whosmatt Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 i'm about to purchase a quartet of el84's and i was perusing (like browsing, except much more intense) musicians friend web site and saw that they have many different variations of groove tubes el84's, on a 'hardness' scale from 1 to 10. can anyone tell me what 'hardness' is in groove tube speak and how the scale works? thanks matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt.Hepworth Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 Hardness is generally how easily the tubes "break up", from what I understand. Usually the higher the number, the less they break up, thus producing a cleaner sound rather than a little natural distortion. Matt No clever saying. No matter how good something is, there will always be someone blasting away on a forum somewhere about how much they hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 Tubes are rated based on their tested performance and expected grade. They're not all equal, some are more efficient than others. What a company decides to call their testing process is subjective. I think generally, though - if you get the best rated tube you can find, it's probably the most solidly built and with the best vacuum - and as it ages you'll end up with something akin to a lower graded tube anyhow. So unless you want a "tired" sound... It's subtle either way. Think of it as stronger and weaker tubes. If you want the amp to break up get weaker tubes. They're not going to last as long. If you're on a budget get the best graded tubes you can find. It would seem they all change in quality in cycles of about a year, based on trends. Svetlanas were the rage last I think, and now I hear a lot about EH tubes... but they're all originating from the same few factories, and it's unlikely many in your audience would notice a difference. So I don't sweat tubes too much. Being matched is more important, and I think that's where EH is probably getting their rep right now. A matched weak set will sound better and louder, while exhibiting more overdrive, than a mismatched set of strong tubes. Hmm. Nope, I thought I pedantic post of a typical topic would seem normal, but it doesn't. ------------------ New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 In the Groove Tubes rating scale, 10 = cleanest sounding tube and 1 = dirtiest sounding tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whosmatt Posted September 18, 2001 Author Share Posted September 18, 2001 i got the ruby tubes instead. probably came from the same factory anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 Don't they come in colors corrosponding to hardness? I'd also recommend getting some better EL84's than Groove Tubes. Although I've heard the some of the Russian stuff is getting better. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whosmatt Posted September 18, 2001 Author Share Posted September 18, 2001 there are a bunch of NOS tubes available on ebay, but they're commanding high prices amperex and telefunken mostly. it's not like they're for a matchless anyway http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Originally posted by strat0124: Don't they come in colors corrosponding to hardness? I'd also recommend getting some better EL84's than Groove Tubes. Although I've heard the some of the Russian stuff is getting better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 Originally posted by whosmatt: there are a bunch of NOS tubes available on ebay, but they're commanding high prices amperex and telefunken mostly. it's not like they're for a matchless anyway http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif I'd be DAMN wary of buying tubes on Ebay.....I'd want to buy from a vendor that had a tube tester on the bench Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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