EL84 with adapter? Opinions, observations, and sage advice wanted, please

[Deaf Eddie]

I've been looking for a small amp that utilizes an EL84. Combos seem too expensive but the Bugera T5 Infinium has my attention.

The pros: a few more controls than the typical 5-watt tube amp.

The cons: head only, no cab. Bad rap in the past for Bugera QC.

THEN, I saw this: vht-special-6-el84-adapter

So, now I'm pondering... What about one of those in the Monoprice/Stage Right 5-watter?

The pros: it's a small combo

The cons: less controls, and the EL84 might let all the smoke out of the amp...

Hoping to hear from anyone with experience with either of these amps OR the adapter.

Thanks!

 

[archetype]

I have zero experience with these two things, so I can't provide anything but an observation.

Despite lore that's repeated endlessly, the tube isn't the primary determinant of the tone. It's the circuit that does that. I'd go at your question from a different angle: what tone do I want vs. what tube do I want? Buy the amp that already has the tone you want.

The MP5 with a 6V6-GT sounds pretty much like a Champ. My strong suspicion is that the MP5 with an EL84 will sound pretty much like a Champ, but not as loud after you reduce the plate voltage to what an EL84 can survive.

 

[Deaf Eddie]

So, if anyone was following (probably not many) I went in a different direction and picked up a Pulse PM30H. From my research, it seems to have roots in the old Carlsbro line and is a near (if not exact) clone of their EVO 30. Smaller (but not mini) head, gets 30 watt RMS from two 6L6s. It also has a 12AX7, but the consensus is that it's just used as a rectifier, not a "preamp" tube as we normally conceive of it.

No headphone jack, but it has an effects loop and channel switching with an added "boost" feature in the drive channel available using a two-button footswitch (not included, I'm using a generic one I had laying around). The clean channel is CLEAN, doesn't get any "hair" at "scare the neighbors" volume, but the drive channel has a gain and master volume, so that takes care of adding your favorite level of overdrive, The boost is way over the top - makes my Les Paul sound like the flutey lead tone in "American Woman." Built-in digital reverb is a bit weak, as most digital reverbs from the Far East seem to be, but it works. About 17-18 inches wide, its nicely atop a typical 112 cab, and has outlets for 16, 8, and 4 ohm loads. I'm playing it through a 112 cab loaded with a 16 ohm Eminence Governor, sounds good - and I bet it would really work well with a 412 cab. So far, so good.

The only unhappiness for me was, it arrived with an oddball "Muliticorp" logo/badge , instead of the "Pulse" logo shown here. No big deal.

Whadaya want, for around $200? Works for me...