Question for the tube experts....Ruby 7025SS/12AX7A = Chinese?

[WarriorOfMetal]

It was suggested that I try a Sovtek 12AX7WB in V1 of my D60, with Chinese tubes in the rest of the 12AX7 positions, to get smooth, percussive, and woody mids, combined with Ruby KT88-STRs.

I have some random mix of preamp tubes in the amp now, with at least one Sovtek WB, but I don't have it right here to check what they are. I was looking through the extra tubes I have lying around, though, and I have two GT 12AX7Rs, a Ruby 7025SS/12AX7A, and an Engl-labeled ECC83 that appears identical in construction to the Ruby tube. There's also an identical unlabeled tube in my PreSonus mic preamp. They look similar to what was described in Steve Fryette's 9th-gen. Chinese thread a while back, but I didn't see any pics that clearly showed them. Anyway, here are my Ruby and Engl tubes...if anyone knows what they are, that'd be helpful.

[nitro]

I own two VHT d60h heads and the preamp tubes i use are the JJ ecc83s though out,a world of difference from the chinese or the sovtek preamp tubes,very brown sounding,great tube and sound.

[WarriorOfMetal]

I've always been turned off by the use of "brown" as a word to describe guitar tone. I'm not familiar enough with early Van Halen to know if it's something I'd actually want to aim for, but I play metal and generally go for something that I guess you could call a cross between the rhythm tones of: Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth, particularly on Alive in Athens and Crucible of Man), Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun, ex-Ensiferum), Jeff Loomis (Nevermore, on Dead Heart in a Dead World), and a lot of the albums mixed by Jacob Hansen. (I've only just now realized how many J-names influence my tonal tastes )

The best way I can describe it would be so that palm-mutes sound kind of like pitched wooden boards being hit...percussive with smooth mids. I'm pretty close now, things just sound a bit ratty to me in the mids sometimes.

[support]

Those are all Chinese (Shuguang) and visually they appear to be closely related in terms of production batch (based only on the getter style and mica spacer shape).

If you have a GT12AX7R, it does not apear in these photos. The GT12AX7R is actually a Sovtek 12AX7WA, which is brighter sounding than a WB.

The GT "R" designation is for Russia and refers to Sovtek/EH models. R = WA. R2 = LPS.

Dave

Fryette Support

[nitro]

I play classic to hard rock,im not a metal guy or death metal,i assuming that this site has alot of metal-death metal players so i really cant comment on what you are looking for,i play alot of early van halen and the VHT Deliverance heads that i own come the closest for me out of all the amps that i have owned or have tryied

[WarriorOfMetal]

Those are all Chinese (Shuguang) and visually they appear to be closely related in terms of production batch (based only on the getter style and mica spacer shape).

If you have a GT12AX7R, it does not apear in these photos. The GT12AX7R is actually a Sovtek 12AX7WA, which is brighter sounding than a WB.

The GT "R" designation is for Russia and refers to Sovtek/EH models. R = WA. R2 = LPS.

Dave

Fryette Support

Those pictures are just different angles of the same two tubes, I didn't bother taking pics of the GTs. Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I was looking for.