New tube reccomendations, please

[Scott_F]

Re: New tube reccomendations, please

I like jj's

[drew_half_empty]

Re: New tube reccomendations, please

tung sols are good and super clear, but if you're looking for something a little... fatter, higher gain, but still not as dark as the JJ's I'd check out the shuguang and electro harmonix 12ax7's. The EH's are the darker of the two, both have about the same amount of gain... EH is maybe a little honkier in the mids whereas the chinese seems to be more flat or slightly scooped

[dr.barlo]

Re: New tube reccomendations, please

I've had bad luck with some of the TungSol's 12AX7's. Very nice, rich and all yet 2 out of 5 turned out to be microphonic in a high gain amp (sorta #34 2204). So next time I am shopping, I'll make sure to get them each with a microphony test... The same goes with Sovtek 12AX7LPS as well...

I do not like JJ's in particular. Their ECC83s is a bit stiff. Yet, the recent ECC803s are actually quite nice.

B

[James Rock]

Re: New tube reccomendations, please

In vox amps I like RCA 12ax7s expensive nos but you can find them not overly priced secondhand on ebay without being checked to be NOS but often great still. For marshalls I think different tubes are preferred. I love NOS 12ax7s way better espeically in simple circuits then current production though my fave current production tubes are tung sols.

[FuseG4]

Re: New tube reccomendations, please

tung sols are good and super clear, but if you're looking for something a little... fatter, higher gain, but still not as dark as the JJ's I'd check out the shuguang and electro harmonix 12ax7's. The EH's are the darker of the two, both have about the same amount of gain... EH is maybe a little honkier in the mids whereas the chinese seems to be more flat or slightly scooped

I've always felt that EH was not darker than a tung sol. I hear tung-sols as having strong bass, present upper mids, and plenty of treble but I hear a little more treble, less bass, and especially some more fizzyness with EH. I feel like tung-sols are a lot "fatter" sounding than EH

Your description of EH being a little darker than a tung-sol, but with honky mids, is what I hear from Sovtek WA, WB, and WC. I don't remember if I've ever had an LPS.

I guess this just goes to show that two people with different ears, different gear, and different music, hear different things. I'd say neither of us are wrong. Especially as some different designs from the same tube companies can sound WAY similar, and specimens from the same batch can sound different.

It's not like the differences I've heard in comparing things like old Raytheons and old GEs. That really was night and day.