A question on Tubes.....

[dickiebong]

A buddy of mine said I should swap out the stock tube that is in my Kustom HV/30 amp for a
JJ/TESLA 12AX7

My question is there are a few jj/tesla 12ax7's
standard pin
gold pin and a
hi gain

which one if any should I get?

[Dro0]

dunno, but iv read a lot of bad stuff on jj here, dunno if there founded or not.

Im guessin the gold pin has,well gold pins, so its got better conductivity and should have a slightly better sound, like gold plated earphone jacks.

The high gain should have more gain??

In the end its all down to personal choice n budget ;)

[dickiebong]

cool thanks for the info


What does it mean when a tube microphonics?
(if I am using that term properly)

[shiggity]

The tube goes bad and starts to pickup outside noise. if you tap on them with eraser end of a pencil and you hear the tapping thru the speaker then that tube is microphonic.

[Turbo7MN]

Don't bother with JJs.

Tung-Sol 12AX7s are the only new production preamp tubes I use.

[dickiebong]

what are the differences between a Tesla 12ax7 and the Tung-Sol....?

what are the problems that you had with Tesla?

[Turbo7MN]

The Tung-Sol sounds better to me.

I've only personally had problems with JJ power tubes failing, but I've heard from a fairly reputable source that the JJs have severe issues with microphonics. When tube dealers get them from the factory, 40% are bad out of the box.

The only tubes I buy these days are either Tung-Sol or NOS.

[buliwyf]

ive had nothing but good experience with JJ tubes, both for 12AX7 (standard) and EL84. The JJ EL84 are very tough, I use them in a 112 combo amp that I crank regularly during gigs (and haul in the trunk of my car).

They also sound great! Maybe some NOS/premium tubes can sound better, but right now i'm too satisfied to swap, and they only cost ~$8 per tube! Plus I dont want to spend too much on a 112 regular gig combo amp.