Jeff_H
Dean Hardtail Fanologist
It pains me to do this, but I don't have a tube amp right now and these are just sitting here. I could really use the money since both the wife and I are out of work. I am a huge proponent of NOS tubes as many of you know, and these are some world class NOS tubes that I absolutely love, each with phenomenal tone.
I have 4 NOS 12AX7 (ECC83) tubes in EXCELLENT shape. Low, low, low hours on all of them. All of these tubes were bought from KCA NOS Tubes (www.kcanostubes.com) and come in the original boxes (that I received from KCA) with original notations from KCA. These tubes have thousands of hours of life left in them, and they all sound fantastic. The names of the tubes listed below are links to KCA tubes, so you can see them, read about them and see what they are selling for.
1 - NOS GE 12AX7 - Selling for $70 each at KCA. $55 shipped in the CONUS. Comes in the original GE box and has very good white GE logo and 12AX7 / ECC83 markings. Very sweet tone, great for clean channels, low noise.
2 - NOS RFT 12AX7 - Selling for $60 each at KCA. $45 shipped in the CONUS. Comes in a white box, almost perfect label on the tube, and balanced triodes, which is an upcharge from KCA. This is my favorite NOS tube so far in V1 of a Marshall JCM800. These have an early breakup and are a bit darker than standard AX7's (not JJ dark though), and they are FANTASTIC in Marshall and similar amps.
3 - 1958 NOS RCA Blackplate 12AX7 - Selling for $95 each at KCA. $80 shipped in the CONUS. Comes in original red RCA box from 1958. Very sweet sounding for a clean channel but works very well in an overdrive capacity. The RCA label is a bit worn, but you can still see that it says RCA and it has the very dark black plates inside.
4 - NOS Bugle Boy (Holland) 12AX7 - Selling at KCA for $150 (when they have them). $135 shipped in the CONUS. This is really the gem of the tubes I have. Ships in a white box, but has a very clear Bugle Boy "Whistle" label on the tube and it sounds fantastic in V1 of a Marshall or similar. A little smoother and sweeter than the RFT, but really, really nice. It is nearly impossible to get these, made in Holland, with the original Bugle Boy logo on them. Even the ones KCA sells now are re-labeled without the BB logo.
I also have a set of Sovtek 6550's that were new when I bought my JCM800. ZLess than 1-2 hours on them. I took my amp in one week after I bought it and had it switched to EL34's. They were made in the Reflector plant in Russia according to the markings, and I don't think they are made there any more. I'll have to do some research on these, but they are for sale as well. Make me an offer if you are interested.
Here are soundclips of each tube except for the GE. I can't remember why I didn't use it for this test. The clip is of the RCA, the Bugle Boy and the RFT in V1 of my JCM 800 2205. They are all in V1 position in this clip. The tone stack in my JCM was; 1st side of tube in V1 = 1st stage of clean channel. 2nd side of tube in V1 = 1st stage of gain channel. This way you get to hear how each tube effects both the clean tone of the amp and the gain stages. The recording will tell you which tube is being played. I played the same licks for each tube (don't laugh at my playing ability). The clip was recorded using a 2x12 loaded with V30's, mic'd with a SM57 straight into the board. The only effect is a bit of reverb from the amp itself....otherwise the signal is completely dry, for the best head to head comparison of tone. Guitar was a Les Paul Standard with APH set. Bridge position used for every clip.
Like I said, I only used these tubes for a few hours each, mainly for any recordings I did. I wanted to save them because I paid so much for them, and I was probably overly cautious. I used Groove tube 12AX7's the majority of the time I had my amp, mainly the C's and the M's, when they were still good tubes.
These have been sitting in a box for over 3 years now, and someone should really get some use out of them and enjoy them. I know I'll have to pay through the nose to get these tubes again someday when I have another Marshall, but I can really use the cash now.
Thanks for looking, and help a brother out. I'll get some pics of the tubes loaded soon.....I have to run out and get batteries for the camera.
I have 4 NOS 12AX7 (ECC83) tubes in EXCELLENT shape. Low, low, low hours on all of them. All of these tubes were bought from KCA NOS Tubes (www.kcanostubes.com) and come in the original boxes (that I received from KCA) with original notations from KCA. These tubes have thousands of hours of life left in them, and they all sound fantastic. The names of the tubes listed below are links to KCA tubes, so you can see them, read about them and see what they are selling for.
1 - NOS GE 12AX7 - Selling for $70 each at KCA. $55 shipped in the CONUS. Comes in the original GE box and has very good white GE logo and 12AX7 / ECC83 markings. Very sweet tone, great for clean channels, low noise.
2 - NOS RFT 12AX7 - Selling for $60 each at KCA. $45 shipped in the CONUS. Comes in a white box, almost perfect label on the tube, and balanced triodes, which is an upcharge from KCA. This is my favorite NOS tube so far in V1 of a Marshall JCM800. These have an early breakup and are a bit darker than standard AX7's (not JJ dark though), and they are FANTASTIC in Marshall and similar amps.
3 - 1958 NOS RCA Blackplate 12AX7 - Selling for $95 each at KCA. $80 shipped in the CONUS. Comes in original red RCA box from 1958. Very sweet sounding for a clean channel but works very well in an overdrive capacity. The RCA label is a bit worn, but you can still see that it says RCA and it has the very dark black plates inside.
4 - NOS Bugle Boy (Holland) 12AX7 - Selling at KCA for $150 (when they have them). $135 shipped in the CONUS. This is really the gem of the tubes I have. Ships in a white box, but has a very clear Bugle Boy "Whistle" label on the tube and it sounds fantastic in V1 of a Marshall or similar. A little smoother and sweeter than the RFT, but really, really nice. It is nearly impossible to get these, made in Holland, with the original Bugle Boy logo on them. Even the ones KCA sells now are re-labeled without the BB logo.
I also have a set of Sovtek 6550's that were new when I bought my JCM800. ZLess than 1-2 hours on them. I took my amp in one week after I bought it and had it switched to EL34's. They were made in the Reflector plant in Russia according to the markings, and I don't think they are made there any more. I'll have to do some research on these, but they are for sale as well. Make me an offer if you are interested.
Here are soundclips of each tube except for the GE. I can't remember why I didn't use it for this test. The clip is of the RCA, the Bugle Boy and the RFT in V1 of my JCM 800 2205. They are all in V1 position in this clip. The tone stack in my JCM was; 1st side of tube in V1 = 1st stage of clean channel. 2nd side of tube in V1 = 1st stage of gain channel. This way you get to hear how each tube effects both the clean tone of the amp and the gain stages. The recording will tell you which tube is being played. I played the same licks for each tube (don't laugh at my playing ability). The clip was recorded using a 2x12 loaded with V30's, mic'd with a SM57 straight into the board. The only effect is a bit of reverb from the amp itself....otherwise the signal is completely dry, for the best head to head comparison of tone. Guitar was a Les Paul Standard with APH set. Bridge position used for every clip.
Like I said, I only used these tubes for a few hours each, mainly for any recordings I did. I wanted to save them because I paid so much for them, and I was probably overly cautious. I used Groove tube 12AX7's the majority of the time I had my amp, mainly the C's and the M's, when they were still good tubes.
These have been sitting in a box for over 3 years now, and someone should really get some use out of them and enjoy them. I know I'll have to pay through the nose to get these tubes again someday when I have another Marshall, but I can really use the cash now.
Thanks for looking, and help a brother out. I'll get some pics of the tubes loaded soon.....I have to run out and get batteries for the camera.
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