[nyck]

Ah Ha! Thanks for the help bud, I think I'll go for the 6L6 version!

[Elysian]

i loved the 6l6's in my blue voodoo, especially after i replaced the sovteks with jj/tesla's and rebiased, it was incredible after that. very metal.

[BCrowell]

I've honestly found the 6l6s more to my heavy rock liking, BUT I ALSO COMPLETELY agree with Bostjan, in that KT-88s are the way to go for 7s!

Most amps have different "Tunings" for low end roll-off frequencies, because of this the 7 strings sound a little muddy on allot of amps. KT88s are the best tubes I know to keep the 7th string sounding perfectly clear. Just my 2c

[zimbloth]

Trust me man, the EL84s sound superb, just what you're looking for based on your comments. There is PLENTY of bass with them. In fact if I even turn the bass above 5 it gets to be too much. The EL84s sound so absolutely killer. It has incredible tightness, crunch, sustain, growl, everything. They sound huge and full, while not being as harsh as EL34s can be at times.

I have JJ EL84s in my Mesa .22+ and I had them in a Mesa 20/20 poweramp and they sounded absolutely AMAZING. Extremely loud too.

I love 6L6s too, but Mesas with EL's sound incredible. In amps like Peaveys I prefer the 6L6, but with Mesas the EL84s are a perfect combination I think. EL84s have that perfect attack for picking or muting or anything, just crisper and tighter than 6L6.

Don't get me wrong, most of my main amps are 6L6 amps, but if I could find a 50watt tube head with EL84s I'd be in heaven. I've never seen a .50+ that had EL84s, only 6L6s.

I can't understand why people are recommending 6L6s to you based on what your requirements were, but whatever. If you want a tigher more focused and crisp rhythm tone, then EL84s are miles ahead there, no question. I'm not saying theyre better than 6L6s but for what he asked for theres no question the EL84 is more suited to his needs.

[nyck]

Interesting thoughts.

I think I might just go ahead and be different and try to grab an EL84 version. I'm gonna be going to Jacksonville soon and I'm gonna try out a bunch of amps there, and see if they have a .50 Caliber or a Studio .22.

I'm also looking for a 'quack' type sound in my distortion. If you listen to Meshuggah you know what I mean. It's almost like a twang with heavy distortion. Kinda like Single coils with a really strong pick attack on single notes. A lot of this sound I've found comes from the guitar. It comes pretty easy with my basswood guitar and Dimarzio Blazes, even with a POS Fender combo and Boss Metal Zone.

I was listening to the classic rock radio station in the car today, and I realized lots of classic bands have this slight quack aswell. If they raised their gain a bit, changed their EQ, and picked harder I'm sure they would start to get a good heavy distortion sound. Just an observation.

[zimbloth]

Originally Posted by nyck

Interesting thoughts.

I think I might just go ahead and be different and try to grab an EL84 version. I'm gonna be going to Jacksonville soon and I'm gonna try out a bunch of amps there, and see if they have a .50 Caliber or a Studio .22.

I'm also looking for a 'quack' type sound in my distortion. If you listen to Meshuggah you know what I mean. It's almost like a twang with heavy distortion. Kinda like Single coils with a really strong pick attack on single notes. A lot of this sound I've found comes from the guitar. It comes pretty easy with my basswood guitar and Dimarzio Blazes, even with a POS Fender combo and Boss Metal Zone.

I was listening to the classic rock radio station in the car today, and I realized lots of classic bands have this slight quack aswell. If they raised their gain a bit, changed their EQ, and picked harder I'm sure they would start to get a good heavy distortion sound. Just an observation.

Yeah, that twang is a good thing.. I like to think of it more like a biting growl. You can get that sound with most decent amps, but amps with middy characteristics definitely are better with it. Certain pickups excel at it too. The Blaze isn't the best at it but it's good. Once again I think the EL84 is more suited to what you're talking about. 6L6s are warmer and rounder sounding, the EL84s have more twang/bite/growl whathaveyou, crisper attack, tigher bass, etc.

Strings can also play a big part in the tonal characteristcs you seem to covet. I'd highly recommend checking out DR Hi-Beam strings, they have an added kick to them. They have a lot more twang and bite to them than D'Addarios or Dean Markleys I used.

Good luck with your search.

[bostjan]

I'd say the EL84's have more twang, but I would not go so far as to say tighter bass, in fact, the bass IMHO of an EL84 is mediocre. I thought you were going for a warmer, rounder sound as opposed to the barky twangy sound of EL84's. Maybe JJ Tesla EL84's are better than the Groove Tubes or the Mesas, I never tried that brand in that size. People really rave about JJ Tesla tubes, I think their tubes in general are quite good.

If you want twangy strings, check out GHS Boomers.

It'd be cool if someone could make a preamp tube that was better than 12AX7! I mean, 12AX7 has been around for ever and although it has evolved itself, I've never seen a better preamp tube for rock guitar. What's messed up, is that you can plug in any other tubes and melt them down pretty darn quick in a Dual Recto. I'm sure it's really bad for the amp, too.

[zimbloth]

My Mesa .22+ doesn't bark, its perfect. Even through its own Black Shadow speaker it sounds great, but when you hook it up through a Mesa extension cab, WATCH OUT. The bass is fucking fantastic through a Mesa cab. Much tighter than the Recto, etc.

Not a big fan of GHS boomers, always sounded dull to me. The Hi-Beams (same as the Dimebag sets) just feel and sound so much more lively to me. Basically it's good to just try out every single set you can find, that's what I did before I came to settle on DR's.

Anyways, hooray for Mesa's with EL84s! The stock Mesa ones sounded alright, but the JJs definitely improved the sound tenfold. JJ tubes are known for having tighter bass.

[nyck]

Thanks for the help and info. I'll prolly try a set of DRs, my friend raves about them. I've used basically Ernie Balls forever, and I'm SURE there's something with better tonal characteristics and feel than them.