new tube for my mxl 960

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dahayn

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I have no idea about what tube is good for my mic, but i know that i have to replace the one that I have so can anyone suggest a brand name and/or model. I need a 12at7 tube. That's all i really know. Thanks in advance! Oh yeah, I don't really want to spend more than 30 bucks if I can help it....
 
...the one best choice for that mic would be a NOS GE 6072/6072A...I owned a 960 and the 6072 definately improved the mic's overall sound...
http://cgi.ebay.com/6072A-12AY7-JAN...ryZ43375QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

...if you really don't want to spend the $25. (definately worth it) you can go with the Electro Harmonix 6072A reissue...still a big improvement over the stock Chinese tube...
http://cgi.ebay.com/12AY7-6072A-12A...ryZ64629QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

...when swapping out the tube, it's a good idea to wipe down the pins of the new tube with WD40 (spray the WD40 on a paper towel, NOT directly on the tube)...wipe each pin with the WD40 soaked paper towel, and then re-wipe with a dry paper towel, to be sure to eliminate any excess WD40 from the tube...this will improve conductivity once the new tube is seated, especially on older NOS vintage tubes...

...here's a more rare 3-mica 6072 tube for a few dollars more:
http://cgi.ebay.com/6072-GE-Black-P...oryZ7275QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

...or take a shot at bidding on this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/6072-1-tube-bla...ryZ64629QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

...the 6072 is a low noise version of the 12AY7 tube...it will provide nicer performance than the 12AT7 due to it's lower gain factor combined with it's lower noise rating...you'll give the mic a bit more gain when recording with the 6072, and the results should be a smoother tone (especially on the higher frequencies)...well worth the upgrade cost... ;)
 
kidvybes makes very good suggestions here.

Any of the following 12AY7/6072A would be good:

GE 5star (best)
GE
Raytheon
Sylvania
Mullard
Telefunken (very rare)
ElectroHarmonix (my personal fav for price and quality. These are NEW tubes! $10ea on eBay)
Seimans
ANYTHING JAN (Joint Army Navy) ...-yeah, imagine all of them with a joint! :rolleyes:

I have had bad luck with RCA for some reason. They have a high chance of being microphonic. Not happy!!

Another great tube to score if you want to stay with 12AT7 would be Telefunken. That is the best 12AT7 made! Ei makes a clone of the Tele tube that is extremely close in tolerances and sound for about 12 bones!

Oh, and I guarentee that the tube that came in your mic was probably not a 12AT7, but rather a 12AX7, so practically any tube replacement (12AY7 or 12AT7) will improve the sound. the lower gain of either of these tubes makes it harder to saturate the transformer. You will much more headroom and transients will be better!
 
PhilGood said:
I have had bad luck with RCA for some reason. They have a high chance of being microphonic. Not happy!!

Another great tube to score if you want to stay with 12AT7 would be Telefunken. That is the best 12AT7 made! Ei makes a clone of the Tele tube that is extremely close in tolerances and sound for about 12 bones!

Oh, and I guarentee that the tube that came in your mic was probably not a 12AT7, but rather a 12AX7, so practically any tube replacement (12AY7 or 12AT7) will improve the sound. the lower gain of either of these tubes makes it harder to saturate the transformer. You will much more headroom and transients will be better!
Click to expand...

...as usual, Phil's advice is on point...I concur completely... :D
 
Is a NOS GE 5 star 6072 tube better than a NOS telefunken 12at7 tube?
 
dahayn said:
Is a NOS GE 5 star 6072 tube better than a NOS telefunken 12at7 tube?
Click to expand...

For this particular application, I believe it is...the 6072 is the best tube for microphone use of the 9-pin "12**7" series tubes...lowest microphonics...
 
dahayn said:
I have no idea about what tube is good for my mic, but i know that i have to replace the one that I have so can anyone suggest a brand name and/or model. I need a 12at7 tube. That's all i really know. Thanks in advance! Oh yeah, I don't really want to spend more than 30 bucks if I can help it....
Click to expand...

I just purchased the EI (Yugo) 12AT7-ECC81 for my T-Bone STC 800 aka SE 5500 very nice Tube with a factor of 60.
 
dahayn said:
Is a NOS GE 5 star 6072 tube better than a NOS telefunken 12at7 tube?
Click to expand...

Without a doubt. The GE 5 star is as like a JAN tube. Super high quality. While the Telefunken is an excellent tube, the GE has a slight edge.
 
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