animal Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 can the blues custom accept el34 tubes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper1281734000 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Probably not. Most amps tube sockets don't like being switched to a different kind because the plate voltage and bias is all messed up. You could probably get it modded by a pro tech to do so though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunghaichuan Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 There is also the issue of filament current draw. EL34 tubes draw more filament current than 5881 tubes. I'm assuming that the 5881 tubes in the Blues Custom are the Russian 6P3S-EV type (aka Sovtek 5881). They draw about 900mA vs. 1.5A for the EL34. So you have about 1.2A extra current draw which may cause the PT to run too hot and burn out prematurely. Another issue is that there are slight differences in the two tubes' pinouts. Finally, the OT's primary impedence might not be suitable for running EL34s. So if you really want to try EL34s in your amp, I agree with Copper: take the amp to a tech to make sure the amp won't be damaged. tung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animal Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Probably not. Most amps tube sockets don't like being switched to a different kind because the plate voltage and bias is all messed up. You could probably get it modded by a pro tech to do so though. bias and plate voltage can be measured with a multimeter and bias probe, i know that much. i have a b-52 at212 combo that came with 5881's and i called their tech support and they said el34's were ok. i made the switch on that easily on my own using a bias probe and multimeter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper1281734000 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Yeah, but not all amps can do that. Some amps are made by the company to be able to switch out different kinds of power tubes. While most amps don't, you would mostly likely damage or fry it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briandcox Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 If your looking for the EL34 sound you might want to try the JJ - KT 77's I have used the in place of 6l6 and 5881's and they work great. They give you the EL 34 sound with no modifications needed. Now I have not tried them in my Blues 30 yet just other amps I have so you may want to check with the guys at Euro Tubes. They are very helpful and should be able answer any question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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