Let’s talk EL34s

HomespunEffects said:
I had a set of JJ E34Ls in my DSL40C. It completely changed the amp and I hated them. They were very harsh. Maybe I’d say they were tight to a fault. I replaced them with Mullard Reissue EL34s and my favorite amp came back.

I’ve got an amp with TAD EL34s (STR?) and I’m getting the same vibe from them. Are they similar in that they are harsh?

I’ll eventually get a quad of Mullards for it but I’m watching the spending right now.
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I’ve been in a band with a quad of dullards, does that count?
 
GTR37 said:
SED winged Cs were my absolute favourites they were almost indestructible and sounded incredible especially in the mids
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I loved them in my first Mark V years ago. I’d love to get some in my current one but I ain’t payin any of the NOS prices I’ve seen for them :LOL:
 
Frankencat said:
Did you rebias for the new tubes? An improper setup can make a new set of tunes sound like butt.
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The amp in question was retubed two owners ago. I’m going to have to open it up.

I’ve been wanting a EuroTubes bias probe. This will be a reason to pick one up. Seems like it’s a lot quicker and less math than the old school way.
 
In my use-cases, I found the E34L pretty decent. FWIW, I have 3 tube amp heads (Ceriatone Molecular, Chupacabra and King Kong). I've rolled power tubes (JJ E34L, JJ EL34, JJ EL34 II and EHX EL34) and they all sounded good. I always re-bias when I put new power tubes in though.
 
I had to have my Elmwood Modena serviced about maybe four or five months ago. Part of the service required new power tubes, he just went ahead an replaced the tubes without asking me any preference, which I was not super psyched about. He used JJ E34L's... Anyway, they've been fine. :) I can't f*cking tell if they are better different than the old ones.

I'm not convinced I can hold a decent reference copy of a sound in my brain's cache long enough to do any kind of meaningful comparison in the time it takes to actually swap out a tube. And I've pretty much confirmed that with the amp switcher rig. So, I pretty much do not believe that any random on the net can do it either, unless the differences were absolutely dramatic which makes most claims regarding tube rolling suspect.

I'd have to legit do a recording for my own satisfaction to get nuanced differences, so, f*ck that.

Some things I do think are true... specifically, I do think the tendency for a high end roll off in JJ ECC83 preamp tubes is notable/audible and I generally avoid them because of it unless I would be trying to tone something down. Their power tubes have been as good as anyone else's IME.
 
Elric said:
Some things I do think are true... specifically, I do think the tendency for a high end roll off in JJ ECC83 preamp tubes is notable/audible and I generally avoid them because of it unless I would be trying to tone something down.
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Yup. If you want murky .... I mean..... "warm" then go for it. :rofl

Just too many other decent options to warrant me ever doing anything JJ.
 
Sorry Star Trek GIF by Paramount+







:rofl
 
I am surprised you, of all people, James are not hellbent to swap them out. Seriously. :idk
 
la szum said:
Yup. If you want murky .... I mean..... "warm" then go for it. :rofl

Just too many other decent options to warrant me ever doing anything JJ.
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So if you bought a used amp, how would you know if it needed new power tubes? In my case, my 2:90. It's not like I can compare it to a new one, so I'm not exactly sure what it sounds like "at its best," to be able to discern if it does indeed need new tubes.

Buying a new set of tubes just to compare is kind of expensive.
 
Some of you guys are confusing me. I thought we were talking about E34Ls but then a couple of you keep saying EL34L. :bonk

Anyway, I had JJ E34Ls in my Rivera, and they sounded pretty decent, but when it came time for new glass, I went with the Mullard RIs and they were a definite improvement. I've used the Mullards in a number of amps, and they have never disappointed.
 
TSJMajesty said:
So if you bought a used amp, how would you know if it needed new power tubes? In my case, my 2:90. It's not like I can compare it to a new one, so I'm not exactly sure what it sounds like "at its best," to be able to discern if it does indeed need new tubes.

Buying a new set of tubes just to compare is kind of expensive.
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Generally, you can tell by the relative power of the amp. Other issues crop up like red-plating,
volume cuts in and out, and things like that.

Also Tube Testers. I have an old vintage one.

My experience is tubes tend to be a lot stouter than people imagine---especially older tubes.
I'd rather spend more $$ for older tubes that will be more reliable both short and long-term
than a lot of the new production stuff that is just not of the same quality or reliability. For me,
this is one instance where older is better. There's a reason there are tubes from the 1950s through
1980s that are still kicking around. :idk

I still see decent tube deals pop up on joints like Reverb. There's a lot of old Russian military grade
glass floating around on the market, too. Just have to know what to look for, and/or find someone
you can trust.
 
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