Thinking about re-tubing with JJ's, anyone like or dislike their EL34's?

[bagman67]

I know Neos are smaller/lighter/stronger.  I've never heard of them necessarily being louder.  I do know in the bass world frequency response is virtually identical with a slight edge going to the older ceramic models, though that could be construction and not composition related.  There's rumors the Neos run hotter.  I have a gut feeling 20 years from now, we may look ay the Neo craze as just that. Remember when?

I think the long-term staying power of neodymium loudspeakers will really depend on the price of themetals that go into the magnets.  Neodymium and other rare earth magnets are awesome because the power-to weight ratio is what it is - but if prices on those metals go up too high, that could kill the fad as fast as the vagaries of fashion.

 

[Strat Avenger]

The only difference is that they are lighter.

Oh, and get 'em while you can. I was told by a rep at Carvin that they will no longer be carrying them due to the fact that the U.S. Government has decided that neodymium is a precious metal, which means the price is going to sky-rocket.

 

[Volitions Advocate]

I didn't read the whole thread so sorry if I repeat anything.

I have JJ's in my Knucklehead and I like them.  I haven't had much of a chance to try any other tubes however so I don't really have much of a point of reference aside from playing on other amps at the store and things i've heard from others.

I find the JJ's are a little more "noisy" than some of the other brands.  Like they didn't clean out the tubes before they put 'em together. so you have some sand in the way of the voltage passing through.  I like this effect,  It's just more prone to feedback than other types of tubes.  A more "dirty" sound.  my 2 cents.

 

[Cagey]

I think they're calling neodymium "strategic", not "precious". Precious materials are rare, while strategic ones are important. For instance, copper and rubber, which are not rare or precious at all, were both considered strategic materials during WWII so production output was rationed and mostly limited to military uses.

Of course, the end result is usually the same - the price climbs.

Neodymium isn't rare, but we don't have much control over it. China has a grip on 90+ percent of it, even outside their borders. That's more than a little spooky because it's used in so many things now and there's no suitable replacement for it.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The only difference is that they are lighter.

Heat dissipation and wattage rating.  Granted it's the internet, and one can find websites that don't believe in the internet.  I knew I'd read it somewhere.  Some corksniffers swear they can sense the frequency response of a sealed cab change due to the air inside heating up.

http://www.drbasscabs.com/page4.html

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Hey DBU, did you notice any more bottom-end with the 34L's? Have you ever used em in your Mesa's?

I wouldn't say more, just different.

My Mesa's have always stayed 6L6 and I like them that way.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Based on everything I've read about them, I'd avoid JJ preamp tubes.

Dark-sounding, microphonic, unreliable, etc. 

 

[kboman]

I've never heard of them necessarily being louder.

I've done pretty extensive reading on the Jensens and it seems that they at least give the impression of being louder. It could simply be the fact that they break up much later than say a Greenback - either way is fine with me

Oh, and get 'em while you can.

It seems like the materials industry has painted itself into a corner with the REMs. Kind of bad planning. Anyway, they have recently made a very large find of REMs outside Gränna here in Sweden which should help keep prices somewhat balanced once they get production going (almost all finds previously have been in China, I'm told).

Re tubes no decision has been made yet. I don't see how anyone can make an informed decision about these things, it's an utter jungle out there.

 

[thebutcher85]

Hey DBU, did you notice any more bottom-end with the 34L's? Have you ever used em in your Mesa's?

I wouldn't say more, just different.

My Mesa's have always stayed 6L6 and I like them that way.

Awesome, thanks DBU
ccasion14:

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Based on everything I've read about them, I'd avoid JJ preamp tubes.

Dark-sounding, microphonic, unreliable, etc.

Not true, maybe the basic ECC83s with the short plates is a little warmer than most, but that's a good thing for the right amp. And those short plates don't go micro-phonic as easily as longer plate designs. I've never had a JJ fail.

 

[Cagey]

I've never had a JJ fail.

You've just managed to dodge the bullets up to this point. I've never gotten lung cancer from smoking. But, it happens surprisingly often.

It doesn't stop me from smoking, though. And I don't expect we'll stop using JJ's tubes <grin>

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

All tubes eventually fail.

 

[thebutcher85]

Ok, so I finally bought new power tubes for the Stiletto Deuce, I went with the JJ E34L's, and MAN do they sound great!! It's almost like a different amp now! Punchy, thick, with a great bite in the gain. One question though: the E34L's are wicked hot! Putting off a lot of heat. I know Mesa sets their amp bias cold from the factory, and the guy at Tube Depot recommended a grade of 46 for the E34L's I got, but is that heat normal? I could probably cook a panini on the back of the amp!  :dontknow:

It sounds amazing now, I'm just afraid to crank it because of the heat...
(also, I paid $3 for a 24-hour burn-in on the tubes)

 

[Patrick from Davis]

If it still has Mesa's biasing on it, it is probably the filaments that are generating all of the heat.  That circuit will stay hot no matter what, even on standby.  Which you could try, turn it on standby, and see the if the thing heats up the same as what you noticed.  I have an amp with KT88's in it, and they really generate some heat.  But they just crank the heat out no matter what.
Patrick

 

[Cagey]

The vast majority of the power draw on a tube amp is in the tube filaments. EL-34s draw 1.5A each just to light up. If it's a class A amp, the tube's conducting all the time, so you're dissipating power that way as well, even if you're not using it.

It's only 6.3 volts, so it's not a lotta wattage per tube, but it adds up.

 

[DangerousR6]

I too replaced the toobs in my Blackstar with JJ's, matched set of E34L's, and ECC83S in the V1,V2,V3...It was an amazing difference...It's almost indescribable how alive the amp is now... :headbang1:

 

[thebutcher85]

I too replaced the toobs in my Blackstar with JJ's, matched set of E34L's, and ECC83S in the V1,V2,V3...It was an amazing difference...It's almost indescribable how alive the amp is now... :headbang1:

Do your E34L's put out a lot of heat?

 

[DangerousR6]

I too replaced the toobs in my Blackstar with JJ's, matched set of E34L's, and ECC83S in the V1,V2,V3...It was an amazing difference...It's almost indescribable how alive the amp is now... :headbang1:

Do your E34L's put out a lot of heat?

Not anymore than the ones that were in there before, that I've noticed.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Mesa biases their 6L6s very cold, but the switch flipped to EL34 is biased hotter on purpose because the EL34 respond to it better. If there is no signs of red plating, heat is normal.

It does sound good though, right?  :headbang1:

 

[thebutcher85]

Mesa biases their 6L6s very cold, but the switch flipped to EL34 is biased hotter on purpose because the EL34 respond to it better. If there is no signs of red plating, heat is normal.

It does sound good though, right?  :headbang1:

It sounds VERY good!  :headbang1: What are the signs of red plating that I should look out for? (also, since it's a Stiletto series 1, there's no 6L6/EL34 switch, it only takes EL34 types, does that make a difference?)