Postby juzi » 25 Aug 2011, 07:21
Get some NOS 12AX7's. There are many great sounding brands available much cheaper than Mullards. I just got a pair of mil spec Sylvanias under 40€ shipped. They sound great and have lots of gain. Some say RFT's are good in Marshalls, and re-branded Mullards are not priced sky high. Some feel that 20-40€ is too much for a tube. But is it really? Think about how much you spent on other things, a pedal for example. A good tube in V1 can really make your amp sound sweet, while a bad sounding one can ruin it.
We did some tube swapping on a slightly modded JCM800 just recently. It had a JJECC83S in V1 and Tung Sol reissues in V2 and V3. We only swapped the V1 this time. The "original" JJ sounded like shit, it was the worst sounding of all we tried. It was harsh, mushy and one-dimensional. We tried a JJECC803S (Notice there's a 0 in there... Very even and balanced sound with a hint of NOS-vibe, I like it very much. Can get microphonic under high gain, though.), a TAD premium ECC83, a GT 12AX7/7025, a Mesa-branded chinese 12AX7, a Sovtek 12AX7 LPS (balanced and modern sound with bite) and Sovtek 5751 (lower gain and dark sound).
And then some NOS/old ones. A Brimar CV4004 (fat and bluesy, I like it), a Brimar ECC83 (nothing special, just a good 12AX7), a Telefunken ECC83 (balanced, but flat sounding at the same time. Sounds good in a Fender amp, but not in Marshalls V1. A hi-fi tube.), a Siemens ECC83 (Like the JJECC803S, but many times better, the 3-D effect and all that NOS-yada yada...) and finally the Sylvania 12AX7 (sweet vintage sound and high gain). The guy who owns the amp settled for a Sovtek 12AX7 LPS in V1. He was after that 80's thrashmetal tone. That tube sounded suprisingly good to my ears too when he was playing.
All this is IMHO, ofcourse. You may hear and feel things differently. Get some NOS-tubes while you still can. When they are gone, they are gone.
VM 2266
425B
1936 2x12" (Heritage G12-65's)
Laney Lionheart L5T 5w combo
Laney GH50L head
-91 Gibson Std LP (Fralins)
Startocaster (partscaster w Fralin VH's & big steelblock)
Fender Nashville Deleuxe Tele (DiMarzio Area T's & regular pickguard)
Yamaha Pacifica 812 (modded)
Ibanez JS900
Pedals too