Your opinion on EL34's in a Dual Rectifier

[Dylan S]

Hi guys,

I bought my Dual Recto used and haven't been able to afford new tubes yet, and I know it's always a good idea to put new tubes in an amp when you buys used.

Anyway I'll be getting some money soon, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience (good or bad) with EL34's in a Dual Rectifier. I've always wanted to try it, and the fixed bias does make things very easy for me if I want to do it, but I am not sure I want to go and do it without having an idea of what it will be like first, because even though tubes aren't INCREDIBLY expensive, I am a poor uni students and it will suck big time if I do it and it sounds horrible and I can't afford more tubes for a while.

So experience?

 

[lolzgreg]

I would stick with 6L6's. I believe Marcus had EL-34's in his Recto at some point, so try PMing him.

 

[Dylan S]

I might give that a go after this thread dies.

I guess I should also add, I do like a nice well rounded tone (think DHIADW) but I am a death metal musician and go for a very aggressive and pronounced, full type of sound.

I love the tones Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse get with their Rectos, but I know Devin Townsend has EL34's in hi Recto and I love his tone too, and I'm all for experimenting.

 

[53Crëw]

Most people seem to run 6L6's, and I suppose that's really what the amp was designed for. But I like both. The EL34's give just a bit more upper mids to the tone, and generally, slightly less bass. 6L6's make the sound a bit more scooped with a fat bottom end. They are just a slightly different flavor in terms of tone. It really depends what sound you're after.

 

[Dylan S]

Yeh, I'm definitely aware of the different sounds that both tubes offer.
I absolutely love the huge chunky sound I get out of my amp, and the low mids are a great thing for the really full thick sound I need, and although I know the EL34 will tighten it up a little and give it more of a bitey sound, what I'm more interested in knowing is whether or not having the EL34's will take away a lot of what we know/love about REctos with 6l6's in them.

Does it stay virtually the same with just a bit more of a bitey sound? or does it take away a lot of that low end growl and leave you with something that sounds like a supercharged Marshall?

...not that there is anything wrong with that, as I do love my Marshall as well.

 

[Wolfeman]

6L6's and EL-34's each have thier own place... I love the growl of EL-34's, they are very aggressive in the mids. But 6L6's seem much tighter in the bass and the cleans are crystal clear... I favor EL-34's, but I have actually switched back to 4 6L6's and 2 EL-34's in my Herbert because they tend to sound better when recorded, and I need the better cleans.... I'd give em a try though, you might like them. It won't hurt anything to give them a shot.

 

[lolzgreg]

Sorry for being off topic, but Wolfeman, got Herbert clips?

 

[Lowberg]

I had EL34's in my single recto, It doesn't make that big of a difference. You probably wouldn't even noticed unless the amp was cranked past 5

 

[Wolfeman]

Sorry for being off topic, but Wolfeman, got Herbert clips?

Soon..... I think I had one floating around but it was sub par....

 

[53Crëw]

In my opinion, it doesn't completely change the sound of the amp. But just colors the tone slightly differently. El34's won't turn it into a Marshall by any means.

 

[Wolfeman]

El34's won't turn it into a Marshall by any means.

That's another good point, You are only slightly affecting the power amp, the preamp still stays the same....

 

[lolzgreg]

EL-34's do have a very different bottom than 6L6's do though. You can definitely hear a big shift in palm muting and speaker response.

-Greg

 

[Metaltastic]

Eh, I did a re-amped shootout between EL34's and 6L6's in my Dual Rec, and found the differences to be extremely negligible, but slightly preferred the 6L6's (the EL34's sounded slightly nastier/messier IMO). Here's the link! (bear in mind this was the first time I ever mic'ed it up, so I was still getting the hang of tweaking it, specifically learning to keep the bass under 11:30 ) And if you wanna tighten up your amp, I can only hope you're using a Tube Screamer!

 

[Dylan S]

I'm actually using a ZW44 MXR overdrive pedal.

Rectifier with a boost = one of the best sounds on Earth!

I think I might stick with 6l6's. Nothing I've read in here has convinced me that it'd be a significant improvement/difference, and I guess "if it aint broke, don't fix it" comes into play, considering I absolutely love how it sounds at the moment.

 

[lolzgreg]

Eh, I did a re-amped shootout between EL34's and 6L6's in my Dual Rec, and found the differences to be extremely negligible, but slightly preferred the 6L6's (the EL34's sounded slightly nastier/messier IMO).

I hear a lot of difference, as per I didn't have to TRY to notice it. It was there. The 34's have a kind of nasty bump in the mids and a little less tightness.

 

[greyskull]

Ever el34s! With some guitars it negAtes a TS

 

[Lasse Lammert]

not a big fan of EL34 in general...
looking forward to revising this statement when my Überschall arrives in the next few weeks

 

[KillDivision]

Read this:

"The Dual and Triple rectifiers are set very cold in the 6L6 mode even when in the solid state rectifier mode and the bold setting. So even the hottest 6L6's on the planet will still not get the bias as high as it could safely be run. When in the EL34 mode the bias is quite warm with even a moderate grade of EL34's which is why Mesa will tell you that if you're going to use EL34's that you have to run them in the tube rectifier mode. The reason for this is because when the stock 5U4 rectifiers are switched in the plate voltage drops from about 475 on average to about 415 volts so in turn the bias goes down."

Comes from http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-n.htm



I playes a Triple Recto for 2 years with 6L6 in the EL34 mode. I always thought this sounded better (more alive, dynamic). Never had issues.
I also played with JJ GZ34 instaed of the standard rectifier-tubes. The standard rec-tubes are too flabby, the GZ34 are tighter.

 

[JeroenV]

SOVTEK SOVTEK!

Well, those are my favorites, but if it was between the 6L6 and the EL34, i would prefer the 6L6's.

 

[Metaltastic]

I playes a Triple Recto for 2 years with 6L6 in the EL34 mode. I always thought this sounded better (more alive, dynamic). Never had issues.

WOW - whether this can work or you were incredibly lucky, if I find I care enough, I think I'll just get mine modded with an adjustable bias rather than try it!