Tung-Sol 12AX7 - any good for bass?

I have not tried that tube, but I do think that it's worth swapping out that Sovtek. They are a bit muffled sounding to my ears, and somewhat frequency limited (at least in the highs) - again, to my ears, at least. Of the newer 12AX7's, I like JJ's and EH's. I have some Ei's that I need to try, too. The GT Mullard reissue seems like an okay tube, but it hasn't blown me away. I've become somewhat of an NOS snob, but I definitely think that it's a matter of finding the right tube for the right gear (as opposed to one tube being better than all the rest, no matter the application).

I would also be interested to hear from someone who has used the Tung-Sol 12AX7.

Tom.

 

The Ei tubes are great in almost anything tom. They are more balanced than the EH which are also really good. NOS Jan/Phillips AU7 tubes are also a must have. Hey, I bought an avalon 737. Samples will be posted soon.

 

Cool, I look forward to trying them out.

Agreed.

Cool!

Tom.

 

I use these in my Classic 400, Hard for me to really give a comprehensive answer.... but....

I've run the stock Chinese 12ax7's that came with the amp for a while. Found them to be brittle and break up easily..

I ran some used RCA's that I loved (nice deep response, had to hit them hard to get them to break-up)...

Currently I have the Tung-Sol's in there, they seem to have a little less deep lows and a little more upper-mid response than the RCA's. They seem to break up _SLIGHTLY_ sooner than the RCA's

All of this is exactly as anecdotal and unscientific as it seems....

SM

 

Ah, but to me it's the real world experience that helps the most! Thanks!

Tom.

 

Another Thread for you to check some PreAmp Tube Threads

 

Ya, I popped an old (but fresh) Tungsol 12AX7 into a XS400, replacing a Sovtek.

Instant improvement in strength, clarity, and noise reduction in this application.

 

I just bought 2 NOS GE 5751s and a Mullard 12AT7 for my Bassman 100 head. It currently has a no-name 12AX7 in one channel and a "USA" 12AX7 in the other. I'm running the no-name in the bass channel and the "USA" in the other right now, and use mostly the non-bass channel. I'm curious to see what the new tubes do, not because I'm disatisfied now, but because I've never had a tube amp and want to reap the benefits of being able to play with the tone.

 

You mean the new ones, right? I just put a set in an old blackface Vibrolux. They sound great in that amp, which had old Mullards and RCAs in it previously. Haven't tried 'em in a bass rig yet though.

 

Yup.