Hey all, this will be my first tube amp. I don't really know the sonic differences between different types of tubes. Obviously the MkV has options for different tubes. I hear lots of people mention the EL34's take some harshness away and add good tone. However most people using this amp seem to be metal or heavy distortion guys. Nothing wrong with that, and in fact I'd love to be able to start playing around with some heavy tones, but my priority right now is clean to mild natural breakup. Other amps I was considering were AC30/15's and Fender tweeds and little 5/10 watt practice amps I can push to the limit. I want to be able to gig and practice at home with my MkV. I'm thinking about the head and a Mesa horizontal 2x12(not exactly sure which one yet). Anyways I know the Fender Tweeds are usually all 6L6's right? So what difference do the tube options available with the MkV make to the sound? Can I mix and match all different quantity of tubes using the bias switching?
Tube options?
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eudaimonia02912
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A few things:
1. You can't mix EL34s and 6L6s. You have to choose one or the other.
2. You can use any brand of tubes you'd like. They each have different sonic characteristics. However, make sure to buy them from a good dealer, and tell the dealer you are buying them for a Mesa amp. Good dealers will send you tubes that will bias properly in Mesa's fixed bias amps.
3. Some people claim the clean tones sound better with the 6L6s. I switched to EL34s. I didn't notice much of a difference in the cleans.
4. Try playing in 10 watt mode for some bluesy break up. For example, put it on tweed mode, crank the gain and master, but keep the output down. You'll get thick bluesy overdrive at low volumes.
1. You can't mix EL34s and 6L6s. You have to choose one or the other.
2. You can use any brand of tubes you'd like. They each have different sonic characteristics. However, make sure to buy them from a good dealer, and tell the dealer you are buying them for a Mesa amp. Good dealers will send you tubes that will bias properly in Mesa's fixed bias amps.
3. Some people claim the clean tones sound better with the 6L6s. I switched to EL34s. I didn't notice much of a difference in the cleans.
4. Try playing in 10 watt mode for some bluesy break up. For example, put it on tweed mode, crank the gain and master, but keep the output down. You'll get thick bluesy overdrive at low volumes.
sted
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I got EL34's in mine mate, prefer them to the 6L6 at the moment, very nice and channel two and smooth out some of the sting from the channel 3 modes too, go with mesa branded stuff unless your a tube boffin, not worth the risk!
eudaimonia02912
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Tube Depot, SED Winged C EL34s, rated 29, work miracles.
If you bring the amp in for warranty work, make sure to switch the tubes back to Mesas.
If you bring the amp in for warranty work, make sure to switch the tubes back to Mesas.
What preamp tubes are you using to match up with those EL34s? I still have the stock Mesa 6L6's in mine and can tell there's something going wrong with them, plus I want a smoother high end as well.eudaimonia02912 said:
eudaimonia02912
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ESlinker said:
Right now, I've got a Mesa SPAX7 in V1, an NOS EI in V2, Tung Sol in V3, Mesas in V4-6, and an SPAX7 in V7.
EDIT: I took the Tung Sol out of V3 and put a stock Mesa tube back in. I am in the minority here, I think, but I really don't like Tung Sols with this amp.
