Yeah, this is an old thread, but I see there was no resolution to the thread.... so here I go...
I just replaced the original 12AX7 out of my 1991-2 Valvestate 8240, and it made a SIGNIFICANT improvement to the tone. It seems to have smoother, but more aggressive gain (If that makes any sense??). It's not like I now have a JCM800/900, but it sounds PRETTY DAMN GOOD. For instance...
I was gonna use this amp for rehearsal, but I decided to to bring my Line6 Floor POD xt and plug that into the OD2 channel in my Marshall Valvestate to get them good high gain sounds. This config worked fine for practice. However I just got my new GT 12AX7-C, and a Blackstar METAL ht pedal today, so I installed the tube and gave it a test drive.
With a very pleasant surprise I plugged my guitar straight into the amp, no pedals, and right away I heard MEATY, SHARP, CUTTING tones out of my VS 8240. MUCH better than the old stock tube. The new tube gives me PLENTY of gain, and it sounds really awesome. SO MUCH gain that I ALMOST don't need to use my new pedal to get the ultra high-gain sound rolling. I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but it seemed easier to get good tones right from go, without much tweaking. I'm getting good classic Marshall crunch, and newer metal high-gain distortion.
For a mere $19.99 (w/shipping) from Guitar Center, I feel it was the best 20 bucks I've ever spent. (BTW, the best $50 I spent was on the Valvestate which I just purchased the week before)
Good Luck to anyone who might find this useful to improve their old VS.
