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Topic: What Brand for Replacing 12AX7 in PreAmp? |
Billy Easton
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2007 8:34 pm |
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Okay you amp wizards! After reading the post about the 6L6s, I am wondering what brand 12AX7s you would recommend for my Mesa Boogie Pre Amp. Let's hear from you!
Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ |
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Marlin Smoot
From:
Kansas
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Posted 20 Jun 2007 9:15 pm
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Billy,
I have several Boogies including the Mesa Boogie Studio Pre Amp and I use the Mesa 12ax7's in the studio pre. I've also used the Groove Tubes Gold Series that are to be somewhat like the vintage Mullards. (GT-12AX7-M)
The Mesa 12AX7 I just put in were a little cheaper; about $12 dollars where the GT Gold Series were $26 and I don't think they were really worth using just because of the price - a nice tube for sure but not necessary. You'll get a good tone with the Mesa's. |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 20 Jun 2007 9:43 pm
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| I've got JJ's in almost every tube amp in the house. |
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Kevin Ruddell
From:
Toledo Ohio USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 2:16 am
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| I have JJ's from Eurotubes in my Mesa Boogie and Tubeworks amps . I tried Phillips, GE NOS and Tung-Sol ; and the JJ's had the best overall tone . |
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Ken Fox
From:
Nashville GA USA
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 5:57 am
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Unless you have access to some good old RCA's Sylvanias, or Philips, (which all have to be screened for noise) I'd also go with JJ's. OTOH, if you want to de-Boogie it a bit and lower the gain, get a NOS 5751.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Mark Vinbury
From:
N. Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 8:49 am
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I tried retubing my Crate V30 ("class A" type with EL84s) with JJ preamp tubes and found them to break up too early and not smoothly.
Seemed like they had a threshold where they were clean then jumped right into unmusical distortion.
I replaced the #1 preamp tube with the original Groovetube (long plates not sure of the mfg.)
The tone went back to what I wanted which was a fair amount of clean volume and a gradual increase in crunch and then distortion as the guitar volume is increased and the amp is pushed.
I've always thought GrooveTubes were a bunch of hype but after trying a few different types in the power and preamp sections of this amp I am finding them to be the ones I prefer. |
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Gibson Hartwell
From:
Missoula, Montana, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 2:40 pm
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| i just installed some of the Tung-Sol reissues in an amp and they sound pretty sweet. |
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Robert Leaman
From:
Murphy, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 2:57 pm 12AX7A
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| I still have about 6 spare Telefunken 12AX7A tubes that I use in my old Harmon Kardin system. It drives a pair of 36 inch Electrovoice woofers and some mid- and hi-freq speakers. There is nothing that compares with low noise Telefunken 12AX7A tubes. |
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Lefty
From:
Grayson, Ga.
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 3:34 pm
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The Tung Sol is good bang for the buck.
Lefty |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 3:41 pm
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| Quote: |
| "class A" type with EL84s |
Actually, those are not true Class A. They went for the Vox AC30 sound, which everyone seems to call "Class A"...but technically isn't. I had one of the Crates for a while, and it is a very touchy amp - the only preamp tubes I had any luck with were Sovtek 12AX7LPS. Everything else sounded gritty.
As far as "Groove Tubes" - which ones? That's a relabeling company, not a product, and they relabel all sorts of 12AX7's; some are NOS US tubes, some are Sovteks, and I'm not sure that some don't come from the same factory as JJ...I'd have to check. But they buy all sorts of "real" brands and relabel them.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 5:26 pm
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| Another vote for JJ's. |
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Mark Vinbury
From:
N. Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 7:12 pm
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Jim
The JJ preamp tubes I tried were the ECC 83 S
http://thetubestore.com/tesla12ax7.html
The GrooveTube that I like is this
http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=1167
I think it may be the same Russian tube (long plate= LP) that you found best for this amp.
Yes, I realize they are not true Class A hence the quotes. My understanding is they just get called Class A to differentiate these circuts that run the power tubes
full power all the time and don't require bias adj. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 9:11 pm
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Mark - yep, that's the LPS, so it makes sense. Glad to know you understood the Class-A thing. Tooo many people think cathode bias = Class A.
I loved he tone of that Crate, but honestly mine was in repair (under warranty) more than I had it to play. I finally dumped it because I just could not rely on it. But when working, it's about the best budget AC30 you can find!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2007 7:50 am
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Robert said:
"There is nothing that compares with low noise Telefunken 12AX7A tubes."
AMEN BROTHER!
Brad |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2007 11:31 am
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Ahem - I will only say that the Amperex Bugle Boy ECC83 is at least the equal of the Tungsol.
If you can find one. I did - but no, you can't afford one. Heck, neither could I - I just got lucky!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 22 Jun 2007 12:33 pm
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| Quote: |
| If you can find one. I did - but no, you can't afford one. Heck, neither could I - I just got lucky! |
SO... the one I found in my box of 'junk tubes' that just made my '59 Bassman very happy wasn't just an odd good one????  I don't know if it says Bugle Boy or what but it definitely says Amperex, and it sure sounds good in the second driver stage. No idea how old it is, but it came out of the 'box-o-tubes' I inherited that I posted about a while back. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2007 1:31 pm
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| Quote: |
| wasn't just an odd good one |
????
Errr, that's what I was saying - they ARE good. VERY good.
Even the non-"Bugle Boy" Amperex are good tubes, and bring premium prices (Bugle Boys sometimes over a hundred bucks!)
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Greg Simmons
From:
where the buffalo (used to) roam AND the Mojave
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Billy Easton
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2007 11:18 pm
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Thanks for all the responses...it seems there is a wide diversity of opinions....just as it should be. I do appreciate your input.
Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ |
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Mark Vinbury
From:
N. Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA
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Posted 23 Jun 2007 9:43 am
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Billy-
Seems like this thread has gone all over the map and not really answered your question.
I had a Mesa Quad Preamp for a few years and replaced the original tubes with an unknown brand. As I recall, it didn't make a noticable difference in the tone.My feeling is they are not that tube sensetive.
I found the Mesa to be sort of hard to dial in and really didn't produce the 4 levels of overdrive that I expected. (Clean-rythmn crunch--slight overdrive --full distortion).
It was more like clean or full Mesa distortion were the best useable sounds.The in between stuff never really sounded that good. |
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