Re: NOS tubes...
Individual tubes can be thrashed within an inch of their life, and so any tube can go bad, they all will eventually. But this is where an understanding of what it is that you're buying can help you avoid that situation, and get great tubes that will outlast current production stuff many times over. There also has to be an understanding of the history of the Golden Era factories, because if somebody thinks they're going to get a good vintage Mullard after the Blackburn plant closed down and the company was sold to IEC, they're kidding themselves. By that time, tubes were considered a virtually obsolete technology, and only military contracts were being fulfilled. So that literally means any Mullard made after about 1966 is going to fit into your 'crap shoot' scenario. So we don't buy that stuff. Similarly, once RCA switched over to short grey plates in their 12AX7s in 1960, the quality took its first drop, and then proceeded to nose dive into the early 70s, by which time the party was pretty much over.
Some seem to think you can just say "NOS" and it is supposed to denote some great mystical quality, but it doesn't mean a thing on its own. We have to know exactly what it is we're after. In jones' case, it may well be that his reissue amp is not going to benefit too greatly from vintage tubes, because its whole circuit would have been based around 25c Chinese or Russian tubes. Sometimes, the good stuff just doesn't make any appreciable difference. But if the circuit is relatively true to the original, and early 60's short plate Mullard should make that thing come alive. The best bargain are the many rebrands, all of which still came out of exactly the same Blackburn Mullard factory (denoted by the 'B' in the date code) You will find rebrands from that era for Eico, Fisher, Dynaco, etc. The tube collectors don't want them, because they don't say Mullard. But they are exactly the same tubes. There are still some great bargains to be had. Then it is a matter of finding the right eBay guy who gives plenty of information, has the score on the board, and is happy to communicate and refund if you're not happy. Put away half a dozen of the tubes you like, and never make the compromise with the current production dross again.
Cheers...................................... wahwah
