Western Electric considering guitar amp tube production

[JMP/HBE]

Will you stop making up numbers? These aren't stupid people. They know guitar players won't spend $100 on 12AX7s en masse.

I spend $100 or more on NOS Amperex ECC-83 / 12AX7's all the time. I don't use current production tubes except maybe as a loop driver.
Speaking of "making up numbers" thats exactly what Western Electric is going to do.
You think an American Company is going to make a quad of new EL-34's for less than $100 buck, not a chance.

 

[JMP/HBE]

Bottom-line is vacuum tubes are dying off. US Companies bailed 45 years ago. There is no one Company thats going to "save the tube industry" or meet the needs of the worlds guitar players.
There will always be some sort of vacuum tubes floating around. whether they will be worth a crap or the money they ask for is up to individual interpretation.

 

[Gtrjunior]

I spend $100 or more on NOS Amperex ECC-83 / 12AX7's all the time. I don't use current production tubes except maybe as a loop driver.
Speaking of "making up numbers" thats exactly what Western Electric is going to do.
You think an American Company is going to make a quad of new EL-34's for less than $100 buck, not a chance.

$100 for a quad of American made El34’s is a great price. I’d pay that all day long.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Western Electric is selling their 300Bs for $1499 per matched pair. They're either going to target the high end market for guitar players or alter their business model.

Right, I get that. But the article mentions they would sell guitar based tubes at a reasonable price. Now, “reasonable” varies from consumer to consumer, of course. And nobody is going to pay $1300.
But for $25-30 each for an American EL34…I feel that’s more than reasonable. We will just have to wait and see what kind of prices they slap on their products, I suppose.

 

[JMP/HBE]

$100 for a quad of American made El34’s of is a great price. I’d pay that all day long.

Um yeah who wouldn't. Maybe in 1967 but never in 2022.
Russian EL-34 quads were $98 3 weeks ago. Now $300+ if you can even find them.
Lots of vendors have them just sitting on them.
Vacuum tubes are the new Crack.

 

[NegativeEase]

Right, I get that. But the article mentions they would sell guitar based tubes at a reasonable price. Now, “reasonable” varies from consumer to consumer, of course. And nobody is going to pay $1300.
But for $25-30 each for an American EL34…I feel that’s more than reasonable. We will just have to wait and see what kind of prices they slap on their products, I suppose.

Im pretty familiar with WE, if they USA build tubes -I'm guessing that they will be double the cost of Russians just based on their scale, workforce and their focus as a business -which is prestige/esoteric audio goods

So 200 for a USA quad will be my guess.

 

[JMP/HBE]

Im pretty familiar with WE, if they USA build tubes -I'm guessing that they will be double the cost of Russians just based on their scale, workforce and their focus as a business -which is prestige/esoteric audio goods

So 200 for a USA quad will be my guess.

Well if it were right now Russian are going for $300 a quad so by your logic WE would be $600 a quad.
But would they even sound good or last is a different thing all together.
For $600 id rather have a quad of proven RFT Siemens.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Um yeah who wouldn't. Maybe in 1967 but never in 2022.
Russian EL-34 quads were $98 3 weeks ago. Now $300+ if you can even find them.
Lots of vendors have them just sitting on them.
Vacuum tubes are the new Crack.

You’re the one that said $100 a quad. I’m just using your numbers.
Where are you seeing Russian tubes at $300.
Here is a screenshot of tube depot. The EH 6CA7 are $28 each. If we round up to 30 that is $120/quad.

 

[NegativeEase]

You’re the one that said $100 a quad. I’m just using your numbers.
Where are you seeing Russian tubes at $300.
Here is a screenshot of tube depot. The EH 6CA7 are $28 each. If we round up to 30 that is $120/quad.

Agree, my sweetwater guy called me this week, Russian tube prices have risen 3-5 dollars a piece. And a lot of stuff if flowing in and backorder times are decreasing.

My local store hasnt raised their JJ prices and they have the in stock.

People are buying from turds apparently.

 

[chadd]

Right, I get that. But the article mentions they would sell guitar based tubes at a reasonable price. Now, “reasonable” varies from consumer to consumer, of course. And nobody is going to pay $1300.
But for $25-30 each for an American EL34…I feel that’s more than reasonable. We will just have to wait and see what kind of prices they slap on their products, I suppose.

"Reasonable" means different things to different people. Expect them to be 3-4x that price and if it turns out to be less, it's a bonus.

 

[misterwhizzy]

I spend $100 or more on NOS Amperex ECC-83 / 12AX7's all the time. I don't use current production tubes except maybe as a loop driver.

If you do it all the time, I don't think your money is that well-spent. The only problem I've had with 12AX7s is not liking the sound of JJs and Tung-Sols failing in the cathode follower position. Those are easy for me to work around.

Speaking of "making up numbers" thats exactly what Western Electric is going to do.
You think an American Company is going to make a quad of new EL-34's for less than $100 buck, not a chance.

I specifically said 12AX7. I never mentioned power tubes at all. And like GtrJunior said, I'd HAPPILY pay $100 for a quad of American-made EL34s.

I'm hopeful and cautiously optimistic they'll get this done, and we can all start watching NOS v. WE YouTube videos when it'd be much more productive to change speakers or amplifiers.