EL34's have more "fizz" then 6550's?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mizati20
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Mizati20

Mizati20

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Been running my new VH-4 through it's paces, and there is just this funky trebly fizzy sound that I can't seem to dail out, no matter what I do, it seems to be focused mainly on the gain knob... obviously turning the treble and presence up makes it a bit more noticeable, but that's only because those knobs are doing their job... the seller told me I should swap out the Sovtek Pre-amp tubes, because they were "sharp" sounding, and I did that, but there was no difference, the Sovteks didn't seem to sound bad at all...

So now I'm looking at the JJ EL34 power tubes, keep in mind the only thing I have for comparison is my other VH-4, which was loaded with Winged =C= 6550's... I'm looking at multiple websites and the JJ EL34's seem to be the cheapest EL34... has anyone else noticed this when switching back and forth between the two types of tubes?

The best way I can describe the sound is that there is just WAY to much fucking gain... but if I turn the gain way down, that oversaturated fizzy sound remains until there isn't enough gain... if that makes sense at all...

I'm just about to pull the trigger on a quad of 6550's, just wanted to know if I'm heading in the right direction...

Recommendations for preamp tubes would be more than welcome also :thumbsup:
 
6550's or JJ E34L's will not make a difference. Their is one resistor that needs to be swapped out to get that fizz out.
If it's not changed, that fizz will always be there. It was a request by Diezel owners who wanted more treble in the VH4 and got it.

There was another topic on this.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=64348
 
Do you think my head already had the mod done to it and needs to be reversed? WHere is this resistor at so I can take a pic for you guys to judge, I don't know shit about the inside of the amp, I've become quite proficient at openings these things up though, so no worries there...

Mark in the other thread when you said you got the 100k resistor mod done... that is what ADDED the treble? or that takes it away? And I'm assuming this is something any competent tech could do correct? Thanks fellas!
 
The mod takes away treble, or at least just the fizz.

Kit,

PM me your email and I will send you a pic of what to look for. I sent you mine so you could send me your pics.
I'm not going to make this a public spectacle.
 
Sounds like you should've gone with a pre-'07
:lol: :LOL:

But seriously, IMO, using 6550s in your specific instance will make the problem worse.
In my VH4, switching from 34s to 6550s extended the top end and made the amp sound even more "Hi-Fi"...which has a good chance of making the fizz more noticeable.
 
To my ears, the post 07' with 6550's cuts the power amp gain a bit.
It's a little less "in your face" with the top end.

Just an FYI, the mod does not remove any control over the treble, it removes just that spike.
The treble tone controls are still very accurate and wide ranging. I only run the treble at noon on Ch. 1 and 4
and 10:00 on Ch. 2 and 11:00 on Ch. 3. The range is still there but it's sweeter and thicker but
you can still run the treble as wide open as you want with no fizz.

After the mod, Ch. 2 with full gain and the mids at 11-12:00 is a freakin' blast.......
Very organic and less compressed than 3 or 4.
With about 20-25 dB of clean boost you can join BLS. :rock:
 
I find this mod interesting, as I began to think my VH4 had too much treble going on (still in the tweaking phase however, only a new owner). If I email you about it would you be able to share the information with me, Mark?

Also, perhaps this is a silly question but would there be any mod that could be done to perhaps reduce some of the compression on channels 3&4 so that they are a little more open sounding ala Ch2? I LOVE Ch2 with the gain near flat out, and I never do that normally (namely because you can't really do that with other amps and expect a good sound but it's just so damn good). Cheers!
 
philbag":28x5l0kk said:
I find this mod interesting, as I began to think my VH4 had too much treble going on (still in the tweaking phase however, only a new owner). If I email you about it would you be able to share the information with me, Mark?

Also, perhaps this is a silly question but would there be any mod that could be done to perhaps reduce some of the compression on channels 3&4 so that they are a little more open sounding ala Ch2? I LOVE Ch2 with the gain near flat out, and I never do that normally (namely because you can't really do that with other amps and expect a good sound but it's just so damn good). Cheers!
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the mod, I had it done... just put 6550's in your amp.... seriously...
 
Mizati20":1vlkwwmf said:
philbag":1vlkwwmf said:
I find this mod interesting, as I began to think my VH4 had too much treble going on (still in the tweaking phase however, only a new owner). If I email you about it would you be able to share the information with me, Mark?

Also, perhaps this is a silly question but would there be any mod that could be done to perhaps reduce some of the compression on channels 3&4 so that they are a little more open sounding ala Ch2? I LOVE Ch2 with the gain near flat out, and I never do that normally (namely because you can't really do that with other amps and expect a good sound but it's just so damn good). Cheers!
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the mod, I had it done... just put 6550's in your amp.... seriously...
Click to expand...

You're saying the mod didn't make much of a difference?
 
...im doing the mod this weekend. i will report back. and i love my 6550s...as everyone knows!! :lol: :LOL:

Havent played channel 2 in a while but this weekend i hit it by mistake and was totally blown away again. Lovin it!!!
 
PaulyPanacea":20dr2w1n said:
...im doing the mod this weekend. i will report back. and i love my 6550s...as everyone knows!! :lol: :LOL:

Havent played channel 2 in a while but this weekend i hit it by mistake and was totally blown away again. Lovin it!!!
Click to expand...

Do it Pauly! :thumbsup:
Wich value are you using?..100K or more?

..is the first time i hear that you love big tubes.... :lol: :LOL:
 
Im gonna try a 100K. see how it works out.

and im a huge fan of the big tubes.... :thumbsup:
 
I had the mod done and went with the 100k resistor, and I noticed very very little difference in the sound, If I were to do it over again I would have tried a larger value resistor (as Mark2C says you can do) however, that's irrelevant, because I put 6550's in the head and HOLY JESUS, totally different sound.

Please keep in mind FourT6 Im talking about my 2007 VH-4 I used to have, I now have a 2006 and am MUCH happier, even before I put the 6550's in the one I have now I liked it MUCH more then the 2007, it's my personal opinion that the newer heads have WAY too much gain, the pre 2007 VH-4's are less compressed, much more open sounding, less fizzy, more organic, and have a MUCH wider "useable" gain structure. This is all IMO however :-)

Pauly, since you already are running 6550's you aren't going to notice a difference with the 100k mod, talk to Mark, there's a higher value resistor you can use, maybe give that a shot, oh and make sure and use metal film resistors, not ceramic. Report back and let us know what you think tho man!!
 
The resistor needs to be looked at first. There are quite a few VH4's from the late 07 period that had a resistor as low as 47K
and sounds harsh regardless of power tubes. If it has the later 68K, try the 6550's first then the 100K mod. If you are a a 100%
EL-34 user 470K is the way to go to lose the compression and fizz. To my ears, the 100K and 6550 are the ultimate tone from the
VH4. A 100K and EL34's regardless of brand will have too much fizz and compression. For an EL-34/68K-100K comparison I used everything I had
in the arsenal from Tesla E34L's to Mullard XF4's and even GE 6CA7's to no avail. If you are a serious down tuned player, the 68K and EL-34 may
actually be what you are looking for.
 
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