Was dead set against tube swapping for tone but tried it anyway

Ive got this old Fender Princeton Reverb build I did myself about 2 years ago. Always thought the whole tube rolling thing was snake oil. Like a 12AX7 is a 12AX7 right? Then I swapped out the stock JJ for a NOS RCA I found at a garage sale for 5 bucks. My buddy Mike kept insisting I try it. The clean channel just had this extra sparkle on the high end that wasnt there before. Now I feel dumb for being so stubborn. Has anyone else had a cheap tube swap completely change how they felt about an amp?

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grant_perry2mo ago

Dude I was exactly the same way. Always thought tubes either worked or they didn't and the rest was just hype. But I threw an old Mullard in my 5E3 build last year and it was a night and day difference. The mids got this punch that made the whole thing sound bigger and more alive. It's wild how a cheap tube swap can totally wake up an amp you thought you knew.

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