Tube Swap for Orange OR15

[Boguspierre80]

So I've replaced all of my preamp tubes from medium 12AX7s (Russian Groove Tubes) to ECC 83S "high gain" tubes (Slovakian Groove Tubes), and wow! I lost a lot of headroom as signal break-up happens at about the 3 o'clock position on my gain dial (mediums would break up at 5 o'clock), but when I crank the gain and volume, there is so much more bottom end bass. I was using a fuzz in certain instances, but my swollen pickle fuzz box is pretty much relegated to working with my other amp as it is no longer needed for the OR15. The difference is striking. I'd recommend these tubes to anyone wanting to seriously fatten up their lows while simultaneously ditching effects. I just thought I'd share my notes.

One thing I think is interesting to note is that the diode, plate, and grid are about 5 mm longer than on any other 12AX7 I've seen. 

[Mr. Foxen]

If a 12AX7 says it has anything other than the gain of a 12AX7 its either bullshit or broken. 12AX7 has a specification that makes it one. Sounds like you replaced fucked valves with not fucked ones. Not fucked valves are almost always better than fucked ones.

[Boguspierre80]

I see. The valves I replaced didn't red-plate or give any of the other tell tale signs of failing. I'm pretty sure I'm not experiencing a placebo effect. Thanks for your take, though. You think "high gain" rated valves are snake oil?

[Mr. Foxen]

12AX7 have a gain factor of 100. That's high, they are a high gain valve, low gain is like 12AU7 with 17. If it isn't 100, then they are broken. You have a tolerance around there, if its enough error you can hear the difference, then it isn't working right. Never had preamp valves red plate, had plenty of them have crappy output though, even from new, I bin them. Some places, instead of binning them call them 'low gain', so they can sell their crappy valve. Its like buying 6 feet of wire for your amp, but they give you a special offer of low length wire, so you get 4 feet of wire for the same money, hooray, now I have less wire to carry.

[VOLVO)))]

He's right.

[Boguspierre80]

Cool. Thanks for the tips. I'm still very new to all of this. I appreciate the insight.

[Mr. Foxen]

Called out a rebrander for selling fucky valves at a premium, the forum admin/mods got pissy with me and started fucking with my posts after this [potential paying advertiser], so I stopped posting there:  http://basschat.co.uk/topic/220473-12ax7-rocket-tubes/

[Boguspierre80]

As George Carlin said: "whoever coined the phrase caveat emptor was probably bleeding rectally."

[Mr. Foxen]

Problem is people that get bummed have a habit of telling everyone else how much they loved it so they look less stupid or something. I had a guy ask to buy tested NOS valves from me, I told him you can't have both if I put them in equipment to test them, that is use, so not new, and he tried to argue the point in favour of me selling him used valves at new prices because lots of other people on the internet are willing to rip him off.

[Jake]

If they've only ever been fired up in a tester, I'd definitely say that they're still new tubes. It's not like when you buy a new car from a dealership, it has 0.00 miles on the odometer. Sheesh.

[Mr. Foxen]

I have plenty of new valves that have been tested in amps for 40 years. But I'm not a fucking shyster.