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View Full Version : Best current production EL34?

onehandfretting
12-08-2005, 07:49 PM
Whatcha think?
goneracin
12-08-2005, 08:28 PM
Winged C
Roccaforte Amps
12-08-2005, 08:59 PM
Winged C





I'll second that.
reaiken
12-08-2005, 09:22 PM
I'll second that.


I'll third that.

RA
hw2nw
12-08-2005, 10:02 PM
I'll third that.

RA




Fourth!!!!

:)
The Rocket
12-09-2005, 12:58 AM
Whatever Randall Aiken says!
:dude
jw71
12-09-2005, 05:00 AM
I got the winged C's. Sound fine to me. Got a backup set still in the box, haven't needed them yet.
BlueHeaven
12-09-2005, 06:25 AM
Ok guys, I just got an EL34 amp(Fargen Mini-Plex) and I'm wondering...where is the best place to order Winged Cs and what really is a Winged C?
Greg
reaiken
12-09-2005, 07:00 AM
what really is a Winged C?
Greg


A Winged C EL34 is really an SED EL34 which is really a Svetlana EL34, but can't be called that because of stupid marketing games. :NUTS

Randall Aiken
BlueHeaven
12-09-2005, 07:59 AM
Thanks Randall,
So where's the best place to get 'em?
Greg
michael patrick
12-09-2005, 08:09 AM
Ok guys, I just got an EL34 amp(Fargen Mini-Plex) and I'm wondering...where is the best place to order Winged Cs and what really is a Winged C?
Greg

You might also want to try some NOS 6V6GTs in that amp. That's what I'm running in my Mini-Plex, and I like it a lot. I think I paid around $40 for a pair, which isn't all that much more than a new set of SED/Winged C set.

BTW, the Winged C/SED tubes are Svetlana tubes. Somehow they lost th erights to the name in the US, so they are now called "SED."
Blue Strat
12-09-2005, 08:29 AM
SED aka "Winged C" aka "the ones formerly known as Svetlana".
Erik
12-09-2005, 08:38 AM
Another vote for the SED "Winged C".
LaXu
12-09-2005, 08:48 AM
They're still called Svetlana in Europe afaik.

I also liked the Electro-Harmonix EL34, at least in the Marshall DSL50 I used to have it sounded a lot like the stock Svetlana/SED tubes.
Swarty
12-09-2005, 08:50 AM
I like JJ E34Ls. The Svetlana/Winged C do not have the clarity in the top end that JJs or Mullards have (I guess this could be a good thing in overly bright amps).

I've been hearing real good things about a fairly recent Chinese offering too, but have yet to try it (I'm always a bit gunshy about Chinese stuff).
BlueHeaven
12-09-2005, 09:21 AM
Michael Patrick,
What are you hearing from the 6V6s that you like better than EL34s? Also, is there a discernable volume drop? Do they move into breakup faster (at a lower volume level)? I have a 6V6 amp already and I know that output tubes alone do not MAKE the sound...alot is in the circuit but I'm lookin for a tone very different from what I have. What I want is classic Marshall or as close as I can get with a 12 watt single ended class A amp. BTW, I'd already have an idea of the tone w/EL34s but I'm waiting on the matching cab.
Greg
michael patrick
12-09-2005, 09:44 AM
To my ear, the 6V6s sound a bit smoother in that amp when pushed hard. They tamed the high end a bit and added some more oomph in the low end.

But don't worry, it still sounds plenty "Marshally" with the 6V6s. I was on a quest to find the sound of my 100-watt NMV Marshalls in a small low-powered package, and the Mini-Plex totally hit it.
Roccaforte Amps
12-09-2005, 09:50 AM
You might also want to try some NOS 6V6GTs in that amp. That's what I'm running in my Mini-Plex, and I like it a lot. I think I paid around $40 for a pair, which isn't all that much more than a new set of SED/Winged C set.

BTW, the Winged C/SED tubes are Svetlana tubes. Somehow they lost th erights to the name in the US, so they are now called "SED."






Just remember that the Wing-C is not the same tube as the Svetlana EL34,
the Wing-C has welded plates, the Svetlana has crimped. Also, for some strange reason the Svetlana has heavier glass and a thicker base,
but still I choose the Wing-C.
Patch
12-09-2005, 10:23 AM
Ok guys, I just got an EL34 amp(Fargen Mini-Plex) and I'm wondering...where is the best place to order Winged Cs and what really is a Winged C?
Greg

Hi BlueHeaven!
I also have a MiniPlex, and I love the combination EL34/KT88. It gives (to my ears) more headroom, the overdriven sound seems less compressed and the cleans are more "glassy".

OTOH, I didn't like the 6V6s because it was too smooth for my taste and too compressed when overdriven.

Enjoy your new amp! :JAM
BlueHeaven
12-09-2005, 01:02 PM
Michael Patrick and Patch,
Thanks guys! All this tube swapping talk...you may be unleashing the mad scientist in me!
Greg