NOS tubes...

[jones]

I have a bunch of 'em, they are all now microphonic. Tone is still good, and they still have good gain. Bit of a tease really. I can use them in V2 and V3 of my JTM45 RI head, but every last one is too microphonic for V1. So now I have all Tung Sol RI in there. I get the feeling unless you got a hook up, or tons of cash, the NOS party is over. Any thoughts?

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: NOS tubes...

I have a bunch of 'em, they are all now microphonic. Tone is still good, and they still have good gain. Bit of a tease really. I can use them in V2 and V3 of my JTM45 RI head, but every last one is too microphonic for V1. So now I have all Tung Sol RI in there. I get the feeling unless you got a hook up, or tons of cash, the NOS party is over. Any thoughts?

Save em for conversation peices or paperweights... ;o)

[jones]

Re: NOS tubes...

Right...

[trevorus]

Re: NOS tubes...

You could try wrapping a little teflon plumbers tape around the bottle. That sometimes can reduce the microphonics a bit.

[jones]

Re: NOS tubes...

You could try wrapping a little teflon plumbers tape around the bottle. That sometimes can reduce the microphonics a bit.

Sounds interesting...

[trevorus]

Re: NOS tubes...

It's basically a cheap-assed version of these: http://tubedepot.com/dctuberings.html

[guitfiddle]

Re: NOS tubes...

These work pretty well, too. they're all over ebay, listed as "tube dampers".

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: NOS tubes...

These work pretty well, too. they're all over ebay, listed as "tube dampers".

Preamp tube condoms....

[guitfiddle]

Re: NOS tubes...

[wahwah]

Re: NOS tubes...

I've had a different experience of vintage tubes. Around 2003 I started collecting enough of a stash of what I found to be the best for my amps, namely late 50s black plate RCA 12AX7s and 6V6GTs, and a few early 60s Mullard short plate ECC83s. I didn't bother buying NOS, I just bought 'good used' that still had 90% or more of their life left. Most of my work is interstate, so I've got a Fender Super Champ that is constantly flying, and it has had the same set of RCAs in it for the past 5 years. The amp was recently serviced, and the tech said the tubes were still going strong, and they certainly still sound great.

I have avoided using tube dealers because their prices are ridiculous. And as I said, I have also bought good used as opposed to NOS, thus avoiding the extra premium. eBay still has plenty of listings for the tubes I like, but I've probably got enough stashed away for all of my amps for the rest of my life. I still haven't heard a current production tube that comes close to the Golden Era stuff, so I wouldn't waste my money on them, especially with their reliability problems and ludicrously short life by comparison.

Gimme this stuff, any day...









Cheers................................. wahwah

[jones]

Re: NOS tubes...

I don't know, maybe it's my amp. My JTM is the only amp I have right now, and it's the first amp I ever bought NOS or good used for... If it is, that would mean my amp is eating V1 tubes for some reason. So you bought a bunch in 2003, I got a bunch in 2009, and almost all of mine became microphonic in less than six months in V1... You may have caught one of the last rides...

[PRSfan nym 1985]

Re: NOS tubes...

tubes have varied greatly in terms of quality all along it really is a crapshoot. while i agree that some of the vintage tubes do sound better and in some cases they are more reliable this isn't true 100% of the time.

[jones]

Re: NOS tubes...

tubes have varied greatly in terms of quality all along it really is a crapshoot. while i agree that some of the vintage tubes do sound better and in some cases they are more reliable this isn't true 100% of the time.

I've had good luck with power tubes but, 12ax7 not so much. Oh, and I have a vintage rectifier tube in there that's good. I was thinking of putting in a solid state one though.

[wahwah]

Re: NOS tubes...

I don't know, maybe it's my amp. My JTM is the only amp I have right now, and it's the first amp I ever bought NOS or good used for... If it is, that would mean my amp is eating V1 tubes for some reason. So you bought a bunch in 2003, I got a bunch in 2009, and almost all of mine became microphonic in less than six months in V1... You may have caught one of the last rides...

Well, I started buying them in 2003, but I've stocked up as late as last year. What was it specifically that you got?


And as for PRSfan's comment about consistency, I totally disagree. The quality control of the RCA factory in the 1950s is unmatched by any factory currently making tubes on the planet. I've got about 20 1950s RCA blackplate 12AX7s and I could put any of them in the front end of an amp and know exactly what I'm going to get. The Blackburn Mullard factory's production in the early 60s was similar, as were the great European factories at the time. It was only after the advent of the transistor and the demise of tubes that the quality started going AWOL, prior to that, they were very, very consistent. Which could go a long way to explaining why they are still going strong and sounding better than anything being made today, 50 or 60 years after they left the factory.




Cheers.................................... wahwah

[PRSfan nym 1985]

Re: NOS tubes...

I've had NOS, used, and current production tubes all have the same issues and some have been great (in both vintage and current production scenarios). I've had good luck buying from places that test stuff ahead of time and give you a return/exchange option. I'm not saying that all vintage tubes behave that way (likewise not all current production tubes behave that way), as you've pointed out some examples of good ones.

it's one of those situations where it really just depends, and a lot of opinions are based on limited experience, because lets face it thousands of tubes exist. Most people simply don't try that many of them. i definitely don't claim to be an expert but realistically I think it's a crapshoot based on my own experiences and on older cats that have been playing longer than i've been alive whose opinions I do trust.