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Drdos

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I put in a set of Ruby 12ax7a's a while back, and absolutely love their tone. Anyone else using them????
 
All the preamp tubes in my MarkIV head are the Ruby 12ax7, and my power amp tubes are Mesa Boogie 6L6 STR 430, i find this combination to be very impressive and it gives me all the tones i expect from my amp after several experimentation with different 12ax7, and different 6L6, i have found the perfect association IMO, 12ax7 Ruby tubes are the best !!!
 
Haven't tried any of the Ruby selections of Serb-Russo-Chinese preamp tubes per se, but once I discovered substitution of NOS 12ax7 types, such as Philips/Sylvania ECG, JAN General Electric 5751's, RCA, etc., I have hardly looked back... although I did recently have a V1 & V2 shootout amongst the several preamp tubes I had amassed, and none of the newer Russian and Chinese ones (among them selections by tube "brands" like Mesa, Electroharmonix and GT) could match the gorgeous tone and responsiveness of the better NOS types.
 
TigerStrat, you are right on the NOS sound quality, but the price. Well, let's just say NOS tubes cost a tad bit more.
 
The prices of NOS are somewhat more, and I am certainly no rich man, but the $ difference might equate to a pack of strings or two, and while strings will stay new for two or three nights on the outside, your preamp tubes will be a more or less permanent main component of your tone that should last for as long as you own the amp. Start slowly, go one socket at a time beginning with the all-important V1. It can take a tiresome amount of switching tubes in and out of all the sockets ("OK, what did that first one sound like again?"), but when you hit on the right tube in the right socket, it's just amazing.

Check out the salvage bins that some repair shops keep around! $1 tubes, anyone? It's amazing that some people routinely retube their whole amp including all the preamp tubes, which probably don't need replacing. Probably some bum ones in there, but I have definitely found some 12ax7 and 12at7 beauties for $1 apiece!

For power tubes, which are pricier and in my case need to be replaced close to once a year, I use the economical and easy Mesa 430's.
 
You don't have to buy NOS - most preamp tubes last and used tubes test and sound just as good.
 

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