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pau_leader

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Hey there,

This board is awsome!
I currently own the F50 1x12 combo.
Anyway I have a question. They sell Groove tube converter to EL84, or THD yellow jackets. This amp is equiped with 2 6L6 power tubes.

I wanted to find out if anyone has ever used EL84'S on that amp. Is it safe? Even though they say that you dont have to bias your amp. Is it recomended?
Btw props to the person who put up the settings list on this site. It is really helping me explore my amp.

Thanks.
 
Pau....I could be wrong but when they say you don't ned to "bias" your Mesa, it means when replacing with identical tubes, in your case 6L6's. On the new ROV they have a bias switch to go from 6L6's to EL34's. Also just read on a site (see below) where they sell converters for 6L6 to EL84's so it could be possible but it sounds like the socket may be different.
http://www.tubedepot.com/thd-yjc.html


pau_leader said:
Hey there,

This board is awsome!
I currently own the F50 1x12 combo.
Anyway I have a question. They sell Groove tube converter to EL84, or THD yellow jackets. This amp is equiped with 2 6L6 power tubes.

I wanted to find out if anyone has ever used EL84'S on that amp. Is it safe? Even though they say that you dont have to bias your amp. Is it recomended?
Btw props to the person who put up the settings list on this site. It is really helping me explore my amp.

Thanks.
 
TheRazMeister said:
Pau....I could be wrong but when they say you don't ned to "bias" your Mesa, it means when replacing with identical tubes, in your case 6L6's. On the new ROV they have a bias switch to go from 6L6's to EL34's. Also just read on a site (see below) where they sell converters for 6L6 to EL84's so it could be possible but it sounds like the socket may be different.
http://www.tubedepot.com/thd-yjc.html


pau_leader said:
Hey there,

This board is awsome!
I currently own the F50 1x12 combo.
Anyway I have a question. They sell Groove tube converter to EL84, or THD yellow jackets. This amp is equiped with 2 6L6 power tubes.

I wanted to find out if anyone has ever used EL84'S on that amp. Is it safe? Even though they say that you dont have to bias your amp. Is it recomended?
Btw props to the person who put up the settings list on this site. It is really helping me explore my amp.

Thanks.


Really? I think the sockets match... Ill have to check it out. Thanks
 
Dohhhh!!! slap me on the head, as I re-read your original post, you mention the THD Yellow jacket converter...
I called TubeDepot and they said that the El84's can be ordered with the same bias point as my previously ordered 6L6's. So my assumption is that if you call them up, tell them you have a Mesa and then ask for EL84's that would match the 6L6 they would normally sell you..
Just curious, are you looking for more breakup?


pau_leader said:
Hey there,

This board is awsome!
I currently own the F50 1x12 combo.
Anyway I have a question. They sell Groove tube converter to EL84, or THD yellow jackets. This amp is equiped with 2 6L6 power tubes.

I wanted to find out if anyone has ever used EL84'S on that amp. Is it safe? Even though they say that you dont have to bias your amp. Is it recomended?
Btw props to the person who put up the settings list on this site. It is really helping me explore my amp.

Thanks.
 
TheRazMeister said:
Dohhhh!!! slap me on the head, as I re-read your original post, you mention the THD Yellow jacket converter...
I called TubeDepot and they said that the El84's can be ordered with the same bias point as my previously ordered 6L6's. So my assumption is that if you call them up, tell them you have a Mesa and then ask for EL84's that would match the 6L6 they would normally sell you..
Just curious, are you looking for more breakup?


pau_leader said:
Hey there,

This board is awsome!
I currently own the F50 1x12 combo.
Anyway I have a question. They sell Groove tube converter to EL84, or THD yellow jackets. This amp is equiped with 2 6L6 power tubes.

I wanted to find out if anyone has ever used EL84'S on that amp. Is it safe? Even though they say that you dont have to bias your amp. Is it recomended?
Btw props to the person who put up the settings list on this site. It is really helping me explore my amp.

Thanks.



Yeah that is my main goal, to get more breakup. And also thinking of using a tube screamer or two to pump out more gain. What do you think?
 
Tube screamers are great units and seem to work really well in a clean amp environment like a Fender, but I personally don't care for distortion pedals. I haven't used them in ages and feel like there has to be a Mesa (or a Peavey JSX) that can give you your sound without adding a frying pan emulator in front of it. In my mind, it sorta defeats the purpose of having a tube amp, but there seems to be many that use various gain boxes. I will say that the players I enjoy listening to usually use them to color their sound, not to get over the top distortion.

pau_leader said:
TheRazMeister said:
Dohhhh!!! slap me on the head, as I re-read your original post, you mention the THD Yellow jacket converter...
I called TubeDepot and they said that the El84's can be ordered with the same bias point as my previously ordered 6L6's. So my assumption is that if you call them up, tell them you have a Mesa and then ask for EL84's that would match the 6L6 they would normally sell you..
Just curious, are you looking for more breakup?


pau_leader said:
Hey there,

This board is awsome!
I currently own the F50 1x12 combo.
Anyway I have a question. They sell Groove tube converter to EL84, or THD yellow jackets. This amp is equiped with 2 6L6 power tubes.

I wanted to find out if anyone has ever used EL84'S on that amp. Is it safe? Even though they say that you dont have to bias your amp. Is it recomended?
Btw props to the person who put up the settings list on this site. It is really helping me explore my amp.

Thanks.



Yeah that is my main goal, to get more breakup. And also thinking of using a tube screamer or two to pump out more gain. What do you think?
 
By using the EL84's will it definitly get faster breakup? I dont want to trade that amp, i love the sound I get. There has to be alternatives :D .

As for the OD pedel I wanna try it first before i invest in one. It may not even help my situation. Thanks
 
I installed a pair in my F50. It works fine. No bias adjustment needed.

It doesn't sound like an F30. although, I haven't had the opportunity to crank an F30. It runs in class A, so you get a little bit more sag. The tone is a lot thinner (higher bass) & brighter (more upper midrange chime). This is expected from El84's. It is still pretty loud, but it is quieter than the 6L6 tubes. But, you can get power distortion at lower volumes.

j37
 
Good luck and let me know this works, I may consider this myself when I
want a different sound from my ROV.

Taken from the Internet:

Don't have a Vox AC30? Here's is what you need to get that British sound from your tube amplifier.
Yellow Jackets™ Converters are a type of specialized adapters which permit the use of EL84/6BQ5 power tubes in place of 6V6, 6L6, EL34, and 7591 types. How do they work? They give you simple Class-A operation from any amp.Yellow Jacket™ Converters not only rearrange the pin locations of the tubes, but also provide the necessary current limiting on the screens and cathode as well as blocking the amplifier's grid bias voltage, while configuring the EL84 in a Class-A, Self-adjusiting cathode-bias circuit. In other words, there are no adjustments to make and no modifications necesary, you simply plug the Yellow Jackets™ into the amp's output tube sockets, (in cathode-bias amplifiers) screw the ground wires under one of the output tube socket mounting screws, plug the provided EL84's into the Yellow Jackets™, turn on the amp and play.

How will they change my amplifier?


It's like getting a whole new amplifier! In Champ and Deluxe type amplifiers, the Yellow Jackets™ output is smooth, strong and more even than with the stock 6V6s. When the Yellow jackets™ Converters are installed inlarger amplifiers intended for 6L6s or EL34 output tubes, the high plate and screen voltages are reduced as well as current limited to protect the EL84 and to drop output power. When a pair of Yellow Jackets™ are used in a Marshall 50 watt or similar amplifier, the overall power drops to about 20 watts and takes on more of the character of an old Vox AC30. The distortion is smoother and more even and the output is both substantially reduced and more compressed due to the Class-A nature of the Yellow Jackets™. In a 100 watt amp like a Twin Reverb or Marshall 100, either two or four Yellow Jackets™ can be used. If only two are used and the other two sockets are left empy, the output is dropped to about 20 watts. With four in place, the amp puts out about 40 watts and takes on a whole new warmth and richness. In the cases of the YJ7591 converters, the overall ouput power remains the same, but the sound becomes fuller and the extinct 7591 are replaced with common and inexpensive EL84 tubes. In old Ampeg Reverb Rockets and the like, you experience a warmth and sweetness that you could never get with the now unavailable 7591 tubes.

Are they a permanent modification?

No adjustments or modifications necessary, you can change at will! As the Yellow Jackets™ ignore the amplifiers grid bias voltage, it is possible to take them in and out at will to adjust your power level and sound for the individual gig or session. For an interesting blend of sounds, you can even exchange two of the output tubes in a four tube amp for Yellow Jacket™ Converters and leave the other two as 6L6s or EL34s. This blends the sound of both and lets you run a combination of Class-A and Class-AB.

Will they hurt my amp?

No! Yellow Jacket™ converters are safe for all amplifiers and transformers. As all Yellow Jacket™ Converters internally limit voltage and current they put no extra strain on amplifiers' power and output transformers or internal components. Using the Yellow Jackets™ in higher powered amplifiers actually reduces the strain on the transformers and internal components because it reduces the overall wattage of the system. Furthermore, the heater (or filament) current of the EL84 is lower than that of the 6L6, EL34 or 7591, so the Yellow Jacket™ will reduce the strain on the filament windings of the power transformer as well.

pau_leader said:
Yeah thanks that helps. When you get more "sag" in class A what does that mean?
 
j37nm said:
I installed a pair in my F50. It works fine. No bias adjustment needed.

It doesn't sound like an F30. although, I haven't had the opportunity to crank an F30.

Of course it wont sound like an F-30, because its not one. Dont forget even though you may be using similar tubes the rest of your output section is different, which WILL make a difference on your sound.
 

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