Nos Tesla EL34 LOVE

[mkdivine]

I totally love these NOS Teslas...
Imagine, ive hunted tone for two years. I changd pups, switched the cables,
switched the preamp tubes, and i think i really got into important aspects for my tone.

One day my quad Teslas arrived. I install the tubes and i instantly had a sound,
that blow me away. I didnt expect the power tubes to have such a HUGE impact on the overall tone. Now even the triode mode of the amp sounded so nice, i could not believe my ears. My band also noticed
the difference and loves the tone.

Well, it must also be related to my amp, its a matamp GT1, huge amp with huge transformers and a really
fat, bassy, kinda wooly sound, but still very articulate, detailed, warm, chimey,- one of the best amps ive
ever heared and played... but i always disliked the stiffness in tone with the newer production power tubes.

When i installed the Teslas, the stiffness was gone. The tone really opend up and i got this early
beautiful breakup. The articulation also improved, but the amp was already really unforgiving, it does not hide any mistakes you make, i cant get the teslas to a compression that lets you sound like a better player. Everytime now when i listen to rehersal recordings im going crazy. Its like, ive found
the tonal heroin - some might think "this guy is crazy", - beliebe me im not. I installed some backup
quads and burned them in and the old tone appeared again, but all the sweetness from the Teslas, cant be
heared in any newer production tube i had. I cant imagine using any other power tube now. Well the JJ's have a nice crunchy sound too, but to me they are much darker and less detailed, also they dont have the magic of the teslas and are kinda unreliable.

It is hard to describe it. Im just going crazy, no matter what guitar i play with this amp and these tubes,
im going totally mad. Imagine ive really hunted for "the tone" for years... The lowend is so punchy and tight, while the mids really sing and stand out, the highs never get too brittle, its just heaven...You just stand there and cant stop playing. Every other sound gets "cheap" in comparison. The hunt is over...

One of the tubes recently got some problems and i need another tube. Anyone knows where i can still get
good spare tubes? I can set the bias for every single tube on this amp, some ampdocs told me this is the reason why i dont need a matched quad. Is this true?

[Setneck]

I have similar impression. After trying a few power tubes (ie. Svetlana, RFT) I've installed a quad of NOS Tesla's in my Bogner and was very pleased with the sound. It became fat, punchy and very middy, cutting thru the mix like a knife. Also sound is very round and crunchy, that Tesla's early breakup is very nice thing. Those tubes also make every note very clear. When You play a distorted chord across all strings every one note is readably audible. I am very happy with those babies in my amp .

The only thing that bothers me is their durability for high voltages. So far so good, but Bogner has ~520 VDC. We'll see about that.

I can set the bias for every single tube on this amp, some ampdocs told me this is the reason why i dont need a matched quad. Is this true?

Well, I'm not a tech but I think that it is always the best for amp and sound to have power tubes matched as closely as it is possible. I check the bias of every single tube too in amp (after preselecting the tubes using tube tester) and now have near exactly matched quad (32mA & 3 x 31mA). Maybe those ampdocs meant that You don't need to buy the matched quad but You can buy a few single tubes and make Your own matched quad out of them.


Regards, Andy

[master keeper]

Tesla have a reputation of taking higher B+ quite well!

I like'm alot too. I have a few pairs and quads that I'll eventually burn after I've used up my xf3.

I don't know what era you have mkd, the ones I have are brown base '60s - early '80s, and they are the ****!!!

[mkdivine]

i have brown base 80's.
cant find 70 to 60 ones.
the most teslas that are sold as 70s are 80s ones!

Well, I'm not a tech but I think that it is always the best for amp and sound to have power tubes matched as closely as it is possible. I check the bias of every single tube too in amp (after preselecting the tubes using tube tester) and now have near exactly matched quad (32mA & 3 x 31mA). Maybe those ampdocs meant that You don't need to buy the matched quad but You can buy a few single tubes and make Your own matched quad out of them.

I have them matched very close. The tubes hold the bias very straight and correct. If i bias them up to 37, they hold it just fine, it does not drift. I controlled that in two rehersals, they hold up just perfect.

But one tube drifts, if i LIFT the amp when its turned on. To reach the bias pot i have to lift the amp. Then it goes up to 44mA or even more for example. If get the amp back on cabinet for example, it goes back, not to the straight 37 but to 38-39.5... still this is kind of unreliable and i dont know whats wrong with this tube. the other ones don't drift if i lift the amp.

[Bunnest]

Tesla Black base late production, single getter, FREAKIN ROCK
!!!

I got quads from TT for like 125...I wish I got more, but Im happy with a few extra quads...UNBELIEVABLE

[Ferrari-Dude]

I bought a couple of quads from Trampy also. I'm using them in my Jubilee 2553 and they sound great.

The Marshall has 443v on the plates and the tubes are biased at 29.5mA & 30.5mA respectively. That may be a little cool considering what some here have written.

[stump]

I like the Tesla's best in my Metro JMP 50 but are great in every amp I've put them in. I got mine from TT and they were matched perfectly. I actually prefer a mismatch up to about 7mA. It seems that it gives a little more harmonics and midrange swirl for lack of better words. They are as good or better than my Mullard XF2's, RFT's and Sylvania 6CA7's in this amp. The only other tube that I like this much are my real GEC KT77's. I gotta get a few more pairs, of Tesla's, for backup.

[pfrischmann]

I've heard these tesla's are awesome BUT will not last long when there's over 450 volts on the plates.
How are they working for you?

[demonufo]

I've heard these tesla's are awesome BUT will not last long when there's over 450 volts on the plates.
How are they working for you?

That's not true at all. Screen voltage is more important. Plate voltage is irrelevant really since many EL34 will handle up to 800V. I'm running 470V on the plates of my 4104 with 70's brown based Tesla's for years with no problems. And I used it with the black based dome top Tesla's for at least 6 months too. They didn't fail, just got replaced with tubes I liked better.
Never tried them in my 2204 though, but it's almost identical to my 4104 circuit wise, and voltages are within 4 or 5 volts too.

[SQUAREHEAD]

I have used these Teslas and Siemens 34’s in my two Bogner amplifiers which are up around 525 PV and in 30 years, I have never had one problem, never blown one tube, no failures, no issues whatsoever.

[awangotango]

siemens power and pres is where i ended up - the teslas are similar but more open with a bit less compression ime