El 34 help!!!!!!!

I know it's a noob question but I just want to make sure...... Can I put any el34 tubes in my Dual Rec? I was thinking winged c or just the mesa el34? And are cryo treated tubes better?

I think cryo treated tubes are bullcrap.

If you have a bias select switch, you can, IMO go with =C='s, there are shops that offer them in "Mesa specs". Though if you ask me, if you buy a matched quad, you're good because Mesa offers a wide range of tube grades which means the tolerance is quite high. This is not verified info however, just a hunch I have (though I have been running 2 quads in my 2:90 with different ratings and there is no difference whatsoever).

I have just a little experience trying Cryo treated tubes, and find that the distortion was much smoother than I liked, though some might want that. I noticed a marginally better clean sound, but overall I didn't care for the sound of the Cryo treated in a guitar amp.

With no bias adjust, you're better off using tubes that are rated for MB amps. Different grades of tubes will draw different currents, and MB does not offer a wide tolerance of their branded tubes, they are all within a fairly small window of current draw in order to work within MB parameters.

The Winged C is an excellent choice, just ask the supplier for tubes rated for a MB. I still check the bias to be sure that the sellers are giving me what I need as far as current draw. MB does state that using tubes other than MB tubes will void the warranty. :idea:

So if I order a winged c quad off ebay are you saying they might not be okay to put in my dual rec? Can it hurt my amp? What I am asking is do they have to have a certain rating to go in my mesa? I have a quad coming I hope I didn't waste my money....I thought as long as they were el34 (or 6l6) I would be okay.......

Do you have a bias adjustment, or the capability of changing the bias resistor to accommodate new tubes? If not, you will need tubes that are rated for the proper current range of your amp. Depending on the rating of the tubes, the current can be excessive and can do damage to tubes and/or amp, or they can draw too little current and sound harsh. I believe that your amp has the switch to choose between 6L6 or EL34, but no bias adjust so the tubes need to be within a certain current range to work properly. The MB acceptable tube range is about the same as the GT tube range of 4 to 7. As long as the tubes are a "mid-range" rated tube, they will be OK to use. It's best to check the current draw of the tubes when installing if you're not sure. Do you like to take chances? :wink:

shimmilou said:

Do you have a bias adjustment, or the capability of changing the bias resistor to accommodate new tubes? If not, you will need tubes that are rated for the proper current range of your amp. Depending on the rating of the tubes, the current can be excessive and can do damage to tubes and/or amp, or they can draw too little current and sound harsh. I believe that your amp has the switch to choose between 6L6 or EL34, but no bias adjust so the tubes need to be within a certain current range to work properly. The MB acceptable tube range is about the same as the GT tube range of 4 to 7. As long as the tubes are a "mid-range" rated tube, they will be OK to use. It's best to check the current draw of the tubes when installing if you're not sure. Do you like to take chances? :wink:

Click to expand...

Our tubes would be similar to a 4 to 6 on the GT rating scale. Thanks!

What rating are el34 winged c? Also what is all involved with getting a dual rec biased? I love mesa tubes but just wanted to check out the winged c I've heard only good things! Thanks everyone for the replies and all the help!

Any type of tube can have various ratings, and it's not dependent on whether they are EL34s or 6L6 or 6V6, it has to do with the "strength" or "conductance" of the tube. Again, many vendors can select different ratings depending on what you want. Someone selling on eBay might or might not have differently rated tubes. Many times, an individual selling on eBay would just have whatever they have with no ability to select different ratings.

This article by Randall Smith might help, or it might confuse you more, who knows.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/biasadjust.html

You should also read your manual, in the back is a very lengthy explanation of tube ratings and MB thinking about tube bias.

Not sure which model you have.
http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/2chRecto.pdf

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/3chRecto.pdf

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/3chRecto_multiWatt.pdf

Badbrad666 said:

So if I order a winged c quad off ebay are you saying they might not be okay to put in my dual rec? Can it hurt my amp? What I am asking is do they have to have a certain rating to go in my mesa? I have a quad coming I hope I didn't waste my money....I thought as long as they were el34 (or 6l6) I would be okay.......

Click to expand...

The bias range on mesas are set cold. That leaves plenty of room for various current production tubes. Your tube set may be "hotter" or "colder". This could make a difference in perceived tone. Some guys are more anal with their amps and wont put anything that's outside of the prescribed "bias range" in. Up to you. I personally like my mesas on the hot side - especially rectos - so I buy my tubes from a supplier that selects tubes from the correct "range" for me that will give my desired result.

But to answer your Q, I think you will be fine.

Good points droptrd.

I don't recall where the idle current was on the last Dual Rec that I checked, I don't see many MB amps on the bench, but I can tell you that the TA-15 are biased quite hot (high idle current) with the stock tubes, so it's a good idea to check when changing output tubes to be sure. The idle current is going to be higher with the SS rect compared to tube rect, same with bold vs spongy. :idea: I tried a few different output tube types in my TA-15, and a few were smokin' hot, way too high on the idle current. I put the stock tubes back in, they actually sound the best for my taste.