Bought a few guitars from Carvin in the past, the last being when the V220 was reissued.
Never had an issue but, since Jeff took over I really have no desire to get another. He seems to have doucheified the company's image.
A part of the attraction was getting certain quality and features at a...
Yes, as said, those 34's will run way hotter than 6L6 in that amp and not advised. Hope it gets sorted without big issues.
Also on the used market, all used tubes seem to have 20 hours or so they say.
You will be fine using any speaker that is rated at least as many watts as your amp. For example, a 70 watt Celestion V30 is totally fine with a Mesa Mark V25 amp. Just don't use a speaker rated for less than what your amp can put out.
Regarding differences in tension - I just happened to be reading up on Gotoh 510 blocks last night. In one thread, I read the Satins use the Gotoh zinc block. This zinc block has deeper set holes for the strings. This is said to actually decrease string tension so, this all seems odd that the...
There could be some truth in your theory.
I've never owned a Kiesel but, have owned a number of post 2000 Carvin's. I notice they tend to have bad fret sprout in the winter. I had a theory about this being related to the wood not being dried properly.