RM100 tube combination questions

[rbailey1010]

Hey guys...new to the forum and had a question

Just got a matched pair of JJ EL34s to run along with the stock JJ 6L6s that came in the amp...my amp is a week old

Ive been reading different things about this sort of thing and I am wanting to know what tube positions is the dominant positions when it comes to overall sound....

Does the middle two give the amp its overall sound and the outer two add the flavor of the tube thats in that position?

I play modern metal and typically use the Ultra XL and a Blackface for my cleans....ANY ADVICE OPINIONS WILL BE APPRECIATED

 

[rbailey1010]

Anyone?

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I think the inside is said to be dominant, but good luck noting the difference!

 

[nomad100]

both sets should be in parallel, so i don't know why one would be more dominant than the other.

 

[rbailey1010]

so no answer still?

thanks for the replies thus far......just wanting to know if there is a difference, if any.....

 

[tung]

There is a difference, but I apologize, i just can't remember which is the more dominant one. I've been running a mixed pair with a lot of success:
JJE34Ls on the outside and JJ KT77 on the inside, I also ran KT88 or TAD 6L6 on the inside.
There was a real in depth thread last year on this topic, maybe you can do a search for it.

 

[rbailey1010]

First off, thanks for the replies

Couldnt find that thread...

Still havent gotten an exact answer...i was sure someone would have stepped up and answered by now......

 

[laxcdn]

I heard that mixing the 6l6 and el34's is gives the best results compared to all 6l6 or el34, but I am not sure which goes where.

 

[El-Kabong]

I wouldn't put too much on inner vs. outer. Bias them and play!

 

[JKD]

First off, thanks for the replies

Couldnt find that thread...

Still havent gotten an exact answer...i was sure someone would have stepped up and answered by now......

I found the inside pair to dominate the tone but wasn't huge,,,maybe I don't even play loud enough for it to matter...LOL


I don't get what's so hard about trying it and finding out......these are the ultimate tweaker amp

 

[Rod]

First off, thanks for the replies

Couldnt find that thread...

Still havent gotten an exact answer...i was sure someone would have stepped up and answered by now......

I found the inside pair to dominate the tone but wasn't huge,,,maybe I don't even play loud enough for it to matter...LOL


I don't get what's so hard about trying it and finding out......these are the ultimate tweaker amp

Me as well...the inside pair is a bit dominant

 

[laxcdn]

So do you bias them all to the same voltage or the el34's to their voltage and the 6l6 to theirs?

 

[Rod]

So do you bias them all to the same voltage or the el34's to their voltage and the 6l6 to theirs?

No, you bias each tube according to what it is...I usually run 6L6's at 30ma and EL34's at 35ma...a good safe range, and they sound great...I run the EL's in the middle...I get more of a Marshall tone with the Lynchbox doing that, which is what I go after anyways using a plexi, Modded Brahma by Sacred Groove, and an EG4...The tones are way better than any newer Marshall I've heard in a long time, plus It's 3 channels as well...The only exception is the Haze 40 combo////GREAT little amp

 

[laxcdn]

Thx I have some EH EL34s I might put in with the 6L6's.

 

[laxcdn]

I tried putting 2 JJ E34L tubes in the middle last night. I set the bias up to 34mv and played it for a bit. It seemed to brighten and clean up the amp a lot. My Plexi and Grail don't break up as much and the Grail is really tight and focused too. The Ultra XL seems to be really nice too and I have switched the bright switch off on the modules too. I might try taking the 2 6L6 out and just use the 2 E34L and make it a 50w.

I did see a set of KT88 tubes on sale at a local store. What would I expect as a change from the EL and 6L6 to the KT88? Also what is the difference between EL34 and E34L?

 

[Julia]

Two tubes will break up earlier than four.

KT88s will have practically no breakup, and they're expensive as hell. 6550s also have massive headroom.

So if you need the amp to be super tight for chugging the 6550s or KT88s will be best. Bias the 6550s around 40 and the KT88s around 50.

Note: I'm not sure if the amp can handle KT88s.

 

[KillTone]

I have been running El34's on the outside and KT88's on the inside for about 6 months now. No problems at all with the KT88's.

Seems like my modded modules, tubes and MM transformer are all really breaking in now. Over the last few months the tone has gone from great to mindblowing.

 

[laxcdn]

Thanks for the info.

The KT88's I saw were $30 each. Will play around with some different tube combos. Has anyone tried on EL34 and one 6L6 together?

 

[crankyrayhanky]

The tubes need to be in pairs, not one of each

 

[El-Kabong]

Note: I'm not sure if the amp can handle KT88s.

Not only does it handle them, it seems to love them. I've been using a KT66/KT88 combo for a while now, sounds huge.