Best el84 and 12ax7 tube make?

[joemunkey]

the two ive got on ebay are a set of electro harmonixs ones and a set of jj teslas.
i have a vox ac4tv and play blur and arctic monkeys and stuff oh and i have a baja tele.
thanks

[Groovey Records]

IMHO Phillips really makes a nice EL 84

So does Mullard

For me I try to get Mullard , or RCA 12AX7 depending on which type of amp


YMMV

[manbearpig]

JJ EL84 and Tung-Sol 12AX7 are what I use. Readily available. Consistent. Not expensive. And a notch above most other current production models in many people's opinions.
At this point in time, I don't really understand using NOS tubes for anything other than maybe rectifier. But that is just me and I'm probably in the minority on that.

[franchelB]

Many guitar players swear by JJs, and I have those in my Peavey Delta Blues. But I also have most the Electro-Harmonix tubes that originally came with the amp.
Both brands are good...and low priced.

After reading certain Vintage Guitar mags., I also realize that Mullard and RCA might have great tubes, but I just can't justify spending the money for it when lower priced tubes will do just fine.

Maybe my ears aren't as trained as others...

[Pepi]

Good post. I'm done with JJs. The last three sets I've bought rattle to high heaven I too need advice on another brand.

[Groovey Records]

Going from Current manufacturing EH to other New Sensor Re Branded Tubes to Hand Selected Tubes to Nos Tubes on 4 Fender BF Amps simultaneously opened up my ears and allowed me to hear the difference .

NOS tubes offr many selections of brand that are less expensive then the mot desired brands and still out perform and last many times longer then current production.

My early 70's EL 84 Mullards were 180 a pair' Sylvania's $100, JJ $34


There is no free lunch

[BuddyLee]

Are Ruby Tubes any good?

I know they are Chinese, but I see them around a lot, and they are cheap.

[JD0x0]

Originally Posted by BuddyLee

Are Ruby Tubes any good?

I know they are Chinese, but I see them around a lot, and they are cheap.

theyre rebranded tubes just like mesa and fender. So youre paying more for s different name you might as well get the cheaper chinese tube thats not rebranded as it's the same thing but cheaper.

Pay the extra $4-6 for mullards you wont be disappointed.

Oh and FYI EH tubes are probably the worst production tube you can get, JJ's are much better and only cost $1 more for 12AX7's

[telecat33511]

Originally Posted by Pepi

Good post. I'm done with JJs. The last three sets I've bought rattle to high heaven I too need advice on another brand.

Been using JJ's from www.eurotubes.com for many years, in multiple amps and pre-amps

I've had exactly one failed tube out of hundreds

Check out Eurotubes

HTH

[Mik]

Originally Posted by JD0x0

theyre rebranded tubes just like mesa and fender. So youre paying more for s different name you might as well get the cheaper chinese tube thats not rebranded as it's the same thing but cheaper.

Pay the extra $4-6 for mullards you wont be disappointed.

Oh and FYI EH tubes are probably the worst production tube you can get, JJ's are much better and only cost $1 more for 12AX7's

If I could find real NOS Mullards for an extra $4-$6 I'd retube every socket with a Mullard A REAL Mullard is an extra $40-$60, or $100...

I don't get hung up on "tube tone" any more. There are exceptions but generally, if the tube isn't microphonic or otherwise noisy and lasts more than a year I'm good with it, I don't care about the brand, where it was made, NOS vs current...JJ, Sovtec, rebranded all good.

[Groovey Records]

The mullards he is talking about are re branded New sensor same as the EH's

I can get mullard 12AX7 OS pulls that test 100% for $40 One good tube in the V1 position can make a dramatic change

Look people pay exorbitant prices for all sorts of stuff. Its your value system.

Spend a $100 or more on a stomp box, or $1000 on a clone amp, more on a true vintage. It doesn't make sense to me not to spend the time learning about the differences even between NOS tubes as far as tone is concerned.

It is a remarkable bang for the buck


IMHO one tube can make a big difference

[JD0x0]

i went from a reissue tung sol to a RCA i found (it was free!) on the V2 (OD channel) and it basicly sounded like i went from an 8'' speaker to two 12 inchers. it was just so much smoother and "bigger" sounding

[imsilly]

Really good quality NOS tubes do sound great, but they are ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't change my RCA blackplates in my Super Reverb for anything, but they were free with the amp and if they blow I'd probably try to find a modern equivalent tube.

One tip from me is that if you have to go NOS search some down yourself. They turn up in all kinds of places. I have walked into trendy shops selling 50s and 60s kitch and seen a row of vintage electronics being sold as furniture. I looked into them and they had rows of old Brimars, Telefunkens, Mullards etc. One day I'm gonna get a tube tester and walk into one of those places and pop every tube up and buy the ones I need. I'm not joking I see flea markets, junk shops, auction houses all selling vintage tube electronics not realising they have tubes inside the stuff probably worth more then the stuff itself.

[BiggerJohn]

I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but I have read from multiple sources that the cheapo standard grade Sovtek EL84 is one of the best sounding versions in current production. Reliability and lifetime may be the crud, but it supposedly has tone.

This is not to say that I personally recommend them, I have no amps with 84s so I can't post an informed opinion.

[DH82c]

Bigger.. I am sure someone will correct me but IIRC there are some (heavy metal?) players who prefer the gain of chinese tubes.
I went to order some Mullard 12AX7s and thetubestore.com is out of stock. Are these just rebranded reflektors or is there something that sets these tubes apart? (in otherwords is there a comparable substitute for the mullard 12ax7s?)

[millhouse]

Originally Posted by DH82c

Bigger.. I am sure someone will correct me but IIRC there are some (heavy metal?) players who prefer the gain of chinese tubes.
I went to order some Mullard 12AX7s and thetubestore.com is out of stock. Are these just rebranded reflektors or is there something that sets these tubes apart? (in otherwords is there a comparable substitute for the mullard 12ax7s?)

I would recommend the Penta 12AX7M, the key being the M, from dougstubes.com. These are what Groove Tubes was selling as a Mullard re-issue. These things are great. My favorite 12AX7 out there. From everything I have read, they are closer to the Mullards than the new Mullards.

If you don't want to go with these, I would then recommend the Tung Sol reissues. I actually like these more than the Mullards. I like the top a little more, and they sound a little more open.

YMMV,
Jason

[RickJ]

I went through Sovtec, Mullard, and JJ before I tried the new Genelex Gold Lion EL84. It was like night and day. I never thought I'd hear such an improvement in sound with just a tube swap. Rich harmonics, punchy, tight, and lots of touch sensitivity. I love 'em.

[drdos]

Originally Posted by manbearpig

JJ EL84 and Tung-Sol 12AX7 are what I use. Readily available. Consistent. Not expensive. And a notch above most other current production models in many people's opinions.
At this point in time, I don't really understand using NOS tubes for anything other than maybe rectifier. But that is just me and I'm probably in the minority on that.

Totally agree here...

[FenderGuy53]

This is a very subjective question. You could have narrowed the field by specifying either current production or NOS tubes, and further narrowed by specifiying amp make.

EH makes a fine production 12AX7.
JJ/Tesla makes a fine production EL84.