I'm going to drop $45-60 buck on an NOS EF86 to replace the Svetlana
EF86 in
my Dr. Z Route 66 guitar amp. The two I'm considering are Mullard and
GEC.
Has anyone an opinion on these two 'boutique' tubes vis-a-vis tone,
reliability, etc. Or is it a toss-up..?

Zorrro_2k wrote:

I'm going to drop $45-60 buck on an NOS EF86 to replace the Svetlana
EF86 in
my Dr. Z Route 66 guitar amp. The two I'm considering are Mullard and
GEC.
Has anyone an opinion on these two 'boutique' tubes vis-a-vis tone,
reliability, etc. Or is it a toss-up..?

Just enjoy the swap.
In a guitar amp there are several interactive factors which determine the
sound outcome.
Tube brand is but one, so have an open mind.

Reliablity of EF86 is usually good, and lifespan long,
since these are under very little stress, even when the sound is very
over driven.

Patrick Turner.

You know, I use two of these in my Dynaco st-70 as the volt-amp tube.
I bought a pair of svets for $11 each, and ran them triode mode.
They sound really nice.
I acquired a set of tele's, and was all hyped up about using them.
After several swap-back-and-forths over a period of time, I honestly
could not tell the difference between the svets and the tele's. I
tried to, believe me.
Maybe there's a difference in ruggedness, or something.....

Bob Hedberg



(Zorrro_2k) wrote:

I'm going to drop $45-60 buck on an NOS EF86 to replace the Svetlana
EF86 in
my Dr. Z Route 66 guitar amp. The two I'm considering are Mullard and
GEC.
Has anyone an opinion on these two 'boutique' tubes vis-a-vis tone,
reliability, etc. Or is it a toss-up..?

Bob H.

Just grab that plate in one hand, the chassis in the other,
and FEEL the power of tube audio!!!
(not literally, of course, just kidding. DON'T DO THAT!)

Bob Hedberg wrote in message . ..
You know, I use two of these in my Dynaco st-70 as the volt-amp tube.
I bought a pair of svets for $11 each, and ran them triode mode.
They sound really nice.
I acquired a set of tele's, and was all hyped up about using them.
After several swap-back-and-forths over a period of time, I honestly
could not tell the difference between the svets and the tele's. I
tried to, believe me.
Maybe there's a difference in ruggedness, or something.....

Bob Hedberg




Dr. Z (Mike Zaite) responded that he liked the Mullard EF86 in the Rt.
66, that I would have a more rugged tube vs. the Svetlana, and that I
might hear a "slight" difference in tone vs. the Svet. He had no
comment the GEC EF86.

I can't say much about the sonic differences between them from personal
experience.

I confess to being confused about what is actually a Svetlana tube vs. a
Sovtek with the different labeling & etc. that I've read about. I've been
disappointed in the past with some Sovtek 9 pin tubes (esp. 12AX7 & EF86,
IIRC) because of premature loss of emission. The pins are like brads and
aren't as thick or robust as the NOS types. I don't know if the Svets have
these characteristics, but if they do, it might be something to consider.

OTOH, I've tested some Mullard EF86s I pulled from a 40 year old Heath
preamp and they test like new.

I'll bet some of the tube resellers here on RAT (e.g. Jim Mcshane) would
definitely have something to add on the topic.

- jon





in article , Zorrro_2k at
wrote on 7/9/04 10:14 AM:

Bob Hedberg wrote in message
. ..
You know, I use two of these in my Dynaco st-70 as the volt-amp tube.
I bought a pair of svets for $11 each, and ran them triode mode.
They sound really nice.
I acquired a set of tele's, and was all hyped up about using them.
After several swap-back-and-forths over a period of time, I honestly
could not tell the difference between the svets and the tele's. I
tried to, believe me.
Maybe there's a difference in ruggedness, or something.....

Bob Hedberg




Dr. Z (Mike Zaite) responded that he liked the Mullard EF86 in the Rt.
66, that I would have a more rugged tube vs. the Svetlana, and that I
might hear a "slight" difference in tone vs. the Svet. He had no
comment the GEC EF86.