Sylvania 12AX7 Long Black Plate

^# 66

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$50.00 to $125.00

5.0 (1)

1 Review

This product is Vintage or Discontinued

0 wishlisted

1 saved

Page last updated Jan 16, 2026

Pricing and availability

We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 3 stores. Prices updated January 14, 2026.

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TubeDepot

$99.95

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Fuzz Audio

$50.00

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NOS Vacuum Tubes

$125.00

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Description

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Unlock the hidden gem of vintage tone with the Sylvania 12AX7 Long Black Plate preamp tube, a revered choice for musicians craving the authentic warmth of the late '40s to mid '50s soundscape. This NOS (New Old Stock) tube stands as a testament to American craftsmanship, delivering a rich, saturated tone with a gritty, vintage edge. Ideal for guitarists seeking that classic pre-CBS sound or audiophiles desiring a thick, immersive audio experience, the Sylvania 12AX7 Long Black Plate offers unmatched tonal variety.

Unlike its contemporaries, this tube's lower headroom introduces a unique character to your sound, providing a perfect balance of warmth and sparkle. Whether you're playing through a Vox AC30 or a Fender, expect your clean amplifiers to sing with clarity and depth. Each tube undergoes rigorous testing for microphonics and is guaranteed to perform flawlessly in your setup. Experience the allure of a bygone era with a tube that promises to elevate your musical expression to new heights.

Key Features:

Vintage NOS, USA-made preamp tube
Long black plate design from the late '40s to mid '50s
Delivers thick, saturated tones with a gritty, vintage edge
Lower headroom for a classic pre-CBS sound
Perfect for both Hi-Fi and guitar amplifier use
Fully tested for noise-free performance
Ideal for clean amplifiers seeking warmth and clarity

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tim_harrison

1268

about 5 years ago

A terribly underappreciated gem of a tube.

I use it in the phase inverter position of my Invective. The problem with phase inverter tubes is that they suffer a lot of wear and tear. I like using long plates in phase inverter position but almost all modern long plate tubes are prone to failure in that position. So, after wasting a lot of a cash on modern production tubes I decided to give the NOS tubes a go. I was planning to plunge my cash on Mullard but then my local amp technician advised me to grab this tube.

First and foremost thing about this tube is that it's quite reasonably priced by NOS standards, next is how robust it is. My preamp tubes have come and gone but this old boy keeps running in the phase inverter position like a boss. As for tonal difference, the clean channel exhibits a bit more saturation than before. The crunch channel exhibits quicker break-up and saturation. As for the overdrive channel I noticed remarkable improvement in high end clarity as well as in the overall thickness of the tone. They also extended, and beefed up the low end response of my amp, and the low end now sounds more powerful but at the same time it sounds clearer than before.

That brings me to my question, why isn't this tube that well known? I have people in my friend circle who used NOS Mullard 12XA7 tubes in their high gain amps, I recommended them these tubes. Some of them replaced their Mullard tubes with these Sylvania tubes and all of them were impressed by how good it works in high gain amps. They noticed an improvement in the overall gain too. This tube right here is the best tube a high gain amp fanatic, and an amp hot-rodder can ask for, but too bad people barely know about them.

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^# 1

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A terribly underappreciated gem of a tube.

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