Telefunken in Fender amps?

[überfuzz]

I have a BF fender amp that need new tubes in the preamp. Anyone here tried Telefunken preamp tubes in their fender amp? How is the sound, breakup, tone, und so weiter?

I like clear amps/tones with late break up. Possibly liner so that I have the possibility to eq the tone.

[JoeM]

I have tried a few Telefunkens in my Fenders. They seem to be very neutral sounding tubes. These were ones given to me years ago, I wouldn't pay any outrageous prices for these today.

[Chuck H]

+++
"Neutral" is a good description. Very linear and even. I don't like them for guitar amps. Some guys jump for the smooth plate 12ax7's but they don't do a thing for me. As to the OP most of the Telefunken power tubes I've tried did break up a bit later and stayed more linear even after they did.

Be careful what you wish for. If a real even flat tone is what your after, how about playing your guitar through a P.A.? I overshot that example but the point is that you do want some coloration provided by the amp and speakers. You may love what the Telefunkens do in combination with your amp.

[überfuzz]

I haven't tried them obviously. The idea was to get clean tubes and have a socket with a tube with more... color if you will. I thought I'd be able to do so if I alter the tube in the in-stage.

[Pedro Vecino]

TFK ECC83 sound great always. Spacious, relaxed and with fluid character. But in combos can have microphonic problems if not well protected (common to other noval preamp tubes with long plates).
Because of its basic neutral response, cover completely the amp with them may not be necessary or desirable. There are other models that can provide different character to compose the ideal combination...

[überfuzz]

I'm aiming for 803s and 801s. This amp sounds a little bit like a distant waterfall, so low noise tubes is most likely the thing to go for.

[Pedro Vecino]

No guitar amp (at least in this solar system) needs these tubes. IMHO

[überfuzz]

Might be so, I have some colorful tubes that I can place in v1 and v2 if the amp turns out to be sterile.

[Chuck H]

My favorite "colorful" 12ax7 is the plain old grey plate RCA. Getting too expensive now but I have a few left. As a bonus the plates aren't excessively large to achieve this and they were well supported insidwe so they aren't generally microphonic. Great in V1 for a chimey tone with great mid dips and peaks and deep clear lows.

[überfuzz]

Lucky you, I haven't been hooked up long enough to have a private stash. It there a big difference in noise level when comparing ECC 801,803 with ECC 81,83?

[Chuck H]

AFAIK those are just different #s for the same tube. I used to hunt these big cardboard boxes full of salvaged tubes at an electronics junk yard in Santa Clara, Ca. I had a list of alternate part numbers for common guitar amp tubes. I don't even know where that list is any more but there must have been at least ten alternate #s for a 12ax7.

[CharlieP]

The smooth plates I have tried sounded good in my Supersonic but they were too chimey for me V1, clear tho! You may like them! I finally put one in V1 of the VK112 Peavey and I like it there! I went back to RCA and Mullard, real ones for my SS!