NOTD (New Old Tubes Day)

[ScottMarlowe]

Just to add the closest modern tube, to me, for V2 in a C50 is the Chinese 12AX7B but ymm(or will)v.

 

[gsmacleod]

Thanks for the advice - I'm going to start tube hunting and see about playing around with some different combos. I also have the Royal 8 but with only two tubes, it's a little less daunting to play with

Shane

 

[ScottMarlowe]

Yeah keep an eye out for a "grab bag" of ANOS tubes. That's how I started. $90 for 15 tubes last year and found a few in there that just blew me away. Looked on tubedepot and found out JAN 12AX7WA (milspec tubes etc) go for $40 or so new old stock, and I got two or three in that shipment alone.

 

[1989EpiLesPaul]

I have had mixed results hunting for NOS tubes. One of my favorite NOS tubes is the pre war Ei Telefunken 12AX7 copy made on the old Telefunken tooling. I have one and it sounds great in every amp I have installed it in. It currently resides in V1 of my Soldano Hot Rod 50. I saw one NOS Ei tube for sale from one of the smaller NOS dealers so I pulled the trigger. Microphonic in every higher gain amp I install it in. It will probably work okay in a lower gain setting. I'll sandbag it for use in my PRRI. If you can find a good deal and don't mind rolling the dice a little there are some values to be had but sadly most of what is left of the big names (original Mullards, for example) are culls that have been picked over for decades. Lots of tubes are being dealt simply dues to what it says on the glass and not according to how good the tube really is.

Sometimes you can find an old tube amp chassis that sells cheaply enough to toss the chassis and keep the tubes and still be worth the venture. I bought a guitar preamp with three RCA grey plates (another of my favorites) for less than the price of what the tubes would have cost me. Tossed the preamp on the parts pile and used the tubes. I bought a Peavey Triumph combo a few years ago on CL for $125. Decent little combo... but it had a quad of Sylvania USA 6L6GC STR tubes in it. Kept the tubes and gave the amp away and made out like a bandit. Keep an eye out for those 1980's Peavey amps.

 

[ScottMarlowe]

If I found a Peavey Triumph for that price I'd be BUYING tubes for it! hahaha. I like the Triumphs tho.

 

[DPaulCustom]

Damn Scott,
You've got me started on a tube buying frenzy.
I have a bid riding on some 12ax7s, & have already bought 6 el84s (I only NEED 2 el84s, which arrived today, but then I got a quad for a real good price).

 

[ScottMarlowe]

That's how I got my octet of EL84s. I was looking for 4 cheapies as spares and saw the lto of 8 for $15 or so. To be fair, Classic 50s are pretty hard on their 4 EL84s, so spares a necessity.

 

[DPaulCustom]

I picked these up today
http://www.ebay.com/itm/391153579815?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
For the price, if only 1 is good, I'm doing ok

 

[ScottMarlowe]

Nice deal! Tubes on ebay are like crack man!

 

[DPaulCustom]

Nice deal! Tubes on ebay are like crack man!

I',m gonna have to start tube amp shopping if I keep this up

 

[gsmacleod]

Nice deal! Tubes on ebay are like crack man!

That's what I'm thinking! There's an octet of EL84's I'm thinking of grabbing - $35 shipped to Canada. Doesn't look like quite as many options to Canada but still some deals to be had.

Shane

 

[ScottMarlowe]

Which brand EL84s?

 

[gsmacleod]

Russian 6P14P's - trying to educate myself on them now

Shane

 

[DPaulCustom]

The quad I got were russian also, 6n14n

 

[ScottMarlowe]

I got about 12 of them. Solid and reliable. Not as smooth sounding as the American NOS or the modern JJ EL84s but very tough and in their own way good tubes. The Classic 50 isn't as sensitive to output tube changes as it is to preamp changes, and I ran a set in my 2x12 C50 for a good three or so months with no problems. They're the kind I got 8 for about $20 delivered. Took 4 weeks on a slow boat but at that price it was hard to say no.

 

[ScottMarlowe]

Note that in russian n and p are the same, and you'll find a lot of them listed under 6p14p as well. Here's an octet for $28 delivered: 8x6p14p
Pretty sure that's the same guy I got my 8 from for a bit less.

 

[DPaulCustom]

I got about 12 of them. Solid and reliable. Not as smooth sounding as the American NOS or the modern JJ EL84s but very tough and in their own way good tubes. The Classic 50 isn't as sensitive to output tube changes as it is to preamp changes, and I ran a set in my 2x12 C50 for a good three or so months with no problems. They're the kind I got 8 for about $20 delivered. Took 4 weeks on a slow boat but at that price it was hard to say no.

The Vjr is the same way as far as tone effect on the el84s, it doesn't care much.
Preamp, now that's a whole other story.
That's a good deal on the lot above, but I've got 6, & they should last me a LOOOOONG time.
Whatcha think about the chinese Shuguang 12ax7 tubes, I've never used em, but found a cheap deal on em.

 

[ScottMarlowe]

I like the Chinese tubes. They're quite bright and gainy. In my Fender Ramparté, which has a very dark and boomy tone, they really brighten it up and add a bit of sizzle to the amp. Note that there's 12AX7A and B from Shuguang. The As are higher gain and brighter, the Bs are a little lower gain and little less bright. Pretty sure that Groove Tubes, Ruby, and TAD each sell a version of the 12AX7B. I have one in the Fender and really like it there.

Also I think the Peavey Super 7, for a while, was a Shuguang 12AX7B. The Peavey re-branded tubes tend to be whatever they can buy by the truckload cheap at the time.

 

[eS.G.]

any good?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TUNG-SOL-RE...352?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d553f54c0

 

[ScottMarlowe]

The new TungSols are some of the best modern tubes out. That's a fair price and fair shipping as well.

OTOH, I just picked up these JAN 12AX7WAs for $41.01 shipped, which is $13.67 each. Current NOS price at tube depot for those is $80 a piece. Mine are used but test as new.