How will changing from 6L6s to EL34s affect my tone?
This is a very frequent question and although there is no perfect answer that fits all amps I can give you a pretty good idea what to expect. I’ve swapped EL34’s and 6L6’s around in Marshall’s, Fender’s, Mesa’s and Peavey’s to name a few and the results are basically the same. EL34’s in general don’t have a low end that is as deep as a 6L6 so EL34’s tend to sound hotter in the mids. EL34’s breakup a little earlier then 6L6’s and the harmonic content of the mids and highs are more prominent. These differences become more noticeable as volumes increase. You have probably heard the term “Marshall crunch” used before. This term is used to describe the sound of EL34 type tubes when they are being driven into distortion. So if you’re looking for a great Classic rock tone with lots of complex mids you might want to try some EL34’s. The JJ E34L’s will crunch up real nice but they do have a deeper tighter low end than a standard EL34. If you like a big low end thump then I would stick with a go
