What does Rigtalk think of JJ Tubes.

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Tawlks

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So.. everywhere I'm hearing that JJ pre and power amp valves are great, Eurotubes sells exclusively them for their Peavey retube kits, but I've heard people say (Including Jerry Pirelli personally) that they sound bland and have awful reliability.

What's the verdict on JJs? and a suibtable alternative? I know it's a tone quest here, admirable as it is, I still rank reliability higher as I'm typically unlucky with these things.

My amp, bought used came with a full set of JJs, one of which has now shorted, must have done while it was in the car or something because it hasn't been overused.

I was unawhere that a valve could fault while not in the amp unless dropped or something to that affect.
 
I like them...I know some have said reliability issues as of late, but I haven't tried any new ones in quite some time....why, cuz mine are still going. :lol: :LOL: I think their best tube by far is their 6L6GC. the E34L's are pretty good, and I would take JJ over anything New Sensor....just my .02 carry on...
 
I don't know what rigtalk thinks, but I've used E34Ls more than any other tubes & they sound good to me.
 
One of the reasons why there's a history of them shorting a lot when they're new, is because some of their power tubes have slightly thinner pins. So they may not fit into the tube socket as tight as other tubes. If they wobble about inside the socket, they can easily short due to the fact they aren't making a tight, solid connection :)

Just always make sure they fit really snug, and if they feel loose.. Just re-tension the tube sockets so that they grip onto the pins tight.

I have been using their EL34's for a while now and they sound great! :rock:
 
Juggernaut":1ts2exo9 said:
they're o.k. I'd rather have SED.....
Click to expand...

I'd still pick SED power tubes over any other current production tube too :rock:
 
same here, although I'm really wanting to try out the Gold Lion KT88s just for kicks to see if they really are what they are hyped to be.... ;)
 
I've had enough short lived preamp tubes of theirs lately to stay away from those. They don't tend to die all together, they develop all kinds of snap crackle pops and other weird sounds. I wish they were reliable because they are one of the few available 12ax7's that aren't on the bright side, they can be useful for the right amp in the right spot.
 
The EL34s are acceptable. I can't stand their 12ax7 tubes.
 
The JJ 6L6's are kinda bland. The JJ KT88's and EL34L's sound great. If you have a 5150, consider the Sovtek 6L6wxt+.
 
I should also add that i have had nothing but bad luck with their preamp tubes.. Every one of them stopped working within a couple of months and several were completely microphonic straight outta the box!
 
I put a quad in my MKV. From stock Mesa 6L6 they warmed it up considerably. For a cheap EL34 they are pretty good. I know a guy that is a long time amp tech / sound engineer for many metal bands in the past.

Has the gold records and album covers on the wall with his name on them, many of them, Nugent and Aerosmith are the bands I remember. He advised the JJ EL34's for a below average price and above average performance tube.
 
I use the preamp tubes alot lately. I used to hate them because they sounded congested and dark.
They're the only tube that sounds right in a QR to my ears. They actually sound good in my Super Lead as well.

I haven't tried their power tubes in years. So I don't remember. I think I used the E34L's a while back and they were ok.
 
I like their 6L6's and KT88's. Both have opened up my amps considerably, made them more 3D if you will. Never had an issue yet.
 
Every JJ tube that I have ever tried has gone bad is a shot amount of time. To my ears, they did not sound all that great either. I will use Sovteks before I put JJs in my amp. :no:
 
Years ago I had great luck with them they worked really well for me, had many an order with zero reliability issues. But in the last few years I've not only had bad power tubes but QUITE a few of them for that matter, their pre amp tubes I've heard issues with but thankfully I haven't had any, I think the key is getting them from the correct source that tests them thoroughly.

I like their pre amp tubes when mixed with others but NOT simply by them selves.
 
I haven't had horrible luck with their preamp tubes, but don't really jive with them unless it's an amp I'm trying to darken up a bit. I really like their E34L and KT77 tubes for certain amps, but have had hit or miss luck with reliability, moreso with the KT77.
 
I generally don't like their preamp tubes, particularly the ECC83's. Only tried one ECC803 and it was okay. I like their 6L6GC's and 6V6's. I haven't tried their other power tubes, but would buy their EL84's if I was in the market. Most of my tubes I ordered at least 5 years ago, so I am not sure of their current reliability. The tech who redid my Vox AC50, put a couple of JJ preamp tubes in. The amp sounds great, but I haven't done any tube swapping on that amp, like I normally do to find the best preamp tubes for me.
 
Oooh awesome. :P

I'm actually tempted to make threads titled "What does Rigtalk think of

SED
Softek
Electro Harmonix
Mesa
=C=
Jan Phillips

Valves.

The 6L6s in my 5150 II are EH.. and I don't know, it doesn't sound as warm, three dimentional or as open as I'd like.. it's a bit sharp sounding to me, I still think it's a great amp, but it's the slight nuances I'd like to improve on.

One of my JJs shorted. I could buy another JJ but then I'd have 3 ones that are 6 months old (according to the seller, who was admitidly full of shit) but could be a year old so I don't wanna mix them.
 
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