Raytheon is an American electronics company founded in 1922 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, whose mid-20th-century vacuum tube production left a lasting mark on guitar amplification and hi-fi audio. While the firm became known primarily for defense and aerospace work, its tube division manufactured preamp and power tubes that are now prized as NOS (new-old-stock) components by amp builders, techs, and players.

Among the most sought-after Raytheon types are the 12AX7 black-plate preamp tubes produced in the late 1950s and 1960s, often used as V1 replacements in vintage and boutique guitar amps for their full midrange, smooth top end, and low noise floor. Raytheon also produced rectifiers and dual-triode small-signal tubes such as 12AU7 and 12AT7 variants, along with subminiature tubes originally engineered to meet the MIL-E-1 military specification, some of which found their way into studio gear and pedals.

Raytheon tubes are no longer in production, so supply comes from surviving NOS stock and pulls from period equipment. Within the guitar and audiophile communities they are commonly discussed alongside Mullard, Telefunken, RCA, and GE as a benchmark American vintage tube, valued for their construction quality and tonal character.

Raytheon has 1 product cataloged on Equipboard, including Effects Processors. Their gear is featured by 1 artist, with the strongest followings in Rock. Notable users include James Petralli.