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Post by langford on Jul 8, 2021 8:42:07 GMT -5
Following up on my question about speakers vs. circuits: What role do power tubes play in shaping an amp's tone? Amps based on EL84s have always had a "boxy" tone to my ears. For a long time, I've half consciously put that down to the tubes themselves, but that's lazy thinking. Lately I've been thinking that maybe EL84 amps have that boxy sound because they're inspired by sounds from classic EL84 amps that I associate with "boxy" (mainly the mid-range response vs the scooped/chimey Fender sound). In that case, it would be the circuit (again) far more than tube. Obviously, one needs to look at the sum of an amps parts to understand why it sounds the way the does, but I'm still curious to hear thoughts on how of a role power tubes play in tone. TIA.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jul 8, 2021 9:51:52 GMT -5
A lot of little combos come packed with EL84s and may be the culprit for setting the boxy descriptive. My Fender Pro Jr. can be accused of boxiness. The Maz Jr. I used to have, not.
That said, I think power tubes do have their characteristics and the amps I seem to get along with best have 6V6's.
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pdf64
Wholenote
Posts: 556
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Post by pdf64 on Jul 8, 2021 10:51:44 GMT -5
The Vox AC30 surely counts as the classic EL84 based amp? They were pretty much designed around the high gain and easy drive requirements of that valve. Its tone is the definition of full and chimey, to me at least.
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Post by justin on Jul 8, 2021 13:49:01 GMT -5
I have had the same types of beliefs and always wondered the same.
A long time ago I had a Budda Superdrive 30 (EL84) with a matching 4x12. I then changed the head to they Superdrive 80 (6L6) with the same cabinet. I LOVED the sound of the 80 because it sounded so huge and full. The 30 did sound a little more boxy to me, but maybe that's because the 80 had the headroom to produce a lot of low end?
Those days are long gone and I really enjoy my Deluxe Reverb (Tone Master) quietly at home now. I think it hits the sweet spot, for me at least, even if it's a modeled version of 6V6 tubes. But of course comparing these circuits might be apples and oranges. All I really remember is the pants-flapping goodness of that Budda half stack!
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Post by langford on Jul 9, 2021 12:03:54 GMT -5
"The 30 did sound a little more boxy to me, but maybe that's because the 80 had the headroom to produce a lot of low end?"
Could be. Some of tone is psychological. I wonder if I find EL84 amps "boxy" simply because my definition of "not boxy" is a classic Fender 6L6 tone.
"Its tone is the definition of full and chimey, to me at least."
I always think of AC30s as "bright" rather than "chimey." That's because the don't sound like Fenders. LOL
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Post by Leftee on Jul 9, 2021 12:28:31 GMT -5
As Peter said, it’s easier to drive the EL84 into clipping than the large bottle tubes.
That said, I have an EL84 amp that produces big round cleans - that amp being my Mesa Recto-Verb. And, in general, that amp stands against the premise of this thread… clean or overdrive.
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