Members Kardula Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Need a pair of EL34's for my rivera...not willing to spend more than $100 for the pair and I really don't want to spend that much. What are your suggestions? I'm leaning towards a winged C design and I'd like as much headroom as possible. I don't want the bass to be flubby and I want the high end to sing. I play mostly hard/classic rock, not a lot of metal. I'm not too worried about distortion tones...and yes, I will ask TGP too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zehn Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 I use SED =C= in my Marshalls. They're my favorite on the market. FWIW I've never been too keen on clean EL-34 amps to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ENdtime Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Kt77s.. That fits the bill of what you ask, and they are drop in alternative to the el34s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dicky sofa Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 You spelled 6L6's wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zehn Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by richardcouch You spelled 6L6's wrong... This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kardula Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 yeah yeah yeah, I know the classic cleans mostly come from 6L6's.....but riveras and bogners do quite well with cleans from EL34s, on top of that, $100 limit will not buy me a 6L6 amp that has a better clean channel than my Rivera. so the KT77's will drop right into my amp with no modifications needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ENdtime Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Yeah kt77s and 6ca7 as well. Which is supposed to be the middle ground of a 6l6 and el34. For my amp the kt77s were a huge improvement.. It actually was the difference between me merely liking my amp to non stop playing on it.. Here is a page showing most tube alternatives to the el34. http://www.tubedepot.com/el346ca7.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 It sounds like the JJ 6CA7 should be on your list to look at... I also really like the Ruby EL34BSTR tubes as well Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stonedtone Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Kardula Need a pair of EL34's for my rivera...not willing to spend more than $100 for the pair and I really don't want to spend that much. What are your suggestions? I'm leaning towards a winged C design and I'd like as much headroom as possible. I don't want the bass to be flubby and I want the high end to sing. I play mostly hard/classic rock, not a lot of metal. I'm not too worried about distortion tones...and yes, I will ask TGP too. I replaced the 34's in my Rivera Chubster with 6CA7's. I think that is the tone you're looking for. It made the amp very warm JJ's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slunderfungus Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 I would second the Winged Cs, awesome sounding tubes. I like 6CA7s too, had a pair in my V50 and actually made it sound quite nice. The winged Cs were much, much better though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 If you're using anything Marshall'esq, go for winged Cs. That said, I found that the EH tubes did really well in an Engl Invader 100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cibyl Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by ENdtime Kt77s.. That fits the bill of what you ask, and they are drop in alternative to the el34s I'd a agree with this -- KT77's are a nice alternative to EL34's. I run them in my Tremoverb,..my favorite for that amp.That said -- the clean tones from an amp are hugely dependent on the circuit -- and Rivera's are known for their amazing cleans. I honestly don't think a specific tube will make that much difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macgaj3 Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 JJs always sounded fantastic in my old Rivera. But I have Svetlanas in my Gibson and they sound incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norton666 Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 After trying almost every tube out there over the last 15 years , I can confidently say that I notice very little difference between different variants of power tubes. Maybe just a little bit , but never enough to say " wow , that power tube sounds way better than the other" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ENdtime Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Norton666 After trying almost every tube out there over the last 15 years , I can confidently say that I notice very little difference between different variants of power tubes. Maybe just a little bit , but never enough to say " wow , that power tube sounds way better than the other" Totally disagree. You have a xxx, right? If you can't hear and feel a difference between different tubes in that amp with it loaded then I guess you are missing out on the little things.. it's definitely noticeable in that amp.. The low end depth between them all being the most noticeable initially and the mid range grit of the el34s compared to the 6l6 literally jumps out at me when I switched between them. I'd say it's akin to a pickup swap. Sure, some pickup swaps are felt more than heard, but certain pickups like a PAF and an X2N is noticeable on all levels.. I have had different tubes produce that effectFor me the kt77s compared to el34s I had (which btw, I feel even different brands among el34s can be quite different. To me it's the most varied power tube) was a pretty big change. It smoothed the mids and highs and added more chunk. Lost a little crunch but not much.. And The clean tone was much warmer. the kt77s when clean actually have a touch more presence to my ears, but it's actually a good thing as it brings that"sparkle" and depth that usually bodes well for clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kardula Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Stonedtone I replaced the 34's in my Rivera Chubster with 6CA7's. I think that is the tone you're looking for. It made the amp very warm JJ's so the JJ 6CA7's or some other brand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norton666 Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by ENdtime Totally disagree. You have a xxx, right? If you can't hear and feel a difference between different tubes in that amp with it loaded then I guess you are missing out on the little things.. it's definitely noticeable in that amp.. The low end depth between them all being the most noticeable initially and the mid range grit of the el34s compared to the 6l6 literally jumps out at me when I switched between them. I'd say it's akin to a pickup swap. Sure, some pickup swaps are felt more than heard, but certain pickups like a PAF and an X2N is noticeable on all levels.. I have had different tubes produce that effectFor me the kt77s compared to el34s I had (which btw, I feel even different brands among el34s can be quite different. To me it's the most varied power tube) was a pretty big change. It smoothed the mids and highs and added more chunk. Lost a little crunch but not much.. And The clean tone was much warmer. the kt77s when clean actually have a touch more presence to my ears, but it's actually a good thing as it brings that"sparkle" and depth that usually bodes well for clean I agree that amp sounds very different with EL-34s and 6L6s. My point was Ive never been able to tell a noticable difference between different brands of the same tube. Btw , I have a XXX with 6L6s and a XXX with KT77s and I MUCH prefer the 6L6s. More girth and midrange where as the KT77s are definitely a lot brighter and snappier. But comparing the KT77 to an EL-34 , I can tell very little difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mike LX-R Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 I agree that the KT77's will be the closest to an EL34 but will give you better cleans. 6CA7 is definitely worth a try, for sure. I haven't quite decided which I prefer between those two for tubes that can replace an EL34 without mods.All that said, what you really meant to ask is which brand of 6L6 you should be buying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kardula Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Mike LX-R All that said, what you really meant to ask is which brand of 6L6 you should be buying I disagree, some of the best clean tones I've ever heard came from EL34's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mike LX-R Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Kardula I disagree, some of the best clean tones I've ever heard came from EL34's. I know it's possible and has more to do with tastes than anything. Just joshing you is all. But typically, and you can't deny, the tube that gets the roundest fattest clean tone is a 6L6, maybe a KT88 or one of those uber fat tubes would have something else to say about that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shane159 Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 I can tell the difference in some of the different EL34's but it is nothing major, however the Winged C's and the Ruby EL34's seem to make a fairly big difference. Those are my favorite EL34's b/c they just sound bigger and tighter without and muddy lows or spikey highs. As far as the best cleans, yeah the 6L6 is the best ,but the Winged C EL34's are {censored}ing nice also. They are pricey though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kardula Posted December 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Mike LX-R I know it's possible and has more to do with tastes than anything. Just joshing you is all. But typically, and you can't deny, the tube that gets the roundest fattest clean tone is a 6L6, maybe a KT88 or one of those uber fat tubes would have something else to say about that though. nah, i definitely agree that the standard great cleans are from 6l6's...specifically the fender twin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stonedtone Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Kardula so the JJ 6CA7's or some other brand? The JJ's worked great in my Rivera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ENdtime Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Originally Posted by Norton666 I agree that amp sounds very different with EL-34s and 6L6s. My point was Ive never been able to tell a noticable difference between different brands of the same tube. Btw , I have a XXX with 6L6s and a XXX with KT77s and I MUCH prefer the 6L6s. More girth and midrange where as the KT77s are definitely a lot brighter and snappier. But comparing the KT77 to an EL-34 , I can tell very little difference. Ok. It read like all power tubes sound relatively similar to you.. But I still disagree about the difference of an el34 an the kt77s.. To me the kt77s really did make the xxx into the amp I really like.. The chunk and warmth of the kt77s were much improved.. But I do also like the amp with 6l6..Anyway, sorry to be off topic. So back to the OP, I still think a kt77 should do what your are looking for, but as was said, all amps are designed a bit different and not all will respond the same. then factor in the imperfection of tubes and really you have about a 50/50 chance!haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zozobra Posted December 27, 2012 Members Share Posted December 27, 2012 Buy a cheap EQ pedal Place in loop Scoop mids Chimey cleans await Chances are your amp has a very high upper mid range emphasis which sounds {censored} and muddy for cleans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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