New (EL34) tubes = Louder and reverb /less affect in tweed?

I just popped in my new JJ EL34 tubes that I got today (not the same as in my previous post asking if those tubes were safe). I spoke directly to Eurotubes and ordered these specifically for a Mesa Mark V

I LOVE EL34's in Mesa amps and this is no exception!

Got a question (or 2) though.....

1) After the tube change, the amp is quite a bit louder...Is this normal?
2) In "Tweed" mode, the reverb is now weaker sounding, even with the verb up all the way......Is this because the channel is now louder?. In Clean and Fat, it can still get pretty wet, just not in Tweed.

FYI: The 6L6 tubes were only *supposed* to have 40-50 hours on them when I got the amp, but it was a CL deal - so you never really know. They were "red" rated, if that matters?

The amp drives the EL34 tubes hotter than 6L6s, provided that you remembered to flip the bias switch. That could account for at least a part of what you're hearing. Also, since EL34s give you more midrange 'body', cut and presence to your sound, you're hearing what you play more clearly.

Don't know about the reverb issue. I don't use the amp reverb, I use a TC pedal for reverb instead (because I want to have a similar reverb setting for all my amps and my Rectos have no reverb to begin with).

TWEED mode will not have a wet reverb signal, it gets attenuated. The Roadster is no exception, does exactly the same thing in TWEED (as well as BRIT) TWEED is the iconic character from the old 65 Fender black face Twin (I assume). A friend of mine who has one of these also said that the TWEED of the Roadster and Mark IV sound very close to his 65 Fender amp. If the reverb was not attenuated it would probably sound harsh or brittle.

As for the EL34, I would agree with LesPaul70 on the midrange enhancement.

When I used EL34's in my Mark V, I though it sounded weaker overall compared to 6L6GC (due to bass cut). On the Flip side, the GL KT77 had the illusion of providing more power than the 6L6GC. 6CA7 really made a difference, too bad the one's I tried did not last very long (bought them specifically for use in the Mark V). It is all in the tone character and complex harmonics or compression when fully saturated is what makes you believe there is more or less from the different tubes. They will provide about the same power levels, just a difference in frequency response and early vs late clip. EL34 will clip early compared to 6L6GC (more headroom).

I switched back to 6L6's.. I may try some EL34's later down the road, but the 6L6's just seem to "work" best with this amp.

My MKV Channel I Tweed makes reverb non-existent as well...and I'm about to compare JJ's versus Mullard 34's as well.

guitardr said:

My MKV Channel I Tweed makes reverb non-existent as well...and I'm about to compare JJ's versus Mullard 34's as well.

Click to expand...

Guess I should have mentioned in my "Switched back to 6L6" post just above yours, that yeah - even with the 6L6's the reverb is still pretty low, so it is just the character of that mode. I just didn't notice it before switching to EL34's and got a little concerned.

tele_jas said:

guitardr said:

My MKV Channel I Tweed makes reverb non-existent as well...and I'm about to compare JJ's versus Mullard 34's as well.

Click to expand...

Guess I should have mentioned in my "Switched back to 6L6" post just above yours, that yeah - even with the 6L6's the reverb is still pretty low, so it is just the character of that mode. I just didn't notice it before switching to EL34's and got a little concerned.

Click to expand...

There has to be an answer or others who've encountered this reverb issue with MKV Ch-1 Tweed reverb absence. No mention of it from what I can see in the manual.

guitardr said:

tele_jas said:

guitardr said:

My MKV Channel I Tweed makes reverb non-existent as well...and I'm about to compare JJ's versus Mullard 34's as well.

Click to expand...

Guess I should have mentioned in my "Switched back to 6L6" post just above yours, that yeah - even with the 6L6's the reverb is still pretty low, so it is just the character of that mode. I just didn't notice it before switching to EL34's and got a little concerned.

Click to expand...

There has to be an answer or others who've encountered this reverb issue with MKV Ch-1 Tweed reverb absence. No mention of it from what I can see in the manual.

Click to expand...

There is no "reverb issue" with the MKV, or Roadster for that matter, it is the design of the amp.

I'm not sure what answer you seek.......

Dom

Thanks Dom:
It's true that no Fender Tweed amp/circuit had reverb: first amp was the Vibroverb (circa 63-64).
Every detail to the MKV's mini-toggles & switches seemed to be covered in the manual except what the CH1-Tweed setting did (or did nothing to) the reverb. That's the answer so to speak, but it can be dealt with.

tele_jas said:

I switched back to 6L6's.. I may try some EL34's later down the road, but the 6L6's just seem to "work" best with this amp.

Click to expand...

Try a set of JJ's KT66's. I am using a quartet of those in my V and it sounds massive.

FastRedPonyCar said:

tele_jas said:

I switched back to 6L6's.. I may try some EL34's later down the road, but the 6L6's just seem to "work" best with this amp.

Click to expand...

Try a set of JJ's KT66's. I am using a quartet of those in my V and it sounds massive.

Click to expand...

It's gonna be a while before I experiment with tubes.. I just spent over $150 on tubes, my wife will kill me if I tell her "I need more tubes"

tele_jas said:

FastRedPonyCar said:

tele_jas said:

I switched back to 6L6's.. I may try some EL34's later down the road, but the 6L6's just seem to "work" best with this amp.

Click to expand...

Try a set of JJ's KT66's. I am using a quartet of those in my V and it sounds massive.

Click to expand...

It's gonna be a while before I experiment with tubes.. I just spent over $150 on tubes, my wife will kill me if I tell her "I need more tubes"

Click to expand...

I hear that. Big glass ain't cheap and all of my amps use em

KT88's in my Splawn, 66's in the V and my jet city 100H (currently using the 6L6's that came with the mesa) sounds sooooo much better with the 66's.

I got Laura at ValveQueen on speed dial :lol: