matchless clubman 35 help!!

[guitarcrazy2004]

Hey guys trying to date my clubman head c1862 , and recomend me some el34,ef86,5ar4-tubes for this amp....THANKS!!!

 

[BPlexico]

Mullard manufactured 5AR4's are always a good bet for a rectifier tube. They can be found here,

http://www.kcanostubes.com/rectifiers.html#5AR4/GZ34/GZ37:

and here,

http://www.dougstubes.com/

Telefunken, Mullard and Amperex make highly regarded EF86s...

As for EL34s, depends on how much you are willing to spend and what you are looking for, to many the Mullard is king here...but they are pricey.

-- Barr

 

[heybulldog]

i got a rebranded mullard ef86 form ebay and it sounded nice. i was using sevtlana el34s which sounded nice but didnt last long and lately have tried eh -el34s. i did not like the jjs. I would not recomend mullards which i have tried for two reasons:
the amp sounds so good with sevts or eh tubes the difference would be small. they or any tube will not last long enough to warrant the price imho-if you play a lot.

try a new set of winged c or eh before making the plunge wiyh mullards. when the tubes go the amp sounds real bad and this can happen fast. the good news as you may know, is you dont need to bias the amp .

the clubman can be dated bythe date stamp on the transformer. mark sampson said they never carried a back stock of trannies and the date stamp should reflect the mfg date.

 

[dave s]

the good news as you may know, is you dont need to bias the amp.


Thanks for the tip. That's good to know as my clubman rig has a LOT of hours on the current pair of EL34s. The good news is both my live rigs are EL34 based amps so I have a half dozen pairs of Svets, EHs and JJs that can be swapped in at a moments notice.

Nice to know I don't have to take the amp anywhere for rebiasing after a power tube change.

thanks!

dave

 

[heybulldog]

id like to know what your settings are, here are mine:
vol 10:00
bass 12:00 -3:00
treb 12:00
bril 11:00
master 11 o 'clock for practice 2 pm for gigs
mostly the neck pu on a less paul with an es 410 cab
james

 

[Kiwi]

While I'm pleased to be told that I don't need to re-bias my EL34 Clubman, I have to ask ...

Why not?

Every other EL34 amp out there I've ever heard of needs to be re-biased on a power tube swap ... what is different about the Clubman's design?

I guess I'd feel better if I had one of the amp gurus around here confirm this.

Kiwi

 

[heybulldog]

I agree that you should confirm this type of info. drop an email to matchless im sure they will give you the correct info. when i got my clubman it ran so hot that i took it back to the store and had the amp tech check the bias. it turns out that the matchless amps are cathode bias and will automaticly self adjust to the power tubes. there is no way to manualy set the bias. this is a two edged sword - no trip to the tech during a tube swap but this set up runs as much current through the power tubes at idle as well as playing full on. its important to switch to standby when not playing to get the maximum tube life.

please check this out for your self. i have seen some incorrect and dangerous info on the web. one post stated that you can uses 6l6s instead of el34s. Phil Jammison debuncked this in an interview and stated that this would ruin the output transformer.

i am not an amp tech my info comes from owning a clubman for 11 years.

 

[Kiwi]

Thanks, Bulldog - I wasn't trying to call you out on this, I was just trying to be careful. I may shoot a note over to Phil J at Matchless.

FWIW, I have to agree about the Clubman operating temperatures ... the EL34s have literally burned the edges of the felt (or whatever) cushions around the power tube retainers. I love that smell!

I once (very carefully) poked a kitchen thermo probe into the Clubman chassis after several hours of full-on playing. 155 degrees, or medium/well done for roast beef.

Kiwi

 

[heybulldog]

Kiwi-its fine didnt feel called out at all. i am gland to be able to chat with fellow clubman owners. i think phill is making his own line of amps (and still performs service on matchless amps). you can do a search for him or contact matchless directly. let us know what you come up with!

My wife (who plays bass in my band) thinks the amp smell like bit-o-honey candy when it gets hot. its amazing how much better the amp sounds when it gets hot!

 

[Colt]

When I had mine I ran EI EL34's, EI 12ax7 in the PI, GT mullard RI 12ax7 in V2 and a mullard EF86 in V2. I used a Svetlana (spelling?) Labeled mullard for the rectifier.....it rocked.
you don't have to bias it, just plug them in, turn on the amp, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then flip the standby and rock your face off.

I got everything but the EF86 from Doug at dougstubes.com

 

[guitarcrazy2004]

Bad news just recieved my new gec ef86 from kcanostubes and the tube has no pins so i can place it in the amp...damn shame after spending 78.00 for a gec ef86....oh well i got ripped off....and now i am pissed............bad business....oh and i have pictures of the tube and invoice..

 

[pfrischmann]

Either way...Mike at KCA is a good guy. If it is defective (I'd be very suprised) Mike will take care of you.

 

[guitarcrazy2004]

my fault guys...i am no tube expert,,anyway thanks for your help....tube works fine and sorry about the rant,,,,,,,,,,,yes kcanostubes are the best!!!! now my amp sounds smoking...!!!! sorry!!!

 

[hasserl]

Originally posted by Kiwi
While I'm pleased to be told that I don't need to re-bias my EL34 Clubman, I have to ask ...

Why not?

Every other EL34 amp out there I've ever heard of needs to be re-biased on a power tube swap ... what is different about the Clubman's design?

I guess I'd feel better if I had one of the amp gurus around here confirm this.

Kiwi

The Clubman is cathode biased, or what many folks call "self biased". But this name can be misleading, the tubes will self bias within limits. It's just the nature of cathode bias. But it still is a good idea to check even on cathode biased amps to make sure it is set correctly. Especially with the variances seen between tubes even within the same mfgr.

Or you can just stick them in and see what happens. If they turn red than you'll know they are too hot!! I doubt if they'll be too cold, Matchless amps are known to run hot.

Hope that helps,
hasse

 

[Reeek]

KCA is one of the most quality tube sources in the United States. Period.

 

[Kiwi]

I just heard back from tech support at Matchless.

The Clubman does not need to be re-biased for different EL34 power tubes, because it is cathode biased.

Cool !!

Kiwi

 

[dave s]

Originally posted by Kiwi
I just heard back from tech support at Matchless.

The Clubman does not need to be re-biased for different EL34 power tubes, because it is cathode biased.

Cool !!

Kiwi

Thank you Mr. Kiwi! Now maybe I can swap in a couple of different matched pairs of EL34s and see what it does to the sound.

Appreciate your leg work, sir.

dave

 

[hasserl]

Originally posted by Kiwi
I just heard back from tech support at Matchless.

The Clubman does not need to be re-biased for different EL34 power tubes, because it is cathode biased.

Cool !!

Kiwi

What, you didn't believe me?!?! What's up with that?

 

[Reeek]

I believed you

 

[Kiwi]

Originally posted by hasserl
What, you didn't believe me?!?! What's up with that?

Ancient Russian proverb:

"Trust, but verify."

Kiwi