EL34 or 6L6?

Which do you prefer EL34 or 6L6

  • EL 34

    Votes: 9 50.0%
  • 6L6

    Votes: 11 61.1%
  • KT77

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • 6CA7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5881

    Votes: 2 11.1%

  • Total voters
    18
  • Poll closed .
For cleans I tend to prefer 6L6 (or 6v6 in my Deluxe Reverb which sounds absolutely killer) but for high gain I think I prefer EL-34s. But then again, my Magnatone Panoramic Stereo uses EL-84s which is an amazing sounding amp. Hmmm, now I'm not sure what I like.
 
For cleans I tend to prefer 6L6 (or 6v6 in my Deluxe Reverb which sounds absolutely killer) but for high gain I think I prefer EL-34s. But then again, my Magnatone Panoramic Stereo uses EL-84s which is an amazing sounding amp. Hmmm, now I'm not sure what I like.

I love Eric Johnson's tones and think he's got it right.

Eric uses Twin Reverb heads with 6L6 tubes for his clean tones and Marshall 100 watt Plexi heads with EL34 tubes for his overdriven tones.

I like Vox AC30's with EL84 tubes too. Great clean tones, semi-clean tones and with a Tubescreamer or overdrive pedal, GREAT soloing tones.

I still have my AC30 but what I actually play through these days is my Deluxe Reverb or Princeton Reverb with 6V6 tubes.

Anything else is just too loud.

Eric also uses two Deluxe Reverbs for small gigs and when he does clinics.
 
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I love Eric Johnson's tones and think he's got it right.

Eric uses Twin Reverb heads with 6L6 tubes for his clean tones and Marshall 100 watt Plexi heads with EL34 tubes for his overdriven tones.

I like Vox AC30's with EL84 tubes too. Great clean tones, semi-clean tones and with a Tubescreamer or overdrive pedal, GREAT soloing tones.

I still have my AC30 but what I actually play through these days is my Deluxe Reverb or Princeton Reverb with 6V6 tubes.

Anything else is just too loud.

Eric also uses two Deluxe Reverbs for small gigs and when he does clinics.

The kind of funny thing is, I've never really been a big fan of Vox amps, but that Magnatone is something special.
 
I don't know what made me think about it today, but I had a thought and then this thread popped up again. I have typically liked the EL34 tubes in my amps over the years, as I posted earlier. For some reason the two amps I have migrated to in the last hand full of years both have 6L6 tubes in them. Go figure.
 
I don't know what made me think about it today, but I had a thought and then this thread popped up again. I have typically liked the EL34 tubes in my amps over the years, as I posted earlier. For some reason the two amps I have migrated to in the last hand full of years both have 6L6 tubes in them. Go figure.
The kind of funny thing is, I've never really been a big fan of Vox amps, but that Magnatone is something special.
For me, the big three are Fender, Marshall and Vox. Those are the amps I grew up loving the sound of. Tubes only of course. No transistors. I’m a vintage guy and I like vintage amps. No master volume amps…but my amps keep getting smaller and smaller!
 
For me, the big three are Fender, Marshall and Vox. Those are the amps I grew up loving the sound of. Tubes only of course. No transistors. I’m a vintage guy and I like vintage amps. No master volume amps…but my amps keep getting smaller and smaller!
I'm largely with ya, but back in the day (I'm your contemporary) I was fond of a few other amps besides the three mentioned.

The Ampeg Reverberockets weren't my favorite vintage amps I owned when they were new - that preference went to Fender - but they were pretty interesting for a 1x12 combo and I thought they were OK, though mostly I used them with combo organ (another vintage thing that we need not go into ;))..

Hiwatts were definitely cool amps. The old Gibson GA 40s were also pretty nice. I wasn't into most of the other stuff. maybe Magnatones on the right day.
 
The purpose of the poll ideally was to discern preferences for those amps that run EL34/6L6/KT77

That being said , I'm partial to the EL type tubes . 6V6's sound delightful in my old princeton , 5881's in my Sovetk I think the combintion of our ears and the amp , and budget determine what ends up inside .. The nice thing is we can and will change them at some ppint so we can experiment
 
I'm largely with ya, but back in the day (I'm your contemporary) I was fond of a few other amps besides the three mentioned.

The Ampeg Reverberockets weren't my favorite vintage amps I owned when they were new - that preference went to Fender - but they were pretty interesting for a 1x12 combo and I thought they were OK, though mostly I used them with combo organ (another vintage thing that we need not go into ;))..

Hiwatts were definitely cool amps. The old Gibson GA 40s were also pretty nice. I wasn't into most of the other stuff. maybe Magnatones on the right day.
I always thought HiWatts were beautifully made but too bright.

I had both an Ampeg Reverbrocket and a Gemini VI in high school. I bought an old Reverbrocket out of nostalgia maybe 20 years ago. Sold it within months. Lots of weird tubes and the tone didn't do it for me.

But those Gibson GA models! Now you're talking. I have a pair of GA20's and those are killer amps. Especially if you plug into the mic input.

Ry Cooder uses them and that his tip. And he was right. A lot more gain.

Plug a P90 pickup into the mic input of a GA20, turn it up to Patent Applied For and it sounds like a cranked Marshall.

Well...sort of. ;)



 
Just installed the Matched Mullard 12 ax7 / Genlax Gold Lion KT77's in my . Paisley has TAD's before , with red bases EL34's .

Impressions : Well the reports are true , these puppies are much crisper , of course they haven't broken in yet . Still has plenty of gain , but much more of a snarl than a deep woof. Just a slight nudge on the bias adjustent , Overall , a bit tighter overall sound with more clarity up top. Reminds me more of a 50W Grissom now which is Mega as it matches the other amp much better now .

A worthwhile experiment , and one big answer to the "Mystery microphonic" I was hearing , turns out that one of the foot screws on the transformer had backed out and was loose in the chassis , of course it's the one closest to the front panel and a major PITA to get to without removing the chassis , no problem .. stored it away for safe keeping . No more noise of that kind :) Next change I may pull the chassis out and reinsert . Having built 10,000 chassis of this nature in my early days I know it's fine until then . Rock solid
 
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I always thought HiWatts were beautifully made but too bright.

I had both an Ampeg Reverbrocket and a Gemini VI in high school. I bought an old Reverbrocket out of nostalgia maybe 20 years ago. Sold it within months. Lots of weird tubes and the tone didn't do it for me.

But those Gibson GA models! Now you're talking. I have a pair of GA20's and those are killer amps. Especially if you plug into the mic input.

Ry Cooder uses them and that his tip. And he was right. A lot more gain.

Plug a P90 pickup into the mic input of a GA20, turn it up to Patent Applied For and it sounds like a cranked Marshall.

Well...sort of. ;)



It's an interesting coincidence, my Reverberockets were also high school buys. Got 'em at Massimino on the East Side. My father was friends with the owner (not sure of the connection), and he gave us a deal. One was originally my brother's, but he eventually lost interest and got into the visual arts; so I had one for organ, one for guitar. And there were times I daisy chained them and used both together.

The Ampeg amps were good for certain things - very loud and clean for their size and power - but definitely an acquired taste. As soon as I started making gig money, I lusted after, and finally got, a Black Panel Bassman head and 4x12.

The interesting thing was that the lower powered Reverberocket was actually more solid, and with more undistorted low end with the organ, than the Bassman. But for guitar...yeah, the Bassman was great.

HiWatts did a thing...I never found them too bright, but also never owned one. Have had them in the studio to record, and liked what I heard, but everything is always about what they're hooked up to on both ends - guitar, effects, and of course speaker cab.
 
It's an interesting coincidence, my Reverberockets were also high school buys. Got 'em at Massimino on the East Side. My father was friends with the owner (not sure of the connection), and he gave us a deal. One was originally my brother's, but he eventually lost interest and got into the visual arts; so I had one for organ, one for guitar. And there were times I daisy chained them and used both together.

The Ampeg amps were good for certain things - very loud and clean for their size and power - but definitely an acquired taste. As soon as I started making gig money, I lusted after, and finally got, a Black Panel Bassman head and 4x12.

The interesting thing was that the lower powered Reverberocket was actually more solid, and with more undistorted low end with the organ, than the Bassman. But for guitar...yeah, the Bassman was great.

HiWatts did a thing...I never found them too bright, but also never owned one. Have had them in the studio to record, and liked what I heard, but everything is always about what they're hooked up to on both ends - guitar, effects, and of course speaker cab.
I got my Ampegs from Hewitts Music in Dearborn. Worked there for a while when I was in high school. It was nice.

I met James Jamerson there. He came in and I showed him some new Ampeg bass amps.

I didn't know who he was until he left.

Then one of the older guys asked me if I knew who I was helping. I didn't.

I mean, if he was Paul McCartney or Bill Wyman I would have known in a heartbeat. But at the time I may not have even known who James Jamerson was!

I do remember helping him though.
 
I got my Ampegs from Hewitts Music in Dearborn. Worked there for a while when I was in high school. It was nice.

I met James Jamerson there. He came in and I showed him some new Ampeg bass amps.

I didn't know who he was until he left.

Then one of the older guys asked me if I knew who I was helping. I didn't.

I mean, if he was Paul McCartney or Bill Wyman I would have known in a heartbeat. But at the time I may not have even known who James Jamerson was!

I do remember helping him though.
As a side note, according to an interview I read a few years ago, McCartney was influenced by (and was aware of) Jamerson. I guess he really studied what Jamerson was doing on the Motown stuff, because he wanted to become a better bassist.

I remember Hewitt's Music, went there many times!
 
As a side note, according to an interview I read a few years ago, McCartney was influenced by (and was aware of) Jamerson. I guess he really studied what Jamerson was doing on the Motown stuff, because he wanted to become a better bassist.

I remember Hewitt's Music, went there many times!
James Jamerson was aware of McCartney too. Liked his playing.

Clarence Hewitt, the owner of Hewitts, was my high school music teacher. And his son managed my high school band for a while. Got us a gig opening for the Mothers of Invention at the Motor City Roller Rink! True story.
 
Got us a gig opening for the Mothers of Invention at the Motor City Roller Rink! True story.
Awesome!

My college band opened for Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen.

They were so phenomenal, and such great musicians, that I felt badly that they had to listen to us first. Bill Kirchen taught me the lick to Hot Rod Lincoln, but in the intervening half-century or so, I forgot how to play it. :(
 
Awesome!

My college band opened for Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen.

They were so phenomenal, and such great musicians, that I felt badly that they had to listen to us first. Bill Kirchen taught me the lick to Hot Rod Lincoln, but in the intervening half-century or so, I forgot how to play it. :(
They were an Ann Arbor Band. That's how I thought of them anyway. Used to see them for free in the park back in the day.

 
They were an Ann Arbor Band. That's how I thought of them anyway. Used to see them for free in the park back in the day.

Yup. They played Flood's a lot.

I ran into Kirchen at a friend's house near San Francisco a few years after their records started selling. He was a really nice guy. I also knew the Prime Movers Dan Erlewine was in.
 
Yup. They played Flood's a lot.

I ran into Kirchen at a friend's house near San Francisco a few years after their records started selling. He was a really nice guy. I also knew the Prime Movers Dan Erlewine was in.
Me too. Did you know Robert Scheff? Keyboard player?
 
Me too. Did you know Robert Scheff? Keyboard player?
I'm simply terrible with names. I didn't remember Erlewine was in that band until I read it somewhere. I was a bit younger, and looked up to them, and the guys in Commander Cody, etc.

I felt a little awkward, like I was pretending to actually be on their level, even with the guys in my bands, who were older and more experienced musicians than me. In fact, I still feel a sense of 'how am I getting away with being a musician when I know nothing'!
 
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