Northern Electric 12AX7 Preamp Vacuum Tube
The Northern Electric 12AX7 preamp tube is made with the highest quality materials. Everything is designed to give you unsurpassed audio quality. This tube has very large smooth plates. This design is much like a Telefunken 12AX7 / ECC83 smooth plate but a bit shorter. This design provides plenty of gain while maintaining an extremely low noise floor. It has been torture tested in a JTM 45, a Deluxe Reverb, anOrange 50 watt combo, and Bandmaster Reverb, with no failures or noise problems after hundreds of hours in clubs and studios. It doesn’t matter if you use an American or British design, this tube works.
In our listening tests it was easy to hear that the tube did not change the voice of the amplifier as some preamp tubes do. The Northern Electric enhances the sound across the entire spectrum. Our testers have reported no noticeable spikes or weakness in the lows, mids, or high end. The highs are very smooth with a balanced midrange response and warm, full bottom end.
Other Northern Electric tubes
12AX7 TypesAdditional Information and Downloads
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12AX7 Tube Review
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Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 6 monthsAll our tubes are guaranteed for 6 months from the date of purchase. (Any exceptions will be noted on that tube's Warranty tab)
If you receive a tube that does not perform to the manufacturer's specifications, please do the following:
- contact us to get a return authorization
- return it via regular mail within 180 days from when we shipped it, and we will provide an exchange or refund of the full purchase price of the tube.
Returns not related to warranty or defect will be considered at our discretion, and are subject to a 15% restocking fee.
We can not accept returns that don't have an authorization, are past 3 month, or are returned improperly.
These guidelines may be updated without notice.
Ratings & Reviews
40 reviews
Great but a dice roll it seems
by Roy C
I recently purchased three of these for my 65 twin reverb reissue and they sound awesome however I had to pull one back out due to excessive hiss and popping. The other two seem perfect but at nearly 50 dollars per tube I want them to work! The genalex gold lion premiums sound nearly identical to me and with a lot lower noise floor. For sound I would say 5 stars but maybe 3 for reliability. This could just be a single tube issue though.
Get 'em NOW
by Mike MacLeod
I have played guitar for 50 years and never had the beautiful tone and responsiveness I get from these 12AX7s. When I first turned the TSL100 on after re-tubing I was stunned to hear the pick noise and my fingers touching the strings. Everything is captured. And the reviewer who compared the tubes to instant mastering was spot on. The sound these produce is so polished, so fitted to the human ear's response curve, that you just can't help falling in love with them. True magic in a bottle. The nearest automotive equivalent I would offer is getting an instant 200 more horsepower from a bolt-on supercharger. It's that dramatic. The V1 holder is crying out for one! Act now!
Exceeded high expectations!
by Paul L.
I put this Northern Electric in my Vox AC4TV, along with the JJ EL844 low power tube. What a difference - from a huge decrease in ear fatigue and a somewhat harsh high end to a much more balanced and articulate range. With the power reduction imparted with the EL844, this little amp really does have a rich smoothness to the distortion even when driven all the way and has that elusive tone I was looking for in my practice amp. The family and neighbors can't appreciate the difference - because they can't really hear my playing at all any more - but I get all the amazing tone I want at a truly low practice level.
Exceptional!
by Lemmy Hangslong
Up until about 2 years ago like many my focus was on NOS tubes. I spent hundreds trying hundreds. Many great tunes were experienced but bottom line is now I've shifted my thinking simply due to what I'm hearing. Current production Asian made tubes are sounding great these days. I've read a lot about the Northern Electric tube history and current production. Honestly I'm not focused on country of origin I'm more focused on a great tune. This current production Northern Electric is very quiet, is well balanced tonally with extended frequencies. No other tube I've used has the detailing and that top end and the mids are way above average... Exceptional. I let my ears decide what's best and these are incredible great sounding tubes. I have run them in my ReVv Generator 7-40 and 1969 50 watt JMP. The TAD, short plate Millard and 4th Gen Shuguang are the only other tubes I can say I really enjoy and all are current production. Yes it's expensive but the resulting tones from the Northern Electric are stunning!
Blown away
by Doyle Fisher
I play a Hammond xk-2 through a Motion Sound KBR-M, I replaced the 12AX7 with a Northern Electric, WOW what a difference. I liked the sound before, but this woke up my organ. Much more bite and a fuller sound. I could not be happier.
Thanks