se7en
Active member
So, I got the amp back from Bogner loaded with 6L6 tubes and a new output transformer. I had been doing a lot of research into the amp's design and talking with a number of people who've played both versions. I decided to go with Reinhold's power tube of choice and in short I'm glad I did. Ok, a little background...
Originally the amp shipped with JJ EL34's - they had a lot of rich midrange/chewiness, but were a tad too compressed, boxy and loose in the low end for my tastes. I then put a matched quad of Gold Lion KT77's in there and biased it up with Shiny_Surface (RT). These were an improvement to my ears - more open and detailed - more balanced - tighter low end and more highs, while retaining a lot of the EL34 qualities I liked. I had used these for some time thereafter and was happy with 'em. People were routinely coming up to me and talking enthusiastically about the tones I was getting out of it and basically I was happy with its performance.
Now with the JJ 6L6's I would say I noticed straightaway that the tone is more balanced. The KT77's still had a bit of a glassy high end sheen by comparison and this version is warmer in the highs, creamy and smooth with plenty of that chewiness we all love about Bogners. There is still a gritty crunch to the midrange, but nothing seems strident or boxy. The feel is even more comfy and 'connected' if you will. The clean channel is now so Fender-like that I'm questioning whether I'll purchase one of those (clean amp was my next anticipated purchase). I'll type more as I get more time with it, but in summation, it wasn't so much that the other tubes were inferior in there, as the 6L6 version gets me where I want to go.
Originally the amp shipped with JJ EL34's - they had a lot of rich midrange/chewiness, but were a tad too compressed, boxy and loose in the low end for my tastes. I then put a matched quad of Gold Lion KT77's in there and biased it up with Shiny_Surface (RT). These were an improvement to my ears - more open and detailed - more balanced - tighter low end and more highs, while retaining a lot of the EL34 qualities I liked. I had used these for some time thereafter and was happy with 'em. People were routinely coming up to me and talking enthusiastically about the tones I was getting out of it and basically I was happy with its performance.
Now with the JJ 6L6's I would say I noticed straightaway that the tone is more balanced. The KT77's still had a bit of a glassy high end sheen by comparison and this version is warmer in the highs, creamy and smooth with plenty of that chewiness we all love about Bogners. There is still a gritty crunch to the midrange, but nothing seems strident or boxy. The feel is even more comfy and 'connected' if you will. The clean channel is now so Fender-like that I'm questioning whether I'll purchase one of those (clean amp was my next anticipated purchase). I'll type more as I get more time with it, but in summation, it wasn't so much that the other tubes were inferior in there, as the 6L6 version gets me where I want to go.
