Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

[Dirtyking]

If the 6L6 power tube has monster headroom and the EL34 has the sweetness, where does the EL84 fall?

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

Smaller EL-34...more clangy though.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

EL84s are tighter and more aggressive than a 6L6, with a nice spread in the upper harmonics.

But EL84s can be thin at times, lacking bass and warmth.

Mixed with the right speaker, like Vox mixes them with the alnico Blues speakers, & they can be AMAZING.

Nothing sounds like a saturated EL84....atleast to me.

I LOVE 'EM

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

My EL-84 amp is fat, has plenty of lowend, it sounds like a small Marshall really.
It has none of that usual Vox like sounds, like all mids and nothing else, sounds more like a clangy Marshall.
The CZ EL-84 tubes are quite nice, 6L6's always had the ping that really stands out, sometimes it is ok, other times it just hurt my ears!

 

[Sprinter]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

Mixed with the right speaker, like Vox mixes them with the alnico Blues speakers, & they can be AMAZING.

Nothing sounds like a saturated EL84....atleast to me.

I LOVE 'EM

Puckboy99, is 100% correct. My Dr.Z, MAZ 38 has that tube & speaker combination, and it sounds great!


Sprinter

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

My EL-84 amp is fat, has plenty of lowend, it sounds like a small Marshall really.
It has none of that usual Vox like sounds, all mids anothing else, sounds more like a clangy Marshall.
The CZ EL-84 tubes are quite nice, 6L6's always had the ping that really stands out, sometimes it is ok, other times it just hurt my ears!

What do you mean by "ping"? And what el84 amp do you have?

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

I've had a few EL84 amps that were straight up Marshall.....some were Voxy...some plain sucked

My above post was a generalization, but sure, the circuitry has a lot of effect too.

My King Royale sounded Voxy running thru Greenbacks, G12H30/V30 combo, or G12M-65s.....but I do believe it's gonna THRIVE thru the 2 Weber alnico Blue Dogs coming my way

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

And I have tried a prototype Böse kleiner kellerschwein amp...one EL-84...sounded like frigging Angus
Meanest 5 watts ever.....hehe

What do you mean by "ping"? And what el84 amp do you have?

Ping...well piiiing as ouch that's a nasty middy spike
My amp is a one of a kind, late 60's Dynacord trannies for a 50 watts EL-34 amp, the preamp is made like an 67 TopBoost Vox AC-30, it has two EL-84's in the outputstage...we made it for the Tremovibe pedal, as a reference to the vibrator and tremolo...alittle overkill but fun

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

You are just living the dream Rid...that sounds like a very cool amp !!!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

Thanks, it is, and the constructor gave it to me!!
I love that amp, it is my little fave amp, it even steals away alittle of the thunder of my bigger amps

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

The way I look at them is through physical descriptions.

6L6: Round and warm
EL34: Aggressive
EL84: Scrappy
6v6: don't really have a description for this, haven't played enough amps that use them

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

6L6 round and warm???
How so? it is the most hard tube I can think of!
:laugh2:

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

The way I look at them is through physical descriptions.

6L6: Round and warm
EL34: Aggressive
EL84: Scrappy
6v6: don't really have a description for this, haven't played enough amps that use them

. . . i was made to believe that the 6V6's are like the 6L6's but with a little bit less headroom, making them better for earlier break-up/tube saturation/OD !

Heard it from a bloke that has about 10-12 vintage (from the 60's)Fender amps in his collection !

Maybe someone else can put more light on the subject !?

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

6L6-6V6, the smaller version of the 6L6, same with the EL-34 and EL-84, then there is the kinkless tubes.
KT-66 is the liniar version of a 6L6, and KT-88 is the EL-34 one, roughly cut!

 

[LJ King]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

6L6-6V6, the smaller version of the 6L6, same with the EL-34 and EL-84, then there is the kinkless tubes.
KT-66 is the liniar version of a 6L6, and KT-88 is the EL-34 one, roughly cut!

I guess it depends on how rough the cut is, but the KT-88 is much closer to the 6550 than an EL-34.

 

[Corbic]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

I thought the KT77 was supposed to be the closest of the kinkless tetrode tubes to the EL34? Not that it matters to me, I love the KT66 tubes that've been in the amps I've tried, and those seem like the perfect mix as far as tubes go.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

Well if it says KT...it is kinkless

 

[More-Gear-Than-Skill]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

another advantage of EL84, is that they will probably never be a problem to find, along with 12ax7's. And they tend to be cheap too.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

... And they tend to be cheap too.

Unless of course they're NOS....ESPECIALLY a quad of Mullards!!! :smack:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Where does the EL84 Tube fall?

These threads are always en eye opener...it really shows how different people with different rigs hear the same things differently!