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my tubes are dying, and im trying to decide what to put in it. ive already talked to DSS about this, but i was wondering what you guys think. on one hand, most of my favorite tones were done with EL34's (master of puppets, megadeth's rude awakening, maiden amp; priest, etc.). but i also really love how my amp sounds with 6L6's (at least when the tubes arent shot) so i dunno if i wanna make the change. but i also might be missing out on what i could do with the EL34's. what do you guys think?

JJ EL34L's have extra bass response, more than any EL34. I think it's a best of both worlds type situation. You have the great mids and highs of EL34s and the low end response of 6L6s. That being said I still prefer the JJ 6L6's.

to me, that amp lacks a little bottom, i wouldn't wanna make it worse with the switch to EL's

the EL34L's have a reputation of blowing up XXX's though

That's not true man. Goto and talk to Bob. He is a genius. Most pros I know work with him. He has a whole section on the XXX and EL34Ls. Just read his site, the man is a genius and a pleasure to do business with. You'd have nothing to worry about.

As for Drew, the XXX has more than enough bass. Keep in mind he's not a bass player. The XXX has active EQs and how you set one setting can completely change the other. Guitars are mid-range instruments, not distorted bass. When you play with a band or record, you always end up turning turn down the bass anyways so the mids and highs can cut through. You'll still have enough bass for the sound to be warm and punchy, but you don't wanna over do it. On my Peavey I never run the bass more than 4-5, and you still get tons of lows but it doesn't muddy up the mids and highs.

ive read the stuff on eurotubes before. and im just too damn lazy to get that valve changed or whatever the hell the part is in the XXX that makes things go wrong with the EL34Ls.

Well, you can't go wrong with the 6L6GCs then. I know people who use the EL34Ls with theirs and love it though.

if you have the extra cash, go ahead and try them both. why not?

when i had my single rectifier, i had the stock 6L6 tubes in there for a while. but one day out of nowhere, i had some cash and some spare time so i picked up a pair of EL34's from guitar center. and as soon as i popped them in there, i knew right off the bat that i liked the sound of the EL34's more. and now i had the spare set of 6L6's lying around (which actually came in handy when my power tubes died the other week).

EL34's are of course an entirely different flavor, and they aren't for everybody. but i would definitely suggest giving them a shot.

The E34L's blow the a resistor, I've talked to a couple Peavey rep's myself. No offense to Bob, but I think he's a bit full of it on that article. He comes across as the be-all-end-all source for all things tubes, when he really isn't.

As for Drew, you guys have to take this guys advice with a grain of salt; He had a Bassman modded to put out 170 watts, because at 100, it wasn't loud enough for him.


Originally Posted by muttonchopsruleif you have the extra cash, go ahead and try them both. why not?cause im really really cheap. seriously, you cant even comprehend my cheapness.

The resistor grids in the Peavey are a weak spot, mine blew shortly after switching to the Svet El34's. Peavey covered the grid no problem but the tubes were on me. I was told by the warranty center that it was an issue with the XXX line but that the new grid wouldn't have the same problem, it has worked flawlessly since.

I don't like the JJ tubes, I have tried them in 3 different amps and been less than satisfied in each one. (SD Convertible, Orange AD15 and the XXX).

I have tried a number of different pre's and finally settled on a set of Ruby's from a Sovtek head Scott F sent me, they are excellent. The Svet EL34's have sounded great in every amp I have heard them in so I haven't really messed around there.

I said it in the other XXX thread spend some time reading on the Peavey forum, they really have gone through tons of stuff on the XXX's and there is some great info on there.

damn, so it does it with regular EL34's too? i dont feeling like taking the time or effort to have something blow and then have to go get it repaired and stuff, when i know it can be avoidable by just getting 6L6's. this sucks though, i wanted to try the EL's. oh well


Originally Posted by ex-250damn, so it does it with regular EL34's too? i dont feeling like taking the time or effort to have something blow and then have to go get it repaired and stuff, when i know it can be avoidable by just getting 6L6's. this sucks though, i wanted to try the EL's. oh well

The very very first XXX's had a weak resistor grid, anything after the first 6-8 months of production is fine.

ohhh ok. and mine being the combo, it wasnt even released until the XXX head was out for what....a year or two? so i guess id be alright then


Originally Posted by DeadSkinSlayer3As for Drew, you guys have to take this guys advice with a grain of salt; He had a Bassman modded to put out 170 watts, because at 100, it wasn't loud enough for him.

ok dude, bass response amp; volume are 2 totally different things

and people buy 4x12's because 2x12's aren't loud enough for them, same thing

marshall made kt88 amps with way higher wattage than 170, and people bought them

lots of people own mode fours

see what I'm getting at here? I don't think wanting an extra 70 watts is a big deal, at all

I'll say this, there are such things as a amp with a loud 100 watts, like a laney, or a plexi. Other amps require a little more push for the headroom and tone the owner desires. In my view it's all apples and oranges, the mode 4 is overkill in my view, and so is my 5150. Solid State amps though, NEED to be say 200 watts to keep up with a tube amp, for the headroom and for overall cutting volume.

Drew, I was just kidding. Poking a little fun atcha, that's all. I have no qualms with wanting extra wattage, as I love headroom to death.

yes, there are such things as 'loud x watts'

a brown vibrolux with the treble dimed amp; bass on like 2 can cut through just about anything, it's all in voicing.

and deadskin, my mistake, i thought you were serious