NHM Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 I've recently purchased a Bassman 500 which I'm really enjoying. I want to buy a couple of 12AX7A tubes for spares in case one or both fail, and also to experiment with new sounds. Will different brands give different sounds to the stock valves? If so, are there any recommendations? There seems to be quite a number of choices at Watford Valves, which is a bit baffling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 The answer is yes, no, maybe .... Depending on who you ask .... Some swear that only tubes made in the 50's sound good, others hear no difference. But yes there can be differences, some people will hear them clearly, some a slight difference. It's normally the power tubes which work a lot harder where differences are more audible. Unless you are looking to fork out for NOS tubes, JJ and Tung Sol are well regarded for current production tubes. It's fairly well accepted that the Tung Sol 12AX7 is possibly the best sounding modern tube, but like everything else, others will have a different opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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