The JJ 5751 has a slightly lower gain factor (30% down) than the 12AX7 tube and can be used as a substitute in the ‘Tube Drive™‘ pedal and SR-71 ‘Blackbird™‘ preamp to achieve more headroom before the onset of distortion. This is useful if you’re seeking to fine-tune the pedal’s overdrive response to hotter pickups even or even just your playing technique. The sensitivity of a drive pedal and way it responds to heavier playing or digging in makes a huge difference to performance and—swapping out a tube is simple, relatively cost-effective way of unlocking incredible tone potential from your Effectrode pedal. Both 12AX7 tubes in V1 and V2 of the Tube Drive and Blackbird pedals can be swapped out for the 5751 (or 12AY7) tube to tailor the sensitivity and response of these pedals for the last word in custom-tweaked all-tube tone, right at the top of the pyramid with the best of the best!
