Advise for a NOS tube noob.

[karpathion]

I have access to a big box of NOS 12AX7s. There are none of the really well known tubes, but they all test good. I know nothing of some of these brands and I want to know what you think would be a good place to start.

What I can get:

12AX7 RAYTHEON UNILINE

Old looking general electric 12ax7

Admiral 12AX7

ARS LM-12AX7A

Sylvania Baldwin Long Grey Plate.

Sylvania 7025 12AX7A

RCA black plate 12ax7.

Long tube Matsu****a ( or however you spell that.)

Where is a good place to start that is on this list. I'm leaning towards the RCA black plate.

[AniML]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

amp?

[karpathion]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

It's a Blackheart Handsome Devil. 15 watt, el-84 amp, very Voxish.

Is $10 a piece a good price. I've found a few of these on ebay for kinda cheap.
I know most of these are used, but have been tested in an amp.

[FuseG4]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I love the japanese matsush*tas, can't beat em for the price. I use 2 NOS japanese tubes in my tweaker and love it. Sort of like a Electroharmonix 12AX7 but with smoother breakup and more detail.
I've used raytheons and GEs also. The raytheons have a nice low end and I found the GE to be too bright.

The least I'll spend on a tube as about $20 these days. The guys who have the ones that test out to be the strongest usually dont charge less than $20, they know they can get that much and more and it IS worth it, IMO.

[AniML]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

For $10 each grab a variety and see what you like. I've also found the GEs to be to bright. Sylvania (which I beleive is the same as Admiral) are a bit warmer.

Of those, I personally would focus on the Rays, and RCA. I would like to try the Matsuexpicativea's as well

[wahwah]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

The RCA blackplate 12AX7 is widely considered to be the best US made 12AX7, on a par with the best of the European tubes. They were the stock tubes in the original tweed Fenders. In a 'British' voiced amp they can be a little odd, because those amps tend to respond better to the mid push of a Mullard, but they are still wonderful sounding tubes. On that list I would be grabbing the RCA's and Sylvanias, followed by the Raytheons and Matsu's. The Admiral will be either a rebranded RCA or possibly a GE.




Cheers........................................ wahwah

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

Becareful buying NOS/ANOS tubes from online dealers on Ebay that you do not know...

Fake NOS and ANOS tubes are big business right not and it often takes a well trained eye to spot a fake tube...

[karpathion]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I chose not to get into the nos/anos market. It's seems like a waste of money at the moment. I have plenty of new tubes to play with.
I chose instead to get into pedal building.

I oreded 10 Fuzz Face PCB's instead. Might as well put this stuff I'm learning in school to good use.

[AniML]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I chose not to get in to nos/anos market. It's seems like waste of money at the moment. I have plenty of new tube to play with.
I chose instead to get into pedal building.

I oreded 10 Fuzz Face PCB's instead. Might as well put this stuff I'm learning in school to good use.

I've got into pedal building over the last year+. It is a lot of fun but can be very frustrating at the same time. I started out with a FF circuit (doesn't everyone?) and recently have been playing with treble boosters and a variation of a SHO clean boost. I doubt I will ever get into anything much more complicated.

I've done most of my builds on vero. I tried perf but it just was too meticulous for me and my not-so-great eyesight. Recently I ordered several copies of a PCB (that I designed myself ) which combines a Rangemaster and mosfet boost on a single board and have been building that up.

FYI, if you are using germanium, Smallbear has a good variety but they can cost. He also has small lots of lower gain (60-69) germs 5 for $9 which can be used on your builds, especially early on as you are learning (and frying components). If your PCBs have room I highly suggest socketing your trannys anyway

Curious, why 10 Fuzz PCBs?

[karpathion]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I've got into pedal building over the last year+. It is a lot of fun but can be very frustrating at the same time. I started out with a FF circuit (doesn't everyone?) and recently have been playing with treble boosters and a variation of a SHO clean boost. I doubt I will ever get into anything much more complicated.

I've done most of my builds on vero. I tried perf but it just was too meticulous for me and my not-so-great eyesight. Recently I ordered several copies of a PCB (that I designed myself ) which combines a Rangemaster and mosfet boost on a single board and have been building that up.

FYI, if you are using germanium, Smallbear has a good variety but they can cost. He also has small lots of lower gain (60-69) germs 5 for $9 which can be used on your builds, especially early on as you are learning (and frying components). If your PCBs have room I highly suggest socketing your trannys anyway

Curious, why 10 Fuzz PCBs?

I got 10 so I can try a few variants of the idea I have for the Fuzz Face. I probably won't use all 10, but I got a pretty good deal on them.
What I don't use, I'll just give away to forum members looking to start building.

[AniML]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I got 10 so I can try a few variants of the idea I have for the Fuzz Face. I probably won't use all 10, but I got a pretty good deal on them.
What I don't use, I'll just give away to forum members looking to start building.

If you are talking about different circuit topology, then I get the need for several boards, but if you are referring to different component values in the same circuit layout you can use inline sockets and swap to your heart's content. Of course you can also use trimmers for your resistors, provided the board accomodates them

Where did you get the boards? There are several decent sources. I haven't used all of these guys, but they all get favorable comments. In no particular order:

General Guitar Gadgets
TonePad
GuitarPCB
MadBeanPedals

[karpathion]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I'm gonna mess with the circuit. I'll need a few.

I got mine from Tonepad.

I'm looking to try and switch between silicon and germanium trannys. Plus add a switch between a couple of mods. I have big enclosures so I should have room.

[guitfiddle]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

Snag up all those RCA tubes...but remember that they might have been made by any number of US tube companies. This info comes from a very respected tube guru in Denver, Lord Valve. He told me that all the tube companies contracted to make other companies designs, so those RCA tubes stand as much a chance of being made by Phillips, GE, Sylvania, Magnavox, etc. He also said that this doesn't mean any less quility, just a different factory churning them out.

[formula73]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

I've got a Matsush.ita in the V1 of my Metaltronix and it is, so far, the quietest 12ax7 I've been able to get my hands on, including a bunch of blackplate RCAs and Sylvanias. I've been told they were Mullard copies that were identical inside just with a weird bottle with a seam on top. I've never had one to compare it to, but I can't fault it that much. I have lots and lots and lots of tube swapping to do when I get home. I also want to pick up a couple new ones to screw around with. Fun for the whole family!

[wahwah]

Re: Advise for a NOS tube noob.

Snag up all those RCA tubes...but remember that they might have been made by any number of US tube companies. This info comes from a very respected tube guru in Denver, Lord Valve. He told me that all the tube companies contracted to make other companies designs, so those RCA tubes stand as much a chance of being made by Phillips, GE, Sylvania, Magnavox, etc. He also said that this doesn't mean any less quility, just a different factory churning them out.

While it's true that rebranding was rife throughout the Golden Era, it is certainly not the case that blackplate RCA 12AX7's were made in any other factory other than RCA. They were discontinued at the end of the 1950's, and replaced with long grey plates at first, and then by short grey plates and given the 12AX7A designation with the extra filament. While RCA rebranded their tubes for many other companies (usually hi-fi companies) you will not find a long blackplate RCA branded tube that was made in another factory. The mark of the RCA factory is a hexagon with the tube's designation in it. Tubes from other factories will not have this mark. Once we get into the 60's and beyond, that's when RCA's could have been coming in from anywhere, but not with the 50's blackplates. But you will find RCA blackplates, made by RCA, with many other brand names, including Magnavox, Delco, Wurlitzer, Hammond, Westinghouse and Baldwin, none of whom made tubes themselves. In fact, even some early Tung Sols were actually made by RCA.

With regard to fake vintage tubes, in over 7 years of tube collecting, I have only seen two brands that somebody had attempted to fake, Telefunken and Mullard. I have never seen an attempt at faking early RCA's. A little self education about date codes and construction will make the fakes patently obvious. The general rule of thumb is to avoid sales by Hong Kong dealers. The vast majority of eBay tube dealers are understandably concerned about their feedback and reputation, and will offer full refunds, as well as being communicative regarding their tubes for sale. Most will offer test results and give full reports on the state of the tubes. The buyer just needs to use some common sense, as with any purchase.




Cheers........................................... wahwah