Anyone digging old Telefunken tubes?

Dave L

Dave L

Well-known member
I got a Super Lead from ´75 a while back, which had Telefunken ECC83s in v2 and v3. The amp sounds really nice, and it made me remember I had a few of those old Telefunkens in my box of spares from god knows when or where. Seems like lots of folks like these, but maybe not really for guitar amps? Anyway, I went and got one and put it in V1 of a Germino ´68-plexi-style, and you could tell the absolutely cranked tone was a bit clearer and more focused than before. Maybe these tubes are a little lean-sounding, who knows, but just from this limited experience they seem to work really well in guitar amps too.

Anyone else using these to good effect? Mostly used in studio and hi fi stuff, I suppose, and less known than the Mullards and what not in the guitar world.
 
Dave L said:
I got a Super Lead from ´75 a while back, which had Telefunken ECC83s in v2 and v3. The amp sounds really nice, and it made me remember I had a few of those old Telefunkens in my box of spares from god knows when or where. Seems like lots of folks like these, but maybe not really for guitar amps? Anyway, I went and got one and put it in V1 of a Germino ´68-plexi-style, and you could tell the absolutely cranked tone was a bit clearer and more focused than before. Maybe these tubes are a little lean-sounding, who knows, but just from this limited experience they seem to work really well in guitar amps too.

Anyone else using these to good effect? Mostly used in studio and hi fi stuff, I suppose, and less known than the Mullards and what not in the guitar world.
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I've got a vintage Telefunken in the V1 of my Hiwatt, with two Blackburn Mullards after it, and a quad of NOS Mullard EL34's. While I could make the amp lean by cranking the brilliant volume that's the last word I would use to describe that amp. The lowend punch on tap with that amp is nothing short of jaw dropping, and the overdrive drips with harmonic richness. It also takes every boost, OD, distortion pedal, preamp, and fuzz pedals I have thrown at it like butter.

I also had a vintage Telefunken EF86 in a Dr Z Rt 66, and it was an extremely fat and harmonically rich sounding amp.
 
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Yeah, I´m not saying a Telefunken makes a whole amp lean-sounding on their own, but maybe that they´re just not as pushed-sounding or woofy as some other tubes. Good to see you´re digging it, I´ll experiment some more with mine too.
 
I use Ei ecc83 tubes (supposedly Telefunken clones, i think?) in V1 and V3 of my 2203. Love em.

No other tubes I've tried in that amp have the punch and clarity of these Ei long plate tubes.
I have a TAD longplate of some sort that gets close, but it's still not as sonically rich as the Ei.

I bet real Telefunkens are even better sounding than these Ei's. I just cant justify spending the coin that the old Telefunken ecc83's are bringing.
 
I haven't tried a ton of old sought after tubes but the leanest, more upfront and articulate one I ever tried in V1 was an Amperex Bugle Boy. I'd recommend it only for fat sounding amps that could use some low end cut in the early stages.
 
Dave L said:
Yeah, I´m not saying a Telefunken makes a whole amp lean-sounding on their own, but maybe that they´re just not as pushed-sounding or woofy as some other tubes. Good to see you´re digging it, I´ll experiment some more with mine too.
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In my experience when an amp gets woofy as we sometimes call it that sound is all about the PI, powertubes, and transformer hitting near max output, and another big part is the speaker. To quote an engineering genius, If your poweramp and speakers are "giving you all she's got captain,", then your gonna get that woof.

i don't care what tubes are in the preamp of most guitar amps, once you get that power section sweating really hard if the amp is designed around a powersection that flattens out, it will get woofy. The best way to fight that in the preamp is to sub in a lower gain tube in the PI, something like a 5751.
 
I have a few. I’m not using them currently. Bugle Boys and a Mazda Silver Anode at the moment.
 
Just for reference I also have a Reeves with NOS Mullards, and a quad of JJ E34L's. Based on Mullards being known for their forward midrange, and JJ's being a darker tube you would think the Reeves would be a little darker and thicker sounding. Not so much. It compresses a little more, and breaks up a little earlier, but neither one ever woofs out. Both sound gorgeous and 3d clean, and hit like a sledgehammer at max volume without flattening out and losing punch.
 
They are great tubes indeed; give some clear, detailed/defined, open, broad & deep character to the sound image to me.
Very reliable too.
Depending on the amp, this can be what you want/need, or not.
They particularly shine in simple vintage/classic type of amps IMHO.
 
I like them. They tend to be very neutral and clear sounding. I do like the Ei's though... which are made on the same machinery.
 
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