Bogner 20th Anniversary Ecstasy, 6L6 vs EL34?

[James Lugo]

Like I need another guitar head...

But I've been listening to some clips lately and really digging some of the tones I'm hearing. It seems that it comes with either 6L6 or EL34 tubes in it. Has anyone tried them both? Thoughts? Tonal differences?

 

[roodboy]

Had a 6l6 that i sent back for el34's.
I like the el34 ebtter more Marshally.

Heres a little comparioson of the the 6l6 El34 I sent someone in a PM:

My original 6l6 was actually a different circuit than the el34. It was one of the early ones which did not have boost on the plexi channel.
So my comparision isn't just based on the 6l6 vs el34. That being said there is surprisingly not a tremendous difference between the two.
I am an el34 Marshall guy so I'm a bit biased also.
The differences are all kind of subtle.
The 6l6 clean is better, glassier and chimier than the el34. The el34 plexi channel has more of that Marshall upper mid. But the 6l6 plexi to me was actaully kind of bassman-ish.
The Blue channel didn't seem right to me with the 6l6 and the red channel had a modern vibe to it regardless of v or m setting.
Overall the 6l6 was a bit more modern and had a bit more low end and was somewhat hifi as compared to the el34. The red channel and blue channel sound better to me.
I sent the amp to Bogner because the boost wasn't working at the time even Charley didn't know about the early ones without the boost circuit.
I probably wouldn't have sent it in just for the mod but knew once it was there I had to try it or I would always wonder what if?
The mod took almost 2 months.
In the end I'm glad I did it. The el34 is more me

 

[supersonic]

I tried a 6L6 version, but own an EL34 100B. I prefer the EL34 tone the 6L6s' seem nicer for cleans but more congested and looser at high gain.

 

[steve_k]

James - yes, you do need another head and it should be a 20X. Like you, I have owned a lot of amps. This by far the best amp purchase I have ever made. There is so much difference in the 20th than the 101. Very full, deep and articulate. All 3 channels are very usable and easy to blend together. For studio use, I suspect you would get a lot of mileage out of this amp. To answer your question, I have not tried 6L6, not can I imagine 6L6's doing the 20th justice. The 6L6's just aren't gonna reach out there like the 34's. I custom ordered mine through Rob and Jorg put it together in about a week. Also had it done in this custom head shell. I wouldn't have cared much for the vintage white. Everything about a 20th just oozes quality and craftsmanship. The 20th is the primary reason I have had the recent testosterone adjustment around here this week. Here's a shot of the 20th in the tolex shell in the middle, with the Twin Jet to the left and Shiva/101 to the right.......Steve

 

[jlbaxe]

James - yes, you do need another head and it should be a 20X. Like you, I have owned a lot of amps. This by far the best amp purchase I have ever made. There is so much difference in the 20th than the 101. Very full, deep and articulate. All 3 channels are very usable and easy to blend together. For studio use, I suspect you would get a lot of mileage out of this amp. To answer your question, I have not tried 6L6, not can I imagine 6L6's doing the 20th justice. The 6L6's just aren't gonna reach out there like the 34's. I custom ordered mine through Rob and Jorg put it together in about a week. Also had it done in this custom head shell. I wouldn't have cared much for the vintage white. Everything about a 20th just oozes quality and craftsmanship. The 20th is the primary reason I have had the recent testosterone adjustment around here this week. Here's a shot of the 20th in the tolex shell in the middle, with the Twin Jet to the left and Shiva/101 to the right.......Steve