How big is the impact of the powertubes in the Herbert

adrian

adrian

New member
Hello,
I actualy read a lot in the forum and I very often read that people are changing there powertubes what results in a different tone. If I read what people are writting I would be very interested to replace a paire of EL 34 to 6550. So that I have 4 EL 34 and 2 6550.

But my basic question is:
How big is the impact? Unfortunetly I never changed the tubes by own otherwise I would try it by own. I always understand that for high gain amplifier the preamp tubes more concerned in the building of the tone.

Maybe it is a stupid question that I apologise! Neverthless I´m willing to learn.

Thanks
Cheers from germany
 
I have changed powertubes a few times in my Herbert, fomr EL34 to E34L (JJ) to 6550. You wont change the character or the "core-sound" of the amp, but it DOES make a difference. Mostly in what frequencies get more pronounced than others, at least to my ear. But i did almost FULL retubes only, i once changed only 1 pair, and the difference was very small.
 
IMO the Herbert should never have anything other than EL-34's in it, to answer your question though, there is a very big difference when changing tubes that are completely different from one another.

Some will completely disagree with me on what I'm about to say, but myself, and MANY others who are very good at what they do have witnessed it. The Herbert CAN get lost in the mix very easily, it NEEDS EL-34's to give it that extra mid-range for a good amount of cut. I've owned 4 Herberts, and swapped TONS of tubes in all of them, and every time they DIDN'T have EL-34's in them, it was very very easy to bury the Herbert with another amp.

This is all just my opinion, most people who disagree aren't using their Herbert live, or are the only guitar player in their band :)
 
So go ALL EL34 or put in a pair of 6550, KT88, or 6L6 for thump? My current tubes in my Herbert are:

2 x EL34
2 x EL34BSTR
2 x KT88

I was going to replace the EL34 pair with a 6550 or 6L6 pair and see what happens, but I also have some SED =C= EL34s. Think I should put those in that place instead?

Thanks!
 
this says it all:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=72007&hilit=tubes

it really doenst matter much, which powertubes you have in a diezel Herbert, VH4 or Einstein.
the only impact of different tubes is that they all eq the sound a bit differently (they also react differently when being saturated, which doesnt happen in a diezel poweramp, except the schmidt) . so putting an EQ in the loop can compensate the difference of EL34 and 6L6 for example.
a different cab makes a way bigger impact on your tone then different powertubes.
The best thing to do is the leave the powertubes as they are and when a pair of the tubes die then bring the amp to a tech and let him replace all the powertubes with whatever peter diezel recommends (currently el34 bht or =c= ).
only change a preamp-tube when it doesnt work. you do not need to change all at once.
the only important thing concerning powertubes is reliability! thats why peter diezel recommends certain tubes.

personally, i find the el34 best sounding, because it gives the herb a little bit more contour. but i could achieve the same sound with 6550s, 6L6s, KT88s and an eq.

PS: i love fiddling around with my sound and i am always seeking a better tone, so i can totally understand why so much people love switching powertubes to find the perfect match. but all the money and trouble is not really worth it in the end. really.

A DIEZEL IS A DIEZEL AND ALWAYS SOUNDS LIKE A DIEZEL, NO MATTER WHAT F****** TUBES ARE IN THERE!!!
 
racerevlon":361eah4h said:
So go ALL EL34 or put in a pair of 6550, KT88, or 6L6 for thump? My current tubes in my Herbert are:

2 x EL34
2 x EL34BSTR
2 x KT88

I was going to replace the EL34 pair with a 6550 or 6L6 pair and see what happens, but I also have some SED =C= EL34s. Think I should put those in that place instead?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Hey Race, Just put that setup in my Herbert today. All Ruby. 2 X EL34 Bstr, 2 X EL34 BHT and 2 KT88. It brings the thunder on so many levels. :rock:
 
But does it have all the gain and the mid-range grind as well?

Also, I haven't looked at the pre tubes yet, but what's the recommend there?

Thanks!
 
van hellion":3csugu22 said:
RJF":3csugu22 said:
EL34's are for girls....

I noticed a huge improvement with all KT88's.
Click to expand...
:no:


el-34 is that tonal bliss!

A Wood
Click to expand...
I know, it's the EL34's mid range that is so good right?

When I went all KT88's, I didn't loose any mid range. I got a tighter bottom end, more crunch, and a dryer tone.
 
RJF":r01a4ls7 said:
van hellion":r01a4ls7 said:
RJF":r01a4ls7 said:
EL34's are for girls....

I noticed a huge improvement with all KT88's.
Click to expand...
:no:


el-34 is that tonal bliss!

A Wood
Click to expand...
I know, it's the EL34's mid range that is so good right?

When I went all KT88's, I didn't loose any mid range. I got a tighter bottom end, more crunch, and a dryer tone.
Click to expand...


do not want that dryer tone :) i love the liquid juicy feel of herbie and einstein. we just seem to be into different tonal qualities

A Wood
 
PaulyPanacea":1fe47aqk said:
.... " Hi, im Andy Wood & i like trains"- classic!!!
Click to expand...
:hys:


those stupid trains kept going by the studio everytime we were about to do a take, so i just went with it :D

A Wood
 
well it worked. It was hysterical!!!

reminded me of the Rickey Bobby quote " im Rickey Bobby...and if you dont chew Big Red then Fuck you!!" :LOL: :LOL:
 
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