Preferred Series 7025 / 12AX7 Preamp Vacuum Tube
This 7025 is a high quality and very rugged custom 12AX7 tube produced for us in China by the Shuguang factory. The plates are manufactured out of a premium metal imported from Germany and supported with extra thick mica spacers to insure against microphonics. They are burned in and tested at the factory and then again on our digital high voltage equipment to make sure the tubes selected for you will provide outstanding tone and performance.
From our review: "A great sounding 12AX7 tube type that reminds me a little more of the ECC83 that Ei made in the old days. That's a pretty nice compliment. I compared this tube against an old Ei and Telefunken smooth plate and there was very little difference. Lots of gain with a rather low noise floor. No microphonics issues at all. Very good considering the large plate size. Spot welding may be better for microphonics than crimped plates. I tried it in all the standard guitar amp duties and it was fine. Fabulous in Blackface Fender amps. We tried this 7025 in a 66 Vibrolux reverb 2x10 combo and the tones were all there. Light and shimmering or really aggressive, it's all good."
Warranty: The Preferred Series 7025 tubes carry a 6 month extended warranty.
Other Preferred Series tubes 
12AX7 TypesAdditional Information and Downloads
Reviews:
12AX7 Tube Review
Tube Matching Information:
Matched Sections Service
Downloads:
Preferred Series 7025 Datasheet (PDF)
Download Adobe Acrobat PDF reader
Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 6 monthsPreferred Series tubes have a 6 month warranty from 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 6 months, or are returned improperly.
These guidelines may be updated without notice.
Ratings & Reviews
86 reviews
Thoughts on the Preferred Series 7025
by Mark F
Wanted to let you know my thoughts after comparing the stock preamp tubes in my Peavey Rock Master (unlabeled) with the Preferred Series 7025's I recently bought from you. I switched back & forth several times, using the same amp & guitar settings, listening carefully for differences. I mainly used the clean channel turned up to where it distorted, and alternated between the guitar's volume knob being maxed, then backed off until it cleaned up. I used mostly open chords and slow, simple solo lines.
Although the tubes that were in there don't suck, I do like the new ones better. My initial reaction was that they're brighter, but it's not quite that simple. With the neck pickup selected, when strumming an open E chord, the old tubes actually have a more boomy sound, with the low E and A strings dominating the sound, covering up the high B and E strings a bit. When alternating between the low E, A & D strings, it sounded a little fuzzy & undefined, with a bit of a "grind" (this is on the clean channel, keep in mind). The new tubes allow the higher notes to really ring out on the open chords, but the low notes are still full sounding. The lows don't quite drone as much (which some may want), but they sound a bit tighter---more controlled, and without the grind. These tubes overdrive just as soon, but they do it more "gracefully".
With individual notes picked, especially higher notes, this is where it's somewhat surprising. Although open chords sound brighter, solo lines sound warmer. With the old tubes, notes on the higher strings sound more brittle and tinny---especially on the G & B strings. There's a harshness that's hard to describe. With the new tubes, they sound bright but smooth---cleaner & "quieter", if you will. It's kind of a paradox that they they're both brighter and less brittle & harsh at the same time. The differences translate into the high gain channels, but I wanted to use the clean channel as a starting point, since it's less likely to cover things up.
Together with the TAD 6L6WGC-STR's, it has made a difference for the better. ALSO, the mod that Jerry Pinnelli at FJA Mods did on my preamp is PHENOMENAL sounding---more along the lines of a modded Marshall JCM800 now. The new tubes really go well with the mod, and give me the sound I was looking for.