Well, this is the strongest 12AX7 I have ever had. I mean it is brutally strong. It tests twice as strong as a good one. What's more, it is almost perfectly balanced. I pulled the 7025 out of V1 (after playing some power chord progressions) and replaced it with the Mullard/RCA. I flipped the standby switch and I knew I was in trouble. It was like a massive clean and I had to turn the master volume down a couple of notches. (V2, V3 and V4 are my matching GE's). This is my TSL122 amp by the way.
I've had to turn it down more as to get back to my earlier volume level. Man does this tube get loud! It has a little more top end than the RCA 7025 and I feel the mids are very close. However, I feel that the 7025 might have a wee bit more midbass to it. That, or this tube is so prominent in the high mids that it covers up the bottom end.
I cooled her down and went with the 7025 back in V1 and I replaced the GE in V2 with the ICBM. Wow! This is a sound that no one would complain about. I want to put it through the grinder. Hold on a minute.
I am now burning the power cord on my amp as I have hooked my Rocktron Zombie Rectifier and Silver Dragon up to the amp. I am going through the front door with the amp set on ultra clean. It's like cooking a thick steak...juicy! Wow! That is some crunch-a-bunch. (I think I sound better than Ted Nugent on Stranglehold.) Just was jammin' out with the stereo which is cranked halfway and its a 200 watt system with custom speakers.
And you guys thought that Neil Young was the only guy that played two distortion pedals at the same time. "Move over Neil!" The Silver Dragon has a 12AX7 in it and I've replaced it with a 1959 RCA about a year ago. I got it off of Ebay really cheap (no one had bid on it). I think it is one hell of a pedal. Look it up if you got the time. It's a Rocktron as well.
Well, that was the loudest that I've played in some time. I'm checking to make sure the cops aren't outside my door. I probably shouldn't have played that loud. Shame on me.
Well, the ICBM is a huge hit. It is one powerful 12AX7. It probably has a gain of 140 to 150, or in other words, a tube and a half. What is scary is that the Black Plate Raytheon tested almost as strong. Black Plates are usually really ballsy in the lower to upper mids.
Speaking of testing. All of the tubes tested at, or better than new. That gives me eight new 12AX7's to add to my collection. Yeah, no junk tubes! I'm going to be in Oklahoma this weekend, so I won't be back at it until Monday.
This concludes "Phase 1."
Marty
