Best bet on new EL 34's

[Wileyone]

The NOS market on EL 34's seems to be kind of slow and expensive. Does anyone have any suggestions on new ones? I haven't had much luck with jj's so they are out. I thought maybe the Tung Sol's or Winged C's. Anyone tried them? Or is there something else I should be looking at? Thank's for any help.

 

[gypsymoth]

C's

 

[StephaninMelb]

Selecting a EL34 power tube - tone requirements

@Wileyone

There are big differences between EL34 tubes as far as tone produced. Below is a summary of tests done by tube guru John Templeton. It provides great guidance on selecting a tube based on individual tone requirements:

Electro Harmonix 6CA7
6CA7 provides more headroom that EL34 – will cause pants to flap at overdrive volume
Like EL34 on steroids
Best of EL34 family power tube for Hiwatt
Handle high plate voltage, such as in Hiwatt
Classic rock tone with just the right amount of compression
Not sensitive to tone changes with warm to hot bias
Capable of nice clean tones if volume is not dialled because of the high headroom
Not early van Halen tone – think loud and proud

Gold Lion KT77
Tone stands apart from other tubes in EL34 class
Drop in replacement for EL34 or 6CA7
Does NOT sound like either EL34 or 6CA7 tubes – more a hybrid
Has mid-range punch of an EL34 with more open & brighter top end
It has characteristics of an 6L6
Does 70s rock sound / adjusting bias finds setting for Vox-like chime
Provides 3rd choice in Marshall amps: (1) EL34, (2) 6550, (3) KT77

JJ 6CA7EH
Prior to Electro Harmonics 6CA7EH and JJ 6CA7EH one had to buy vintage NOS 6CA7 tubes
Looks and sounds like a 6L6 – but runs at EL34 bias
Roars in Highwatt 50W heads
Classic rock anthem beefy sound – firm, articulate and smooth
Some find tube darker than EL34

JJ E34L / EL34
JJ is the new name for the Teslovak (Tesla) tube company
Good general purpose EL34
Sound is well balanced with tight bass response and great mids

JJ KT77
Replaces NOS rare out of production tubes
Nice balance of tone through the 3 ranges
Breaks up earlier than 6L6 with more compression than 6L6 and less compression than EL34
Sounds is somewhere between EL34 and 6L6
Heater current, max plate voltage and output rating is same as EL34
Will replace Fender 6L6 power valves with minimum modifications
In Marshall amps, if EL34 sounds too compressed and 6550 sound too crunchy this KT77 might be the ticket
Power transformer has to be able to cope with extra 500ma per tube & bias adjusted


NOS Siemens / RFT EL34
These vintage NOS EL34 are used as reference standard for new tubes
Extremely big warm sound - Easy to listen to for hours
Midrange has slight skew towards bass, so fixes amps that sound thin at lower volumes

Shuguang EL34-B
Actually turns out to have 1st-class construction
Loud, clear well balanced sound with nice sonic range
Harmonic content is rich and can create pleasant swirl & sustain

Sovtek EL34WXT
Very good sound but at Svetlana tone quality
Frequency response more shifted towards midrange – high end can get too bright

Svetlana EL34
The perfect rock tube
Very pronounced midrange and smooth high end
Has mids that rip through the mix
Secret weapon for ego guitar players that do not want to get lost in the mix
Bottom end is not deep
Incredible crunch
Nails ZZ Top & old EVH
Not for 7-string down strokers as lacks bottom-end

Tungsol EL34B
Likely to become the #1 choice of current EL34 tubes
Has touch of 6L6 in tone – very pure balanced tone with bit of 6L6 sparkle at top end
Less prominent midrange than other EL34 tubes
Open and airy sound
Percussive bottom end
Overdrive starts like 6L6 crunch as blooms into EL34 singing tone with great sustain and mild compression
Addictive sound qualities – guitar players can fall into a trance with the tone of these tubes

Winged-C (SED) EL34
The one EL34 that can do most everything
Ample firm controlled bass (one of the few EL34 suitable for bass)
Smooth mids with top end shimmers
Nice swirling harmonic content
Not for raunch @ low volumes
Full range - Great for guitar amp & home audio

 

[Delta Blues]

If I can't afford NOS Mullards then I get JJ's. I've had great luck with them.

 

[RedRock]

+1 on the JJ E34L.

 

[Wileyone]

The last set of jj's I owned went Tone dead after 3 Month's of use.
Which was a good thing because they sounded kind of boring anyway.

Thanks StepheninMelb. for the John templeton review. I think I will order a matched quad of either the Tung Sols or Winged C's whichever has the best pricing.

 

[uriah1]

Hey STEPHAN
You may watch using those J.Templeton tube reviews. They are attached to the
"tubestore" for a reason.
just fyi

I have bought stuff from them..good firm...just saying..marketing is marketing

 

[Wileyone]

I have used the "Tubestore" for a while and have nothing but good things to say about them. Excellent warranty and customer service. Usually have my order within one or two Day's.

 

[gwjensen]

Stepheninmelb - thanks for the tube reviews. VERY informative.

 

[gypsymoth]

if you like to read, the reviews at www.watfordvalves.com are more descriptive.

 

[Wileyone]

if you like to read, the reviews at www.watfordvalves.com are more descriptive.

Another great link Thanks

 

[StephaninMelb]

@Uriah1

I "rewrote" the article but still gave John Tempelton the credit. They say Templeton is a "3rd-party." As far as The Tube Store - they know their stuff. here is some additional comments John has made about tubes:

"AES is a fine store. However, for guitar applications I’d contact Lord Valve or Ned Carlson. These guys will test your tubes in an amp where it counts, this is even more important if you are putting the tubes into a combo. Well worth a couple of extra dollars, believe me I’ve been there. If you’re talking with his valveness ask him about the new Chinese EL34B. Killer tone and a great price IMO, much better than anything China has produced in this type of tube.

Regards, John Templeton"

"Also, what’s a good sounding > 12AT7? > Thanx!

I like the RCA 12AT7 tubes for drivers and have recently switched to NOS 5751 tubes for pre-amps. More lower noise and more clean headroom in the pre-amp and a bit tighter sounding. Just my opinion. Having said that the nature of tubes these days is such that I’ve also had $5 chinese pre-amp tubes that sound incredible. Didn’t last long but a great ride while they lasted. I’ve never been a fan of the Sovteks. Bought a bunch of the WXT selects when they came out. Noisy, bad triod matching etc. I really advise getting a couple of different types and seeing how they work in your amp. Regards, John Templeton"

"John Templeton...
Hard to find one book that does it all. My personal favorite for getting
into guitar amps is Dave Funk's "Tube Amp Workbook". Mostly Fender
Schematics but lots of good information in the first sections and some
nice comparisons between Vox, Fender and Marshall in terms of tone.
Worth every penny.

I have 3 of Kevin O'Connor s books and they are all excellent but not my
first choice for testing the waters of guitar amps. I'll be flamed for
sure ;-)"

 

[uriah1]

Thx...always apprehentious

 

[jefrs]

If I can't afford NOS Mullards then I get JJ's. I've had great luck with them.

Do not bother with Mullard unless MiGB ECC83, their output bottles were never, and are not particularly special.
That said, modern Russian "Mullard" ECC83 rebuilds from Reflector(?) and JJ-ECC83S are getting almost as good as their original Mullard and Telefunken templates. As compared sound-wise to the few original Mullards and RFT I have.

Svetlana =C=6L6GC are very good, better than NOS GE-JAN 6L6WGB, so would expect their similar EL34 to be good.

JJ-6V6GTS (JJ-6V6S) are also excellent. JJ seem to be making some of the best modern bottles.

 

[Wally]

The Winged C EL-34 is the best new production that I have heard....and they are pricey. I agree with J. Templetom's impressions of the Winged C's....best of the new production for all around fucntion and musicality, imo. I feel the saem about the Winged C 6L6's.

 

[RedRock]

Also the most expensive.

 

[Wileyone]

The Winged C's are $140 for a quad and the Tung Sol's are $100 a Quad. Does anyone have any idea on longevity?

 

[Chris S.]

@Uriah1

Hi, just a helpful hint: if you'll notice down at the lower right of every post we have a "QUOTE" button that lets you lift whatever comments you're responding to and put them in your own post. That way other readers don't have to scroll up to try to figure out whatever it is you're responding to by using the "@" symbol. The "@" works well in various social media, but it's not necessary (and sometimes confusing) on a discussion forum such as this. Hope it helps, CS

 

[jefrs]

The Winged C's are $140 for a quad and the Tung Sol's are $100 a Quad. Does anyone have any idea on longevity?

The Svetlana =C=EL34 are £26 each from Watford (the 1999-2000 model is £34ea)
http://www.watfordvalves.com/products.asp?search=el34
(I have a very knowledgeable and industry-respected colleague who swears cryo are "added bs", the only bottles I've ever had red-plate were "cryo")

The =C=6L6GC have been in my Epi BC30 for over 3 years now without any sign of deterioration whatsoever. They are drop-dead gorgeous.

 

[misterdontmove]

I just stuck a set of Ruby EL34 BHT in my JCM800 and all I can say is WOW!!! I don't know how long they will last but for now WOW!!!!