Any tube experts? Brown base vs black base teslas

  • Thread starter Thread starter uzeurillus1on1982
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uzeurillus1on1982

uzeurillus1on1982

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I’m looking at two quads of Tesla el34’s….both from the 70’s 37 factory. One black base set tests at 100% one brown base tests 90%. Price around the same.

Are the brown base that much better? Hard to tell but the tubes look very similar
 
I have many NOS matched quads of the black base E34L and brown base EL34 Teslas.

If someone can show me any construction differences, I’d appreciate it, I can’t see a single one.

I also can’t hear any difference sonically between the two. Not one. Neither is better or worse. They’re identical to my ears, after in-depth A/B-ing tests...

Recently, Mike from KCA NOS Tubes confirmed all this.
 
I had a pair of brown base teslas in my Splawn QR....never sounded better. Was smoother and sustained very well. Those tubes are worth the money back then...not sure what they are priced at nowadays.
 
You would only be able to tell at face blistering volume.
 
I had both, but I’m not sure exactly when my 34L’s were from. They both have the Tesla flavor like their other tubes. The difference to me was the same difference you hear in other 34’s vs 34L’s like with JJ 34’s vs 34L’s

The 34 brown base to me sound more a bit more forward with more presence and snarl in the uppermids. L’s can sound a bit more distant, but also higher wattage/more efficient/headroom, more extended low end. It just depends what you prefer

As far as E34L’s go Tesla’s are the king IME. Much better than the JJ and older GT’s. If brands like Siemens, Mullard or Winged C made 34L’s they’d probably sound better than Tesla’s I’d think, but they didn’t sadly
 
I went through an OCD phase of snapping up 'Dual Halo Getter Teslas' and found the majority of them were Brown Base and bore the Groove Tube label - GT EL34B. These were the absolute Hot Ticket in the early 90s when you could grab pairs / quads of these gems at practically any Guitar Center.

Among the sets I have hoarded, most are 'Brown Base' - but I do have a few pairs of 'Black Base' and they appear absolutely identical to their 'Brown Base' siblings. All labeled as 'EL34B' by Groove Tube.

I also saw a pair of Groove Tubes online that were labeled 'E34LS' (which I am very familiar with) but they are without question Brown Base Dual Halo Getter Teslas. How they ever got labeled as 'E34LS' by GT I do not know - they are the ONLY Dual Halo Getter Teslas (Brown or Black base) that I have EVER seen labeled as E34LS by GT. Very strange - but I'm glad I have them!

May be pure power of suggestion / placebo - but Dayumm the Dual Halo Getter Tesla EL34s sound so full / warm / smooth in any EL34 amp I have ever put them in. I have noticed zero difference between the Brown vs the Black base variants.
 
SQUAREHEAD said:
I have many NOS matched quads of the black base E34L and brown base EL34 Teslas.

If someone can show me any construction differences, I’d appreciate it, I can’t see a single one.

I also can’t hear any difference sonically between the two. Not one. Neither is better or worse. They’re identical to my ears, after in-depth A/B-ing tests...

Recently, Mike from KCA NOS Tubes confirmed all this.
Click to expand...
Mike is the man.
 
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