Guys,
So if someone were going to spring some $$ for NOS tubes are the preamp tubes the place to start?? Say some nice old 12AX7's.
Just thinking that they seem to have the most effect on the sound right from the guitar or do I have this wrong and power tubes are the way to go?
I seek guidance...
Thanks!
First NOS tubes...
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
First NOS tubes...
In theory, theory is the same as practice. In practice it's different.
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Reeltarded
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Re: First NOS tubes...
Firstly, what amp?
I sort of do it like this. I get output tubes if I find a great deal or if I HAVE to have those. I use good pulls in the preamps. I find lots more value in spending $200 on a small pile of someone's tested pulls than in a single likely untested NOS. That is scary.
I sort of do it like this. I get output tubes if I find a great deal or if I HAVE to have those. I use good pulls in the preamps. I find lots more value in spending $200 on a small pile of someone's tested pulls than in a single likely untested NOS. That is scary.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
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Leo_Gnardo
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Re: First NOS tubes...
As Miles said, UOS the cheap way to go. Lots of sources for old 12AX7's and similar that may have plenty of useful life left. In your area, lots of towns have a 'trade shack' at the municipal dump. Friends have found working or near working Dynaco gear, oscilloscopes, etc. besides boxes of vacuum tubes and other mystery gear containing same. Often the pins need a good scrubbing. Good working power tubes not so often found that way. Keep an eye open for mom & pop TV repair shops gone out of business. Talk to your friends, relatives, neighbors, they may know of somebody's uncle or grandpa who was into ham radio or hi fi. Some of my friends have scored big that way, many NOS tubes most of which have no modern use, but many useful ones in the mix. One old friend got boxes of tubes dating back to the 1920's from a mom n pop radio shop gone out of biz auction, including some blue glass ones, all sorts of curiosities he will someday put on the market.JoeCon wrote:Guys,
So if someone were going to spring some $$ for NOS tubes are the preamp tubes the place to start?? Say some nice old 12AX7's.
Just thinking that they seem to have the most effect on the sound right from the guitar or do I have this wrong and power tubes are the way to go?
I seek guidance...
Thanks!
down technical blind alleys . . .
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vibratoking
- Posts: 2640
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:55 pm
- Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Re: First NOS tubes...
You'll get all the answers you want. Miles is right, really depends on the amp. The Express is the ultimate tester for V1 tubes. It demands a great tube there. If the amp is mainly preamp overdrive, like an ODS, then preamp tubes should be your focus. If it's PI or output overdrive, then that should be your focus.
I like some NOS tubes. I like some new tubes. The question really comes down to how much can you justify paying? Pulls can be a good deal. I have found that I can't justify buying NOS from resellers. That experience used to be acceptable, but as tubes become more scarce, the experience is getting worse. It's becoming more and more of a buyer beware market.
I like some NOS tubes. I like some new tubes. The question really comes down to how much can you justify paying? Pulls can be a good deal. I have found that I can't justify buying NOS from resellers. That experience used to be acceptable, but as tubes become more scarce, the experience is getting worse. It's becoming more and more of a buyer beware market.
Re: First NOS tubes...
Guys
So far I built a 2 EL84 Rocket and a KT66 Rockster. I have a 2 EL84 Liverpool on the bench right now...
So far I built a 2 EL84 Rocket and a KT66 Rockster. I have a 2 EL84 Liverpool on the bench right now...
In theory, theory is the same as practice. In practice it's different.
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Reeltarded
- Posts: 10189
- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 4:38 am
- Location: GA USA
Re: First NOS tubes...
Good el84s are amazing. Bad ones are most of them. If you haven't heard really good ones you haven't lived.
I don't usually care for the amps because the tubes suck. I figured that out.
Hmm
I don't usually care for the amps because the tubes suck. I figured that out.
Hmm
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
Re: First NOS tubes...
It really does depend on the amp, as to what can change the tone.
About two years ago a pro guitarist friend of mine decided he wanted something more portable than his rack system, and bought a Bogner combo. The manual said quite clearly that fitting NOS valves could only improve the amp, so we tried a lot of different combinations and couldn't tell the difference between the NOS valves and the Chinese current production that the amp came fitted with.
OTOH another pro friend of mine has an 18W/Trainwreck with 6V6 output that benefited greatly from a fairly cheap (but hard to get) hifi type Russian 12AX7. He was using a JJ 12AX7S, we tried a selection of vintage 12AX7 in V1, including RCA, Mullard, Ei, and a genuine Tesla. Only the Russian valve made a big difference.
While I know that with some amps you can get a big advantage from using NOS valves, there's a heap of over-expectation placed on the sonic differences between NOS and modern production, especially because improvements in component tolerances over the amps of 50 years ago means that the differences between two amps from the same design are much less these days.
If you insist on trying out NOS 12AX7 I would recommend that you first try and find some old Ei, there are some people still selling off long plate 12AX7 from the 90s quite cheaply. If you can't tell the difference with one of those in V1, you might as well use new stock.
About two years ago a pro guitarist friend of mine decided he wanted something more portable than his rack system, and bought a Bogner combo. The manual said quite clearly that fitting NOS valves could only improve the amp, so we tried a lot of different combinations and couldn't tell the difference between the NOS valves and the Chinese current production that the amp came fitted with.
OTOH another pro friend of mine has an 18W/Trainwreck with 6V6 output that benefited greatly from a fairly cheap (but hard to get) hifi type Russian 12AX7. He was using a JJ 12AX7S, we tried a selection of vintage 12AX7 in V1, including RCA, Mullard, Ei, and a genuine Tesla. Only the Russian valve made a big difference.
While I know that with some amps you can get a big advantage from using NOS valves, there's a heap of over-expectation placed on the sonic differences between NOS and modern production, especially because improvements in component tolerances over the amps of 50 years ago means that the differences between two amps from the same design are much less these days.
If you insist on trying out NOS 12AX7 I would recommend that you first try and find some old Ei, there are some people still selling off long plate 12AX7 from the 90s quite cheaply. If you can't tell the difference with one of those in V1, you might as well use new stock.
Re: First NOS tubes...
I need some new production tubes all mine are crappy old ones. I have some that smell like nicotine