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School me on amp tubes

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  • #1

    School me on amp tubes

    Well, I have already found out that tube amps sound better than solid states IMO, and I have found out the most popular tube types seem to be EL34, EL84, 6L6 and ECC83.

    Could you please explain me what tubes are used for what kind of sound/amp, what other "major" tubes are out there, and also tell me if some tubes do not fit into a certain sort of amp (powerwise or something, I don't know...)

    I'm a huge fan of ENGL amps, want a tube one myself, and on their website, they use so many different tubes that I get kind of lost. Any input would be appreciated. It's like going back to school
    There's so much gear I want that the whole list would make a highway to hell if it was ever written down.
    Don't ask.
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  • #2
    Re: School me on amp tubes

    VERY broadly speaking:

    EL34s are usually found in pairs or fours running 50w and 100w amps respectively. The EL34 is associated with a 'British' sound e.g.Marshall.

    EL84s are associated with a different 'British' sound - the VOX AC30. They are also used in many American amps usually in fours producing around 30 watts.

    The 6LS is more commonly associated with an 'American' sound and is found in a great many Fender amps.

    All of the above valves (tubes) are power amp/output valves.

    The ECC83 is a common pre-amp tube which pumps up and shapes your sound before it goes to the power valves to be made loud.

    This is a very basic view. There is a ton of information on the net. Welcome to a new world. Tubes can make you deliriously happy or send you wild with rage. They are rather unpredictable creatures.

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    • #3
      Re: School me on amp tubes

      LOL, thanks !
      There's so much gear I want that the whole list would make a highway to hell if it was ever written down.
      Don't ask.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: School me on amp tubes

        Tubes certainly produce "flavor" in tube amps. But my opinion is that amp design is the biggest factor in tone, regardless of the tubes being used. That's why Engl uses different power tubes but still seems to get that "Engl sound" in their amps.

        I've always gravitated towards EL34 amps. But I love Bogner amps period, and Reinhold has been known to use other tubes to great effect as well (like 6L6s, KT88s, etc).

        So I would say that the best way to know that you will like an amp is to try it out and don't worry too much about what tubes are in there. Just my opinion...
        "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

        http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

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        • #5
          Re: School me on amp tubes

          6L6: Fender clean
          EL34: Marshall crunch
          EL84: VOX Sparkle / Mayhem
          6V6: Best of Both Worlds. Not an opinion, but more of an undisputable scientific fact.
          That's the big 4.

          I don't know much about the KT family.
          my vinyl record collection | updated 11 August 2015

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          • #6
            Re: School me on amp tubes

            6BQ5 is the US designation for an EL84, and they were put into US guitar amps for several years before VOX made their first amp. The more you know...

            This message approved by the Taking back the 6BQ5 for the US of A Counsel.
            - Tom

            Originally posted by Frankly
            Some people make the wine. Some people drink the wine. And some people sniff the cork and wonder what might have been.
            The Eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the Crow.

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            • #7
              Re: School me on amp tubes

              Originally posted by ImmortalSix View Post
              6L6: Fender clean
              EL34: Marshall crunch
              EL84: VOX Sparkle / Mayhem
              6V6: Best of Both Worlds. Not an opinion, but more of an undisputable scientific fact.
              That's the big 4.

              I don't know much about the KT family.

              Can you give me the model name of any amp that comes stock with 6V6, so I can try them out ?
              There's so much gear I want that the whole list would make a highway to hell if it was ever written down.
              Don't ask.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: School me on amp tubes

                6v6: Fender Deluxe Reverb or Princeton.
                Modern style amp with 6v6 is the egnater rebel20 - it also runs a pair of el84s too so you can hear the difference with a blend knob...
                "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
                Yehudi Menuhin

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                • #9
                  Re: School me on amp tubes

                  What kind of music do you play? Engl amps comes in several flavours.

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                  • #10
                    Re: School me on amp tubes

                    No love for KT88's????????????

                    Think of KT's as a juiced up El34's on steroids or meth.
                    Originally posted by grumptruck
                    No I think James and Dave have that covered. You are obviously rocking way to hard.
                    Originally posted by Gear Used
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                    • #11
                      Re: School me on amp tubes

                      Originally posted by crguti View Post
                      What kind of music do you play? Engl amps comes in several flavours.

                      For now, I'm basically a metal player, but I will probably expand towards other genres at some point. Nothing prevents me from buying different guitars and amps, but for now, I'd already like some REAL metal gear (lol, worst pun ever ).

                      I have a very precise idea of the "setup" I want, which is : plug-and-play style guitars with a single pickup and nothing more than a volume knob as electronics, a multi-effects to be programmed once and forever, and a 4-channel amp. This last point brought me naturally towards ENGL, plus I love the sounds of those I played, so here I am, wondering about what valves bring what sound.
                      There's so much gear I want that the whole list would make a highway to hell if it was ever written down.
                      Don't ask.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: School me on amp tubes

                        Originally posted by Nagash View Post
                        Can you give me the model name of any amp that comes stock with 6V6, so I can try them out ?
                        Egnater Tweaker comes stock with them. And that amp is very chameleon-like. Has 6L6/Fender tones in there, EL34/Marshall tones, EL84 Vox tones, and even touches [slightly] on Mesa tones.
                        "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

                        http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

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                        • #13
                          Re: School me on amp tubes

                          Engl seem to use all varieties of powertubes (6L6, EL34, 6550, 5881 etc). You won't find any 6V6 designs because these are lower power tubes and Engls tend towards louder amps. Engls are complex multi channel amps and in these kind of circuits the tubes are chosen more for operational reasons than for tone. I've never played an Engl and I don't play metal but if I did I'd be checking out Engls.

                          These are expensive amps - you really need to be able to try them out before you lay out this much cash. Do you have any dealers within reasonable travel distance ? If not, the Engl site seems to have lots of sound clips and videos.

                          If you're new to tube amps all their amps are probably going to sound great to you. Do you have any friends that have simpler amps i.e. older Marshalls and Fenders ? It's worth trying these types of amps to get a feel of what you're looking for. You need to do a fair bit of research before you can make a choice of which 4/5 channel amp with MIDI facilities is the right one for you.

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                          • #14
                            Re: School me on amp tubes

                            Originally posted by richard parker View Post
                            Engls are complex multi channel amps and in these kind of circuits the tubes are chosen more for operational reasons than for tone.
                            Exactly. The more complex the circuit the less obvious effect that different tubes have on tone IMO. The more simple circuits like older Fender, Marshall, and Vox amps made it more obvious to my ears. There are also plenty of newer amps with simple circuits like those.
                            "Always remember... all you do in life, comes back to you" - Roy Kahn, formerly of Kamelot, during the intro to "Karma" on their One Cold Winter's Night DVD

                            http://www.soundcloud.com/jwflamenco

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                            • #15
                              Re: School me on amp tubes

                              I'm not new to tube amps, I play them all the time at guitar shops (what I own is a Laney with a tube preamp). It's just that I don't know precisely how they get this or that type of sound, which is why I asked about the tubes.

                              I played some sort of ENGL tube combo, is sounded great, and there's a "friend" (more of a guy who almost LIVES in the shop and with whom I play and talk every time) who owns a Special Edition head that I tried out as well. The variety of sounds that this thing spits is incredible
                              There's so much gear I want that the whole list would make a highway to hell if it was ever written down.
                              Don't ask.

                              Comment

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