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- Valve Types:
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  - ECC83 (12AX7)
  - ECC82 (12AU7)
  - ECC81 (12AT7)
  - EL34
    The EL34 (6CA7) valve was originally introduced back in 1949 by Philips the parent company of Mullard.
    Among the first amps to use EL34 valves were the Marantz 2 (1955), Dynaco Mark II (1956), and the rare Pye Mozart, a single-ended 9-watt British unit from 1956.
    The EL34 valve’s popularity was sealed when Jim Marshall selected it for his JTM45 guitar amp in 1965. He went with it because it was cheaper and easier to get in England than the 6L6 he had used previously.
    That amp went on to become a standard for the British blues-rock sound. The EL34 tube also found its way into Hiwatt, Orange, and Laney amps, all made in Britain, as well as the popular Canadian-made Traynor brand.
    Although Philips no longer makes the EL34 tube, it is manufactured by Electro Harmonix, JJ Electronics and Sovtek which deliver top quality output tubes with stunning tone.
    Of course, many amplifier manufacturers rebrand these valves in their own name.
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The 12AY7 valve versus the 12AX7

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 23 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
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   Stuart ukguitarampguy 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I'm a Berkshire based amp tech and have fitted literally hundreds of valves sold by Ampvalves. Always reliable and I get a personal servivce too if I have any queries. Very good company in my view.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Isabelle Worthington 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service , friendly and helpful very knowledgeable. Thank you so much amp now working as it should.
  
 
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   Anthony White 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Absolutely brilliant service from Ampvalves.co.uk
I will not hesitate to use this excellent company again.
Easy website to navigate, with valves arriving well packaged and on time.
Ampvalves provide a service I've not experienced for years. Try them. You wont be disappointed.
  
 
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   Steve 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. New valves arrived today from Ampvalves. Awesome. I loved the sound of my Victory V40 when I bought it new - and now it's even better. Great valves and superb customer service. Highly recommended.
  
 
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   Alex Fischer 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I recently purchased a replacement tube set for my Line 6 DT25 Head amp from Ampvalves.
The website is very user-friendly and makes it easy to find the perfect tube set for your amp.

Due to an error by the parcel service, my shipment did not find its way to me. After contacting the support, I was helped immediately and competently.

The quality of service was truly exceptional and exceeded my expectations. A special thanks to Barry Tyler. Hey Barry, you did a very good job.

The tube set arrived afterwards in excellent condition, exactly as described on the website.

The quality is remarkable. It’s well worth the money for their high-quality tubes. I highly recommend the tubes from Ampvalves.
Also, my amp gives grateful feedback with a wonderful fresh sound.

Alex from Switzerland
  
 
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   Max Bevan 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Will never buy valves anywhere else. Incredibly well set up website to find the correct tubes. Very well priced and very quick delivery. Will be recommending to everyone! Thank you!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   David Dawkins 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Amazingly helpful, truly above and beyond with their customer experience. I was pretty stuck, through my own fault, and still they went the extra mile to get me back up and running. Thank you so much.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   kev herbert 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Cant fault them extremely helpful & prompt with delivery.
  
 
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   Steven Wilson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent place to grab your amp valves. Great choice of valves, amazing customer service and prompt responses to queries via email. I was unsure of the best valves to use for my amp and sound, they gave me great advice. When I ordered the valves I used the wrong delivery option and they even sorted that out for me. Highly recommended.
  
 
  
  
 
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The 12AY7 valve versus the 12AX7 (ECC83) valve.

The 12AY7 valve (also known as the 6072) is a 9-pin tube. This is actually two valves in one glass envelope. It is what is called a ‘double triode’. It was originally designed as a low noise tube and was actually developed before the 12AX7 (ECC83).

The application for the 12AY7 is usually an audio preamplifier. This valve is also sometimes found in the phase-inverter position.

The 12AY7 was used in the Fender Tweed amplifiers such as the Deluxe (5E3), high power Twin (5F8A), Low Power Twin (5E8A), Tremolux (5G9), Super (5F4), Pro (5E5A), Bassman (5F6A), and Bandmaster (5E7).

Why Use the 12AY7 valve?

The most common reason for using a 12AY7 instead of the more common 12AX7 (ECC83) is that the 12AY7 has 45% of the gain of the 12AX7. So about half or 6dB in technical terms.

Using The 12AY7 to Tame The Gain of Your Guitar Amplifier.

Some guitar amplifiers (particularly Fender Blues Deluxe, Blues DeVille etc) have WAY too much gain on the front end for many people’s tastes. I often hear the complaint that guitarists can’t get the volume off 1 or 2 before being deafened!

If this is you, then there is a simple solution. Simply swap the V1 for a 12AY7.

Your V1 will be a 12AX7 (ECC83) with a gain of 100. Swap it for a 12AY7 (gain 45) and suddenly you can get the volume control off the bottom rung! You’ll also notice less noise from the amplifier. Some say the 12AY7 is also ‘warmer’ with more bottom end, but these things can be very subjective.

When to Buy a 12AY7

There are usually only two reasons:

To replace an existing 12AY7
To reduce the front end gain of an overly loud amplifier. Substituting a 12AX7 for a 12AY7 (ECC83) will approximately halve the gain.

If you are buying a 12AY7 for gain reduction reasons, be aware that you may or may not like the final result. It’s a question of trying and seeing.