6L6 vs. EL34; wich one has the biggest bottom?
- Thread starter blackcom
- Start date
everybody's x
My name is Damage
LSD-Studio
HCAF crusher
just as a very rough guideline (another amp may give a different result):
6L6 more bottom, smoother sounding
EL34 tighter bottom, more edge and bite
I love the combination of both (like in the mesa simulclass 295 etc).
but careful with such statements, the uberschall for example has EXTREME bottom and uses el34, so really just a very ruff orientation
6L6 more bottom, smoother sounding
EL34 tighter bottom, more edge and bite
I love the combination of both (like in the mesa simulclass 295 etc).
but careful with such statements, the uberschall for example has EXTREME bottom and uses el34, so really just a very ruff orientation
Jaymz
Stymphalian Productions
I think I know where your going with this blackcom and I think its similar to what Id like to know.
Which has the tightest bottom end.....and which is better for metal?
Ive heard the EL34's have less gain but are better for clean....and 6l6's are better for metal but dont have a better tone...;\
Which has the tightest bottom end.....and which is better for metal?
Ive heard the EL34's have less gain but are better for clean....and 6l6's are better for metal but dont have a better tone...;\
Jaymz
Stymphalian Productions
- Oct 5, 2003
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Doesen't that Rectifier Roadking also support mixing 6l6 and el34?
Shure sounds nice to have the best of both worlds....Rectifiers sounds great....i've never played another amp that still has a tight bass even with real high gain settings.....marshall, 5150, and Savage all got muddier in the bass at higher gain settings when the recto just sounded tight as hell...
...I do miss a little "fire" in the mids from the recto, though....that's why i'm thinging about 34, just afrai to lose that lovely huge low end....
Shure sounds nice to have the best of both worlds....Rectifiers sounds great....i've never played another amp that still has a tight bass even with real high gain settings.....marshall, 5150, and Savage all got muddier in the bass at higher gain settings when the recto just sounded tight as hell...
...I do miss a little "fire" in the mids from the recto, though....that's why i'm thinging about 34, just afrai to lose that lovely huge low end....
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
+1, but EL34's have less bottom, period, which is going to be perceived as tighter
.
Jaymz
Stymphalian Productions
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
Yeah, but its the same way of turning an eq knob to compensate for something a pickup lacks or has too much of - it's never going to be the same.
Exocaster
Nozzle
- Aug 29, 2005
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Lots of people swear by EL34s in their Rectos. The difference between EL34s and 6L6s, while significant, isn't so great that it's going to turn your Recto's bottom end into a stock JCM 800 or something. Rectos are voiced in such a way that they'll have a ton of bottom end no matter what you're running in them.
KT77s are supposed to be a good compromise between EL34 mids and 6L6 bottom. They're an EL34 replacement; JJ makes 'em, I think it's eurotubes.com that carries them. I don't know where else has 'em, though...
Exocaster
Nozzle
- Aug 29, 2005
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Hmm... someone gave you some innacurate information there.
For the most part, you're not gonna get "gain" from your power tubes, not unless you're cranked to ear-bleed levels. After a certain point on your master volume, you'll realize you're not really getting any louder, just more compressed- and, eventually, more distorted- but this is generally well past halfway on the master.
The vast majority of recorded metal tones you hear are all or almost all preamp distortion. Modern high gain amps tend to have very clean power sections, so unless you're absolutely blasting (we're talking maybe 3/4 of the way up or more!) it's all preamp. Power tube saturation is big and fat sounding, but it's loose and very "classic rock"; it's not a modern metal sound in the least.
EL34s do generally distort earlier and are widely thought to have a more pleasant sounding breakup than 6L6s, which stay cleaner longer and have a brighter or more harsh quality to them when they distort. Since we're probably talking metal here, it's a moot point, really. If you're using the sort of amp that lends itself to power amp distortion- we're talking old-school Marshalls, Fenders and Voxes here; classic rock stuff- chances are it'll sound good (for those kinds of tones, of course) no matter what you're running in the power section.
Generally speaking, 6L6s are thought of as producing better clean tones. They're not as midrangey as EL34s and they do stay cleaner at higher volumes. There are some EL34 amps that have nice cleans; the Bogner Shiva comes to mind, which is widely thought of as having one of the best cleans of any channel switching head- but 6L6s do seem to be preferred for clean tones. Again, it's partly an amp design or voicing thing- no one picks a Recto or 5150, 6L6s power sections both, for their sparkling clean tones.
As for what's better for metal, it's totally up to you and the amp you're using. EL34s have tighter bass and more mids. 6L6s have more and fatter bottom end, as a general rule.
Hope this helps!
