Members Electric I Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 I'm mostly familiar with the sound of EL34s, so how do EL84s differ? I do know that 84s are mostlly used in lower wattage amps (under 50W from what I've seen/read), but what are their characteristics with regard to breakup & overall eq? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DownByLaw Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 Chimey, somewhat compressed, smaller soundstage than EL34/6L6, nice upper mid character, cut nicely in a mix, can get a little edgy on high treble. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamesPeters Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 Originally posted by DownByLaw Chimey, somewhat compressed, smaller soundstage than EL34/6L6, nice upper mid character, cut nicely in a mix, can get a little edgy on high treble. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lambros Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 that's pretty much dead-on and it's satisfying when you can get some ambient bass presence from them with good speakers. Originally posted by DownByLaw Chimey, somewhat compressed, smaller soundstage than EL34/6L6, nice upper mid character, cut nicely in a mix, can get a little edgy on high treble.Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hi-Ho Tubular Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by DownByLaw Chimey, somewhat compressed, smaller soundstage than EL34/6L6, nice upper mid character, cut nicely in a mix, can get a little edgy on high treble.Patrick Exactly... It is the compressed character of EL-84 tubes that make it so much more different than a EL-34 or any big bottle for that matter and why EL84s don't cut the mustard for me. For sure an EL84 is not a baby brother tonewise to an EL-34 different animal all together. I feel from my own experience a 6V6 is closer to the vibe of a EL34 than a EL84... ymmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheGZeus,OnFire Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Smooth and even. They were the first tube designed for audio, 6550s were the next. They do compress easily, but they're also pretty low wattage(15 watts max per). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RdB Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 ...but they're so darn cute! someone once called them "Buzz-Pencils" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rich Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 I've been smitten with el84 tubes for about 6 months now. They do have an incredible amount of chime, and seem to work great in my 18 and 36 watt Marshall clones. I do miss the thump of the el34's sometimes, but dig the way el84's yield the"cranked tube amp sound" at lower volumes.I still plan on having a hot rod plexi built at some point to satisfy my el-34 cravings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 I love their clean sound through a small amp like a blues Junior. I was looking around for an amp that uses 4 EL84's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LarryJ48 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 In a word, Perfect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rgt320 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by DownByLaw Chimey, somewhat compressed, smaller soundstage than EL34/6L6, nice upper mid character, cut nicely in a mix, can get a little edgy on high treble.Patrick +1 ---- that's plenty accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stratotone Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Here's a clip of an 18 watt marshall clone I built. You can hear the characteristics of the EL84s, because the preamp has very little gain - it gets the overdrive from pummeling the EL84s www.mothrastewart.com/images/18watt/sullyfirebird.mp3When I start playing the extreme riff and the feedback gets uncontrollable - that's a boss super overdrive that I modded. The rest of the clip is the amp dimed - I used volume control on the guitar and my pick/finger technique to vary the amount of gain.Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tonemeister87 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by guitarcapo I love their clean sound through a small amp like a blues Junior. I was looking around for an amp that uses 4 EL84's Laney LC30 all the clean tone you ever wanted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tonemeister87 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by Rich I've been smitten with el84 tubes for about 6 months now. They do have an incredible amount of chime, and seem to work great in my 18 and 36 watt Marshall clones. I do miss the thump of the el34's sometimes, but dig the way el84's yield the"cranked tube amp sound" at lower volumes. I still plan on having a hot rod plexi built at some point to satisfy my el-34 cravings. :D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DownByLaw Posted August 31, 2005 Members Share Posted August 31, 2005 Right on about the 6v6s, I like them quite a bit more than the EL84s because they are closer to me to EL34s in some ways. Love the way they get chewy under heavy gain and the highs are sweet rather than brittle, but still cut.PatrickOriginally posted by Hi-Ho Tubular Exactly... It is the compressed character of EL-84 tubes that make it so much more different than a EL-34 or any big bottle for that matter and why EL84s don't cut the mustard for me. For sure an EL84 is not a baby brother tonewise to an EL-34 different animal all together. I feel from my own experience a 6V6 is closer to the vibe of a EL34 than a EL84... ymmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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