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Post by Marshalldog on Dec 11, 2016 14:14:40 GMT -7
I found out that the El84's in her are EH so the previous owner must have swapped them out even tough he owned her for about 1-2 months, I was expecting JJ's??
I do have the NOS Russian 6N14N's on order from Perry. Cant wait to get them. I want a little thicker rich tone...I order the low measurement tubes because he said they will break up and smooth things out s little more that the average and high measurement tubes. The highs with these EH are pretty in your face IMHO.
I rolled some RFT, Mullard and EH 12AX7's but it seems the JJ's have the best sounding mellow highs.
What are your guys opinions here...BTW, I did read many threads on pre-amp tubes on this forum.
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Post by digs57 on Dec 11, 2016 15:07:38 GMT -7
I myself like the eh's...when you get a solid pair...pretty inconsistent...its those or the 6n14n's for me....I am getting a preferred series 7025 v1 working right now/reg cab amp... along with there 5ar rectifier...which I really like.
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Post by BritInvasion on Dec 11, 2016 15:51:29 GMT -7
I like the NOS Russian EL84 , but like Dave said if you get a good pair of E-H , they are nice. But that's "IF". I pulled the JJ's out of V1 / V2 , V1 I installed a Ruby 12AX7AC7 HG+.and in V2 an old Zenith 12AX7 from the early '60s. Sounds fantastic. I have an NOS GE 5AR4 rectifier in there as well.
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Post by Marshalldog on Dec 11, 2016 16:35:20 GMT -7
I may try some NOS Jan-GE12ax7s that I have in stock.
The Sovtek rectifier tube is in stalled in mine. Is that a good one or are there better ones?
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Post by Marshalldog on Dec 11, 2016 16:37:50 GMT -7
I myself like the eh's...when you get a solid pair...pretty inconsistent...its those or the 6n14n's for me....I am getting a preferred series 7025 v1 working right now/reg cab amp... along with there 5ar rectifier...which I really like. I have the 7025s in a few darker amps. IMO they seem to be lower gain and bright which is good in some amps like my Jubilee but I would think they will be too thin and bright in this amp but just my opinion.
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Post by BritInvasion on Dec 11, 2016 16:43:11 GMT -7
I may try some NOS Jan-GE12ax7s that I have in stock. The Sovtek rectifier tube is in stalled in mine. Is that a good one or are there better ones? I'm a big believer in using NOS rectifiers. They last for decades. The one I'm using now is in it's 3rd Z amp , I bought it 11 years ago and it's still going strong. New rectifiers can last a few months to a few years. Its a dice roll. Generally speaking , the Sovtek seems to be a fairly sturdy tube for new production.
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Post by llew on Dec 12, 2016 0:51:36 GMT -7
Big fan of tung sol's myself.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 6:49:30 GMT -7
I like the EH EL84's a lot. I also recommend getting a nice NOS Rectifier Tube and keeping your old one on hand as a spare.
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Post by Marshalldog on Dec 12, 2016 10:16:00 GMT -7
I like the EH EL84's a lot. I also recommend getting a nice NOS Rectifier Tube and keeping your old one on hand as a spare. Whats a good NOS rectifier tube that you would recommend??
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Post by dcarver on Dec 12, 2016 11:01:07 GMT -7
Hi MarshallDog, welcome to the forum. I took the advice of the very knowledgeable people on this board and replaced the stock Sino 5AR4 that came with my MAZ 8 with NOS JAN Philips/Sylvania 5AR4 (mislabeled as a 5V4GA) from KCA Tubes. www.kcanostubes.com/content/nos-jan-philipssylvania-5ar4Brent Jessee has the same tube listed on this page, as well as others : www.audiotubes.com/audtube.htmBrent offers a 2 year warranty for tubes in $90 to $100 price range for $13.99 He also has the 5V4GA for $12.00. I picked up a couple for backups. The 5V4GA will work in a MAZ, but I think the MAZ 8 looses just a bit of authority in Triode Mode the 5V4GA. Perry R., the source of the most excellent 6n14n / EL 84 output tubes has a Reverb store here: reverb.com/shop/rogue-8I'm not sure if he handles rectifier tubes, but his contact info is in the News From Dr. Z Topic : ztalk.proboards.com/thread/72831/6n14n-selected-tubes-available
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Post by Marshalldog on Dec 12, 2016 12:13:38 GMT -7
Hi MarshallDog, welcome to the forum. I took the advice of the very knowledgeable people on this board and replaced the stock Sino 5AR4 that came with my MAZ 8 with NOS JAN Philips/Sylvania 5AR4 (mislabeled as a 5V4GA) from KCA Tubes. www.kcanostubes.com/content/nos-jan-philipssylvania-5ar4Brent Jessee has the same tube listed on this page, as well as others : www.audiotubes.com/audtube.htmBrent offers a 2 year warranty for tubes in $90 to $100 price range for $13.99 He also has the 5V4GA for $12.00. I picked up a couple for backups. The 5V4GA will work in a MAZ, but I think the MAZ 8 looses just a bit of authority in Triode Mode the 5V4GA. Perry R., the source of the most excellent 6n14n / EL 84 output tubes has a Reverb store here: reverb.com/shop/rogue-8I'm not sure if he handles rectifier tubes, but his contact info is in the News From Dr. Z Topic : ztalk.proboards.com/thread/72831/6n14n-selected-tubes-availableThanks for the tube info, I may order up Sino 5AR4...I do have the NOS Russian 6n14n on order from Perry and should have them any day.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 16:44:50 GMT -7
I like the EH EL84's a lot. I also recommend getting a nice NOS Rectifier Tube and keeping your old one on hand as a spare. Whats a good NOS rectifier tube that you would recommend?? Literally what ever Mike at KCA Tubes thought was right from his current inventory.
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Post by Marshalldog on Dec 15, 2016 19:17:48 GMT -7
I tried NOS German RFT's in this amp, I thought thy might go well it's the NOS Russsian 6n14n EL84? They seem to quiet the hiss when cranked up and just sound nice and thick with a nice crunch when the amp is cranked with the gain up. I think I like them a lot. Anyone else try them in the 18 Jr NR? Just curious!
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Post by Marshalldog on Jan 6, 2017 11:18:09 GMT -7
So I have tried many pre-amp tubes in my Maz 18 NR including CP Mullards, NOS RFTs, EH and JJ's. For me I found the JJ's dead sounding missing something, the Mullards had almost too much break up too muddy, the RFT's sounded dam good BUT the EH's sounded the best meaning the lowest noise & a cleaner tone with less harshness in the upper frequencies...I thought I had my set up. But then I got the idea to try some Tube Store 7025's in her. I didnt think they would sound good because the last thing I wanted was for the amp to be brighter and these tubes are typically brighter tubes. Well, I popped them in and wow!!! The amp has yet a bit cleaner tone with less breakup up and the uppers highs seem smoother all while having a rich musical tone not to mention minimal noise. I was so surprised and it was not what I was expecting.
If you wonder about my comment on breakup...its because I did install the Brake-Lite and I have a nice choice of OD pedals to use so I can get all the break up from these two areas when needed.
Anyone else using The Tube Store 7025's in this amp? Just curious.
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Post by Marshalldog on Jan 9, 2017 17:58:56 GMT -7
Bump...
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Post by purpletele on Jan 10, 2017 14:58:37 GMT -7
So I have tried many pre-amp tubes in my Maz 18 NR including CP Mullards, NOS RFTs, EH and JJ's. For me I found the JJ's dead sounding missing something, the Mullards had almost too much break up too muddy, the RFT's sounded dam good BUT the EH's sounded the best meaning the lowest noise & a cleaner tone with less harshness in the upper frequencies...I thought I had my set up. But then I got the idea to try some Tube Store 7025's in her. I didnt think they would sound good because the last thing I wanted was for the amp to be brighter and these tubes are typically brighter tubes. Well, I popped them in and wow!!! The amp has yet a bit cleaner tone with less breakup up and the uppers highs seem smoother all while having a rich musical tone not to mention minimal noise. I was so surprised and it was not what I was expecting. If you wonder about my comment on breakup...its because I did install the Brake-Lite and I have a nice choice of OD pedals to use so I can get all the break up from these two areas when needed. Anyone else using The Tube Store 7025's in this amp? Just curious. I haven't tried those tubes but it sounds like it might be a solution for me on another amp. (18 watt 6 v 6 Plexi) Are you using those in all three positions?
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Post by Marshalldog on Jan 10, 2017 19:30:35 GMT -7
So I have tried many pre-amp tubes in my Maz 18 NR including CP Mullards, NOS RFTs, EH and JJ's. For me I found the JJ's dead sounding missing something, the Mullards had almost too much break up too muddy, the RFT's sounded dam good BUT the EH's sounded the best meaning the lowest noise & a cleaner tone with less harshness in the upper frequencies...I thought I had my set up. But then I got the idea to try some Tube Store 7025's in her. I didnt think they would sound good because the last thing I wanted was for the amp to be brighter and these tubes are typically brighter tubes. Well, I popped them in and wow!!! The amp has yet a bit cleaner tone with less breakup up and the uppers highs seem smoother all while having a rich musical tone not to mention minimal noise. I was so surprised and it was not what I was expecting. If you wonder about my comment on breakup...its because I did install the Brake-Lite and I have a nice choice of OD pedals to use so I can get all the break up from these two areas when needed. Anyone else using The Tube Store 7025's in this amp? Just curious. I haven't tried those tubes but it sounds like it might be a solution for me on another amp. (18 watt 6 v 6 Plexi) Are you using those in all three positions? Yup...
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Post by Marshalldog on Jan 12, 2017 3:24:54 GMT -7
Waiting for a delivery today from The Tube Store for a set of their NOS Perferred Series EL84s and one of their Perferred Series 5AR4s. I figured I had better have a spare set on hand and seeing as this is my first amp with a rectifier tube and EL84s I better get a set just in case plus it will be fun to roll them in and see how they affect the tone. There's Perferred Series are supposed to be very nice and well built tubes. I think I read that the Perferred Series EL84 is the NOS Russian 6n14n tube??
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Post by baldeagle on Jan 19, 2017 14:39:13 GMT -7
Has anyone here tried the JJ EL844's? I have heard from non-Z owners that they break-up earlier and sound more creamy than the JJ EL84s
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Post by digs57 on Jan 19, 2017 18:21:22 GMT -7
Preferred 5ar4's are a solid tube...all im running these days...like em
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Post by zpilot on Jan 20, 2017 7:31:19 GMT -7
Waiting for a delivery today from The Tube Store for a set of their NOS Perferred Series EL34s and one of their Perferred Series 5AR4s. I figured I had better have a spare set on hand and seeing as this is my first amp with a rectifier tube and EL84s I better get a set just in case plus it will be fun to roll them in and see how they affect the tone. There's Perferred Series are supposed to be very nice and well built tubes. I think I read that the Perferred Series EL84 is the NOS Russian 6n14n tube?? The "Preferred Series" EL84's I received were definitely not the same tube as the as the ones I got from Perry. I had been using JJ's and I tried the Preferred Series tubes first. I didn't care for them. They didn't have the "edge" that the JJ's had. They just felt lifeless. I went back to the JJ's. When I heard that Perry was selling the same tubes that Dr Z was now using I had to give them a try. I looked at Perry's and the ones from The Tube Store and mine were NOT the same. Perry's do not have quite the edge of the JJ's but with a little EQ they work just as nicely. I can only speak about the tubes that I received.
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Post by baldeagle on Jan 23, 2017 0:27:42 GMT -7
Has anyone here tried the JJ EL844's? I have heard from non-Z owners that they break-up earlier and sound more creamy than the JJ EL84s UPDATE: I installed JJ EL844's today and was not pleased with the results. The volume was not much different from the quite new JJ EL84s that were already in the amp. Clarity suffered at all V and MV levels: the 844s lacked punch and sounded 'grainy' - not 'creamy' as described on another thread. I tested it with my Carvin SH275 on both humbucker and split settings, with and without OD. I had previously tried 844s in two other amps and reached the same conclusion. 844s aren't for me.
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Post by purpletele on Jan 23, 2017 2:04:52 GMT -7
Has anyone here tried the JJ EL844's? I have heard from non-Z owners that they break-up earlier and sound more creamy than the JJ EL84s UPDATE: I installed JJ EL844's today and was not pleased with the results. The volume was not much different from the quite new JJ EL84s that were already in the amp. Clarity suffered at all V and MV levels: the 844s lacked punch and sounded 'grainy' - not 'creamy' as described on another thread. I tested it with my Carvin SH275 on both humbucker and split settings, with and without OD. I had previously tried 844s in two other amps and reached the same conclusion. 844s aren't for me. Good report! They would not be for me either
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Post by dergit (Markus) on Jan 23, 2017 2:39:00 GMT -7
From all I've ever heard, the EL844s are just EL84s that really didn't make the cut. Which, considering the garbage they still ship these days, is saying something.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 23, 2017 8:38:55 GMT -7
What Markus said +++1000 I love the tubes that Doc is recommending. They're solid, noise free (so far so good!) and sound great in all my Maz amps.
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Post by Marshalldog on Jan 23, 2017 10:43:33 GMT -7
I myself like the eh's...when you get a solid pair...pretty inconsistent...its those or the 6n14n's for me....I am getting a preferred series 7025 v1 working right now/reg cab amp... along with there 5ar rectifier...which I really like. I have the 7025s in a few darker amps. IMO they seem to be lower gain and bright which is good in some amps like my Jubilee but I would think they will be too thin and bright in this amp but just my opinion. I have the 7025s in mine and wow, they sound great no brite at all! I thought they would be brite and thin also and were the last tubes I rolled in thinking no way and I was so wrong, they sound wonderful and give me just a tou h more clean headroom when she is cranked up. I alos find the TS Preferred Series EL84s to sound great in this amp also very similar to the NOS Russian tubes...oh yeah thats right, these are NOS Russian tubes...
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Post by baldeagle on Jan 24, 2017 1:02:43 GMT -7
I just discovered that the Tube Store Maz 18 NR set (Tube Store link is on the Dr Z Tube Info page) does not match what Dr Z now recommends. Dr Z now recommends NOS 6N14N power tubes, vs EH EL84s on the Tube Store site. I installed the EHs and thought they were kind of bland. I swapped them for a new set of JJ EL84s that I already had. I preferred the JJs, but I want to stick with the Dr's recommendation, so I just ordered the NOS set. I will report back on my findings.
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Post by baldeagle on Jan 28, 2017 16:14:26 GMT -7
I received and installed the NOS tubes recommended by the Dr. Compared to JJs, they sound clearer, a bit brighter, and less harsh. They break up later, but turning up the V by 1-1.5 provided about equal grit. But a nicer grit. And turning the Cut down by 1 made the brightness about equal. Better tone to my ears at all levels of guitar vol. I am happy with the change.
To me, JJ EL84s tend toward "harshness".
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Post by dergit (Markus) on Jan 29, 2017 4:00:35 GMT -7
I have a box full of old 6p14ps here... prefer them mostly for reasons of reliability but I also think they sound a bit "more expensive" if that makes sense.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 13:30:37 GMT -7
With all of the bad mouthing going on regarding EL844's, I had a quad of JJ's that lasted 6 months in a Maz 38, then when I sold that amp, those same tubes lasted almost a year in my Maz 18 (6 months a pair). On the flip, I burned through two sets of regular JJ EL84's and 7189's within a month.
I now have the tubes from Perry, so we'll see how these go. I like them so far.
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