Groove Tubes 12AX7M ?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 21, 2004 1:01 pm

Anyone have experience with the new GT12AX7M - the supposed Mullard clone. I'm wondering how close it is to the real thing and just how it sounds in general.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Wed Apr 21, 2004 1:34 pm

Well i'm sure Jon can give you the lowdown on GT tubes.. i very biased one at that!!! HA HA HA. If you are looking for some of the best vintage vibin' pre-amp tubes around, i suggest you don't even look at GT and go with the JJ 12AX7S. They are smooth as a baby's ass

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Wed Apr 21, 2004 3:17 pm

I haven't tried them myself. I'm waiting for some feedback from others.

A lot of us are hoping for great things from these.

George

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Wed Apr 21, 2004 10:51 pm

County Boy Shane,

My current Fave tube in a Marshall is the JJ. However, if the GT meets the specs they claim it might just be a great tube. but tone is where it's at.

I went ahead and ordered a few from KCA to test. I'll report back once I get a chance to hear them.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 12:11 am

DO IT MAN!

flemingmras · Post by **flemingmras** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 12:37 am

Sorry guys! JJ ALL THE WAY!!!

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 1:46 am

rjgtr, please do relate your findings to us. And, if you don't mind, how expensive are these tubes?

George

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:58 pm

George,

I paid more than I should have. I got them from KCA, which was the only source I could find with the tube in stock. I'm paying $25 a tube (list is $26), but everyone with better prices is out of them! So hopefully, next time I'll be able to get them for $20, which is what the 'out of stock' sites are listing.

The 2 big questions for me are (1) does it sound great? (2) Does it last?

I'll probably be able to tell (1) after a week. (2) will take longer...

Richard

BTW, for anyone who didn't figure it out I accidently started this thread as Guest.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:02 am

rjgtr... YOU GOT HOSED ON PRICE!

YOWZERS

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:06 pm

CBS,

I know it was a little high but I was curious and I only got a few of them. If I like them, in the future I'll buy at a lower price. Plus KCA has a good reputation for testing and delivering good tubes.

I'll let you know how they sound...

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Sat Apr 24, 2004 10:19 pm

I got the 4 GT12AX7M tubes today, so of course I had to try them out!

I first tried them with my gigging amps, which are Riveras. I own a Fandango and a Jake, both 1x12s. I had been using a JJ 12AX7 for the first two preamp positions and Chinese 12AX7s in all other positions. This is a good combination for Rivera amps, since they tend to sound dark with JJs in all positions. I tried 2 of the GT12AX7s in place of the JJs and then tried a combination of 1 GT and 1 JJ in V1 and V2.

In the Riveras I really liked both GT12AX7M in V1 and V2 and a GT12AX7m in V1 and a JJ 12AX7S in V2. In these amps, like most, the first preamp tube position has the most effect on tone.

Then I tried the GTs in my Plexi 50 watt RI for both the first and second position tubes.

So how does it sound??????????

Really good. I haven't heard a Mullard in a long time so I don't know how close it is. I can say that compared to a JJ it has an extended high and low end (and I really like JJs!). The low end is really impressive - big but tight and clear. The high end has a very nice chime and isn't harsh at all. They have a good amount of gain too. I can believe they are a 100% gain like the classic 12ax7s were.

The 1st channel of the Rivera is very Marshall Plexi-like and the characteristics in either the Rivera and Plexi RI are similar. I basically run the Plexi with B=4, M=7, T=4-5, V=7-8, P=6 through a Weber Mass to a Cabinet using V30s. The Plexi RI sounded good with the JJs and got that classic Marshall distortion sound. The GTs sound even better. They sound fuller to me and more extended. Pick attack is articulate, feedback is controllable and the bottom is big. You get more of that woody 60s Cream or Hendrix type sound.

They also sound great clean, either in the clean channel of the Rivera (which is very Fender like) or in the Plexi RI. Rolling the guitar volume down or the amp volume down produces a nice detailed sound. Crunch sounds are also nice. I tried them with some PRS, Gibsons and some Fenders and they all sounded great. They also seem to keep their detail when using effects.

This is just my first day with them, and I haven't played them with a band yet, but so far they sound really good. I'll be using them in my church's comtemporary praise band tomorrow and find out.

I think GT may have a winner. Hopefully they will last long enough to justify their price, but the tone is there now.

Of course, these are my first impressions. I'll let you know how it goes over the next week or so as I live with them a little...

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 12:52 am

I hope they can live up to their hype as well; even living up to 70% of their hype would be a real find. I'll be in a sad state of affairs when my Telefunkens finally die if I can't find some reasonably priced preamp tubes with some mojo.

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 6:23 pm

Ok, I used them with a band today and can say they still sound very nice. The distortion character is very crunchy in the mix. The clean is a very present sound, but in a good way.

Can they live up to their hype? I don't know if they sound like an old Mullard, but they do sound good. In a Marshall, distortion is rich, crunchy and detailed and turning down the guitar volume results in a classic clean sound.

They are probably the nicest production 12AX7 tube made today. All tubes have their bad side. For me the Reflektor (Sovtek, EH) have an unfocussed mid, the chinese are good but a little contained, the JJs are nice but not as extended as the GT-M. The EI Gold series 12ax7 sounds good, but are so variable that it is hard to rely on them.

The only issue I could see with the GT-M in a modern amp is that it might have too much gain for a high gain circuit. In a classic circuit it does up the gain compared to other modern tubes.

Post by **VelvetGeorge** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 6:27 pm

Thanks for the review. I'm really interested in getting my hands on some of these. I've been waiting for one of my suppliers to get them in stock.

George

rjgtr · Post by **rjgtr** » Wed May 05, 2004 12:37 am

Just thought I'd give a progress report.

I'm now using two of these in the first preamp positions of my Marshall 50 RI and Rivera amps. I'm still very pleased with the sound. The Marshall is getting the right grind and a full tone and it's still stock!

Plus these tubes are very consistant from tube to tube. Everyone has the same characteristics and gain. Now if they'd just get cheaper...

I'm converted! This is nicest tube in production - let's hope GT can keep it happening.

Richard

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Groove Tubes 12AX7M ?

Groove Tubes 12AX7M ?

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