preamp tubes for Marshall 1987 style amp

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dstroud

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what 12ax7s you guys liking for your 1987/1959 style amps? I’ve really only tried Sovtek wb and the jj ec83s. I like the Sovtek of those 2 cause it’s not fuzzy like the jj, but I think I might be missing out settling for the sovtek. I do like darker tones - what are you guys using/recommend?

btw I prolly picked the worse time for tube testing. 12ax7s seem crazy $$$ lol

EDIT - ordered an RFT and the gold pin gold lion. should be interesting!
 
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I went through a boatload of current production 12AX7s a while back. For my ear, I (unfortunately $$$) love the Genalex Gold Lion / Gold Pin variant. I bought about a dozen of these before the price skyrocketed. Plenty of gain, but definitely warmer, darker and less sizzly than some. These are excellent in a bright or potentially ice-picky amp. My second choice is the Electro Harmonix Gold / Gold Pin variant. These are still pricey, but way less than the Genalex Gold Lion. The EH is definitely higher gain and brighter than the Gold Lion while staying super quiet even in V1 positions.

I used to swear by the Mesa SPAX7 for super quiet performance, and they are good. But now these sound a little 'flat' compared to the Genalax (warmer, darker) and the EH (brighter and gainier).

Last thought, I do have one amp that is such a flame thrower as far as gain, that I now run Gold JJ 5751 in every preamp stage and the Phase Inverter and that amp is just perfect. Now the gain knob feels 'useful' in that I can still reach screamin' levels of gain - but while using more of the 'sweep' of the gain knob. I tried this after reading that several folks have had excellent results running 5751 tubes in the gain stages of their 5150 heads which make boatloads of gain.
 
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I use the older china 12ax7’s in everything. Used to be the Ruby HG somethings were the last ones I was able to score.
Not much experience with the new ones Psvanes yet.
 
If you like slightly darker warmer tones but a good gainy tube the EH12ax7 with the yellow lettering is a great V1 tube. The new production Tung Sol is brighter and a bit less warm than the EH but still a good V1 tube that is similar sounding to a NOS Sylvania 12ax7 but handles high gain without plate ring. I've heard good things about the newer EH 7025 12ax7. I've tried the new Mullard reissue CV4004 12ax7's and didn't care for them in V1 but the regular Mullard 12ax7 looks like a longer plate like the Tung Sols so those might sound better than the CV4004. I've heard Metropolous and Germino are using the Mullard reissue 12ax7's in all recent amps chassis pics seem to show that is correct. I recently tried the JJ E83CC short plate and it was kinda "meh" for V1 and went back to the yellow lettered EH12ax7 in my 2203 but I've ran the Tung Sol and Ruby AC5's and they sound good as well, just brighter and a bit less warmth than the EH yellow lettered 12ax7. If you like brighter but still a tight no microphonics tube the Ruby AC5 HG is a a great tube for V1 in a Marshall 1987/1959 2203/2204 amp.
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For V2 Cathode follower I recommend either a Chinese 9th generation Ruby AC5 HG or a JJ ECC83 those will withstand the CF voltages.

For the V3 PI position I'd say Ruby AC5 HG or JJECC83, E83S or the longplate ECC803 just depending on what you like really.
 
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harddriver said:
If you like slightly darker warmer tones but a good gainy tube the EH12ax7 with the yellow lettering is a great V1 tube. The new production Tung Sol is brighter and a bit less warm than the EH but still a good V1 tube that similar sounding to a NOS Sylvania 12ax7 but handles high gain without plate ring. I've heard good things about the newer EH 7025 12ax7. I've tried the new Mullard reissue CV4004 12ax7's and didn't care for them in V1 but the regular Mullard 12ax7 looks like a longer plate like the Tung Sols so those might sound better than the CV4004. I've heard Metropolous and Germino used the Mullard reissue 12ax7's in all recent amps and pics seem to show that it correct.



For V2 Cathode follower I recommend either a Chinese 9th generation Ruby AC5 HG or a JJ ECC83 those will withstand the CF voltages.

For the V3 PI position I'd say Ruby AC5 HG or JJECC83, E83S or the longplate ECC803 just depending on what you like really.
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thanks for the info man!!
 
harddriver said:
If you like slightly darker warmer tones but a good gainy tube the EH12ax7 with the yellow lettering is a great V1 tube. The new production Tung Sol is brighter and a bit less warm than the EH but still a good V1 tube that is similar sounding to a NOS Sylvania 12ax7 but handles high gain without plate ring. I've heard good things about the newer EH 7025 12ax7. I've tried the new Mullard reissue CV4004 12ax7's and didn't care for them in V1 but the regular Mullard 12ax7 looks like a longer plate like the Tung Sols so those might sound better than the CV4004. I've heard Metropolous and Germino are using the Mullard reissue 12ax7's in all recent amps chassis pics seem to show that is correct. I recently tried the JJ E83CC short plate and it was kinda "meh" for V1 and went back to the yellow lettered EH12ax7 in my 2203 but I've ran the Tung Sol and Ruby AC5's and they sound good as well, just brighter and a bit less warmth than the EH yellow lettered 12ax7. If you like brighter but still a tight no microphonics tube the Ruby AC5 HG is a a great tube for V1 in a Marshall 1987/1959 2203/2204 amp.
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For V2 Cathode follower I recommend either a Chinese 9th generation Ruby AC5 HG or a JJ ECC83 those will withstand the CF voltages.

For the V3 PI position I'd say Ruby AC5 HG or JJECC83, E83S or the longplate ECC803 just depending on what you like really.
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EH 12AX7 Dark? They're about the brightest, grainy tubes out there! Goes to show we all hear things different. Tungsols are nowhere as bright as an EH. The Tungsols are bright, but not like an EH. No way.
 
Since you like darker I'd put a JJ in V2 (for reliability like @harddriver mentioned) and a Sovtek LPS in the PI and call those two done. Then V1 will affect the voice more than V2/V3 and that's where you might try a few. The Tung Sol and Chinese already mentioned are great choices there but you might like a JJ there too. From my very limited experience with them, Psvane suck.
 
Grab a vintage Tungsram for V1. Chinese for the rest. Buy used, but test well from a good seller on eBay/Reverb. My 72 SL has the original power tubes, Siemens, and the original Tungsrams that the amp left the factory with. Still test new.
 
Kelly said:
Shuagang is making tubes again, too. I still have a stash of the old ones, stocked up when the plant shut down.
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That is good to hear. Hope they are the same. The old ones were really good. As long as they were the 12ax7b’s never had an issue with them. In a vintage amp I might go a different route, but modern amp, no reason to use anything else. Never cared for any of the New Sensor stuff especially at todays prices…
 
napalmdeath said:
EH 12AX7 Dark? They're about the brightest, grainy tubes out there! Goes to show we all hear things different. Tungsols are nowhere as bright as an EH. The Tungsols are bright, but not like an EH. No way.
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That was my experience with the EH pres too…very bright and grainey sounding.
 
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Greazygeo said:
That was my experience with the EH pres too…very bright and grainey sounding.
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My examples of that EH tube were produced 10-15 year ago so the newer ones might sound as you describe as I have not heard recent ones.
 
Racerxrated said:
Grab a vintage Tungsram for V1. Chinese for the rest. Buy used, but test well from a good seller on eBay/Reverb. My 72 SL has the original power tubes, Siemens, and the original Tungsrams that the amp left the factory with. Still test new.
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This would be my advice too
 
harddriver said:
My examples of that EH tube were produced 10-15 year ago so the newer ones might sound as you describe as I have not heard recent ones.
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These were when they first came out…back in the 90’s maybe? Tried them in a few different amps, never cared for them.
 
Greazygeo said:
These were when they first came out…back in the 90’s maybe? Tried them in a few different amps, never cared for them.
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I was tube rolling a couple of weeks ago with my combo 2203 amp and I just happened to throw this new unused older EH tube that was in my stash into V1 and then popped in an old unused JJECC83 circa 2008/10 into V2 so maybe that is taming the brightness of the EH but I don't hear it as any worse than a 2022 production Tungsol that I recently got or the 9th generation Ruby AC5's I was running in V1 prior in the same amp.

I was running those Ruby 9th generation Chinese AC5's in V1 and V2 and they were definitely brighter. I also find my 2009/10 Tung Sols to sound better than the 2022 ones I got recently and that was disappointing so as with anything YMMV......:dunno:

The NOS Tungsrams sound interesting for V1.:2thumbsup:
 
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