Mesa Boogie Road King Series 1 Retube Kits

The Mesa Boogie Road King Series 1 is another versatile amp.  Every kit is configured to provide a specific sound/experience.

All our Mesa Road King Series 1 Retube Kits include power tubes that are hand selected to run perfectly in Mesa amps. We have extensive hands-on experience measuring the fixed bias points in these amps and what grade of tubes will achieve optimal performance.

The default power tubes for all of our Mesa Boogie Road King Series 1 kits are a matched quad of the JJ 6L6GC’s along with a matched pair of the JJ E34L’s.

The JJ 6L6GC tubes follow the classic 6L6GC sonic archetype with big lows, smooth mids and crystalline highs. What sets them apart is their low end clarity, mid-range detail and very clear highs without being overbearing or harsh. You can also use the JJ 5881’s. The JJ 5881’s are a Classic 23 watt 5881 in a traditional stubby bottle. “Jangle” for days and a very warm full tone. Right in-between the JJ 6L6GC and the JJ 6V6S in power. If you’re looking for that early-breakup “tweed” era character these are it.

Thru the years the JJ E34L’s with their added punch and articulation have become a favorite here at Eurotubes and with our customers. They are very tight with an extended low end over a standard EL34. However you can use the Power Tube drop down to select the JJ EL34’s, the JJ EL34II’s, the JJ KT77’s or the JJ 6CA7’s. The JJ EL34’s are known for their mid range bloom and have a slightly looser feel when compared to the E34L’s. The JJ EL34II’s are not as aggressive as the E34L, but they are a little fuller in the lows and low mids than the EL34’s. The JJ KT77’s have an extended frequency response with big/chunky lows (even deeper than the E34L’s) and chimey/present highs. The mids are very smooth for an EL34 type tube and when driven they’re extremely rich and complex. The JJ Big Bottle 6CA7’s have big lows (on par with the KT77’s), an emphasis in the lows mids, and very round/natural highs. This gives the tube a very thick and round character that’s as close to crossing a standard EL34 with a 6L6 as you can get.

Note about Rectifier tubes: Many Mesa owners choose to run their amps in the “Solid State Diode Mode”. The main reason for this is the amp will make more power in this mode and the amp will have more punch compared to the “Tube Rectifier Mode”. We left the rectifier tubes as an option, if you need them or want them you can add them to your kit.

The Standard Retube Kit is as close to OEM as possible. Maintaining the amps stock level of headroom and gain while providing a warm but even handed overall sound. The kit includes one matched quad of JJ 6L6GC’s and a matched pair of the JJ E34L’s by default, one Balanced JJ ECC83S for the phase inverter (V5, farthest from the input jack.) and Four Standard JJ ECC83S’s for V1 – V2 – V3 – V4.

The Gold Pin Retube Kit uses the JJ ECC83S Gold Pin variants to provide a smoother, creamier, and more singing overall sound. This option is less aggressive and has less “teeth” when driven hard. If you like a classic raunchy gritty overdriven tone, we recommend looking to the Standard or High Gain option. If sweet, open, and more refined is what you’re after this kit will do it. The kit includes one matched quad of JJ 6L6GC’s and a matched pair of the JJ E34L’s by default, one Balanced JJ ECC83S Gold Pin for the phase inverter (V5, closest to power tubes), and four Standard JJ Gold Pin ECC83S’s for V1 – V2 – V3 – V4.

The High Gain Retube Kit uses our hand picked high gain selected JJ ECC83S’s. If you’re looking for maximum crunch and grind this is where you want to be. Sonically this setup is very similar to our Standard Retube Kit but with a little extra gain on tap. The kit includes one matched quad of JJ 6L6GC’s and a matched pair of the JJ E34L’s by default, one Balanced High Gain JJ ECC83S for the phase inverter (V5, closest to power tubes), one Standard ECC83S for V4 and three High Gain JJ ECC83S’s for V1 – V2 – V3.

The ECC803S V1 Option Retube Kit uses the Long Plate JJ ECC803S in the V1 position. The JJ Long Plate ECC803S has a little lower gain with big thick mids and a little more sparkle in the highs. The kit includes one matched quad of JJ 6L6GC’s and a matched pair of the JJ E34L’s by default, one Balanced JJ ECC83S for the phase inverter (V5, closest to the power tubes),  three Standard JJ ECC83S’s for V2 – V3 – V4 and one Standard JJ ECC803S for V1 (closest to input jack).