EL34 vs 6L6
Todd Sandvik
& 6L6 tubes.... i admittedly don't know much. I have a mesa trem0verb,
and I'm curious about the effect of replacing the 6L6's with EL34's (a
bias switch allows for easy swapping).
thanks
t.
Tonefactor
Your tubes still won't be properly biased unless you have a mod done to add a
bias pot to your amp.
J. Vincent Mangin
Todd Sandvik wrote in message <35A25E...@nt.com>...
>would someone be so kind as to fwd some basic distinctions between EL34
>& 6L6 tubes.... i admittedly don't know much. I have a mesa trem0verb,
>and I'm curious about the effect of replacing the 6L6's with EL34's (a
>bias switch allows for easy swapping).
>
>t.
Todd,
I've played through both tube types. EL34s provide a SMOOTHER distortion in
the over all output.
6L6s are a MESA standard. Changing to EL34s would be like turning a MESA
into a MARSHALL !
As far as the BIAS switch, it wouldn't handle the difference between the two
brands. It's factory adjusted for the replacement of a different pair of
6L6s................
J.V.M...
Ted A. Breaux
Todd Sandvik wrote in message <35A25E...@nt.com>...
>would someone be so kind as to fwd some basic distinctions between EL34
>& 6L6 tubes.... i admittedly don't know much. I have a mesa trem0verb,
>and I'm curious about the effect of replacing the 6L6's with EL34's (a
>bias switch allows for easy swapping).
>
Different brands of tubes will sound different, but generally speaking,
EL34s have a more driving, tighter sound, while 6L6s have a fuller, bluesier
sound. I'll get raped by the nit wits for saying this, but this is about as
decent as a rule of thumb as you can make. If you want to have two nice,
yet different sounding sets of power tubes for your Mesa, keep a set of
Sovtek EL34WXT and Tesla 6L6 on hand. There is enough contrast between
these tubes to make the amp sound different with each, but I'm sure you'll
really like certain settings for each.
Ted B.
profrets
Mm9775
>Date: Tue, Jul 7, 1998 22:38 EDT
>Message-id: <199807080238...@ladder01.news.aol.com>
wrote:
>>Subject: Re: EL34 vs 6L6
>>From: tonef...@aol.com (Tonefactor)
>>Date: Tue, Jul 7, 1998 17:45 EDT
>>Message-id: <199807072145...@ladder03.news.aol.com>
>>
>>
>>Your tubes still won't be properly biased unless you have a mod done to add
>a
>>bias pot to your amp.
>
>
>
>
Would you elaborate, please?
Polfus
>From: tonef...@aol.com (Tonefactor)
>Date: Tue, Jul 7, 1998 17:45 EDT
>Message-id: <199807072145...@ladder03.news.aol.com>
>
>
>Your tubes still won't be properly biased unless you have a mod done to add a
>bias pot to your amp.
Tubes are not "biased" in the first place, so what are you talking about?
Polfus
Tonefactor
>
>Polfus
What are YOU talking about?
DB>)
Well, my tubes are quite biased and they think you don't know what you are
talking about . . . .
Some amps have a switch to allow you to use two different types of tubes by
changing the bias range to accomodate, sounds like this amp has that.
Adding a true bias pot is not a bad idea.
As for the question of tone, EL34's could be characterized as more "British"
sounding - warmer, perhaps a bit smoother, more low mids. 6L6's are usually
crisper, cleaner and brighter. These are very general characterizations,
and can vary MASSIVELY depending on the manufacturer of the tube and the
circuitry design of the amp. IOW, YMMV . . .
Dave Blackhurst
Blackhurst Custom Guitars
Polfus wrote in message <199807080238...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>><HTML><PRE>Subject: Re: EL34 vs 6L6
>>From: tonef...@aol.com (Tonefactor)
>>Date: Tue, Jul 7, 1998 17:45 EDT
>>Message-id: <199807072145...@ladder03.news.aol.com>
>>
>>
>>Your tubes still won't be properly biased unless you have a mod done to
add a
>>bias pot to your amp.
>
>
John Kelley Brown
Richard E. Johnson wrote:
> I play amps with both 6L6s and EL34s, so here is my subjective opinion of
> the the two.
>
> The 6L6 is generally a better tube for clean sounds. It generally doesn't
> break up as easily as the EL-34 and has a tighter bottom end. It has a very
> smooth frequency response. I think the 6L6 is a good tube if you have to
> cover a lot of ground, from nice old-country clean to high gain distortion.
>
> The EL-34 breaks up easier and has more lower mids. This is a great tube for
> dirty blues and rock. There is a nice aqgressiveness to its frequency
> response.
An interesting observation. When different people refer to things like
"bottom end" and midrange, I think they all have something different in mind.
In this case, it's always been my observation that EL34s have a bolder more
strident bottom end, and 6L6s a little softer bottom end that sounds a little
murkier and bassy as opposed to the EL34s punchy. EL34s, to my ears have a kick
to the bottom end where the 6L6 is more softened and rounded. The midrange is
the most active area of the 6L6, the EL34s are a little mid scooped, both tubes
have good high end but different, the 6L6 sparkly, the EL34 chimey. This may
sound like I don't like 6L6s but that's not true, rather than separate the tonal
spectrum into bottom end, mids and high end, to sum up what each of these
combines to create in a tube's tone, with the 6L6 the tone is very "sweet" for
lack of a better word, the EL34 is a very "arrogant" sounding tube. When I had
a blackface Bassman and wanted more kick to the bottom end I set it up with
EL34s and rebiased it accordingly, boy was that ever the ticket, but it did
loose some of it's sweetness, yet even on clean setting it sounded bold and
chimey. I've played Marshalls that have been setup with 6L6s and they loose the
clear bottom end and sound sort of congested in the midrange.
My own tastes lean toward the EL34s, my favorite amp is my old plexi Marshall,
but I would LOVE to own a Super Reverb, in which case, I'd keep the 6L6s, a
sweet tube for a sweet amp.
Kelley
Steve
>
> In this case, it's always been my observation that EL34s have a bolder more
> strident bottom end, and 6L6s a little softer bottom end that sounds a little
> murkier and bassy as opposed to the EL34s punchy. EL34s, to my ears have a kick
> to the bottom end where the 6L6 is more softened and rounded. The midrange is
> the most active area of the 6L6, the EL34s are a little mid scooped, both tubes
> have good high end but different, the 6L6 sparkly, the EL34 chimey. This may
> sound like I don't like 6L6s but that's not true, rather than separate the tonal
> spectrum into bottom end, mids and high end, to sum up what each of these
> combines to create in a tube's tone, with the 6L6 the tone is very "sweet" for
> lack of a better word, the EL34 is a very "arrogant" sounding tube.
My take:
6l6's:
More headroom (doesn't compress as early or gradually as El34's
More bass and LOWER mids,
High end as JKB states: sparkly, more spanky than chimey.
EL34's
Less headroom, overdrives sooner.
Good bass, less LOWER mids. Tighter "bass", but not necessarily more of it.
Less lower mids
More intense UPPER mids--therefore more aggressive than "warm and sweet"
Can "bark" or squawk more when overdriven.
Steve
Polfus
>Date: Wed, Jul 8, 1998 18:36 EDT
>Message-id: <OwB0cBsq9GA.238@upnetnews05>
>
>Polfus
>Well, my tubes are quite biased and they think you don't know what you are
>talking about . . . .
Yes I do. Are you biasing the amp or the tubes, Dave?
>
>Some amps have a switch to allow you to use two different types of tubes by
>changing the bias range to accomodate, sounds like this amp has that.
>Adding a true bias pot is not a bad idea.
Ok, so you indeed set the bias of the amp, but *not* a tube.
Polfus
(snip)
>Dave Blackhurst
>Blackhurst Custom Guitars
>
>
>
>Polfus wrote in message <199807080238...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>>>Subject: Re: EL34 vs 6L6
>>>From: tonef...@aol.com (Tonefactor)
>>>Date: Tue, Jul 7, 1998 17:45 EDT
>>>Message-id: <199807072145...@ladder03.news.aol.com>
>>>
>>>
>>>Your tubes still won't be properly biased unless you have a mod done to
>add a
>>>bias pot to your amp.
>>
>>
>>Tubes are not "biased" in the first place, so what are you talking about?
>>
>>Polfus
>
>
></PRE></HTML>
garyfca...@worldnet.att.net
If the amp designer sets the tube's bias point via switching for different tubes, so be it.
There are many amps that use only a certain type of tube that don't allow you
you to vary the negative voltage on the grid or whatever. You don't cry that you don't
have a bias trim pot in that type of amp, do you? And polfus, bias, for amplifier type tubes,
is the act of applying DC voltages to the tube in order to set its operating point
to control how it handles incoming signals that it must amplify. When you bias an amp, you
are biasing the active devices i.e. tubes, transistors, that allow the amp to be an amp.
So, don't be quick to judge other people, when, like the rest of us, there is so much to know
and we don't know most of it. A true moron thinks he knows everything.
GC
pol...@aol.com (Polfus) writes: > ><HTML><PRE>Subject: Re: EL34 vs 6L6
Mm9775
wrote:
>Date: Wed, Jul 8, 1998 21:25 EDT
>Message-id: <199807090125...@ladder03.news.aol.com>
>
>Ok, so you indeed set the bias of the amp, but *not* a tube.
>
>Polfus
Free the monkey
Shooters,
Mike
pja...@uriacc.uri.edu
resistance of different tube types is, well, DIFFERENT, and may account for a
change in sound. Some transformer loads may be more suited for a certain
tube, operating at a certain quiescent point, than others. This is yet
another variable that comes into play when swapping power tube types and
trying to discern subjective differences in frequency response and quality.
Ken Gilbert
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum
StewMeister
> Ok, so you indeed set the bias of the amp, but *not* a tube.
>
> Polfus
>
Ok, I'll bite. So sue me for being serious (curious?).
Polfus:
Are you just playing the devil's advocate here, or are you actually not
understanding what "biasing your tubes" is all about? I'll tell you this:
if you ask a legitemate question like, "What is amp biasing?" you will
come away with answers and more knowledge for your files.
The tone of your previous posts is somewhat akin to Dr. Stereo or Skippy,
all flash and no substance. You bias a *tube* by putting a certain amount
of negative voltage on the control grid of the tube to set its operating
level. That is a fixed-bias circuit and is evident in most amps.
Some amps are cathode-biased with a small resistor from cathode to
ground, but the Mesa Trem-O-Verb has a fixed-bias circuit, thus the
switch for 6L6 or EL34 tubes. Tubes types bias differently (read: need
different bias voltages) and thusly the 6L6 setting won't be optimum (or
more likely damaging) to the EL34.
Disregard all this if you are truly just pulling everyone's leg, but it
doesn't seem like it.
--
StewMeister
Todd Sandvik
think i'll give the EL34's a try. if anyone has a strong opinion on
brand, i'll trust you (e-mail me)
be well,
todd
profrets
LA that brought me a Dual Rectifier. We put TWO EL34's in it (for half
power), removing the 4 coke bottle Chinese 6L6's. He was here in Gainesville
recently doing an album project, and brought it in, telling me that he was
in Australia doing a project and his amp blew another identical amp (only
with 6L6's) into the weeds. That is about as good a recommendation as I can
give you. I am an EL34 fan, I like putting them in Fender Bassman heads, I
have a cult following for my Bassmans. In my opinion, the Tesla as it comes
from Groove Tubes (24 hour burn, superior matching) is the way to go. Gerald
Weber (Kendrick) alleges the Sovtek EL34WXT is also decent. The premium
Svetlana tube is another viable choice, keep in mind, a tube changes the
most in its first two hours of burning, unless a tube has been burned before
matching they will drift. Most tube remarketers do NOT burn 24 hours. Good
Luck!
r...@profrets.com
Todd Sandvik wrote in message <35A25E...@nt.com>...
>would someone be so kind as to fwd some basic distinctions between EL34
>& 6L6 tubes.... i admittedly don't know much. I have a mesa trem0verb,
>and I'm curious about the effect of replacing the 6L6's with EL34's (a
>bias switch allows for easy swapping).
>
>t.
garyfca...@worldnet.att.net
GFC
pja...@uriacc.uri.edu writes: > Keep in mind when you change power tube type and re-bias that the plate