What is the 12AY7 vacuum tube?

The 12AY7 (12AY7 / 6072) is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Original Fender preamp tube..

What is a 12AY7 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 12AY7 include 6072A. These share the same pinout and operating envelope, so they can usually be swapped without circuit changes — though batch-to-batch variations between manufacturers (NOS vs current production) may shift the sonic character noticeably.

What are the key specifications of the 12AY7?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 44, transconductance gm ≈ 1.75 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 25.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 1.5 W, heater 12.6 V / 0.15 A.

Is the 12AY7 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 12AY7 as Moderate availability. NOS (new-old-stock) examples from RCA, Mullard, Tung-Sol, GE, Sylvania and Telefunken trade among collectors; modern production where it exists comes mostly from JJ Electronic, Electro-Harmonix, Tung-Sol (New Sensor), Genalex, and a handful of small-batch makers.

What does the 12AY7 sound like?

Original Fender preamp tube.. Sonic character also depends heavily on the circuit operating point, the surrounding tubes in the stage, and the output transformer when present — use the interactive loadline calculator on this page to explore the trade-offs.

12AY7 6072 Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6072A

Medium-gain triode for voltage amplification applications

Dual triodeHeater 12.6 V · 0.15 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsGE·RCA 1948

Plate dissipation: 1.5W
Max plate voltage: 300V
Amplification factor: 44
Transconductance: 1.75mA/V
Plate resistance: 25kΩ

12AY7

Characteristics

Datasheet values, once each. Every value cites its sheet.

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 12AY7 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	12.6 V
Heater currentIh	0.15 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 12AY7 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	300 V
Plate dissipationPa max	1.5 W
Cathode currentIk max	10 mA
Heater–cathode voltageVhk max	90 V

Mechanical

Specifications of 12AY7 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Moderate
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 12AY7 — Small signal
Transconductance	1.75 mA/V
Plate resistance	25 kΩ
Amplification factor	44

Capacitances

Specifications of 12AY7 — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	1.3 pF
Grid–plate	1.3 pF
Plate–cathode	0.6 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 12AY7 — Character
Gain	44%
Power	4%
Drive	75%
Linearity	78%

datasheet cited · model or editorial reading · catalogue value, no citation attached yet · nothing invented

Typical operation

Canonical operating pointSPICE model2 availableModel

B+: 300 V
Load: 100 kΩ
Va: 180 V
Ia: 2.63 mA
Vg: -2.6 V
Pd: 0.47 W
Gain: 30.9 dB

At Q: Ayumi Nakabayashi · 2 engines
μ: 41.8
gm: 1.61 mA/V
rp: 25.9 kΩ

Design a stage →

Using this tube

Applications

Voltage amplifier
Phase splitter

Generic triode preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone amp

Featured in these amplifiers

Fender Bassman (5F6-A) →

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Active model : Ayumi Nakabayashi · 2 engines

Manufacturer datasheets

3 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 12AY7 / 60723 verified

12AY7 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: GE·RCA
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Ayumi Nakabayashi · 2 engines

Context

The 12AY7 (6072) is a dual triode with a mu of approximately 44, sitting between the 12AU7 and 12AX7 in gain. It was the original V1 tube in early Fender tweed amplifiers, giving those amps their distinctively touch-sensitive, dynamically responsive character before Fender switched to the hotter 12AX7. The lower gain provides more headroom and a more gradual onset of distortion than a 12AX7, which many players and amp builders prefer for clean-to-edge-of-breakup tones. GE and Sylvania manufactured the majority of NOS examples, and current production options are limited.

History

Introduced: 1948
Manufacturer: GE·RCA
Era: Golden Age

METRIX TESTER