Some 12ax7 experiences

C

Christobevii3

New member
I have a crate v3112T amp and just wanted to share some of the impressions of pre amp tubes I've used.

Stock Groove tube/sovtek: Ok tubes, a little trebbly, suited ok for light gain.

Electronic Harmonix high gain picked: LOUD!!! The minimum my amp can go to now is like twice of before. These things have a ton of gain on tap, before you could get decent heavier stuff, but with the electronic harmonix it is like zakk wyldes backup amp on high. Very precise sounding so not as good for strumming lighter gain stuff.

JJ: These things are really quiet compared to the others. A light amount of gain creates great country sounds with my tele, but I lost the ability to get into metalish territory before they start sounding loose. These probably sound the best clean.




What I'm using now, two JJ's with an EH in the middle. I gained some of the gain back but some of the volume too (ughhh), but allows the gain to be much higher.
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

When you get a chance, try these...

Tung Sol reissue
Groove Tube 12AX7M (mullard copy)
TAD 12AX7
And with JJ, try the ECC803S. I really dig that tube in EL84 amps.
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

Hey Scott, what are your thoughts on putting a pricey tube like the Tung-Sol in V1 then rounding out the rest with more moderately priced tubes. Does V1 usually have the most effect?
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

Scott_F said:
When you get a chance, try these...

Tung Sol reissue
Groove Tube 12AX7M (mullard copy)
TAD 12AX7
And with JJ, try the ECC803S. I really dig that tube in EL84 amps.
Click to expand...

The GT ECC83s is pretty sweet, the mullards are nice but i dont get half the output of an ECC83 when i run one of them in my V1.
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

Scott_F said:
When you get a chance, try these...

Tung Sol reissue
Groove Tube 12AX7M (mullard copy)
TAD 12AX7
And with JJ, try the ECC803S. I really dig that tube in EL84 amps.
Click to expand...


Scott,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try the 12AX7M. Right now I'm using GT ECC83-S and they're pretty nice, too.

The GT EL84-S is real nice. Been using them for a while. A very warm & responsive power tube:smokin:
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

Yea... I just put Tung Sol in a Crate TD-50 hybrid, and it made the gain channel sound really really rock out for a SS power section amp.


Scott_F said:
When you get a chance, try these...

Tung Sol reissue
Groove Tube 12AX7M (mullard copy)
TAD 12AX7
And with JJ, try the ECC803S. I really dig that tube in EL84 amps.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

i always put the best tube in v1. i put a good strong phase inverter tube in as well but on this one im usually looking for output rather than tone
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

I got two Tung Sol 12AX7's from Dougstubes.com, rated hot and hotter. They rock in V1 of my Blues Jr. :D

Also, the Ei El-84's I got have really nice tone and gradual breakup. Not as edgy as some other El-84's I've tried.

Your mileage WILL vary (as far as which tubes you like)

Chip
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

I had JJ ecc83's in my Jubilee 2555 head and replaced 'em with SAG rated hi gain GT ecc83's and havent noticed much of a difference. I was a bit disappointed that I didnt get a big reaction like some of you have.
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

Keep in mind, the Tung Sol reissues are made at the Reflektor plant in russia. Mike just bought the Tung Sol name. I have no idea if they are true copies or not.

Now a NOS Tung Sol, that would be pricey.

I do think it's a good idea to see if there's a new production 12AX7 that will rock your world before you go the NOS route. I'd like to encourage the current builders to keep building tubes.

I design ever amp effort I sell to work WELL with current production tubes.
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

SoCalSteve said:
a pricey tube like the Tung-Sol
Click to expand...
As tubes go, I dunno if I'd describe the TS as "pricey". IME its price isn't that much greater than the average "name brand" current production tube.

Here's my rundown of current production tubes I've used enough to develop an opinion:
  • EH 12AX7. Reliable with plenty of gain. Certainly not my favorite but it's a solid value-priced tube.
  • GT 12AX7M. One of my favorite current production tubes. Nice gain with good clarity. I think it's particularly well suited to "British" voiced amps. Probably my favorite for cleans as well. At that price point, I wouldn't used 'em exclusively but they have their place.
  • Tung Sol. My fave for smooth gain. 'Nuff said.
  • JJ ECC83. They sounded okay in my old Soldano but overall I don't much care for 'em. The ones I've tried have generally been lacking in the upper registers. They sound kind of muffled to my ears in most amps I've tried 'em in.
  • 9th Gen Chinese. Depending on how you look at it, you might define these as NOS but price-wise they're still on par with a lot of current production. IMO, these are the shiznit for high gain amps. My Rivera came with 'em and I tried a bunch of other 12AX7s including the ones mentioned above and even a number of NOS ones. When it came right down to it, the 9Gs sounded "right" to me and the others didn't. After a bunch of tube swaps, I ended up back where I started and the Rivera has the same tubes it started with.
I also have a pretty decent stash of NOS preamp tubes (as well as a few power tubes). The Mullard 12AT7s are very hard to beat as reverb drivers in amps with tube-driven 'verb and are available for under $25. My rationale for my collection of tubes is that it provides an easy and (relatively) cheap way to tune my amp's sound. NOS tubes don't necessarily sound better but each make and model sounds a bit different, giving a different palette from the limited options afforded by current production.

My $0.02, IMO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.
 
Re: Some 12ax7 experiences

Hi Chris you should try a 12ay7
check with a bone fide amp tech 1st
it will get you a warmer tone and it will cut the highs a bit
ever been to the tube store.calm they have charts and lotza tube info
there is a 7025 as well but I agree with you that jj tesla makes a great
pre-amp tube there stuff is really good svetlana power tubes ooooohhh !!!
 
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