Sylvania Blackplate 12ax7 - Crazy good for Strat cleans

Music&Chaos

Music&Chaos

Well-known member
Title says it all.

Mind you, I am running my amp with RCA 12ax7 long black plates and RCA 6v6s.

My Rivera has a really nice Blackface clean channel.

I generally play with all RCAs, but recently scored this very good looking sylvania.

Popped it into V1 for testing.

I remember that Syl are a very 'tubey' sounding tube but DAMN!!!

These are so tube-tastic on position 4 of a strat that it is "bubbly" when you play.

These are really solid for high gain stuff as well on the strat but that clean on position 4 is just...*Chef's kiss*

Dead quiet as well - no microphonics, even on extreme gain settings and being within a close proximity to the speakers.

I recall an old tube seller stating that he felt the Syls put your notes "in a speech bubble, like in a comic or something".

Pretty solid description. I remember running my Vox with a mullard in the input and a Sly in the output and having that exact result.

Tha poor little speaker in that combo could not handle the extra 'oomph' from the Sylvania, so I had to remove it.

If you are looking for probably the tubiest sounding tube of all time, if that makes sense, check out Sylvania long blackplate 12ax7s.



If I were solely playing my Strat on a clean/pushed setting, I think these would win out every time in V1.
 
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