Groove Tubes Gold Series GT-EL34-M Matched Power Tubes Medium (4-7 GT Rating) Duet

So I only ordered these because Mesa Boogie recommends them as their rating system closely matches Mesa's. The set I got are rated at 7, which is on the high end for med gain in my opinion. The amp in question is a Stiletto Ace combo. These sound god awful in that amp but my sound better in your amp. The Stiletto Ace is Mesas take on a Marshall amp so super high gain and high end voiced amp. In an amp with less gain available these may sound good but in this Mesa it only "amplified" what is inherently bad about the Stiletto's. For me some Mullard reissues were perfect in the power section and took away the shrill sterile highs of these tubes. Lets just say if they would take them back they would be in the mail today..lol. .

Ordered 4. Only got 2. Thought resolved. Ordered 4 again. Only got. Sent to right address, wrong name. Called about 1st error. Did not call about 2d.

Excellent to get amazing tone from your amps!

Ok so here's the skinny as I see it. These are the best new production EL34s going, and this is my rationale... First let me comment on the failure reviews, in most amps these will need to be biased when installed. One downside of internet shopping is sometimes a sales rep will give you very important info you didn't know to ask for. I would be willing to bet many negative "they didn't last" or "almost immediately failed" reviews are because people didn't bias them, and their amp was running them too hot. When these were first released, there were legitimate failure issues, but it's my understanding these have been sorted, so it's far more likely to be user error these days. Next, the sound. Ok, another bit of background info, a lot of modern affordable amps are designed around the common current production tubes, even a famous vintage tube put in these circuits can sometimes sound worse than what they came with. So if you're hoping this will make your x brand channel switching amp with 900 knobs and switches sound like a vintage Marshall, you may be disappointed. Put these in a single channel amp, vintage reproduction, or very similar, and you will be met with a nice warm but clear tone, that takes adjustments from your eq extremely well. Boost the bass, you get more bass, not a weird boxy increase, or flubby hyped up preamp tone, etc... If you're looking at these tubes, there's a strong chance you are looking for a tone from the golden era of amplifiers, and while nothing may beet the real deal, there's something to be said for an extremely respectable, if not downright great in its own right, affordable and plentiful replacement. Put them in a vintage or vintage inspired amp, bias them well, (I prefer on the 'cold' side), and you will get a great 'vintage' tone, but new...

Don't be deterred by the negative (reliability) reviews for these tubes. This is the only copy of a double getter Mullard Xf2 out there. I have tried the other top tubes from China (the TAD El34b STR) and Russia (the Tung Sol EL34 b), and these tubes have a better tone. Apparently some people have had bad luck with reliability, but my experience has been nothing but positive. Plus Groove Tubes is owned by Fender now so hopefully that will help. I say take a chance; you'll be glad you did!

a nice bright tube, and I love to crank up my amp so I didnt expect these to last over a year, considering how much I play they have surpassed my expectations. i wouldn't buy these if your amp is already bright sounding because then the sound may become brittle.