Golden Dragon tubes?

candyliquor35m

Are these going to sound as good as they claim? 4 EL34's for about $100.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Golden-Dragon-EL34-Amplifier-Tubes_W0QQitemZ250020220648QQihZ015QQcategoryZ122649QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

organ

Those are re-labeled Chinese EL34B. I believe Golden Dragon is no longer in business. They DON'T make their own tubes. All they do is re-label, just like Ruby Tubes.

The Chinese did do a Mullard copy at one point (many years ago) and GD were selling them. If those really are the real Chinese Mullard copy, they're old stock. But by looking at the pic, it looks just like my Chinese EL34B.

Wanna see how much those tubes really cost? http://thetubestore.com/shuguangel34b.html You'll be paying double the amount just for the GD logo. Not worth it.
I had a quad. They're very good but I like the Russian EL34's more.
What brand of 34's are you using right now? What kind of sound are you looking for? I've tried all of them. The Electro Harmonix EL34EH is the best bang for the buck IMO.

He also mentioned the new "Mullard" EL34 from Russia. What a load of ****. That seller is talking crap about an amazing tube to help his sale. The new Mullard is one of the best current production EL34.

madmax

I too understand those to be re-labeled Shuguangs. Nothing wrong with that. They saw the value in the Shuguang and refined it with a big price tag so people would buy it from them. Chinese tubes are often disregarded as junk because there are a lot of junk ones out there.
madmax

candyliquor35m

organ wrote:

What brand of 34's are you using right now? What kind of sound are you looking for? I've tried all of them. The Electro Harmonix EL34EH is the best bang for the buck IMO.

It appears I'm running 7 Svetlana's and 3 EL34EH although I can't read the label on one. They were all in the golden tube se-100 when I bought it and I haven't done any tube rolling even though I've bought some replacements from you guys. I listen mostly to jazz (pat metheny, kenny g, fourplay), enya, celine dion, a little classical, not much rock anymore so whatever would sound good for vocals and instrumental/jazz.

I have 8 of the chinese el34b's in stock, 2 sovteks, and 5 svetlana's.

thanks

organ

You seem to have a mix of EL34's. You're probably getting a higher % of distortion. How many 34's does your amp use?
Depending on the amp's design, it could be dangerous to use un-matched tubes. Is your GTA auto bias or manual?
I think you'll like the SED most for your type of music. They sound smooth and mellow. The JJ KT77 (el34 replacement) I think is the best on all types of music.

fredv

organ wrote:

I think you'll like the SED most for your type of music. They sound smooth and mellow.

Yes, indeed, too smooth and mellow to me, must be sidelined