Favourite EL-34 Amps?

[James Rock]

Just thought I'd start a thread to get a few opinions on EL-34 amps

What is your favourite El-34 based amps?
What about it makes you like it so much?
What is its downfalls?
What guitars does it work best with?

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Laney Supergroup 100 watt
Laney Pro-Tube AOR 50/100 watt
Laney TI100

Marshall JMP 100(preferably 70s)
Marshall JTM45/Celtic Edana
Cause I like that grawl and I like that violin

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

The Bogner Ecstasy...the most versatile of all the great sounding EL-34 amps. Basically, a clean, and 2 gain channels that can be put in plexi mode or full tilt, plus boosts on each channel, and the ability to shape each channel into any tone that's in your head. I've plugged into almost every EL-34 amp, and the Ecstasy is an EL-34 amp that cannot be topped.

For single channel, the Komet 60 is SO good it's just ridiculous. Pure tone that's as good as it gets. It's the late Ken Fisher's production version of a Trainwreck. Speaking of which, the Trainwreck is legendary.

The Dumble Overdrive Special has always been touted as a highgain Fender type amp, but yes...it's EL-34. Robben Ford and Larry Carlton know tone, and both use Dumble.

All the point to point Marshalls from 67-73 are the definitive EL-34 amp, and there's nothing I can say that you don't already know about the legendary classic Marshalls.

Matchless and Bad Cat are companies started by Mark Sampson, who perfected the EL-84 design, but some of his best amps are EL-34. For cleans and midgain, there's really nothing better.

I love tube amps of all types, but EL-34 British toned amps are my favorite. I like 6L6's too, but mostly Blackface Fender types. Once you get into any type of gain, EL-34's rule the roost IMO. And I've done the tone testing......I've put Fender Tweeds up next to Matchless and Bad Cat, and although Tweeds are legendary, the winners were the RCA Bassman circuit with EL-34's. That's what the Matchless Chieftain is essentially.....an RCA Bassman preamp into something like a plexi power section with a tube rectifier. I had a choice of keeping the Chieftain or Bassman LTD, and the LTD got sold. And that's a GREAT amp in it's own right.

 

[wahwah]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Here's one of my favourite EL-34 amps. It's a 2 x 12 combo that I had custom built for me in '89 by a guy here in Australia. It's called a Rock Bender, and it has a preamp stage based on a Fender Bassman, with a second 12AX7 stage after the tone controls marked "Intensity." One of the design quirks is that the preamp is at the top, under the controls, but the power stage is in the base of the cabinet. The power stage is 100w, running 4 EL-34's. It also has mid boost and bright switches in the preamp, and a bass roll-off switch as part of the power stage. I have it tubed with a 1950's RCA blackplate 12AX7 in the front, an early 60's Mullard ECC83 for the Intensity, 60's Mullard ECC81 for the reverb and SED "Winged C" EL-34's for power. It's a fantastic hybrid and the tone is huge. It's also remarkably versatile for what seems like such a simple design, and takes pedals brilliantly. I also had a closed back 2 x 12" extension cab made for it, and the whole package makes for one serious chunk of amplifier.

Here are some pics.

Cheers.............................wahwah

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Whah,
Thats a waay cool mutant, so its only two stage pre-amp?

 

[barbarianbrute]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

all this vintage stuff people post. i don't like to play on amps of yesterday. el-34 amps that can't be beat:

marshall jvm 410 and jcm 800
hughes & kettener triamp MKII
peavey 5150 EVH III
genz-benz el diablo (uses el34 or 6L6)

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

all this vintage stuff people post. i don't like to play on amps of yesterday. el-34 amps that can't be beat:

marshall jvm 410 and jcm 800
hughes & kettener triamp MKII
peavey 5150 EVH III
genz-benz el diablo (uses el34 or 6L6)

Sorry to break it to you bro but JCM800 is three stage, no-efx loop marshall that is older than 25 years. When you said 5150 III you've met fender prolly not Peavey, an improved circuit that also way over 10 years old. As far as JVM ... lets wait and see ....

 

[wahwah]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Whah,
Thats a waay cool mutant, so its only two stage pre-amp?

I'm not sure you'd call it a two stage preamp, the Intensity is like a "make-up" post tone control stage, it doesn't operate like a cascaded drive stage, but it certainly fattens things up nicely!



Cheers............................wahwah

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

I'm not sure you'd call it a two stage preamp, the Intensity is like a "make-up" post tone control stage, it doesn't operate like a cascaded drive stage, but it certainly fattens things up nicely!



Cheers............................wahwah

But you have three ECC83s, two for the pre-amp one for reverb right? I am not initiating a sonic penis lenght competition - " I have a longer pre-amp with four bubles dude" I am just trying to have better understanding of pre-amp circuits and respective tone charachteristics.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Bogner Shiva EL34 - most gorgeous cleans, beautiful gain channel that is touch responsive. The clean channel can be cranked or goose to bring out some great tones - try a FD2 or Menatone Howie/Zendrive.

The boost mode offers some good gain. The amp is always CLEAR and cuts thru EVERY mix! Works in ANY style from Hard Rock and some Metal, to R&B, Reggae and Jazz. Clean channel takes pedals very well. The Master Volume works seemlessly from Arena Rock to Bedroom levels.

Downfall? Crappy FX loop (I prefer Parallel as well), the boost can be a touch bassy.

Marshall PTP 68-73 - 'nuff said! Perfection in tone! Never played a bad one!

Downfall? No channel switching or FX loops for those who like them. You also NEED a Hot Plate or you will hurt yourself.

Late 70s JMP's - THE rock sound from Judas to Def Leppard. They can do blues and blues rock. Put 'em thru Greenbacks and try not to start crying.

Downfall? Some inconsitency. They can be a touch thin with the MV, so you need a Hot PLate. You also may need a pedal to milk the gain potential.

Bogner Ecstasy - Gorgeous tones - esp the PLEXI MODE! The Plexi Mode takes pedals AMAZINGLY! Put a pedal in on a medium gain setting and you can milk some of the greatest classic tones ever, plus the beautiful Bogner mids. Great FX loop functions, Class A options, etc. As Joe said above.

Downfall? The footswitch is hell to set up. It's a touch dark. The 101 model can be touch compressed compared to the Classic model. It's a big sounding amp, and it can be "too much amp" for some. Lastly, the clean channel is okay, bordering on nice, but not amazing like the Shiva.

These amps are all over country and rock recordings, esp lately. They just aren't advertised as such!

Orange (Newer) EL34 models - sually their higher wattage models exc maybe the Rockerverb 50 which is 6V6. I love these amps! Gorgeous, greasy, touch sensitive, gain tones. They can get the goods without being cranked. A Marshall-y kinda gain with this almost Class A sorta grind, but not the mush is all I can use to describe some of them. They are touch responsive, but not like a Vintage Marshall. Sadly, I know little about the vintage ones.

Hmmmmmmmmm

Other EL34 amps?


I haven't gigged Heritage or Top Hat amps, but from playing them I was VERy impressed with the clean tones, gain tones, and ability to get sweet, CONTROLLED FEEDBACK without needing a ton of gain(a sign of great amps IMHO). komet and Blockhead come to mind as well, but I have limited experience.

 

[wahwah]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

But you have three ECC83s, two for the pre-amp one for reverb right? I am not initiating a sonic penis lenght competition - " I have a longer pre-amp with four bubles dude" I am just trying to have better understanding of pre-amp circuits and respective tone charachteristics.

Yeah, well this is a slightly odd one. There's the first preamp tube that the signal sees (the '50's RCA 12AX7) then it goes through the tone network, then into the Intensity, which controls another 12AX7 (the 60's Mullard). The reverb is through a 12AT7/ECC81, which is not adding any gain, it's just a reverb driver. And to stay on topic, it then goes into......EL-34's!



Cheers............................wahwah

 

[barbarianbrute]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Sorry to break it to you bro but JCM800 is three stage, no-efx loop marshall that is older than 25 years. When you said 5150 III you've met fender prolly not Peavey, an improved circuit that also way over 10 years old. As far as JVM ... lets wait and see ....

thanks for the correction on the peavey, but this is the jcm800 i was referring to:

http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productCode=2203KK

it's a signature model and updated, but still a jcm 800 and it rocks

 

[disturb]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Diezel's, hands down. And if you don't like the EL34's in them, you can put 6L6, 6550, KT88, KT77, 6CA7's, etc... in them. Or mix and match pairs in them.

 

[bgood]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

My Rivera R55 - it's nice.

oops - didn't answer your real question.

Works great with every guitar I've heard through it - strats, LP, Tele, Jazzmaster. I find the singles sound great. Buckers can drive the clean channel into early preamp OD so for a steady diet of HB guitars I would probably change the setup or just set it differently and run without the boost.

What I like best about the EL34s is that they give me a great clean sound - granted that's partly due to the amps design in channel two to have a BF and Tweed option on the tone stack but on BF settings with a single coil guitar the cleans are superb. Now the best part - to go along with that great clean the amp has another channel voiced like a Marshall that just overdrives great with thick rich sustain and lots of harmonics.

I've looked at running 6l6's in it but the tech who worked on it discouraged me from that saying the EL34s clean up really great and while a 6l6 would give great cleans too, they don't work as well for Marshall type OD tones.

The 34's seem the best of all worlds for me and this amp. Can't say about other amps. They are able to produce great cleans and great vintage british drive sounds.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Another great EL-34 amp is the Fargen VOS. It's like a highgain plexi with a rectifier tube, so it's got a really juicy and touch responsive feel. Tomorrow at the Amp Show, I'm going to spend a lot of time at the Fargen room.

I'm bringing my camera, so stay tuned for a picture thread with some KILLER amps!

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

I have to vote for the Mesa Stiletto Stage II. I have a lot of amps, generally 6L6 based, and I have been on the search for an EL34 that will fit my needs.

Of all the amps that I have been checking out, the Stiletto Satge II had smokin' tone through all gain stages. I have to caveat that by saying I have a hard time getting to mess with a Bogner in person, but I suspect that I may like an Ectasy more.

Stiletto Pros: Sound, Mesa build quality, flexible
Stiletto Cons: A little pricey for a two channel with less features than the Recto 3 channel, no foot switch control of the FX loop.

....maybe I am just becoming a Mesa fanboy?

 

[Animal]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Tomorrow at the Amp Show, I'm going to spend a lot of time at the Fargen room.

If you have the time, could you please play through an Olde 800 and tell us you what you think. Some guy over here is selling two of them for $2000!

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

I love EL-34 amps! I think there are a lot of great amps in that vein these days.

My favorite for the past two years has been my Bogner Shiva w/ Reverb. I really enjoyed a Mesa Series II Stilleto Ace I played the other day (I'm with you Binnerscot - I think Mesa is getting better and better lately). I enjoyed some of the new Marshalls as well - the JVM and Vintage Moderns were both really cool amps.

 

[Rich_T]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Mine!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Favourite EL-34 Amps?

Just thought I'd start a thread to get a few opinions on EL-34 amps

What is your favourite El-34 based amps?
What about it makes you like it so much?
What is its downfalls?
What guitars does it work best with?

My favorite is my Matchless Chieftan.

It has spring reverb and a great master volume control.

No downfalls...although it's a little loud, even with the master turned down.

I use it with my Strats and Teles...that's all I play.