Butler tube driver 12au7 vs 12ax7

I am interested in trying some tube rolling and have been looking at au7 and ax7. Everything you need to know about 12ax7 tubes tubes for amps. Ill report back as soon as i get mine in and broken in. You might prefer a 12au7 valve in your pedal rather than the 12ax7 if that lower. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item. I definitely need to try a 12at7 or a 12au7 in mine.

Steve, could you tell us your ranking of the 12au7s. The real tube includes a mid range knob, allowing for a wider range of tones to be dialed in. For the last few days ive rolled in matched pairs of. Tube driver original by bk butler with bias control. The 12ax7 in that application will likely have a very short life. Its another starvedplate opamptube hybrid pedal design, using a 12au7 for the tube stages. The use of this valve will give more headroom and clarity and lower the gain on a. Jun 22, 2006 originally posted by ferbose i have a cayin ha1a and which uses 12ax7, 12au7 and two el84. Butler designed tube driver circuit with some component differences. A 12au7 can take a much higher amount of plate current than a 12ax7 so by substituting the 12au7 side, you increase the gain and lower the headroom, and an svt already has tons of gain. Id recommend selling it to someone with a mcintosh tube amp, an svt or a headphone amp that uses them as output tubes. If you were looking for a tube electrically equivalent to a 12ax7 with lower gain, the 5751 is what youre looking for. I personally autograph each tube driver on the bottoms side. The 12ax7, 12at7, and 12au7 all belong to the same family of nine contact, twin triode tubes.

I used a better speaker cab than the builtin driver. I have also tried 12at7 tubes in the 911 and did not hear a big difference vs the 12ax7. We heard one model with 12au7 but the majority were 12ax7 based. Yes, had all 3 bk butler, chandler, and the dm overlord. I replaced the original 12ax7 tube with a jj electronics 12au7. At least i think its safe to say this effect can get. Jj has been great for me, and though they have a little darker tone, its fine for me since i dont like too bright anyway. Theres been much debate on what tube sounds the best, especially between the 12ax7 and the 12au7, but basically it comes down to personal preference, like most things in our gearinfested world.

But if the designer says it will work in this application, you should assume its ok to make. A 5751 is a great 12ax7 replacement with a bit 30% less gain and with lower noise, that really takes the edge off the hotter 12ax7 and gives a nice smooth, detailed, and creamy tone i use a nos sylvania jan 5751 in my butler tube driver. It makes the seesaw drive voltages that properly drive the output tubes. The tube drivers run pretty low voltage so its a bit harder to predict what will happen. I got a tube drive for christmas, and in 20 years of playing guitar ive never. Jul 02, 2016 mp3 sound clip boss cs2 compressor big muff tube driver old 198687 era b. I purchased it back in 1994 at guitar center in san bernardino, ca. This is the first of two videos looking at the effect of swapping tubes in valve overdrive pedals.

Hi andrea, i have the bk butler tube driver with bias mod as well, i use a nos yugo real tube tho 12ax7. It was developed around 1946 by rca engineers in camden, new jersey, under developmental number a4522. Oct 02, 2002 ironically, the telefunken 12au7 really stinks imo. The mids control will be sacrificed and replaced by the bias control. Tube driver bias with yugoslavia 12ax7 and tube driver chandler sylvania jan 12au7. Thats the cool thing about these, you can easily modify them. For a year plus ive been very happy with a matched pair of cbshytron 5814a tubes. Mar 10, 2017 tube driver bias with yugoslavia 12ax7 and tube driver chandler sylvania jan 12au7. The 12bh7 compares more to ecc8112au7, not to ecc8312ax7. What is the difference between the 12ax7, 12at7, and 12au7. Cant decide which vintage 12ax7 or 12au7 tubes to buy. Chandler tube driver vs tube works 911 telecaster guitar forum.

I had a groove tube 12ax7 left over from a tube swap in my amp and replaced the stock tube in the monster with it. Bk butler s original hand made tube driver guitar pedal used by eric johnson, david gilmour, billy gibbons, joe satriani, kenny wayne shepherd, robbie krieger, and many other pros. The only other problem i have had is getting it to cut through in a band situation. Im also curious about tungstram ecc82s, but stopped buying tubes quite some time ago. Really just depends on the tube and more importantly the tube compared to what you have currently. Jan, 2017 yes, had all 3 bk butler, chandler, and the dm overlord. The jj sounded good with my telecaster, really good. Jan 10, 2018 12at7, 12ay7, 12au7 instead of a 12ax7 might tone it down. Since this tube has a much higher gm and mu factor than a 12au7, the gain is going to be greater and this tube will give a more forward presentation. A 12ay7 will drop the gain by 55% and a 12au7 can pull down the.

I switched my 12ax7 yugoslavian with a 12au7 mullard. A good quality 12au7 such as premium nos is recommended, as this tube. Its like changing the types of tubes anywhere from a weak 12au7 to a blistering 12at7. In many cases, these tubes are interchangeable and can easily be swapped.

You can probably request a 12ax7 tube of certain off spec tolerance from a tube supplier. My siding with the 6sn7 tube over the 12au7 is actually based on the air and ambiance, and complete lack of noise i have received from good octal tube preamps. Some people say that 12au7s suck tone, but honestly, ive only ever noticed it when the volume knob is under 5 on the amp. I have a cheap electroharmonix 12au7 in my 5 knob real tube that.

What the tubes do in most marshall tube amps thetubestore blog. I have never had a jj go bad on me, even a power tube, which i use e34ls. The 12ax7 was originally intended as replacement for the 6sl7 family of dualtriode amplifier tubes for. The distortion on my first td was a bit too rough at low drive settings for my taste, so i swapped out several different 12au7 tubes. Butler tube driver the core circuit design on the 2000s reissue 911 tube driver is similar to the original 198587 versions, but there are some minor changes and component value differences, as well as different pots. I currently have os rca black plate 6l6gc with a spare set of nos on hand and i also have 4 good tele 12ax7 on hand. It was really one of the most striking preamps i had seen up to that point. Theoretically, with the 12au7 youd be turning up the gain farther to get it to clip like a 12ax7, which may give you more output since youd be clipping at a.

How do tube swaps affect the sound of tube drives pedals. We will take a look at why you might, or might not want to swap out the different types of tubes. These are great as far as they go, but they dont provide dirt from the output section of a tube amp the ot and speakers. All 12at7 ecc81 6201 cv4024 12au7 ecc82 cv4003 5814 12ax7 ecc83 cv4004 5751 6922 6dj8 7308 pcc88 6sl7. The first, original, one was the bk butler chandler tube driver. It belongs to a large family of dual triode vacuum tubes which share the same pinout eia 9a, including in particular the very commonly used lowmu 12au7 and highmu 12ax7. So much in fact that a lot of 12ax7as were labeled 7025s a very quiet version of the 12ax7. Heart of the tube driver is a real handselected 12ax7 tube by bk butler himself. The one i received gives my bk butler rt driver a great tone, but it gets. Doesnt really matter if i loose some volume since i never play it over 6 anyway.

If you have known brands and they test good you could probably sell them for decent money, especially if you can match them. I recall the bk butler having heaps of gain too much imo. I am on again off again with my bk butler tube driver wbias mod. If in doubt, check with your amp or preamp manufacturer to see if this tube will work ok in your application. The a designation is more for application purposes, designed to be used in a series heater circuit of tvs, radios and other older electronics. So the bottom line is that you can use either of these tubes in your marshall amp. I would try the gtubes smooth plate or the m series, but i would keep the numbers the same unless it is to the europian version 12ax7 ecc92. I know i dont like sovteks in any way, every one ive used has not been good for me, in any amp i have. In comparison to the 12ax7 yugo, i feel the a good 12au7 makes the notes sound more clear and defined and 3d. The ecc82 valve also known as a 12au7 is a low gain preamp valve used in guitar amps and hifi ampliers. The tube driver doesnt really use the tubes for gain. Doesnt really matter if i loose some volume since i never play it over 6 anyway 2266 btw cheers, bluesdoggydog. Compatible with all electric guitars and amplifiers.

The stock tube that ships with the 911 tube driver made since 2006 is a golden dragon 12ax7 a low noise, hifi preamp tube. Tube 12au7, the best sound from ecc82 releases, corresponds to the ecc 82 preamp tube, powerful reinforcement, very quiet and excellent balance. As well, this tubes low gain make it a great choice for tube preamps in hifi stereo systems. So, what tube do you guys think would be best for me. The only reason the amps have usually been modded in the first place is because the 12dw7 is nowhere near as common as the 12ax7. Bk butler tube driver 12au7 tube rolling the gear page. Bk butler tube driver page 1 joes guitars, amps and. The 12ax7 is by far the best known preamp tube among guitar players.

It can be a little harsh and raspy and i assume that is because i still have a 12ax7 in it. The 5963 tolerates less plate voltage than a 12au7, so its not a direct sub in all circuits. Going by steves recommendations i need to look for some mullard or rca 12au7 i think i have 1 of these rca. It was 9v powered, like most pedals, making it more marketable to a larger crowd. Original real tube overdrive wvintage rca 12au7 black plate tube designed and built by b k butlerthis is the stomp box version of the rack mount units billy gibbons is said to have used for years. It belongs to a large family of dual triode vacuum tubes which share the same pinout eia 9a, including in particular the very commonly used lowmu 12au7 and highmu 12ax7 the 12at7 has somewhat lower voltage gain than the. Any experience with an original bk butler tube driver. The tube driver is a somewhat famous pedal, id guess it to be the most. Butler tube driver the core circuit design on the 2000s reissue 911 tube driver is similar to the original 198587 versions, but there were several component value changes across the circuit that affect the way it sounds, as well as different pots. Check out these unsolicited customer videos on youtube. A low noise, low microphony 12ax7 or ecc83 tube is recommended here. I replaced the 12ax7 with a 12au7 jj electronic for an overall warmer tone with more compression and a much wider range from powerful.

Bk butler tube works tube driver early 3 knob modeloriginal yugoslavian 12ax7 tube includednever thought this day would come but i just dont use this pedal at all anymore. Those who want to reserve a unit, please contact me via email. The 12bh7 is like a 12au7, but has higher power handling capability. What is the tube it is supposed to use according to the schematic. Originally posted by ferbose i have a cayin ha1a and which uses 12ax7, 12au7 and two el84. It is a very widely used tube for phase inverter use in audiophile amps and amps like. Tube rolling 12au75814 family tubes talkin tubes the. Its just that an nos 12ax7a tube is considered to be premium over the 12ax7. As you may already know, a 12au7 has the least amount of gain for a tube thats swappable with a 12ax7. Lots of guys have suggested the 12au7 as it gives a much more usable range thats smoother overall. Hi there, ive now listened and analyzed countless 12au7s and its equivalents and thought id give my opinion on my current favorites. It is unmarked, other than bk written on it with a sharpie.

One of the most commonly found driver tubes found in pushpull tube audio power amplifiers is the 12au7 tube. The one i bought came with a groove tubes 12ax7 in it, and after playing it for a while, im pretty content to stick with it, though i may. I really cannot say if this is true as i have no experience with 12ax7, but that sounds simplified. Mp3 sound clip boss cs2 compressor big muff tube driver old 198687 era b. I have this 12au7 tube in the preamp, together with other 12ax7 type of tubes, and all of. Apr 06, 2012 4 modify the stock component values to match the reissue b k butler tube driver. Also, as tube manufacturing became refined, the 12ax7a became much quieter. I was absolutely amazed at the tonal differences between preamp tubes from different manufacturers and years. It was released for public sale under the 12ax7 identifier on september 15, 1947. Chandler industries tube driver overdrive pedal of the day. Real tube by tube works other than one being in super cool enclosure, and the other in a buttugly enclosure, the 4 knob 911 tube drivers and 5 knob real tube versions are basically the same patented b. I have a bk butler tube driver with the bias control. My idea is to put it in the v2 for a little less gain and a little warmer sound in hdr, 5751 vs 12ay7 vs 12au7.

The 5814a is a militaryindustrial grade 12au7 with low noise and highreliability spec. Our leveling amplifier is one of best guitar effects pedals of the. Tubes such as 12av7, 12au7, 12at7 are siblings of pincompatible tubes with differing gains. The a is a slightly more rugged construction which results in lower output microphonics. Also, i wouldnt recommend using a 12ax7 in place of a 12at7 in a reverb driver. It is a very widely used tube for phase inverter use in audiophile amps and amps like the ampeg svt bass amp. Right now on my clone i use a 1960 nos general electrics 12au7, and i found it far superior to all the 12ax7 tubes that ive tried.

Bk butler tube driver 12au7 tube rolling discussion in effects, pedals, strings. Im not really sure what the tube is doing but i know from putting a 12au7 in mine that the gain didnt really change much at all. In the first two cases, the 12bh7 is the only tube thatll do the job, so it seems to me it would find a better home with folks. Slow, groggy, bloated, just lays there like my exgirlfriend. Different types of the same tube 12au7 and 12ax7 are placed in the same place in the chart, suggesting that say 12au7 ge early 1960s sounds similar to the 12ax7 ge early 1960s. Im actually going to be trying a 12au7 in my bk butler tube driver its a great od but can be sort of overbearing its got a very narrow sweet spot. You might ask rogue about using 5814, 6189 and possibly 5963 tubes. Ive also read where people say they test out nos 5751 that test close to a 12ax7. For the bias control my favorite settings are maximum for gilmour tones and 10 notches below maximum for my original tones, which is roughly 2. The distortion on my first td was a bit too rough at low drive settings for my taste, so i. May 07, 2016 my cary cd player 303300 uses two 12au7 tubes. As has been said they can often be used in place of a 12au7, but they make good driver tubes. Since the tele 12ax7 is the best of its kind, bar none, i was truly disappointed in the 12au7. The use of this valve will give more headroom and clarity and lower the gain on a over distorted valve amp.