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Post by guitarman1 on May 10, 2006 7:20:37 GMT -7
Can anybody describe the tone of different EF86s they've tried in their Z amps? I just got a RX ES with the stock Dario, but I'm always looking for improvement. Anybody try one of the $60.00 Mullards from KCA? Opinions please?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2006 9:35:06 GMT -7
Hi Guitarman!, I have tried both the Mullard and the GEC with the Stingray. They replaced the Dario that came with the amp. The Mullard is a very rich sounding tube. It gave a lot more swirl and depth to the sound of the Stingray. The GEC just added beef to the sound. It gave more of everything while still retaining some swirl and chime though not as much as the Mullard. The GEC is great especially if you need to cut through the mix or are playing more aggressive styles of music. With the RXES I think the EF86 differences will be noticed less than on the Doc's other EF86 amps, due to the fact that on the RXES the EF86 is in V2 not V1 like the Stingray, Z-28, Route66, KT-45, etc. The Dario that the amp camp with sounds great. It was in the RXES I owned as well and I thought it sounded pretty amazing. It has more of the definition and clarity of the GEC while still having the sparkle of the Mullard. If you are really wanting to try one grab the Mullard first. I think it is a great tube. The GEC is a little pricey but also worth it. Heck, get both if you can. Tubes are such a personal thing that what works for one will not work for another. It might be cool to have both to try. You can get quite crazy at times, for instance I found my '69 tele prefers the GEC EF86 while my strat sounded better with the Mullard EF86. Of course both guitars still sound great no matter what EF86 is in there but there are subtle differences to how each EF86 reacts to each guitar. I think the Dario is the most neutral out of the bunch as far as different guitars are concerned, but after putting the Mullard in I can't go back. Another thing to consider is changing out the Rectifier for a good NOS tube. I have a Mullard 5AR4 in the Stingray and it immediately made a difference. Popped one it the RXES and it did the same thing as it did in the Stingray. It made it more vibrant for lack of a better word. Anyway I hope this helps. Have fun tweaking. Oh yeah, here is some Karma for getting the RXES. It is a great amp. I know where you will be spending your time for the next lil' while. ;D
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Post by guitarman1 on May 10, 2006 9:50:14 GMT -7
Thanks for that wealth of information Aruntang. Yeah...I'm gonna have some fun tweaking. I've got a NOS RCA & a NOS Valvo rectifier I'm going to try out. Am also going to swap around some 12AX7s (JJ 803, JJ 83S, GT 12AX7M, NOS Phillips, new Tung Sol). Karma back at you just for being a good guy!
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