New JJ 6CA7

The Boogie Board

Help Support The Boogie Board:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

skiptripmusic

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
JJ has just come out with a 6CA7, and I wonder if anyone has tried it in a Stiletto yet? According to one source, "the 6CA7 is a large bottle version of the classic EL34 that gives a bigger and warmer sound than any EL34 in the market today." I've also read that they are less bright than a standard EL-34, perhaps making it a good fit for the Stiletto....
 
Sounds good. I might need to put these on the xmas list or I just had a unexpected power tube failure :)
 
Here is a user review i found that sounds promising on another board from a Baron 55 @ http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=82101&start=0 . these might work really well ina stiletto. review below.

Here is my Review, got a chance to play with these.

They are indeed a bigger bottle and plate structure. I biased them up at 65 and to 70 % for the tone tests. Plate voltage is is the 420v range.
They are very fat and clear sounding and very strident. There is not give or sag in the tone. There is not much touch sensitivity like EL34's have. Which is probably because they are a harder tube. The mids tonally are indeed like a EL34, and the bottom end is like an extended 6L6 but thicker and tighter and more forceful with a low mid emphasis. The bass is not deep and extended like KT88's.

The mids and bass are the strong points of this tube. The highs are the weak point. The tube is very dull in the top end no sparkle or sheen at all. It is what I would call dry sounding. But every JJ I have tried you could say this about except fort the long plate ECC803 and the 6V6-s tubes. I find that the JJ EL34 and 34L have more highs than this tube does.

So my final thoughts are it is a good alternative. If it had the real extended highs like a real Sylvania 6CA7 it would be killer

Also the tube pics are the correct diameter for a change!!!!!!!!!!!! I do like the pamphlet you get talking about cleaning the tube pins and sockets!!! That is due to the infamous undersized tube pin diameters JJ suffered from all these years.
 
Thank you for the overview, Dmain. When you quote one reviewer saying the "tube is very dull in the top end [with] no sparkle or sheen at all," you seem to suggest that in the Stiletto the 6CA7's may cut some of the innate brightness of the amp. A lot of folks on this forum might be interested, if that was the case...

(Although I've come to think of my Ace as also inspired by the top-boost Vox amps of yore--after all, it even looks like a vintage AC-30! I understand that the Stiletto evolved from a venerable line of Marshall amps more directly, but the bright voicing of the Stiletto is definitely part of that British sound).

So has anyone tried the JJ 6CA7's in a Stiletto? What power tubes did they replace? What effect did they have on high end harmonics?
 
skiptripmusic said:
Thank you for the overview, Mark I.

FYI, his username is actually "dmain". "Mark 1" is the board's rating for how many posts he has submitted. As you post more and more, that little name will change. If you look at your posts, you're currently a "Bottle Rocket." :)
 
I am going to try a set just waiting for payday. I'll post my thoughts.

I am trying to tame SOME of the brightness of the amp without doing any mod's but I'll probably do the mansfeild mod eventually.
 
I just ordered a set for my Deuce. I'll give 'em a whirl. I'm due for new tubes anyway.
 
I still have not ordered any yet. I got a new guitar and loved the sound so much i did not want to change anything but I still want to try them in the future.
 
Okay, so I receivd my new JJ 6CA7 tubes from Eurotubes and popped them into my Stiletto Deuce last night. I must say that the amp sounds bigger, with those lower mids more present and rounding out the sound better. There also seems to be more 'chunk' to muted notes. These tubes could very well really be a nice mix of EL34/6L6 tones, something that I feel the KT77's lacked for me. Now, I just want to point out that the EL34L's I replaced were probably due to be swapped out, so that could be a factor in why the amp sounds like it's been opened up. Also, I won't be in a band-mix situation for two weeks, so that will be the final test. They also need to be broken in, so perhaps the sound can be even greater improved? I'd love to hear someone else's opinion on these tubes. So far, though, I like them.
 
Jak0lantern01, thanks for the update on the JJ 6CA7. I'm still considering a pair, but would like to hear about your experience with the amp both live and over time....
 

Latest posts

Back
Top