Preamp Tube Comparison (JJ, Tung-Sol, Telefunken, TAD, Genalex, Groove Tubes, Mullard)(13 Tubes)

Groove Tubes 12AX7-C "Fender" - 1:44
Telefunken Black Diamond ECC83 - 2:02
Genalex Gold Lion B759 Gold Pin - 2:20
Mullard cv4004 - 2:38
Tung-Sol 12AX7 - 2:55
JJ ECC83s - 3:13
JJ E83CC - 3:31
JJ ECC83s Gold Pin - 3:49
TAD 7025/E83CC - 4:07
TAD 12AX7-C - 4:26
JJ ECC803s - 4:44
JJ ECC803s Gold Pin - 5:02
JJ 5751 Gold Pin - 5:21

Sound was captured with an Audix i5 with a little post production done. Recorded with a Boss Katana 100 loaded with the Celestion Redback.

There are four things to highlight about the tubes in this video:
1) "ECC83 & E83CC" are not the same tube type. An E83CC is a "frame grid style" preamp tube. As far as I know, JJ is the only one that offers a true E83CC frame grid tube. The other TAD 7025/E83CC is actually an ECC83. Often times when you see a tube labeled "7025/E83CC" or if your amp specifically calls for that tube in the V1 position it's pointing to the fact that they are suggesting you use the highest quality tube you have in the V1 slot. This is the first tube your guitar sees and is the most important and back when they were making the E83CC it was thought of as a higher quality tube. The reason TAD labels their tube like this is to let you know that this particular 12AX7 is of higher quality.

2) "Standard Pins & Gold Pins" vary between tube types. Some brands like Tung-Sol have only a Gold Pin version of a certain tube like their ECC803s. Brands like JJ offer both for most of their preamp tubes. Some will say there is no sound difference between them. In some cases that may be true because like guitar cables the gold plating is there for corrosion protection. In the case of tubes, having better components will help with corrosion, but some Gold Pin tubes will have a smoother, more lush distortion and have an extended high end making them more rich and less harsh in the midrange since there is a broader range of frequencies to be heard.

3) "Short Plate & Long Plate tubes" are one more variant. You'll notice when you look at tubes they all have different plate lengths. An ECC803 is the exact same tube as an ECC83 just with a longer plate. The long plate tubes have a less prominent low end response and have more upper-mids (Listen to the difference in sound during the chugging compared to other tubes). the 803s are good in the phase inverter of amps where more mids are desired. The longer plate design can make the tube more susceptible to noise & Microphonics so make sure you get a high quality tube from a reputable dealer.

4) "5751" tubes are like a 12AX7 but have a 30% gain reduction. That is pretty much their only purpose. They do not have certain "sound." That is pretty much all their is to say about them. If you'd like to turn up the gain on your amp but you can't because it's too muddy you might look at putting one of these in somewhere or look at one with even more reduction like a 12AU7. Beware, however, as reducing the amount gain running through your amp my affect how it operates.

Donnie and I's top 5 (in person):
Genalex Gold Lion B759
JJ ECC83s Gold Pin
JJ E83CC
Telefunken Black Diamond ECC83
TAD 7025/E83CC