Best new production EL34 for British-type tone (or ANOS/NOS)

[Chester Nimitz]

Quads of matched NOS EL-34's are practically non-existent.

Singles & matched pairs can be found but at astronomical prices.

CP EL-34's are more than worthy & affordable.

 

[Chester Nimitz]

*** [double post]

 

[SpiderWars]

Keep in mind that just because an amp manufacturer puts a certain brand in their amps doesn't mean they think they sound the best. They have a business to run and can't have endless tube issues so they might choose a more reliable yet slightly less toneful brand.

IMO each amp/guitar/set of ears are different and will like different things. I haven't done a massive comparison but I do like the sound of EH EL34s and EH 6CA7. I've had one EH 6CA7 fail (it seems the heater just died) but have otherwise liked them. I consider them both warm but my warm is another person's dull.

 

[GOHOINC]

Try a set of JJ el-34L's , I think you will love them.

I have had consistently good luck using these in the past and just put a set in my 20th XTC last weekend. Good choice.

 

[Anonymous]

Ruby EL34BSTR

Steve

 

[mooncobra]

I have the reissue mullards, they sound great.

 

[Racerxrated]

Siemens/Telefunken or Winged Cs, ANOS are way better sounding than any new production JJ that I've tried. And I like those as much as the the 4 vintage Mullard 34s I have. But, if you can't find those tubes from a vendor try Tung Sols..they came with my Jubilee reissue and they are still better than the JJs I have here. The JJ EL34L does give more low end but too dark in a Marshall IMO.

 

[mniel8195]

I have been using TAD el34's i think they may be ruby re brands. They work for me. I changed mine out after 6 months or so but i am cranking it every single day with my torpedo live. They still work but i felt like they lost a bit of magic.

 

[Rick Lee]

By chance, does anyone know what Marshall are using for their EL34s in the JVM410HJS, or does it vary?

Here's a chart on marshallforum.com that gives the actual tube brand for the Marshall-labeled tubes that come in the amps from the factory.

http://www.marshallforum.com/index.php? ... des.20734/

You just have to look up the code on the actual tubes. I took the pre-amp tubes out of my DSL, replaced with Tung-Sol and then sold the amp a few mos. later. My tech just recommended that I put Chinese pre-amp tubes in my '69 100w Plexi clone. I looked up the Marshall-labeled 12AX7s I had leftover from the DSL and they turned out to be Chinese. So I threw them in there and they sound great.

 

[The Traveller]

Ruby EL34BSTR

Steve

Without a doubt. +1 from me

 

[CEG85]

A quad set of NOS EL34's will range between $300 to over 1k depending on the retailer.
Most NOS EL34 tubes ive seen that are modestly priced are all located over seas in Europe.

The Ruby EL34B STR (or TAD EL34B STR) are said to be very close in sound to the old British Mullards.

NOTE: The RUBY and TAD tubes are both selected/relabeled Shuguang Chinese tubes.

 

[napalmdeath]

Siemens/Telefunken or Winged Cs, ANOS are way better sounding than any new production JJ that I've tried. And I like those as much as the the 4 vintage Mullard 34s I have. But, if you can't find those tubes from a vendor try Tung Sols..they came with my Jubilee reissue and they are still better than the JJs I have here. The JJ EL34L does give more low end but too dark in a Marshall IMO.

I think "dark" is an overly misused description, and often times not the case. I find the E34L to be a very warm tube, with very much the same midrange of the majority of EL34s out there, and really tame a bright amp. I dig them, and putting a pair in my Splawn as a matter of fact.

Dark just seems to be everyone's description for tone that doesn't rip your head off with ice-pick highs. The Ruby's I find well balanced, but grainy. I love KT77s as well, and of the New Sensor offerings, the Svetlana are damn good sounding too. I like them better than their Tungsol and Mullards.

 

[PBGas]

I put the Tung Sol EL-34B in my XTC and they are fabulous. The friend of mine who bought my JVM410HJS from me last year asked me to re-bias and re-tube it and I used these as well. They sound awesome!!!!

 

[Racerxrated]

Siemens/Telefunken or Winged Cs, ANOS are way better sounding than any new production JJ that I've tried. And I like those as much as the the 4 vintage Mullard 34s I have. But, if you can't find those tubes from a vendor try Tung Sols..they came with my Jubilee reissue and they are still better than the JJs I have here. The JJ EL34L does give more low end but too dark in a Marshall IMO.

I think "dark" is an overly misused description, and often times not the case. I find the E34L to be a very warm tube, with very much the same midrange of the majority of EL34s out there, and really tame a bright amp. I dig them, and putting a pair in my Splawn as a matter of fact.

Dark just seems to be everyone's description for tone that doesn't rip your head off with ice-pick highs. The Ruby's I find well balanced, but grainy. I love KT77s as well, and of the New Sensor offerings, the Svetlana are damn good sounding too. I like them better than their Tungsol and Mullards.

I was lucky a while back and nabbed a stash of used, but still going strong EL34s...winged c, Siemens, Amperex, and 6 Mullard re labels. So for the last 6-7 years thats what all my Marshalls have had access to...so when I would buy a different Marshall often times they would come with JJ EL34Ls. I would play the amp out of the box, after checking the bias and then load it up with combinations of the vintage tubes. The vintage always sounded warmer and sweeter, and made the JJs dark by comparison. So that's why I say dark. Maybe not a fair comparison I guess..since the vintage tubes are hard to find. But in a Marshall, if you can find them used/strong at a reasonable price go get them.

 

[the4thlast1]

My favorites which also seem to be generally what people like are :

Tad / Ruby BSTR's

JJ : EL34, E34L's and I like the JJ KT77s a lot too (probably most of all )

 

[FourT6and2]

My fav EL34 is the RFT/Siemens. For an equivalent modern, current-production clone, look at the EH EL34. They are cheap, fairly reliable, and sound great. Another option is the JJ E34L. I have heard good things about the EH 6CA7. But haven't tried them yet.

 

[keennay]

I wouldn't waste any money on NOS EL34s. Been there, done that with older Marshalls, good luck finding a 'truly' matched quad (plenty on eBay are falsely advertised as such)... most of your tone-shaping's gonna come from your V1 preamp tube, followed by the next preamp tube(s) and the phase inverter tube. I ran through a series of older preamp tubes with former MarshallForum mod MartyStrat a couple of years back and ended up with the following on my Marshall JMP 2203: Amperex in V1, Raytheon long black plate in V2, and a Sylvania as the PI tube.

Get yourself some Ruby or TAD EL34BSTR's and you'll be more than satisfied.

 

[scottosan]

Try a set of JJ el-34L's , I think you will love them.

I have had consistently good luck using these in the past and just put a set in my 20th XTC last weekend. Good choice.

You are lucky. $ of the last 5 quads I had in an XTC where constant snap, crackle and pop

 

[Speeddemon]

I put the Tung Sol EL-34B in my XTC and they are fabulous. The friend of mine who bought my JVM410HJS from me last year asked me to re-bias and re-tube it and I used these as well. They sound awesome!!!!

+1, although they can sound a bit mid-heavy and 'schmoozy' for a lack of a better word.
Had them in my Invader 100, went to JJ KT77's that brought a bit more girth and definition.
However, in a Marshall-esque circuit I would mos def. consider the Tung Sol EL34B's!

 

[rcm78]

The Ruby BSTR's sound great. Right now I have Gold Lion KT77's in my XTC Classic. The amp never sounded better and they're lasting a very long time.