Pre-amp tubes in the V1 slot is where the most difference is heard swapping out tubes. You can definitely hear tonal variation between them. Power tubes it's a stretch in most cases. That being said.a case can be made that NOS tubes that test as new will last and sound better much longer than newly manufactured tubes due to higher quality components used in them back then. The coatings used inside tubes on the components were painstakingly controlled for optimum function and longivity. Quality control was tighter back when every piece of audio gear and even some computers and medical equipment used tubes/valves. Aerospace was even an application tubes were used in. If a person researches tube manufacture it's obvious the best tubes ever made are not newly manufactured tubes made today. It was insane the level of research that went in to getting all those components to work at peak performance and not fail. If for instance the Mullard factory was still open and producing tubes today the way they were back then there is no way they could be sold for what Russia and China sells tubes. Making tubes the way they used to is a lost art. Do new manufactured pre-amp and power tubes get the job done good enough? Obviously they do, but those tubes are a poor substitute for what came before them.
hi, i'm a tube guru, i'm here to help. for power tubes both rca's and ge's are definitely good enough for everyone so youre ok there ide keep both. in the preamp for the tone you have in this video the best vintage tubes are rca 7025/12ax7a like old fender tweeds had, the older the better. other great options with rich mids and harmonics are brimar cv 4004 lots of personality and warmth which is the opposite of telefunkens which are flat dull lifeless and dry compared to old rca's and mullards .telefunkens are great for reference systems in recording studios not guitar amps but anything vintage beats modern crap (jj's have no highs) and they are the best for clarity and detail or uber detail and can be ok for taming angry marshalls, but ge's are much better if you like cool mids and 3d cleans. old mullards are great for a smoother tone ,single coils and overdrive . thanks for the video and enjoy!
I’m glad you enjoyed the video it was a lot of work and not cheap lol. I definitely noticed the Telefunkens to be brighter. I am in the hunt for some NOS RCA Mullard. I am also going to swap out the rectifier tube next. Any suggestions?
@@pureguitargear3935 for v1 in the preamp section you can't go wrong with a mullard shortplates i61, the rca 12ax7a is identical to 7025 but cheaper. (strong tested is good enough) .for rectifiers ive always used old mullards and everybody loved them, see what you can get under 100$ i wouldn't insist so much on a rectifier if it's too expensive v1 is where it's at for tone and breakup. the best advice i can give you is to get a used orange vt 1000 tube tester then you can compare tubes with the same gain ratings and sort yourself out always without techs enjoy!
@@pureguitargear3935 Mullard Made in Great Britain are the best rectifier tubes. Matsushita is good as well as they're made on Mullard tooling. As for tubes, RCA are probably some of the best out there when it comes to NOS. Raytheon long black plates and Phillips Holland (many different labeled) 12AX7's are great as well. And yes, the preamp tubes will give you more of a noticeable difference in tone than the power tubes. NOS or "pulled" tubes are way better IMO than anything new. New tubes are become more expensive and many don't meet the spec and don't last long. NOS tubes or old tubes meet the specs (even those still from the 50's and 60's) and are much more harmonically rich and musical compared to the tubes made today. A suggestion, record on a loop and play them back to back between all of the tubes and you'll get a better sense of the difference. If you don't you'll not realize all of the different nuances of the different tubes. BTW, let's see you roll tubes in that Matchless, That is the one that will benefit from NOS tubes the most and you'll hear it.
The GE's are a bit brighter but the RCA's just get it. The Telefunken 12AX7's sound better than the JJ's - My personal preference is Amperex (Mullard) 12AX7's. NOS USA Tungsol's are excellent too!
I like the tone you have there with all the tubes. One thing to consider is that the first preamp gain stage gets the most amplification. It's usually V1, though I've had a few amps that had it at V2. The preamp tube you put there is the most important tube in the amp, at least for clean tones, because it is the most amplified. As to what tube sounds best, I think it depends on the guitar, amp, speaker(s) and player's taste. I really like old RCA's, GE's, and Telefunkens in the pre-amp. Of course, some of the other old brands were made by RCA and GE and may be equivalent. That said, the biggest difference in tone vs modern tends to be more clarity and more complex harmonics in the high end. That said, if you have an amp that already has those characteristics, it might be too much. I wound up settling on a JJ 12AX7 in V1 of my Victoria Victoriette because it got too thin with the vintage tubes. I'll add that Mark Baier at Victoria has stated he likes JJ's in his amps, out of the modern tubes available. His amps are mostly tweed clones and similar circuits. I'm not sure what they're putting in new Victoria's, originally it was NOS tubes. Finally, I'll add that you need to be careful with old tubes because they can be very prone to microphonics. Keep that in mind when ordering and handling them. Thanks for the video!
The problem with the 6v6g GE’s are they aren’t made to run the plate voltages of that amp and will die much sooner. There’s a difference between G and GT and GTA. Stick with the RCA’s. Also there’s no need for matched 12ax7’s ever in a guitar amp. Don’t waste your money on matched preamp tubes.
There are only 3 factories worldwide that make tubes: Digivac, Electro-Harmonix, and JJ Electronic. No matter the brand, it is made in one of these 3 remaining factories in Russia, China, or Slovakia
If you don't think "NOS"/Pulled old tubes sound better than new manufacture tubes, you've never used old tubes. Preamp tubes make the most difference in the sound. If you have a tube rectifier you need to get an old Mullard or Matsushita one. I actually don't care for telefunken 12ax7's in an amp. They are VERY highly rated but more for audio amps and microphones. I prefer Raytheon, RCA and Phillips Holland 12ax7's. It's a deep rabbit hole. The prices on good old tubes isn't too bad and in many cases you can get them cheaper than new manufactured tubes. Old tubes were made to specification and the new tubes don't really meet the original spec., because they use different and cheaper materials and won't last as long as old tubes. Worth it? Absolutely!
Are nos tubes better .......................?????? Ask some older skilled people .................. Using nos in guitar amps etc .............is .......... Leave nos for the very best amplifiers .............and even most modern amplifiers ( mostly Asian ) are even not worth to use them.....
