ianrendall Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 I’ve recently got hold of a Trace AH600SMX, nicknamed ‘The Herniator’ and was wondering about valvage. Neither I nor the previous owner have any idea how old the valve is, so it could be 20 years old as it’s a ‘98 amp. The valve is a 12ax7 Golden Lion. I’d like to replace it and am looking for recommendations. Am I right to assume that all 12ax7/ECC83 valves are designed to a certain spec and that any tonal variations are manufacturer dependent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Yup, 12AX7 (or ECC83) are standard as regards voltage and current requirements, and have identical pin outs, so you can basically stick anything in there. It’s always worth a phone call to Derek at Watford Valves to discuss your requirements (more bassy / mid rangey, early breakup etc) as he really knows his onions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrendall Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 8 minutes ago, paul_5 said: Yup, 12AX7 (or ECC83) are standard as regards voltage and current requirements, and have identical pin outs, so you can basically stick anything in there. It’s always worth a phone call to Derek at Watford Valves to discuss your requirements (more bassy / mid rangey, early breakup etc) as he really knows his onions. Oooo early breakup sounds like a lovely option. Especially if her indoors nixes my Barefaced 15” fancying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrendall Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Thoughts on this? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183186481526 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pburrows Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 13 minutes ago, ianrendall said: Thoughts on this? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183186481526 Not sure about that specific one but I recently replaced the valve in my 350SMX for a Sovtec 12AX7 from Watford valves and it’s doing a splendid job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbass Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I swear by JJ's for all of my Trace/valve needs. I've been using these for 10+ years now : http://www.hotroxuk.com/jj-electronics-ecc83s-12ax7.html?utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=organic Cheap as chips, super reliable. There's an 'MG' version which is a mid-gain, not sure if that aids anything in getting that warmth/bite out of it. The one thing I'd fault Trace on in these versions of the SMX amps is that, IRC, they did't utilise the full preamp valve signal in that you get warmth but little bite if you want some real overdrive. Not honestly sure it's worth the hassle of preamp valve rolling in the SMX due to this.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 On 20/04/2018 at 21:35, paul_5 said: Yup, 12AX7 (or ECC83) are standard as regards voltage and current requirements, and have identical pin outs, so you can basically stick anything in there. It’s always worth a phone call to Derek at Watford Valves to discuss your requirements (more bassy / mid rangey, early breakup etc) as he really knows his onions. Well worth calling Watford Valves. I use them a lot in the past and they are always really helpful and interesting to talk to. When it does to pre-amp valves, I'd be tempted to buy a few and try them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrendall Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 Thank you for all your replies so far ive decided that I definitely want early breakup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 My Amp SVP PRO has a full compliment of Watford tubes in it (Harma brand) and it's awesome. Derek is the tube-guru, so he'll probably be able to advise what your amp is capable of or not. A chat costs nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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