

Mesa has always recommend "mesa tubes" and the use is required for warranty .
Somewhere in the forum I did read that mesa does " allow " the use of groove tubes
and they will NOT void the warranty . I am not sure about that post , but
some of their Russian and Chinese tubes are imHo poor sounding . They are used
I suspect because they are highly reliable !

 

[LerxstLee]

Most guitar amps that use these tubes are cathode biased (aka "self biasing") and generally don't require rebiasing when installing new EL84s. However, it is always best to check that the idle power of these tubes does not exceed the maximum rating (12watts) in your amp. Be sure to check or have your amp tech check the idle current/power when installing new EL84s. With some pairs/quartets (any brand, NOS or new production) the tubes will run too hot and have a very short life. If the tubes run too hot, a larger value cathode resistor must be installed. Please heed this warning as we will not be responsible for tubes that expire quickly. Your equipment is your responsibility.

A service charge of $10 per pair will be added for a specific request for "hot", "cold" or "medium" current rating.

Some modern guitar amp manufacturers have used Pin 1 on their EL84 sockets as "tie points" for connections. This scheme will not allow NOS EL84s to work properly. Some of the amps known for this situation are: Hiwatt DC40, Lexicon Signature 284 and Mesa 50 Caliber. The Laney VC30 seems to have been wired incorrectly as well. If you know of others let me know.

In order for NOS EL84s to work in these amps, the connections from pin 1 of the EL84 sockets must be removed.

Bad Cat, Matchless, Dr Z, Fender Blues and Pro Jr, Vox, Gibson Goldtone GA15s, Mesa Lonestars and other amps will work fine with NOS EL84s with no modifications to pin1 but should still be checked for idle current/power. The only way to avoid checking this is to order a "low current", AKA, "cool" pair.

From a tube website , I would stay with what mesa tells me . Bottom line is they make the amps
and sure they " brand " the tubes / BUT they not only have one of the best warranties on tubes ,
mesa's are cheaper than most websites , spec'd to your amp , struck with a mallet , then retested ,
there is a high reliablitly rating . Hmm Pin 1 , I have never heard that one .