6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
- Thread starter fingerace
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GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
I have both an el84 class A amp and a new 6l6 amp . . . I much prefer the 6l6 type of amp for cleaner blues (BB Kingish) and the el84 for dirty stuff. The el84s have more of a midrange kinda thing going on too, while the 6l6s sound clearer.
I have both an el84 class A amp and a new 6l6 amp . . . I much prefer the 6l6 type of amp for cleaner blues (BB Kingish) and the el84 for dirty stuff. The el84s have more of a midrange kinda thing going on too, while the 6l6s sound clearer.
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BigDaddy
Guest
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
You can't just say a tube does this or that. It really all depends on the design of the amp. Yes, certain tubes have certain characteristics but a Vox AC30 makes EL84's sound good to me. I don't think an amp with just 2 EL84's has enough clean headroom, if I was going with EL84's I would use 4 of them and big iron. Also cathode bias but with a low B+ to save the tube life.
My favorite tube is the 6V6GT, they sound very close to 6L6 tubes. There are different 6L6's too. 6L6 amps have a lot more flexibility, they can do clean great and they can do distortion very well too. Again it all depends on the design and the iron(transformers).
I have also heard some good things about orange amps with the El84's, but I really like the Vox AC30. Overall I am not a big fan of EL84's, most amps that use them sound horrible as in the PV, Crate, low powered fender amps. They use cheap parts and smaller transformers. With those tubes it's a recipe for bad tone.
I think you can't go wrong with an old BF/SF Bassman slightly modded. If done correctly they can do anything well. They can do clean hooked up to a 15" JBL type speaker or they can do Marshall tones hooked to a cab with greenbacks in it. Same for a Deluxe reverb, you can make them do just about anything with the right tweaks and speaker, even the reissues.
You can't just say a tube does this or that. It really all depends on the design of the amp. Yes, certain tubes have certain characteristics but a Vox AC30 makes EL84's sound good to me. I don't think an amp with just 2 EL84's has enough clean headroom, if I was going with EL84's I would use 4 of them and big iron. Also cathode bias but with a low B+ to save the tube life.
My favorite tube is the 6V6GT, they sound very close to 6L6 tubes. There are different 6L6's too. 6L6 amps have a lot more flexibility, they can do clean great and they can do distortion very well too. Again it all depends on the design and the iron(transformers).
I have also heard some good things about orange amps with the El84's, but I really like the Vox AC30. Overall I am not a big fan of EL84's, most amps that use them sound horrible as in the PV, Crate, low powered fender amps. They use cheap parts and smaller transformers. With those tubes it's a recipe for bad tone.
I think you can't go wrong with an old BF/SF Bassman slightly modded. If done correctly they can do anything well. They can do clean hooked up to a 15" JBL type speaker or they can do Marshall tones hooked to a cab with greenbacks in it. Same for a Deluxe reverb, you can make them do just about anything with the right tweaks and speaker, even the reissues.
CapoFirstFret
New member
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
hit up the Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel...get a 4x10 config and blend the 6v6's and the el84's for the PERFECT blues tone...those amps are freakin killer blues machines and give you the best of both worlds......fender tones and vox tones...great for the blues
hit up the Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel...get a 4x10 config and blend the 6v6's and the el84's for the PERFECT blues tone...those amps are freakin killer blues machines and give you the best of both worlds......fender tones and vox tones...great for the blues
Lake Placid Blues
New member
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
Go to a blues festival and everyone is playing 6L6 amps. Tweeds, Blackfaces, and Marshall Bluesbreakers. The quitessential LP blues tone is the Blues Breaker tone. That was a KT66 loaded Marshall. What makes amps designed for the 6L6 family of tubes so popular for wailing blues, may be the attack.....
Go to a blues festival and everyone is playing 6L6 amps. Tweeds, Blackfaces, and Marshall Bluesbreakers. The quitessential LP blues tone is the Blues Breaker tone. That was a KT66 loaded Marshall. What makes amps designed for the 6L6 family of tubes so popular for wailing blues, may be the attack.....
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BigDaddy
Guest
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
What's a blues tone?
What's a blues tone?
kmcguitars
GuitarArtologist
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
I have to agree with Big Daddy here. Although different style tubes have their own flavor, It's the circuit the tube is in that determines the overall sound. If you where to ask 10 different guitarist to dial up their best blues tone? ... You'll probably get 10 different tones varying from chimey clean to heavily overdriven.BigDaddy said:
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BigDaddy
Guest
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
That's pretty much my point. If you follow blues guitarists over their career you will note that their tone changes.
So what is a blues tone?
I guess it's to mean a distorted guitar sound but with a natural tone and some compression. By natural tone I mean you can hear the nuances of the guitar and the fact it's made of wood and an almost human quality to the tone. I guess everything from the later clean clean B.B. to the early raunchy Elmore James.
I have heard some really bad so-called blues tones.
Although I like guitar players like EVH, he does not have a natural tone. Great sound but not woody at all. To me it's almost like a keyboard, very electronic but with some of what makes a guitar a guitar.
I guess a guy that bridges the so-called blues sound and the more unnatural sounds would be Billy Gibbons. I have heard both and a mixture of those sounds from his recorded stuff.
That's pretty much my point. If you follow blues guitarists over their career you will note that their tone changes.
So what is a blues tone?
I guess it's to mean a distorted guitar sound but with a natural tone and some compression. By natural tone I mean you can hear the nuances of the guitar and the fact it's made of wood and an almost human quality to the tone. I guess everything from the later clean clean B.B. to the early raunchy Elmore James.
I have heard some really bad so-called blues tones.
Although I like guitar players like EVH, he does not have a natural tone. Great sound but not woody at all. To me it's almost like a keyboard, very electronic but with some of what makes a guitar a guitar.
I guess a guy that bridges the so-called blues sound and the more unnatural sounds would be Billy Gibbons. I have heard both and a mixture of those sounds from his recorded stuff.
Curly
Moe's Bluesman
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
to answer your question somewhat directly, I feel that 6L6 type amps and circuits, with their (usally) big, bold, and somewhat round tone, tend to compliment LPs well for blues
conversely, I feel that single coil guitars work well with EL-84 or 6V6 amps -- EL-84 amps tend to have great mids, and 6V6s are generally lower powered amps that really sing when driven hard
to answer your question somewhat directly, I feel that 6L6 type amps and circuits, with their (usally) big, bold, and somewhat round tone, tend to compliment LPs well for blues
conversely, I feel that single coil guitars work well with EL-84 or 6V6 amps -- EL-84 amps tend to have great mids, and 6V6s are generally lower powered amps that really sing when driven hard
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firebirdVII
Guest
Re: 6L6s or EL84s for LP blues??
I haven't seen you post anything that didn't have great insight.BigDaddy said:
