New power tubes help please...

[pinhedgtr]

Hi all,
I was looking into trying out some EL34's in my mesa roadster 2X12 combo. I play mostly metal with some clean tones as well. I was cruising around Doug's site and saw that for metal he reccomends using Ruby EL34BSTR's. My question is about the ratings: early, average and late distortion. What are the differences and which would be best for my style of playing?

Thanks!
Brian

 

[MrMarkIII]

If you are maxing the pre-amp gain and running the masters low, the power tubes aren't having a large impact on the distorted tones anyway, so it depends on how loud you play.
Get the late breakup tubes if you crank the master volume above 4 on a regular basis and desire maximum clean sounds.
Early distortion can sound good at lower bedroom or practice volumes, but they can fart out when competing with the rest of the band.

 

[pinhedgtr]

Thanks for the input MrMark,
I actually use the FX loop on the amp, but normally I run the the Channel Volume low and the Master up around 1:00-2:00 this is for Ch.4 Modern with the gain around 1:30-2:00. So it sounds like "Average distortion" might be a good choice for me?

Thanks again
B