EH Mullards...

deadgame · Post by **deadgame** » Fri 08/26/05 3:15 pm

EL84EH; they are actually selling these things with the Mullard brand name. They claim they are made identical to the NOS Mullards. Has anyone tried these yet? Not trying to start a flame war just curious since they were in the latest Guitar Buyers guide. BTW anybody checked out that issue? Vavooom!!!!

Thanks
Don

Post by **rjgtr** » Fri 08/26/05 3:49 pm

If they are like the EL34s the only thing in common is the Mullard name. Initial reports were that they didn't sound like Mullards, but were good sounding. Lately, I've been hearing of them failing after a few months. Go to http://www.metroamp.com for opinions on the EL34s.

Unless everyone else is absolutely raving, I'm going to stay with JJs.

18-watt_member · Post by **18-watt_member** » Tue 09/27/05 7:29 am

I have a comment on the new Mullard repro's. They sound very, very good to me. I have a large collection of vintage amps and in the past I have gone to great lengths (and expense) to get good NOS tubes.

I ordered some of the new Mullard repro's from Tube Depot, just to see if I liked them. I put some in an old Fender Vibroverb that had NOS tubes in it including original mullards in V! and V2, and to my surprise, these sounded BETTER. So, I have been in the process of replacing all my 12ax7's with these new tubes so I have bought a lot of them.

They look different when they're on so it's more than marketing hype. There is something different about these tubes and they sound great. I have a full set in my 18 watt now too. I don't exactly know how to describe the sound, but it's really, really good....it gives the sound I've been looking for in a number of my amps. The best I could say is they're very 50's 60's vintage in terms of the sound. As far as reliability goes, I've only had them in a month or so but so far, so good. I won't use anything else from now on (and I'm very picky about tubes, been playing and fooling around with amps for 30 years now.).

18-watt_member · Post by **18-watt_member** » Tue 09/27/05 7:47 am

Just to clarify my last post....I was talking strictly about the 12ax7a's. As far as el84's, my favorite is JJ, hands down. I have a Boogie that sounds like crap with anything except JJ's. No idea why, but I have tried a lot of el84's and the JJ's are the sound for me. In my 18 watt, I have

NOS-6CA4
Tung-Sol 12AX7
Tesla EL84 / 6BQ5 JJ-EL84

I highly recommend the combination.

dotfret · Post by **dotfret** » Thu 09/29/05 6:22 pm

It is interesting that EH has acquired the rights to both the Mullard and Tung-Sol names, but so far is only using Mullard.

dotfret · Post by **dotfret** » Thu 09/29/05 6:51 pm

OOOOOPS - spoke too soon!

Just discovered the answer - the "Mullard" are being made by Sovtek, the "Tung-Sol" by Reflektor - and the Reflektor production is just about to hit the stores. While I was finding that out, I was reminded that the Groove Tube 12AX7 is supposed to be a faithful copy of the Mullard. They paid for extra tooling at JJs to have them made the English way. While I have Mullards I do not want to pay to find out how true this is. Anybody tried them?

BrianH · Post by **BrianH** » Thu 09/29/05 9:28 pm

New Mullards are made by Sovtek at the Reflelktor factory. It's been a while since I was on the "in," but Mike Matthews/EH/Sovtek are all one and the same, just names, and all being made at the Reflektor factory. Mullard and Tung-sol must be the same.

chainsawmillerman · Post by **chainsawmillerman** » Thu 09/29/05 9:39 pm

dotfret wrote:OOOOOPS - spoke too soon!

Just discovered the answer - the "Mullard" are being made by Sovtek, the "Tung-Sol" by Reflektor - and the Reflektor production is just about to hit the stores. While I was finding that out, I was reminded that the Groove Tube 12AX7 is supposed to be a faithful copy of the Mullard. They paid for extra tooling at JJs to have them made the English way. While I have Mullards I do not want to pay to find out how true this is. Anybody tried them?

I've tried them and they sound great! the problem is I don't have any mullards to compare them to.But beside other current production and NOS tubes I have they sound the best.

dotfret · Post by **dotfret** » Sat 10/01/05 6:00 pm

Just to clarify what's been said before:
Mike Matthews owns ElectroHarmonix.
ElectroHarmonix now own the Mullard and Tung-Sol trademarks.
Sovtek own two factories - one the original Sovtek plant, the other the old Reflektor plant in St Petersburg.
As I understand things, the "Mullard" branded valves are being produced in the original Sovtek plant, and the "Tung-Sol" in the Reflektor plant.
I don't think Mike Matthews owns Sovtek - on the other hand, he might!

twangbanger · Post by **twangbanger** » Sat 10/01/05 8:26 pm

went to the tubedepot sight and could'nt find anything on the new 12ax7 mullard tube but saw nos ones for about $ 119 a copy whoa!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does anyone know where to get pricing on these?

Rob

BrianH · Post by **BrianH** » Sat 10/01/05 9:45 pm

New Sensor, Sovtek, and EH are all one in the same. They're all just names Mike came up with.

novemberrain · Post by **novemberrain** » Sun 10/02/05 11:37 am

If ya get all horny over the "Mullard" logo slapped on Russian tubes I suggest that you buy some of the re-labeled "Amperex Bugle Boy" Sovteks that turn up every so often!

nwobhm · Post by **nwobhm** » Fri 11/03/06 1:50 pm

I know this thread is a few weeks old now but, I was under the impression that the new mullard 12ax7's were shuguang, made in china? The same ones sold by GT. A few months back I bought 3 of the chinese ones with no labels. They are my favorite new 12ax7's currently.

Spankenstrat · Post by **Spankenstrat** » Fri 11/03/06 2:11 pm

I am using the EH Mullard reps and I like them. I also tried the Sovtek LPS's and JJ's from Lord Valve as well. The JJ's Scream in Mesa Boogie amps, but in my 2204/1974 the EH win. Power tubes are Ei Gold pins. I like these too. I red plated some JJ's in the same amp.????? Voltages aren't that high.. Ya Got me?

Post by **rjgtr** » Fri 11/03/06 2:38 pm

nwobhm wrote:I know this thread is a few weeks old now but, I was under the impression that the new mullard 12ax7's were shuguang, made in china? The same ones sold by GT. A few months back I bought 3 of the chinese ones with no labels. They are my favorite new 12ax7's currently.

New Sensor (Sovtek etc) own the trademark "MULLARD". GT has paid to have Shuguang make a reproduction of the original Mullard ECC83. I also like this tube - very musical. I haven't seen or tried a New Sensor "Mullard" ECC83.

pylet2000 · Post by **pylet2000** » Fri 11/03/06 3:45 pm

I was sad when I saw the "new" Mullards and Tung-Sols, for the very reason we are seeing right now. There is debate about Russian tubes with new labels being something more than the very Russian tubes we have grown to hate (and created the NOS market to begin with). Perhaps there are differences, I haven't brought myself to buy any of the "new label" tubes...I guess I shouldn't be so cynical pre-emptively.

I have, however, purchased a few different GT 12AX7M, the Chinese "Mullard" tube, I was extremely (but expectedly) dissapointed. I have had it out for Groove Tube for years (the original company taking spotty tubes and relabeling them to come up with something miraculously somehow better), but tried some of these 12AX7M tubes just to see if they had something going on. They didn't, at least to my ears. I was more partial to some old worn out GE 12AX7's I had sitting around, and I've always thought the GE's were fairly mediocre compared to RCA's, Tele's, or the real Mullards.

I guess being cynical against any previously known wonky tube with a new label is defense against getting my hopes up for a tube to do what the old ones did, built with state-of-the-art circa 1950 manufacturing techniques. Why can't any of the new guys get this right? It really makes me wonder what the magic ingredient is that is making the old tubes more musical, and why with modern technology why we can't pull this off. It can't be cost, as folks are obviously willing to spend a lot of money per tube for something worthwhile. We have machines that can detect exact alloys with only a small sample of metal, and they can't be doing anything in the 50's that we can't match today.

I guess I'll try some of these new tubes, just so I can say I know for sure, but I don't like the idea of giving money to the Russian tube companies just to give these "new-labeled" tubes a try. Seems like they win if I do.

Sorry for my mild rant on Groove Tubes/"New" Mullards. I know some will think they are good, and if somebody can show some plates that show a physically different tube, I'd be inclined to try them. Somebody is eventually going to release a new tube that does the trick.

AncientMariner · Post by **AncientMariner** » Fri 11/03/06 4:53 pm

There's a simple way to tell if the new 'Mullard' branded valves are like the originals compared to decent JJ EL84s. Play the amp with the JJs first, then pop the mullards in. If the sound stage is expanded and the tones seem to be wider and a touch darker than the JJ then they're like mullards.

I have just enough NOS left for one fresh set in my AC30, which I'll pop in when I recap it some time in the next couple of years (I don't use it at the moment).

Brewmaster · Post by **Brewmaster** » Fri 11/03/06 8:31 pm

Well the original post is over a year old now and I was curious to see if there were any A/B tests done on the El -84.

Here is my .02.

I put JJ's, EH, and Sovtek EL 84's to the test in my 18 watt TMB.

The JJ's have the most bottom end with a nice top end. The EH, according to a friend of mine who is a major Marshall freak, sounded the best overall with a tighter bottom and better balance. The Sovteks were terrible, maybe I had a bad set but the were microphonic at volume and just not very musical. I don't think the EH and the Sovtek are the same at all based on what I heard. I find the EH to be acceptable and the best of the three for the TMB. A Mullard sound alike? Nah. A good tube? Yes.
I do prefer the JJ's in my other amps, just not in the 18 watt TMB.
FWIW, I currently have a pair of NOS Tesla's in the 18 watter right now and they kill everything else I have tried.

A word about some tests we did with preamp tubes. I had two balanced 12ax7's available to me, one EH and one Tung Sol Reissue. Both were marked 110/110. I tried them in V1 and we heard no discernable difference between the two. What that infers I leave up to you. Keep in mind it was just one test by another gear geek so take it with a grain of salt..

nwobhm · Post by **nwobhm** » Sun 11/05/06 1:07 pm

rjgtr wrote:
nwobhm wrote:I know this thread is a few weeks old now but, I was under the impression that the new mullard 12ax7's were shuguang, made in china? The same ones sold by GT. A few months back I bought 3 of the chinese ones with no labels. They are my favorite new 12ax7's currently.
New Sensor (Sovtek etc) own the trademark "MULLARD". GT has paid to have Shuguang make a reproduction of the original Mullard ECC83. I also like this tube - very musical. I haven't seen or tried a New Sensor "Mullard" ECC83.

I wish I had bought more, the ebay seller was selling them at 7.00 apiece but, when I went to buy some more, they never listed any again and would never answer my emails back? I know there the same tubes but, I've been leary of paying 24.00 for the ones labeled GT 12AX7M.

Post by **rjgtr** » Sun 11/05/06 9:41 pm

I will agree that the GT-Ms aren't exactly like NOS Mullards. They do have a lot of tht character though. The Mullard is a lot more musical with more complexity. They are also a little pricey, but are worth trying.

For my money, the best new tubes out there right now overall (price/performance) are the JJ ECC83S and Shuguhang 12ax7 Rev9. Both are balanced sounding and not too expensive. The NEW Tung Sol 12ax7s are very nice sounding tubes, too, but a bit too Fendery sounding in a Marshall for me. Great in a Deluxe reverb, however.

Most respectable NOS (Mullard, RFT, Phillips, RCA) are way better than anything made today.

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