Tung-Sol 12AX7 (ECC83) Preamp Vacuum Tube
From our review of this tube: "There are only so many ways to describe vacuum tube tone and most have become cliches. The Tung Sol 12AX7 preamp tube has the gain and drive of a Chinese 12AX7 and the pure tone of a Mullard or Brimar."
According to the manufacturer, this Tungsol 12AX7 is the Ultimate 12AX7. Big, warm, and musical. High Gain, ultra-low microphonics, and superb linearity with a dynamic 3-D sound.
One other note about the construction of these audio tubes is they have filaments that are almost completely encased in the plate structure. They don't "light up" brightly when working properly.
Note to audiophiles: These tubes are great for linestage preamps, but generally not phono stages where a very low noise floor is required.
Other Tung-Sol tubes 
12AX7 TypesAdditional Information and Downloads
Reviews:
12AX7 Tube Review
Tube Matching Information:
Matched Sections Service
Downloads:
Tung-Sol 12AX7 Datasheet (PDF)
Download Adobe Acrobat PDF reader
Warranty Information and Return Policy
Warranty Period: 3 monthsAll our tubes are guaranteed for 3 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 90 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
41 reviews
Shopping for better
by Mike
I had to give up playing for a couple years and now back into it. I just got another Marshall JMP-1. My last one sounded perfect after I found the right tube set. My current tubes are these. I remember trying these before and hated them. Way too grainy and lifeless. I am here shopping right now for replacements. I just don't remember for sure what I used in the past. It was two different brands. JJ was definitely the one for the distorted CH but for clean it was either the Svetlana or Mullard. I will be purchasing all three to get it right. So, these Tung-sols, blah crap!
King of Scooped Mids and Modern Rock
by Omar Sostre
High Gain,Big Bass,somewhat scooped mids. They will open the amp's sound in the same way as a presence knob will. Highs can be over the top,so be careful. Very low noise for a high gain tube.
Great preamp AND power tubes!!
by BMW FREQ
I've been using Tung-Sol preamp and power tubes for the past 3 years. They sound amazing! Low noise; rich and full of harmonics. I like em in my JCM 800 (Slash) #34 replica for the clear highs and moderate gain that they produce. These tubes are great for moderate gain output,low noise and clear highs - I HIGHLY recommendthese tubes.I use the 6550 power tubes which are great sounding tubes as well.Not only are these great tubes, but they're very reasonably priced.Try 'em - you won't be sorry - I promise!!!
overrated tube
by pete
I've got many of these tubes and have compared them to many other new tube offerings and have come to the conclusion these are vastly overrated. I purchased these based on the reviews and description, and when comparing to sometimes awful stock or worn tubes I can see how they would be an improvement but there are better offerings for tone and clarity. I've had them in for different guitar amps all with different types of power tubes and the basic sound is raw and crunchy, with high gain, but also flat. I don't mean neutral I mean flat. The low end was also muddy even at lower gain and volumes. I found that the lower priced Svetlana 12AX7 to be more articulate, sweeter sounding cleans and some of the best sounding crunch available, yet still warm. Good option in this price bracket. If you want a tube that's far superior look to the Preferred Series 7025, any of the Gold Lion ECC83, or Northern Electric 12AX7. The tung sols make better Christmas ornaments than guitar tubes.
Great tube!
by Paul
I replaced the tubes in my little Bugera V5 after reading the reviews on this site. With only a single 12ax7 and a single EL84 I must say that a direct A/B test with a friends stock V5 proved the Tung Sol 12ax7 tubes win! Much warmer and pleasing tone, not as bright, it made the little amp sound bigger and I use it to push 2x4x12 cabs when I don't want to risk getting the cops called on me!