Re: Retro Valves? Anyone tried them??
Get you through a gig in an emergency? You do realize chances are slim to none that a preamp tube will ever fail.
It may seem unlikely on paper but I've had preamp tubes crap out on multiple occasions. Ive had them go microphonic, to just dropping dead, to glowing purple and making a godawful screeching sound that would make you swear your amp is exploding.
Getting a flat tyre on your car is unlikely but it happens. So does light globes blowing the house. Spend enough time dragging gear from home to gig, enough nights a week and it is inevitable something will fail. Tubes are generally happiest if you never move the amp, let alone carry the thing a block or two to a venue, or worse still vibrating the heck out of them while your amp is on rollers or a trolley, let alone soaking up road vibrations sitting in the boot of the car, or leaving the amp in the car in extremes of heat and/or cold.
IN terms of trying some of these ss tubes...im not actually against it, its just that due to postage they really aren't a whole lot cheaper than real tubes. Plus i have some spares so the experiment is not really worth it for me.
funny story tho...bad gig...i was at this town a long way from anywhere (Rylstone for anyone who knows rural new south wales) for an annual function they have.
I somehow managed to smash the power tubes in my amp while loading....yes i know its stupid to keep leads and other gear i the back of the amp. Anyway, the long and the short of it was that i did the 3 set gig plugged direct into the PA. lol. tone for days...not!
Anyway...bad stuff can happen at gigs and often does. There have been other occasions where either my or another band member's amp has needed a quick preamp transplant. I always carry spare toobs and a couple of fuses to.
