Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

[flank]

hey guys..... im retubing my hiwatt and need some help on which tubes i should select for it...... im pretty sure all the current tubes in it are Sovtek tubes....... im positive the power tubes are...

i will need 4 El34 power tubes and 2 preamp tubes.....

i cant spend that much dough, so the power tubes im looking at our JJs, Svetlana, EH, or any others in those price ranges...... in other words, current production tubes......... can you give me the lowdown of characteristics of those brands? i need ones that give a powerful clean tone and smooth break up.....preferably ones that will break up not as fast, i dont want alot of overdrive real fast..whichever tubes will give me the most clean volume id like.....and of course realiable tubes that will last me some good time

and for preamp tubes, im just changing the V1 position and the PI position...... so i will need one 12ax7 and one 12aT7...... i see alot of great reviews for those GT12ax7m Mullard copies.....and hiwatts came stock with mullards.....so if that tube is THAT good, i wouldnt mind spendin the extra dough on it....

im more concerned on the power tubes tho..... and i dont wanna spend more than $70 cause i just dont have the scratch for it....

[aleclee]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

In my book, the best clean "EL34" for the money is the EH 6CA7. You can get a pair for ~$25 and they sound great in my Rivera. The GT 6CA7s are supposed to be da bomb but they're out of your price range.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

If it were mine, I'd get a quartet of Svetlana EL-34's and replace all of the pre tubes.

Click my link to revolutionguitar.com and see which preamp tubes appeal to you.
Although the GT mullards would sound great in that amp, there's other good ones for less money. Send a message to Todd, and he'll have new tubes at your door in two days, for less than you'd pay elsewhere.

[Pandemonium]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

I agree with the Svetlana EL34s. I've heard nothing but good things about GTMs, I'd either go with one of those or NOS in V1. I'd think you'd want a fairly high gain tube in V1. I'd use an ECC83 tube with balanced triodes for the PI, a current production tube should be ok there if you want to save a few $$$.

[Curly]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

flank,
AFAIK, a 6CA7, although similar, is not the same as an EL-34. I'm not an expert, but I'm usually concerned about the voltage differences of seemingly similar tubes, such as a 6L6 WGB, and a 6L6 WGC

I'd agree with Joneser on this one. The JJ's are probably also good El-34's, but other than their EL-84s, their tubes are often pretty stout, which may or may not be a good thing tone wise

Myles Rose over on the Expert Forums can give you tube recommendations for each position.

[Jeff_H]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

I'd go Svet(think they're SED now) EL34's, and the GT-M's. I would also replace all of the pre's at once, but you can probably get away with just V1. For the PI slot, I've always used 12AX7's there, so I can't really comment on other variations. I've had good luck with a balanced JJ there.

[flank]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

well...... what about those Winged "C" tubes? what are the deal with those? cause if i can get some very nice tubes for just $10 or 15 more......i could probably spring for those, considering they would probably last me a long time and thus i would save money in the end
'
and what exactly are the characteristics of Svets? as far as how much headroom? do they break up into a smooth sound?

im pretty sure i want to get a 12aT7 (or ECC81) for the PI spot because original hiwatts came with those stock for the PI position.......and mine is a later hiwatt from a differnt factory and those were stock with an 12ax7 in that position...... but i kind of want to try the 12at7 there because some people at the hiwatt forum said it cleans up the sound and makes the later hiwatts sound a bit more like the early ones..

and i definately want to change the V1 position because i want to see how the tone changes...... the preamp tubes in there sound fine to me...... i just want to experiment and see what differnt sounds i can get.....

[Jeff_H]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

Flank....the winged "C's" are Svetlana's. They just simply have a "C" embossed on the tube with a pair of wings. Svetlana ceased production in Russia a while ago, and changed to SED due to some legal problems over the name I think. There may be a company producing Svetlana tubes now, but it's not the same company. SED was Svetlana.

As for the quality of Svets, I find them to be "creamy" for lack of a better word. I've also used the EH EL34's, and I have found those to be slightly brighter....not much, but some. When I hear my Svets, I think of tone like Slash's, earlier Van Halen, ect. Nice bottom end but not super heavy, thunking, chugging, in your face lows. Highs are sweet and smooth, not piercing or shrill. Midrange is just enough to fill out inbetween and help cut through the mix. Of course you speakers will have an impact on this, but that's my take on the Svets.

Are they high headroom tubes, not in my opinion. Then again, EL34's in general are not high headroom tubes. 6550's, 6L6's ect have much more headroom. EL34's are known for their earlier breakup and nice fat midrange response.

[Hellion]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

I've never had any problems with Sovteks. If you can find the old Sylvanias, those work really well, too. If you live close to any small town, you might see if they have an old TV repair shop. Those used to be great sources for NOS tubes.

[lastwinj]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

el34 are true pentodes, and are a european designation. 6CA7 are the american equivalent, and are beam tetrodes, NOT pentodes.

germ

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

I usually suggest Svetalana EL-34's for the reasons Jeff pointed out. They have a nice big warm sound, and they're built very rugged. I also love JJ EL-34's and E-34L's, which are about 10% higher output. I'd say Svets have the edge, only because I've never heard any internal vibration noise at high volume, and I've had some JJ's that rattle when the amp is cranked. Still, JJ's are built good and rarely have that problem.

Another really good pre tube is Sovtek 12AX7LPS. Probably the best tube for a low price out there. It's gotta be the LPS one though.

[flank]

Re: Wheres all the TUBE gurus?

the thing is. i dont ever play at the gain of van halen or or guns n roses........ the highest gain i might use would be somethin like The Who - wont get fooled again..

im also axeing my marshall 4x12 and gettin an Avatar 2x12 cab with new Eminence Tonker speakers which are kind of like old Fane speakers that were always used in hiwatt cabs........ there really fat and clean speakers , with some nice top end....very crisp.... if that makes any differnce

so you think the Svets are the way to go? i think they are probably sweeter than the JJs?