6CA7s vs EL34s. What do you think?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rick Lee
  • Start date Start date
Just gave the 6CA7s another try in my 1987xl. Nope. Just not my thing. I put the EL34s back in and that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. So I threw the 6CA7s into my old JCM2000 DSL50. But with the bias pots maxed out, the lowest I can get them is 60 mV each. No good. I'm not pulling that chassis and adding resistors. So I'll try them out in my Origin 50C when I get around to it.
 
harddriver said:
Mr dodson you make that BE100 sound glorious, I hear hints of EVH in the tone you're getting in that vid even though it's a single coil guitfiddle....NICE.................... I'm going to say the tone is coming from those EH6CA7's.:yes::2thumbsup:
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Thanks!
It is a sum of the parts. The Bogner 2x12 has very broken in Scumback M75s. The filtering on the BE was lowered to Small Box equivalent values. The NFB was moved to the 4ohm tap. It has all NOS preamp glass, and the EH6CA7s fill the space nicely.
 
I threw the 6CA7s in my Origin just now and they biased right up just fine. I really wanted to find a home for these tubes since I paid for them. Now I have that spare pair of EL34s from the Origin, but I can always use those later.
 
I have a '69 1959SLP clone build that sounds even better than that. Merren iron, NOS glass and a built-in Variac. But I'm not bothering with 6CA7s in that amp. It sounds too good as is.
 
Racerxrated said:
I have some Sylvanias here and while they do add a 3D thing they are short on that great 34 mid compression we all love. Bigger bottom though.
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Sorry. I know this is an older post but felt it fit my situations rather than starting new.

Over the years, I've found I prefer EL34s as they feel and sound best to me. It's more about the feel wirh that compression, harmonic complexity and creamy mids.

I tried 6CA7s in my Shiva and while it sounded bigger and better for rhythm, I think it lacked the aggression of the 34s and didn't have the creamy mids.
That said, my Shiva wasn't aggressive enough to keep up with my band mates Marshall.

I ended up playing a Dual Rec and then a Mark V with 6CA7 tubes, followed by a 6CA7 loaded Archon. Both, more aggressive and held their own with the Marshall, but didn't have the creamy mids and compression of EL34s.

I have Revv Generator with EL34s I really like and picked up a 20th Anniversary Shiva with KT88s.

Once again, I'm missing those mids of EL34s so while I know it will not sound as big as my KT88 loaded Shiva, I'm thinking of converting it to EL34s.

I'm thinking that not even 6CA7s get me what I want. I think I just need EL34s to be happy.

Anyone else find this with their playing?
 
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PSGuitar said:
Sorry. I know this is an older post but felt it fit my situations rather than starting new.

Over the years, I've found I prefer EL34s as they feel and sound best to me. It's more about the feel wirh that compression, harmonic complexity and creamy mids.

I tried 6CA7s in my Shiva and while it sounded bigger and better for rhythm, I think it lacked the aggression of the 34s and didn't have the creamy mids.
That said, my Shiva wasn't aggressive enough to keep up with my band mates Marshall.

I ended up playing a Dual Rec and then a Mark V with 6CA7 tubes, followed by a 6CA7 loaded Archon. Both, more aggressive and held their own with the Marshall, but disnt have the creamy mids and compression of EL34s.

I have Revv Generator with EL34s I really like and picked up a 20th Anniversary Shiva with KT88s.

Once again, I'm missing those kids of EL34s so while I know it will not sound as big as my KT88 loaded Shiva, I'm thinking of converting it to EL34s.
I'm thinking that not even 6CA7s get me what I want. I think I just need EL34s to be happy.

Anyone else find this with their playing?
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Totally agreed on this. Vintage US 6CA7’s can have their place too though IME in the right amp and depending what you’re looking for in your sound
 
A Russian EH 6CA7 isn't really a true 6CA7 just like a Sovtek 5881 isnt really a true 5881.
 
braintheory said:
Totally agreed on this. Vintage US 6CA7’s can have their place too though IME in the right amp and depending what you’re looking for in your sound
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Yep! As great as those old Sylvania/GE 6CA7s are, I still prefer Siemens EL34s (or Mullard, Wing Cs) to them.
 
s-l1600.webp
 
braintheory said:
Totally agreed on this. Vintage US 6CA7’s can have their place too though IME in the right amp and depending what you’re looking for in your sound
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My ‘69 clone has quite a bit of dirt/aggression/compression/mids especially when variac'd…so the Sylvania 6CA7 sounds amazing to me in that amp. I had EH EL34s previous and had been happy. The 6CA7 just improved almost everything, even tighter lows. But you're right...in the right situation.

And just my opinion but I don’t think the EH 6CA7 sounds quite like the Sylvania. They both do have a scoop in the mids somewhere and less compression but they still don't 'sound' the same to me.
 
SpiderWars said:
My ‘69 clone has quite a bit of dirt/aggression/compression/mids especially when variac'd…so the Sylvania 6CA7 sounds amazing to me in that amp. I had EH EL34s previous and had been happy. The 6CA7 just improved almost everything, even tighter lows. But you're right...in the right situation.

And just my opinion but I don’t think the EH 6CA7 sounds quite like the Sylvania. They both do have a scoop in the mids somewhere and less compression but they still don't 'sound' the same to me.
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I haven't tried EH for 6CA7's, just JJ's and the various US ones (RCA, JAN Philips, Sylvania, GE and US Tung-Sol). In the real 67 50w Plexi I had, they sounded really good, but didn't care for the hollow midrange vs good vintage EL34's and found the EL34's tighter still, but the 6CA7's definitely had beefier lows and more extended and detailed, glassier highs. I like them in Recto's, but in Marshall's prefer to bring out more mid and upper mid growl and content. I think I can hear some of that 6CA7 sound possibly also in EVH and never cared for that hollowness
 
braintheory said:
I think I can hear some of that 6CA7 sound possibly also in EVH and never cared for that hollowness
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Yep, this amp is an 'Ed Spec' amp built specifically to be variac'd/etc. And its that 'hollowness' that you call it that I call 'lean/muscular' that I like about them. But if you like those other US-made 6CA7 then I need to check them out if they aren't too expensive. The Sylvanias carry that '...bbbut EVH used them' price premium.
 
SpiderWars said:
Yep, this amp is an 'Ed Spec' amp built specifically to be variac'd/etc. And its that 'hollowness' that you call it that I call 'lean/muscular' that I like about them. But if you like those other US-made 6CA7 then I need to check them out if they aren't too expensive. The Sylvanias carry that '...bbbut EVH used them' price premium.
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Yeah guys only know Sylvnia's because of EVH (really silly imo) along with similar reason for only knowing Sylvania 6L6GC's, but those other 6CA7's aren't any cheaper usually and I think a littler harder to find. I'm sure Sylvania's will get closer to EVH's sound since that's what he used, but I find the GE's more tonally complex/rich (love them), RCA's beefier and more vintage sounding, and JAN Philips sound in between the Sylvania and RCA's to me. The US Tung-Sol 6CA7's I didn't like much. Sylvania's sound the most tight, crisp and glassy IME. They're all great and to me worth having
 
braintheory said:
Yeah guys only know Sylvnia's because of EVH (really silly imo) along with similar reason for only knowing Sylvania 6L6GC's, but those other 6CA7's aren't any cheaper usually and I think a littler harder to find. I'm sure Sylvania's will get closer to EVH's sound since that's what he used, but I find the GE's more tonally complex/rich (love them), RCA's beefier and more vintage sounding, and JAN Philips sound in between the Sylvania and RCA's to me. The US Tung-Sol 6CA7's I didn't like much. Sylvania's sound the most tight, crisp and glassy IME. They're all great and to me worth having
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There a plenty of clips out there with amps running El34's that sound like EVH so YMMV.

A couple of tube resource pages say the Siemens and Telefunken EL34's sounded more like a 6l6/KT77 versus say a Mullard EL34.

I picked up a Mullard Blackburn 1963 12ax7 to try out and in V1 it was really warm, AC/DC all day long but not exactly what I like for V1 when I was tube swapping in my 1969 SL NOS build amp. I rolled alot of NOS tubes in V1 just to hear them for kicks.
 
SpiderWars said:
For all we know he somehow came upon a box/case of them for cheap/free and was like fuck yeah I'll just keep swapping these out until I run out...and a legend was born. :ROFLMAO:
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I'm guessing that's how a lot of these famous guys came across their gear of choice haha
 
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Eddie’s favorite tubes were telefunken EL34,Eddie switched to 6ca7 tubes because of the reliability issues with EL34s in the 70s they wouldn’t hold up. If you look at the japan 1978 tour there’s a photo of the back of Eddie marshalls you can plainly see EL34 tubes not 6ca7 tubes
 
harddriver said:
There a plenty of clips out there with amps running El34's that sound like EVH so YMMV.

A couple of tube resource pages say the Siemens and Telefunken EL34's sounded more like a 6l6/KT77 versus say a Mullard EL34.

I picked up a Mullard Blackburn 1963 12ax7 to try out and in V1 it was really warm, AC/DC all day long but not exactly what I like for V1 when I was tube swapping in my 1969 SL NOS build amp. I rolled alot of NOS tubes in V1 just to hear them for kicks.
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Could be, I never cared for EVH's tone or was a huge fan, so I can't say myself

I don't agree with that at all from my experience comparing all of those as well as many other vintage European EL34's in the same amps (I do my homework). If anything, Siemens, Telefunken, and RFT's are to me the most distinctively EL34 flavored tubes I've tried with a more pronounced growl and complexity in the midrange than other EL34's IME. Mullard's are actually a bit smoother/more neutral IME in the mids, which is not my preference, but they are big, open and clear/detailed and go course also great, sorta like the Hiwatt or Wizard of tube flavor imo

My favorite V1 tubes in Marshall's and most amps are D getter Fivre's and Tungsram's, followed by '50's Bugle Boy's and RFT's as my next favorites. All excellent tubes IME
 
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