Vintage tubes

[H]

Just got back from a local guitar shop that has taken delivery of the new Orange Divo tube tester.

 

I've got four pairs of 1950's and early 60's 6L6 Tung Sols and they all came up good Result!

[Kuz]

IMHO, the real vintage tubes to get are preamp tubes (12AX7s, 12AT7s, ect...). If they are NOS or test out fine, they will last for 10-15 years if not longer.

 

RCA 12AX7 short black plates are worth their wait in GOLD.

 

If you are using those vintage power tubes with new preamp tubes..... then in my opinion you are negating any benefit and wasting your money.

 

Again, just my opinion, yours may vary.

[H]

A valid opinion, Kuz.

 

All good vintage tubes are becoming scarcer by the day. Modern production quality is rarely to the standard of those made in the tubes heyday. The available tubes command a premium, sometimes crazy prices...

 

I like my amps to sound good but I won't pay over the odds for negligible gains. My 6L6s were free

[bolero]

yeah I was lucky to find a quad of NOS GEC KT66's a few years ago, I'm afraid to know what they would cost these days!

[212Mavguy]

800 bucks easy.

[hinesarchtop]

What a score. I've developed a pretty good stash over the years. It's nice to have them for experimenting.

[MrB]

Some random tube thoughts,

 

When I sold my '68 Twin Reverb last year, all but one of the tubes was still original,

and the amp sounded fantastic. I bought a small Carvin amp a few years ago and

the tubes didn't even last a year.

I recently retubed my '66 Ampeg J12, and the NOS tubes cost me over $50 each.

The boxes they came in had the original prices on them, less than $2 each.

(when I invent a time machine, I'm going shopping in the '60's, gonna make a

killing when I get back here/now)

I've been told that most new amps are designed around the new tubes, so there

is not as great an advantage in getting NOS tubes for these. Though that's

probably not true for the boutique amps that are built with vintage tubes.

 

Mr B

[shook494]

So is it a bad idea to put vintage tubes in a new/amp? I'm kinda slow in the amp area.......

[212Mavguy]

Depends on the amp in question and tube type.

[bolero]

I wouldn't bother using old tubes in a modern gainy amp

 

They are most noticeable in a more basic uncluttered circuit IMO

 

My amp of choice would be a jtm45

 

A single ended amp you could swap out el34 kt66 6l6 5880 power tubes would be fun and you'd only need 1 of each so it wouldn't break the bank!!

 

My 100w Marshall uses 4 of those kt66's....ouch

 

But they're so well made I'll get a decade out of them , easy

[shook494]

Cool. The reason I was asking is because I'm looking at a low watt single channel amp.

[smurph1]

In my single channel Gibsonette amp which runs about 17 watts I think, a friend installed a RCA blackplate tube in the pre amp (I think) I'm kind of slow with all this technical stuff..But I know this much..The amp Sounds Great!! It's this beat to hell 1959 tweed amp, but when I plug that P-90 equipped H-137 into it, it just sings!! It's like they were made for each other!!

[shook494]

I'm glad you mentioned the 137 with P 90's. I want one of those so bad. One day.

[smurph1]

I'm glad you mentioned the 137 with P 90's. I want one of those so bad. One day.

Great Gits!!

[rockabilly69]

Many new tube amps, like my TopHat are built around new tubes and they sound fine with newer model tubes. But

I have swapped many tubes in and out of amps and I'm convinced NOS tubes are better and last longer. Those

short plate RCA's that Kuz mentions are great, because of their construction they seem to be way less microphonic

and are especially good in the V1 position of all my amps. I personally am a fan of the green label Sylvania tubes,

and Amperex Bugle Boys.