Anyone know where to get these tubes?

[B2D]

In a conversation on another board, I asked another member what tubes he was using to get some really good tones out of what I thought was just an OK amp. He responded that he likes to use "Ruby AC7 12AX7's" and says that they consistently very good tones and can improve an othrwise lackluster amp. Based on his sound clips, I believe them. I can't seem to find anywhere I can get these to try them out.

Anyone know where I can find them? Google hasn't been much help here.

[J Moose]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

Doesn't exist... the guy must have his numbers mixed up or something because its not in the Magic Parts catalog & they distribute Ruby. The closest thing they have to that model # is '12ax7 AC5' which is a "selected Chinese 12ax7" tube @ $13 a pop.

So in other words, nothing special.

[Curly]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

it may refer to the version of Chinese 12Ax7 ... I know I've heard Myles @ guitar amp blueprinting refer to "version 9" of those, and they are favorites of a lot of users

there are other sources for Chinese 12AX7s too

[Ascension]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

Sounds like a version of the Shunghangs. I have a box full of those and they are nice in particular in Marshalls. In new production right now I am preferring the Tung Sols personally.

[B2D]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

Interesting... thanks for the info guys.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

Rubys are nothing special - but even average brand new tubes will usuallt sound better than worn out old ones.
Here are my picks for current production 12ax7s:
1>clean, reliable and fat: JJ - good for voxes
2>bright, chimey: Tung Sol - good in fenders
3>crunchy, reliable: EH - good for marshalls
So it just comes down to what sound suits you best.

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

Rubys are nothing special - but even average brand new tubes will usuallt sound better than worn out old ones.
Here are my picks for current production 12ax7s:
1>clean, reliable and fat: JJ - good for voxes
2>bright, chimey: Tung Sol - good in fenders
3>crunchy, reliable: EH - good for marshalls
So it just comes down to what sound suits you best.

+1.

I wouldn't call EH necessarily "crunchy", they just have more punch and gain than JJ's. But you're absolutely right, it's all about matching the preamp tubes to what you're looking for out of your amplifier.

I'll add that Shuguang chinese 12ax7s are a great way to go with higher gain amplifiers. They have more gain and aggressiveness to them, more crunch for overdriven applications.

[LoFiBrian]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

I found that the sovtek LPS and EHX 12AX7 were the only tubes to tame the brightness in my galaxie 10.

the new tung-sol reissues had a great tone but were brighter. im currently running a gold pin one and JJ 6l6gc in it with a Eminence little buddy.

JJs sound better than the lower end sovteks. but they were unremarkable and became microphonic quickly in the galaxie. Though the 6L6gc is amazing!

new mullard 12AX7 reissue I hated.

newer gen. Chinese tubes sound great heavily saturated. but brittle and lots of higher mids...

The galaxie 10 is a very basic clean amp and it makes it easy to evaluate 12ax7s.

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

WHICH JJ's????
I have a Vox Night Train and the JJ ECC83S is SO bright that I cannot use it!.
I don't feel the EH as crunchy. Is the most balanced tube. Smooth high and low ends and smooth break up.
Tung Sol is bright, not so much as the JJ but, bright (also punchy). Which Fender's? I think it can live a dark one but, will be a pain in a bright one.

That's weird, I'd say out of any tubes I've ever owned the JJ ECC83s were darkest with highest headroom. I simply couldn't get the breakup I wanted with them at the time and they really dulled the sound of my amp (I was using a Fargen Epic 30 DC at the time).

[Chickenwings]

Re: Anyone know where to get these tubes?

WHICH JJ's????
I have a Vox Night Train and the JJ ECC83S is SO bright that I cannot use it!.
I don't feel the EH as crunchy. Is the most balanced tube. Smooth high and low ends and smooth break up.
Tung Sol is bright, not so much as the JJ but, bright (also punchy). Which Fender's? I think it can live a dark one but, will be a pain in a bright one.

It is interesting that jjs dont work in your night Train perhaps its sounded bright because instead of overdriving, the jjs were amplifying due to their extra headroom. I have never owned a night train - only tried one out in a shop so please excuse. It did sound pretty bright rather than huge tho. Ac30s have a different sound altogether - they even sound great with treble boosters. I guess i was generalizing as the Ac30 is the default standard vox in my mind. I guess with the exception of your amp, class a amps nearly always benfit from a clean and efficient tube because of the extra bottom. El 34s are comparatively small (compared to most power tubes) and as a result do not have as much headroom as other tubes - and therefore less definition on the bass. For some extra bass and headroom jjs are perfectly suited (generally!).
Tungsol for fenders - i was generalizing about 6l6 or 6v6 powered class a/b amps so that includes boogie type amps based on a fender circuit. Its nice that high end in the Tung sols 12ax7s overdrive more easily than jjs, making the response a little warmer than jjs. JJS make a "high fidelity" (you know - cleaner with lots of bass response) type amp even more "hifi" which is generally not what we want. 6l6 power amps are often more hifi than el 34s which are more middy and ballsy. However i like them in brighter sounding fender/fender (class a/vb 6v6 or 6l6) style amps too because they have a nice harmonic content - so you get plenty of life when played clean and you can afford to back off the treble knob a little. Of course if you are playing a fender champ then i reckon jjs all the way - same with a blues junior because of the extra bass jjs will provide.
Re: EH - they are a high gain 12ax7s so they can handle a lot of gain before overdriving. So if you equate "crunchy" with lack of headroom, then i guess they are not. However - when they are overdriving hard i think the fat mid characteristic makes these sound the best when driven, that is what i mean by crunchy. That is also why they sound great in high gain applications like the sounds you commonly get from a hot rodded marshall running EL34s. Too much bass can become flabby and too much treble can be fizzy. Yes i agree that EH are a great all rounder.
I wanted to make a short post because I dont even know what amp B2d is using, so generalizing was inevitable. Okay so here is my revised set of generalizations that does not take into account every amp model made by every manufacturer. You guys can fill in the gaps based on the most obvious classic amp models....
1. jjs - cleaner, more hifi with extra bass.
2. Tung Sol - brighter, nice harmonics and a little easier to break up than jjs.
3. EH - fat mids/low mids great when overdriven hard.

Having said all this.....a new set of any reputable tubes and correct biasing will make any amp sound pretty darn good.