Thanks for comparing. Editing the video using the same guitar with the different Tube in succession rather than different guitars. The final comparison was more helpful showing significant Volume drop between different Tubes with sane guitar. Cheers.
I have two Kustom Defender 5H amplifier heads and in one i replaced the stock 12AX7 with a 12AU7 to have it amplify with less gain. I usually prefer it over my stock 5H, but not today! As I'm loving my stock 5H right now! Powerful, loud, rich in saturated tones even at 1/2 volume. More volume gets more loud and a lot more gain! Win-win! Today I'm using a volume pedal so I can run the amp at max an then lower the volume with control. I'm also using my Variac and I am running the head at 107 VAC. It's more mellow while still blasting. I'm using my ESP LTD M400 metal guitar. This is a good setup. These amps are designed such that as you increase the volume the gain is also increased. Thus a volume pedal lowers the volume output with no effect on the gain output, since the amp's volume knob is set on max. P.S. I just got as close to Jimi Hendrix as I can get since I sold my Marshall hot rodded JCM 900 MkIII amp and Full Stack of Marshall JCM 900 1960 A and 1960 B speaker cabs- just now using a stock Kustom 5H and it's associated Kustom 30 watt 16 ohm speaker cab. Closest I have gotten in 9 years of trying. It was loud too! Had harmonics, distortion, sustain and dive bombs all working today. I gotta play through the stock 5H more often!! I'v got 11 tube amps and finally I got the Jimi sound. What a day it is for me! -Peter- A retired Mechanical Engineer!
How loud? Well I was worried that a neighbor would call the Police. Is that loud enough for you? But, I am thinking tat today I did not cause hearing damage, anyway I hope I did not.-Peter
also very dramatic is putting an AU7 in a Joyo Zombie, which normally has exactly one tone that barely responds to the gain knob at all. tube change actually makes the thing somewhat flexible.
dont forget, none of these tubes are interchangeable. all have significantly different specs. compatability is circuit-dependent. many guitar preamp stages can handle the differences fine.
Can I ask? I actually have an integrated valve amp(two channel) but I am verry new to valves. If you change the pi valve to a lower gain type, in my case 5751's does that have implications in what valves you can use in p2 (Rectifier) valves? Note I have also changed EL34's for CG6L6 and although I love my sound I am interested in Rectifier recommendations as I have never replaced them yet (And the reason for my first question).
I was thinking the same thing.Also they are different brands and most brands have different gain factors.Using a China made,to a Ehx,to a U.S.A made GE that is really old ,all these factors matter,not just it being a ax7 or at7 or ay7 or au7. No pun ment by it.It would just be a better test,and changing up the guitars and not using the same one for each tube before he changes tubes would help a lot .It is hard to remember what each sound like ,besides at the end when he used the save Squier Stratocaster for the ax7 and au7,or was it ax7 and ay7 at the end🤔?🤣
Very nice comparisons. A couple of comments, though - personally, I think I would have heard the differences more clearly had you sequenced the examples slightly differently - one AX, one AY and one AU on the same guitar. But this also worked. The other comment is regarding your statement that a lower gain tube lowers the overall volume of the amp. That may be true in some cases, but whenever I've done it, I have sometimes found that I can get a slightly higher volume out of the amp with a lower gain V1. The reason is that too much gain early on pushes the amp into OD far more quickly and makes it difficult to push the power tubes as much. Much depends on the circuit. Have you found that the amp feels very different with lower gain tubes?
Were use playing a "in this moment" lick for the sound demos ? It sounds familiar. At one point I was trying to figure out some chords in a song of theirs. I never figured it out.
@@niektenbrinke5733 cheers friend! i believe this is a self biasing amp???? this is a funny little amp, i think this guy just swapped em out. is that the right thing to do?
@@niektenbrinke5733 Thank you thank you, this amp also has two EL84's, do those self bias? Basically I am wanting to know If I can just swap these tubes out or If I should take it to a shop.
Excellent vid - clearly articulates the differences between each tube's output. Thanks!
12AU7 all day. You can always hit the front with an overdrive.
Can’t use 12xa7 with Marshall dsl 1 watt head. Glassy bright when ultra gain is turned on.
Excellent vid great demo you helped me a lot many thanks kev
Thanks for comparing. Editing the video using the same guitar with the different Tube in succession rather than different guitars. The final comparison was more helpful showing significant Volume drop between different Tubes with sane guitar. Cheers.
I have two Kustom Defender 5H amplifier heads and in one i replaced the stock 12AX7 with a 12AU7 to have it amplify with less gain. I usually prefer it over my stock 5H, but not today! As I'm loving my stock 5H right now! Powerful, loud, rich in saturated tones even at 1/2 volume. More volume gets more loud and a lot more gain! Win-win!
Today I'm using a volume pedal so I can run the amp at max an then lower the volume with control. I'm also using my Variac and I am running the head at 107 VAC. It's more mellow while still blasting. I'm using my ESP LTD M400 metal guitar. This is a good setup.
These amps are designed such that as you increase the volume the gain is also increased. Thus a volume pedal lowers the volume output with no effect on the gain output, since the amp's volume knob is set on max.
P.S. I just got as close to Jimi Hendrix as I can get since I sold my Marshall hot rodded JCM 900 MkIII amp and Full Stack of Marshall JCM 900 1960 A and 1960 B speaker cabs- just now using a stock Kustom 5H and it's associated Kustom 30 watt 16 ohm speaker cab. Closest I have gotten in 9 years of trying. It was loud too! Had harmonics, distortion, sustain and dive bombs all working today. I gotta play through the stock 5H more often!! I'v got 11 tube amps and finally I got the Jimi sound.
What a day it is for me!
-Peter- A retired Mechanical Engineer!
How loud? Well I was worried that a neighbor would call the Police. Is that loud enough for you? But, I am thinking tat today I did not cause hearing damage, anyway I hope I did not.-Peter
also very dramatic is putting an AU7 in a Joyo Zombie, which normally has exactly one tone that barely responds to the gain knob at all. tube change actually makes the thing somewhat flexible.
If you're still wondering about the 12AU7 mfr date, the code is 58-22. 22nd week of 1958
12Au7 mostly for effects channels or clean and jazz style of playing. Should be able to recover gain on AU7 by cranking the gain knob up.
Thanks for your scientific approach!
Thanks for doing this video
Thanks for a great comparison.
Came for the preamp tube comparisons, stayed for the Over My Head riffing.
thanks for doing this. Helpful
King's X! Heck yeah!!!
12AX7 all life
Thank you Aaron
I would love to see you do a vid on changing valves in overdrive pedals
Are you a engineer ? Your personality and mannerisms remind me of all the engineers I work with.
Haha, yes... I'm a mechanical engineer :)
dont forget, none of these tubes are interchangeable. all have significantly different specs.
compatability is circuit-dependent. many guitar preamp stages can handle the differences fine.
Can I ask? I actually have an integrated valve amp(two channel) but I am verry new to valves.
If you change the pi valve to a lower gain type, in my case 5751's does that have implications in what valves you can use in p2 (Rectifier) valves?
Note I have also changed EL34's for CG6L6 and although I love my sound I am interested in Rectifier recommendations as I have never replaced them yet (And the reason for my first question).
Try the 12at7.
I was thinking the same thing.Also they are different brands and most brands have different gain factors.Using a China made,to a Ehx,to a U.S.A made GE that is really old ,all these factors matter,not just it being a ax7 or at7 or ay7 or au7. No pun ment by it.It would just be a better test,and changing up the guitars and not using the same one for each tube before he changes tubes would help a lot .It is hard to remember what each sound like ,besides at the end when he used the save Squier Stratocaster for the ax7 and au7,or was it ax7 and ay7 at the end🤔?🤣
5965 can replace 12AV7
Very nice comparisons. A couple of comments, though - personally, I think I would have heard the differences more clearly had you sequenced the examples slightly differently - one AX, one AY and one AU on the same guitar. But this also worked. The other comment is regarding your statement that a lower gain tube lowers the overall volume of the amp. That may be true in some cases, but whenever I've done it, I have sometimes found that I can get a slightly higher volume out of the amp with a lower gain V1. The reason is that too much gain early on pushes the amp into OD far more quickly and makes it difficult to push the power tubes as much. Much depends on the circuit.
Have you found that the amp feels very different with lower gain tubes?
Did you bias the amp when you changed the tubes? Or did you just switch them out? Did you use the tube socket spray? THanks!
You dont have to bias preamp tubes fortunately! Good to go with just a swap out
Bias is for power tubes.
Were use playing a "in this moment" lick for the sound demos ? It sounds familiar. At one point I was trying to figure out some chords in a song of theirs. I never figured it out.
Haven't heard of that band... the songs licks are "Over My Head" by Kings X, "Hard Times" by Paramore, and "Don't Wanna Fight" by Alabama Shakes.
Ay7 sounds thin
AU7 has a nice ceramic like transient
Ax7 sounds boring.
Did you bias the tubes?
you only need to bias when swapping power amp tubes :) (except for some self-biasing tube amps)
@@niektenbrinke5733 cheers friend! i believe this is a self biasing amp???? this is a funny little amp, i think this guy just swapped em out. is that the right thing to do?
@@mattprice263 You don't need to re-bias when swapping a 12AX7 for a 12AY7! (cause they're preamp tubes, not power amp)
@@niektenbrinke5733 Thank you thank you, this amp also has two EL84's, do those self bias? Basically I am wanting to know If I can just swap these tubes out or If I should take it to a shop.
@@mattprice263 nope! Those don't self-bias :)