Alleged NOS EF86/806S/6267's...??

[zozoe]

Greetings.... As my search for the most optimum EF86 continues (that hopeful balance between decent gain & minimal but liveable noise), I wonder why & how are there SO MANY NOS options offered on Fleabay, & for relatively GREAT prices...!!! How can one be sure of possible relabeling & less than honest selling practices?? & any decent CURRENT runs that all you can vouch for?
Thnx folks ॐ

[beaubrummels]

I'd avoid eBay if you're worried. Fair amount of shady listings there, unless you really recognize elements of a tube and know what to ask the seller. I'd just either get new stock EHX or other recent brand (or NOS if you must) from Amplified Parts, TAD (Tube Amp Doctor), KCanostubes, DBtubes, DougsTubes, Tube Depot, The Tube Store or any reputable dealer, if you're worried about ripoffs. Some of those may be more expensive than necessary, but that's part of the cost of peace of mind of getting a legit tube, as described. EF86 is not a popular/commonly-used tube, so there could be plenty out there. I have one in a VOX amp and nothing else.

[Ewizard]

I love how there always seems to be some magic, hidden supply of NOS tubes that come out of nowhere... I can pretty much guarantee that any surplus supply of tubes has been gotten ahold of already by some company, either for retail or for their own private stock ( Dr. Z cough cough ).

The legitimacy and quality of any newfound stock would be of question to me. In years past, many tubes would have been tested for quality and duds would have been thrown in another box. This box would sit on the shelf until it was needed to complete orders or create more stock to sell, damn be the quality as long as it works and can be called NOS. These days there is no guarantee on the longevity or quality of NOS tubes, short of perhaps DOA.

I do not buy into the NOS market whatsoever. Those tubes sold for less than $1 50 years ago, so I have a hard time parting with $50+ on something that has sat on a shelf for that long, has no guarantee, and is a pointless endeavor anyway when you consider that if you use it, you will lose it. And once it is used up, there is no way to ever get that same tube again. This means if you built your amps around this magical tube, it will never be right when you can't find it again.

Buying NOS tubes reminds me of a video that recently came out on YT. I believe it was " The Press Channel " ? Anyway, it showed the difference between WWII armor and modern armor!!! Basically, the press goes through the WWII armor like butter and barely makes a dent in the modern stuff. Modern tubes are not made in an inferior way to the days of yore. If anything, the modern stuff is better. There is always going to be the stuff that is made at 4:55 pm on a Friday, just as there will be the mid-week run that is on point. Buying old tubes that still work is a decent bet, because they managed to last sitting around for 50 years, but NO guarantee. Your odds of buying a bad modern tube are just about as good as buying a dud NOS tube. The only difference is that the modern tube hasn't sat around for 50 years yet to find out if it was one of the good ones.