What tube is this?

[iknowjohnny]

This is a EL34 probably about 20 years old. I know for a fact it's at least 15, and it could be 25. It appears to say EL34m on the base in white paint, but it's apparently stamped on and smudged so it's hard to say for sure that it says exactly that. I want to find out what they are and see if i can find some NOS of these because after comparing them with new tung sols, EH, and winged C SED's, this one easily beats them all. The balance and smoothness is extraordinary. Any idea what this is?

[img:665:750]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/dazco/tube.jpg[/img]

[Andy Le Blanc]

jacmusic.com has a pictorial of a few types might find a similar manufacture there

[David Root]

Later manufacture maybe 80s judging by the getters. Micas are very thin. Hard to tell much else. Are there any marks on the glass near the tube base, and does the locator pin base have a hole in it or is it solid? Could that be "JAPAN" on the base?

[iknowjohnny]

No, it's solid. No marks on the glass near the base or anywhere. And i'm quite sure it says "EL34M" on the base. Like i said, the printing is smudged as tho it were done with a rubber stamp dipped into white paint. But between the two of them i have determined it almost surely says that. If i had to guess i'd say china because they look poorly made. Sure sound good tho !

[dynaman]

Pretty sure it's Chinese. I've had a few over the years....

[FYL]

Typical Shuguang EL34 with it's peculiar top mica structure and black screen fins.

[iknowjohnny]

Thanks ! Can i assume they are no longer made? I mean, i know there are chinese EL34's still, but can i assume that exact model is no longer made?

Odd how i never heard of Chinese EL34's being any good. yet it sounds so much better than even the winged C's which are maybe the #1 most revered current production EL34. I need to find out where i can get some. If they ARE currently still in production i'll be a happy man..

[dreric]

In the early 90's shuguang went through lots of variations of EL34s largely at the urging of magic parts. Some better than others. IME it's not so much how they sound it's how long they last. But then again I have a quad of these in a dynaco st70 for ten years............

I may have some more I'll check and let you know.

Eric

[FYL]

Can i assume they are no longer made?

Yes. The current version is the EL34B, a slightly different tube. You may try a pair or two : they street for less than $25 per matched pair...

[Phil_S]

I've got a pair of EL34B in a homebrew JTM 45 and they sound quite good. For the money you can't beat them. I don't know about life expectancy.

[iknowjohnny]

How do the B compare to the ones i have? What is different tonally?

[iknowjohnny]

You know, as much as i like them i'm finding the EH i was using are more articulate. And i need that, so i don't know whether i still want to use these regularly. Of course at a gig all bets are off. But in that fat thick smooth tone the trade-off is a slight lack of articulation. I'll be using the EH at least for now. These chinese are sure a lot better than i was led to believe over the years tho.

[dynaman]

In the early 90's shuguang went through lots of variations of EL34s largely at the urging of magic parts. Some better than others. IME it's not so much how they sound it's how long they last. But then again I have a quad of these in a dynaco st70 for ten years............

I may have some more I'll check and let you know.

Eric

ST70 calls for each tube to run at 50mA!! Pretty high voltages in there too, especially when used with SS rectification. I've owned over a dozen and they'll eat up garbage EL34s. EH6CA7s never lasted long....Oops! Did I just publicly type that?