Do forgive me if this question has been asked before and answered elsewhere.

Basically, I recently bought a 50watt custom built amp which uses two EL34 valves. I'm happy with the overdrive sound and the volume I get, unfortunately, the valves break up really quickly, at really only 2 or 3 on the gain, and the music I play really needs a decent clean sound as well as big distortion. If I set the gain at a level where I get clean, I have to ramp up the master volume, but still get drowned out by most of the rest of the band!!

Can anyone recommend valves that I could replace the EL34s with, that would break up later, thus allowing me to keep my gain at a decent level for the volume, and use pedals to push them when I need some kick?

Hope this makes sense, this is my first valve amp and I'm trying learn as much as I can.

Much appreciated for your advice.

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Guitar > Pedals > Amplification

Get in touch with Bob at Eurotubes - he can recommend some

And please post some more about your amp - sounds interesting

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6L6s break up later than EL34s, and 6550/KT88s break up even later yet. both are compatible with the socket wiring of EL34s. they require more bias voltage to set the current correctly, but for a custom built amp, this should be no problem.

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This may seem silly, but is it a tube pre-amp section as well? If so, replacing the normal 12AX7's in the pre with something a little cooler running like a 12AU7 or a 12AT7 will also give you more clean headroom. the only time that the EL34's are really affecting breakup is when you are pushing the output section into power tube distortion which means that you're already running close to full out.

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+1 - the EL-34s are not the problem, your preamp tubes are really hot... like the preamp tubes in the Orange AD30!!! I have the same "problem" but it is no problem for me, as I like a gritty clean sound...

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So if I replaced my 12AX7's with say 12AU7's or 12AT7's, my clean's gonna be 'cleaner'...awesome, but how will that affect my dirty tone?

Am I gonna have less dirty gain as well?

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it all depends on what kind of amp it is. if it has separate channels for clean and dirty which use their own tubes, then you could replace only the clean channel's tubes and the dirty would be unaffected.

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thanks for all the advice guys, big help. I'm going to have to look into the amp a lot more though, got it off ebay with very little information about it, and I'm a complete novice when it comes to valve amps. All the seller told me was that the 'output valves' were EL34s, it does have a valve rectifier as well, but he didn't mention what the preamp valves were.

It's also just a single channel amp, so I'll need to find a balance between dirty/clean with whatever valves I go for.

I'll post some pics of the thing for those interested. It's at my rehearsal space, but we're in the studio this weekend so I'll get some pics then.

thanks again folks. much appreciated.

[edit]OK, the amp came with a bunch of spare/used/dud valves. having just had a look through them, it would appear that the preamp valves are ECC83s. Heading into the Tube Amp FAQ for more research![/edit]

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Guitar > Pedals > Amplification

Bob at eurotubes sells e34Ls which are great tubes that have a little more bass and headroom might be just what your looking for but i agree on the preamp tubes change em out as well.

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Figured i would post my gear since im new

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The valve rectifier does his own to that somewhat "problem"... - as it is a single channel amp, you should find the right balance, right - if you like its dirty sound, play it dirty all the time and regulate between dirty/clean with a volume pedal or your guitar´s volume... just a thought, though...

Greets, Dominik

If you like your current dirty sound then i think it would be hard to achieve your same dirty sound and the clean sound in your head with just a tube change, you may want to think about boosts, overdrives or even a volume pedal

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I had this qeustion a while ago here. If you replace a 12ax7 with a 12au7, are you really getting a cleaner sound at the same volume, or are you just driving the power tubes less (like turning down the gain knob - less gain but less volume as well)? Most answers seemed to imply the latter - is that not right?

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Les Pauls and Teles (some real, some fake) ->
Boss TU2
Ernie Ball VP Jr
Vox847 Wah (true-bypass)
Barber Tone Press
Barber Small Fry
Da MOAF
Lovepedal CoT50
Modded Vox Valvetone
Crowther Prunes & Custard
EHX Deluxe Memory Man
EHX Wiggler
Line 6 Verbzilla
(all used variously)
-> Traynor YCV40WR

No - not a cleaner sound at the same volume, volume gets down a bit - but you can drive the power tubes AND the preamp tubes more and can get for that reason a fuller, cutting better through-sound...

But I for myself wouldn´t recommend a 12AU7, I would recommend an ECC83 or a 12AX7 that´s a bit cleaner than the recent pretty high gain tubes, there are also differences within the same tube models but by different manufacturers... So some 12AX7s are cleaner than others (don´t know really too much about that topic, though)... I think with a 12AU7 it would be like you said - less gain at less volume...

Probably the best solution would be a Fulltone Fat Boost and the control of the distortion via the guitar´s volume - the boost let´s the guitar volume react better to clean up, and the amp is what it seems to should be - a dirty amp...

Greets, Dominik

I know that Bob at Eurotubes (JJ tubes) rates his 12AX7/ECC83's based on their gain levels, so I'm sure if you sent him an e-mail with what you're looking for, he'd be able to hook you up. He is a great customer oriented businessman.

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Oh yeah,
and if you want to, you could get one of those copper plugs that converts your rectifier from tube to solid state. I can't remember who makes them, maybe Weber? Somebody on here will know.

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