Mullard el34's in a rectifier?
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94Tremoverb
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Yes.
Although whether it's safe for your wallet is another matter... since you'll probably want to keep doing it
.
Although whether it's safe for your wallet is another matter... since you'll probably want to keep doing it
.Heritage Softail
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94Tremoverb said:Yes.
Although whether it's safe for your wallet is another matter... since you'll probably want to keep doing it
Tremoverb,
I have a single rec S2 w/3modes in CH2. I put Winged C's and Tung Sols in it, there was a bit of a change, not that much, barely noticable with the gain cranked. In my MKV I made the same tube changes and the difference is more pronounced. Not wanting to offend Rec owners, as I am one too, but using it for chugging in stereo along with my MKV to add an extra bit of width and grind. It does not seem to matter that much what tubes are in the Rectifier. I am new to owning a Rectifier and may just be ignorant on tweaking it. I put the Sovteks back in the Rec and it was not very discernable to my ear. The REC seems to just chug happily and sound great on any decent quality tube. The only thing that makes it sound better is to play it loud. Baby likes to make a little racket :mrgreen:
Is there a tube that brings a serious change to the Single REC? I have no complaints with it as it is. It is the perfect companion to a MKV. If it is not too tall of a $ tube I am willing to give it a shot.
94Tremoverb
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I may be wrong since I don't use that sort of tone, but if you're using a Single Rectifier for the scooped 'chug' tone just to broaden the mix you probably aren't going to hear a lot of difference from good tubes - maxing the gain and cutting the mids is going to take out a lot of what makes good tubes sound better, which (to me) is more in the clarity and harmonics. I would also have to point out that Winged Cs and Tung-Sol "reissues" are not NOS tubes either. They are good by new-production standards but still don't sound the same as real old-production tubes.
I use my Tremoverb mostly for clean, low-gain and medium-gain overdrive, and NOS tubes made a *huge* difference to it. I do sometimes goof about with the gain maxed and the mid scooped in Modern mode, and even then I would say it sounds better with NOS - it's got more definition and power. I've run various combinations including GE, Mullard and RFT preamp tubes, GE and Sylvania 6L6s, Mullard EL34s, Mullard (GZ34, which I know is not the stock type) or Sylvania rectifiers. You can even clearly hear the difference between the GE and Sylvania 6L6s. I did also fit a variable bias control which makes a difference especially in the Spongy modes (which are too cold normally) and which you don't have on a Single Rectifier.
I'm lucky though because I didn't have to buy most of those tubes new, they're ones I've acquired over the years (mostly salvaged from dead amps or buy-backs from customers who wanted amps retubed... yes really, a lot of people don't want to keep the old tubes if they can get money for them! - there is still a belief that 'old tubes' must be worn out) and tested myself. Almost none of them are "new" old stock, but they all sound better than any new-production tubes I've heard in any amp I've tried them in.
For the Single Rec with that sort of tone, if you want to change anything at all, I would say give some Philips/Sylvania 6L6s or 7581As (military-grade 6L6s) a shot - they're huge-sounding, very deep and powerful and with a clear, hard (in a good way) tone; and RCA, GE or Sylvania 12AX7s. You could also try a Philips 12AT7 in the phase inverter slot. None of these tubes (apart from the 7581As these days) are really expensive by NOS standards, although I won't pretend that they're cheap anymore...
I use my Tremoverb mostly for clean, low-gain and medium-gain overdrive, and NOS tubes made a *huge* difference to it. I do sometimes goof about with the gain maxed and the mid scooped in Modern mode, and even then I would say it sounds better with NOS - it's got more definition and power. I've run various combinations including GE, Mullard and RFT preamp tubes, GE and Sylvania 6L6s, Mullard EL34s, Mullard (GZ34, which I know is not the stock type) or Sylvania rectifiers. You can even clearly hear the difference between the GE and Sylvania 6L6s. I did also fit a variable bias control which makes a difference especially in the Spongy modes (which are too cold normally) and which you don't have on a Single Rectifier.
I'm lucky though because I didn't have to buy most of those tubes new, they're ones I've acquired over the years (mostly salvaged from dead amps or buy-backs from customers who wanted amps retubed... yes really, a lot of people don't want to keep the old tubes if they can get money for them! - there is still a belief that 'old tubes' must be worn out) and tested myself. Almost none of them are "new" old stock, but they all sound better than any new-production tubes I've heard in any amp I've tried them in.
For the Single Rec with that sort of tone, if you want to change anything at all, I would say give some Philips/Sylvania 6L6s or 7581As (military-grade 6L6s) a shot - they're huge-sounding, very deep and powerful and with a clear, hard (in a good way) tone; and RCA, GE or Sylvania 12AX7s. You could also try a Philips 12AT7 in the phase inverter slot. None of these tubes (apart from the 7581As these days) are really expensive by NOS standards, although I won't pretend that they're cheap anymore...
Heritage Softail
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You are right on both counts. I don't use the Single Rec for much more than accomaniment to the MKV, and have not experimented much on what it can do. It is perfect at the one dimension I use it in. 8) But I did try it with bass rolled back to 1/4, mid up to a little past noon, and treb/presence up 3/4 and it did sound pretty good. It likes the Egnater tourmaster cab. Good tight crunchy chords w/o excessive sizzle. Volume was low as I could not crank it much at 5:00 a.m. but that is what weekends are for. Thx for the good ideas.
What vendors do you have or recommend for good NOS tubes? I have used Tube Depot for new and ship on time.
What vendors do you have or recommend for good NOS tubes? I have used Tube Depot for new and ship on time.
