switching from 6l6 to el34 on my dual rectifier ????

[vredeveldt]

Sometimes i would like a bit more creamier smoother sound especially while playing solo's. I like the thickness of the dual rectifier but sometimes it's a bit too cold for me.
Should i equip my dual recto with el34's.
What will this cost and do i only need to flip the switch at the backside of the amp after placing the el 34's?
Thanks !

 

[TheRazMeister]

El34's give a punchier sound, not sure that will give you the "creamier" tone you're looking for.

From the Eurotubes site:

Difference between 6L6 and EL34

This is a very frequent question and although there is no perfect answer that fits all amps I can give you a pretty good idea what to expect. I've swapped EL34's and 6L6's around in Marshall's, Fender's, Mesa's and Peavey's to name a few and the results are basically the same. EL34's in general don't have a low end that is as deep as a 6L6 so EL34's tend to sound hotter in the mids. EL34's breakup a little earlier then 6L6's and the harmonic content of the mids and highs are more prominent. These differences become more noticeable as volumes increase. You have probably heard the term "Marshall crunch" used before. This term is used to describe the sound of EL34 type tubes when they are being driven into distortion. So if your looking for a great Classic rock tone with lots of complex mids you might want to try some EL34's. The JJ E34L's will crunch up real nice but they do have a deeper tighter low end than a standard EL34. If you like a big low end thump then I would stick with a good 6L6 unless you have room for the JJ KT88's which have a BIG low end but sound more like EL34's in the mids and highs.

Sometimes i would like a bit more creamier smoother sound especially while playing solo's. I like the thickness of the dual rectifier but sometimes it's a bit too cold for me.
Should i equip my dual recto with el34's.
What will this cost and do i only need to flip the switch at the backside of the amp after placing the el 34's?
Thanks !

 

[Dale B.]

Sometimes i would like a bit more creamier smoother sound especially while playing solo's. I like the thickness of the dual rectifier but sometimes it's a bit too cold for me.
Should i equip my dual recto with el34's.
What will this cost and do i only need to flip the switch at the backside of the amp after placing the el 34's?
Thanks !

If you're wanting some smoother tones, pick up some Ruby EL34B-STR's. Request a plate current rating between 28 and 30. These tubes work fabulous in the Dual and Triple Rectifiers. It won't be a huge difference, but it will give you the same type of tone that you would receive if you had the amp biased up, but it will still run in the same range where the tubes Mesa sells run. Trust me on that because I know what one sounds like biased up past the stock range and I've used the Ruby's mentioned above.

Yes, you will want to flip the bias selection switch on the back of the amp to the EL34 position if you're putting EL34's in the amp. The bias selection switch throws another 47K resistor in parallel to the already existing 47K resistor in the bias circuit, which sits in front of the last fixed resistor that "SETS" the grid/bias voltage. There is no variable resistor (bias pot) to fine tune the bias/grid voltage. When you add more resistance into the bias circuit, the Cathode Current (Bias Current) will become hotter. EL34's draw about half the natural plate current of 6L6GC's, so they need some help and that's why this needs to be done.

 

[OneMoreAugust]

Sometimes i would like a bit more creamier smoother sound especially while playing solo's. I like the thickness of the dual rectifier but sometimes it's a bit too cold for me.
Should i equip my dual recto with el34's.

You should try swapping the preamp tubes with JJ's. You might get that creaminess there. I tried swapping to el34 in my DR and didn't care for the tone, but that's all subjective.

 

[SteveP]

Or you could go with an integrated quad from JJ.

2 6L6's on the outside with 2 EL34's on the inside. I have been running this in my dual for about 6 months with no issues.