TOOB ROLL DAY!!
I received a package in the mail today, from Dougs Tubes. It contained a lot of packing material and two tiny 12ax7 tubes; one a Mullard long plate and one JJ Long plate, gold pin. I also tried the following;
Sovtek 12AX7-WXT
JAN Phillips 12AX7
Mesa STR-12AX7-A
Chinese Nationals
Groove Tubes 12ax7r2
Here's what I got, again, using the Front/Back analogy with regards to position;
FRONT: JAN Phillips
BACK: Groove Tube (GT)
Result; Gains are really good, but need a bit of bottom end. More than enough distortion, articulate cleans.
FRONT: JJ Gold Pin
BACK: Mullard LP
Result; Wooly, Dark, cleans up really NICE with picking attack or volume knob. More bottom end and more gain than the JAN/GT combo.
FRONT: JAN
Back: JJ Gold Pin
Result; Great picking attack, a bit bright overall.
FRONT: Mullard
Back: JJ Gold Pin
Result; YUK. Low gain, lifeless, low volume, no tone...weird. This happened whenever the Mullard was in front, regardless of the rear tube.
FRONT: GrooveTube
Back: Mullard
Result; Sounds really nice. Medium gain, very dynamic, Metal sound's bottom is a bit flabby tho. Gains are smooth and buttery, but that loose bottom.
FRONT: GrooveTube
Back: JJ Gold Pin
Result; Metal bottom is TIGHT. Plexi-ish brown tone that is really responsive to picking attack. Gains are a wall of sound, yet articulate. Very nice.
Disclaimer:
These are my results and are dependent on a great many factors, including (but not limited to) guitar construction, pickups, strings, speakers, speaker cabinet variances, effects devices, barometric pressure, UV rays, and my shitty hearing. This is what sounded good TO ME. Your mileage may vary, tone is subjective.