Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

[Agileguy_101]

So the Svetlana I use in the normal channel of my bassman went Kaput. I'm looking for something that accentuates that fender sound - big bass, slightly scooped midrange, and present top end. Low gain too - this is the clean channel and the less distortion, the better.

Suggestions?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

tung-sol fits your description.

 

[hermetico]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

Yup, I agree ^^^^

The Svetlana is, to me, a refinated take of the JJ ECC83S, sweeter and "quasi-angelical" if you want present lows and highs, the Tung Sol is your new production tube.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

if you want max clean go for something low gain...the new TS 12AX7's are solids tubes (if you can find a quite one!) but they are pretty high gain...i'd look for a nice 5751 if I were you.

 

[DesertRat]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

I second the 5751 idea. It'll have somewhere around 70% of the gain of a 12ax7. Great for cleaning up the front end of many amps.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

I hadn't thought about a 5751. I think I'll get one of those and a 12AX7, just to compare.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

if you want max clean go for something low gain...the new TS 12AX7's are solids tubes (if you can find a quite one!) but they are pretty high gain...i'd look for a nice 5751 if I were you.

I've never tried the 5751s so I can't comment but I am with Christian here, I was surprised to hear the Tungsol rec. I liked EH tubes in Fender preamps I have tried (Bassman, Hot Rod Deville, Pro Junior). JJs aren't bad either if you want a slightly warmer sounding clean.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

i like EH too but they feel kinda hotter and more mid powered than tungs. I like em in marshalls. My personal fave in fenders is JJ even tho a lot of people dont like them for the same reason: big bottom, not much tops - but thats the sound i like. Having said that, i reckon the tungs fit the OP's requirements best - and everyone has their own version of a perfect sound in their heads. I dont know really anything about various gain values and specifications etc, but i know how these things sound in fender amps of various types of fenders including bassmans. Ive been experimenting with this stuff for a long time, but ill admit im no expert on NOS tubes. I never use them as they are so expensive, so my experience is only with current production tubes. I'd rather spend my money on the right speakers because they make a much bigger difference to your sound than what brand of tubes you have.

 

[hermetico]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

I second the 5751 idea. It'll have somewhere around 70% of the gain of a 12ax7. Great for cleaning up the front end of many amps.

This will sound more open and hi-fi but, I think you will not get what you are after, if you are more for low and high end content. 5751 are absolutelly plain EQ'd (and that's good, indeed).
Stay away from new production 5751 tubes. None is sounding even decent.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

5751's are about the same EQ curve as 12AX7's but have less gain...they are about 80-85% the gain of most (vintage) 12AX7's.

I don't hear HI-FI at all with 5751's just good old 12AX7 tone but a little less gainy...SRV used 5751's for V1 all the time in his Fender amps.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

5751's are about the same EQ curve as 12AX7's but have less gain...they are about 80-85% the gain of most (vintage) 12AX7's.

I don't hear HI-FI at all with 5751's just good old 12AX7 tone but a little less gainy...SRV used 5751's for V1 all the time in his Fender amps.

All of this, but the subjective difference is that the 5751 is brighter and a bit thinner since it compresses so much less than the ax7.

I've never tried using a 12AX7 for getting dead cleans, especially when recording. Just easier to use a 5751 and be done with it.

 

[glassman]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

If lower gain and a less prominent midrange is really where you want to go, a 12AT7 in V1 might be a good choice. My bet will be that you'll miss that midrange. A 5751 or even a 12AY7 would be a good choice.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

All good points...

I've never been happy with a 12AT7 in V1 because I find them too weak, truth is I',m not a fan personally of 5751's in V1 most of the time but they will help you stay cleaner a bit longer if that's your goal...

 

[FuseG4]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

I'll say that I actually like JJs in clean amps, too. They strike me as not only a little darker but also a little higher headroom.

I've tried a 12at7 in my drri vibrato channel. It's certainly high headroom and has plenty of presence, but it added a harshness to my pedals that I didn't enjoy. The clean tone was good though.

 

[MisterE]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

Seeing that I'm new in the amp world I could use a little help here. My amp is a VHT Special 6 Ultra and has 2 preamp tubes, currently the stock tubes.

My question is this. I get plenty of clean headroom with the stock 12AX7's but I would like to soften the OD. I heard on youtube that although the 5751 and 12AT7 have less gain they also will lower your volume considerably and I don't want that.

Is there a combination that will give me a clean vintage kind of sound while at the same time good overdrive?

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

The bit about lowering volume is categorically NOT true.

You should check out the JJ ECC803S.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

Whelp, I ordered a Tung-Sol and a Svetlana. I had no problems with the Svetlana while it was in my Bassman, so I figure I'll test the two back to back and see which one goes best in V3. Whichever one I don't use will be swapped in and out of V1 and V2.

And just a note - this new tube isn't going in V1. In a Bassman (at least mine, my tech did a bit of combining of Bassmans over the years to tailor it to my needs), V1 and half of V2 go to the Deep channel, which I don't use on its own. Sounds great jumpered with the Normal channel though.

 

[trevorus]

The bit about lowering volume is categorically NOT true.

You should check out the JJ ECC803S.

I have used a 12au7, and it did lower volume. But it depends entirely on the circuit, and which tube spot it's in.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

I have used a 12au7, and it did lower volume. But it depends entirely on the circuit, and which tube spot it's in.

Unless we are talking about the power amp section, agree to disagree. (Though I could see this being possible going to a 12AU7, as there is a massive difference in gain there).

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Best 12AX7 for Fender cleans?

5751 or 12AY7 will most likely give you what you are looking for. The comment about volume loss isn't correct from my experince. I noticed no such loss with either.