Comments on: NOS Tubes: It Ain’t All Hype…

By: Amazing the Difference a Tube Can Make… « Guitar Gear

Amazing the Difference a Tube Can Make… « Guitar Gear — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:25:29 +0000

[...] and have tried out all sorts of pre-amp tubes in my amps over the years. A couple of days ago, I wrote that I had installed a new Mullard ECC83 (12AX7) into my Aracom VRX22. This particular Mullard is a Zaerix-labled ECC83 that probably came from the [...]

By: goofydawg

goofydawg — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:22:05 +0000

And you’ll probably keep on playing. I use the Tung-Sol’s quite a bit as a backup, though I do dig having one in V2 for my clean channel. Unfortunately, I’ve found that if you drive a Tung-Sol hard all the time, it doesn’t last. That’s part of the reason I’ve been going to NOS tubes – they last and last and last. It’s amazing.

By: 56lp

56lp — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:43:20 +0000

I agree, nothing like NOS Mullard 12AX7s.

My favorite setup:
Original JTM45 with NOS Mullards 12AX7s and GEC KT66s.
Vintage Les Paul
4×12 with original Greenbacks
No effects

By: Frederick

Frederick — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:27:33 +0000

I appreciate the talk about tubes. I purchased my first tube amp earlier this year knowing there was something missing playing SS. But there was still something amiss when I got home and started playing my new amp consistently! I went threw many a forum before realizing how much the preamp tubes control the flavor of your tone. Finally settled on a combination of the following:

V1 Tung-sol RI 12ax7
V2 Penta Labs 9th Gen 12ax7
V3 Sovtek ax7LPS

The JJ ecc83s cause some of the less impressive qualities of my budget amp to be enhanced, a raggedy fizz that takes more than a bit of EQing to dial out. I’ve had to replace the LPS, but the other two have been solid since Last February.