Nos Tubes

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Anybody take the leap and purchase New Old Stock tubes , you know old tubes that have never been used . I have a friend who bought out the complete tube inventory of a tv repair shop about 20 years ago , he has a treasure trove of Tubes ... and gives me great deals , I use NOS RCA blackplates in my old fenders power section and either RCA , MULLARD , or JAN PHILIPS in the pre section . there is a definitive difference .
There are tons of sources for NOS tubes on line and lots of help in chosing the right tube for the sound you want , yeah they are pricey but i think that they make such a difference in tone that its worth the price ..
I've found that some of the soviet military tubes are excellent as well and have very long life and are cheaper , just wondering what everyone else thinks...

[Tone2TheBone]

6S9L - If I ever snag a Fender amp again I'm gonna try the NOS route. I read about lots of great results using them in the older amps. I wish I had an amp like Nelskie's Super to try them in really.

[333maxwell]

Anybody take the leap and purchase New Old Stock tubes , you know old tubes that have never been used . I have a friend who bought out the complete tube inventory of a tv repair shop about 20 years ago , he has a treasure trove of Tubes ... and gives me great deals , I use NOS RCA blackplates in my old fenders power section and either RCA , MULLARD , or JAN PHILIPS in the pre section . there is a definitive difference .
There are tons of sources for NOS tubes on line and lots of help in chosing the right tube for the sound you want , yeah they are pricey but i think that they make such a difference in tone that its worth the price ..
I've found that some of the soviet military tubes are excellent as well and have very long life and are cheaper , just wondering what everyone else thinks...

I used to go the NOS route.. ended up realizing I could afford a vintage amp on the savings by using new tubes.

To be honest, I have mulled over the issue and had many a day of swapping a set for another and listening..

As one can easily purchase 2 NOS tubes for 150 bucks and then blow them out a few days later.. I suppose it is like anything.. if you have the money it's a fine hobby.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandid=676362

[Bloozcat]

Anybody take the leap and purchase New Old Stock tubes , you know old tubes that have never been used . I have a friend who bought out the complete tube inventory of a tv repair shop about 20 years ago , he has a treasure trove of Tubes ... and gives me great deals , I use NOS RCA blackplates in my old fenders power section and either RCA , MULLARD , or JAN PHILIPS in the pre section . there is a definitive difference .
There are tons of sources for NOS tubes on line and lots of help in chosing the right tube for the sound you want , yeah they are pricey but i think that they make such a difference in tone that its worth the price ..
I've found that some of the soviet military tubes are excellent as well and have very long life and are cheaper , just wondering what everyone else thinks...

Consider yourself fortunate that you have such a friend! NOS blackplates and Mullards cost a fortune on the open market today...and the JAN Philips aren't exactly cheap anymore either.

I've spent more money on NOS tubes than I care to think about. Yes, they can make a difference, especially in vintage circuits that were designed around these tubes. In new circuits that were designed around available new manufacture tubes, the difference is not always so great.

I have a '65 Bandmaster that is loaded with NOS, and it's the only way to go with that amp, IMHO. I have one Crate Vintage Club 30 that loves the Polam/Telam NOS tubes that I have in it along with an assortment of NOS pre-amp tubes. But my Vintage Club 20 seems just as happy with a combo of NOS EL84's and new manufacture pre-amp tubes. It just depends upon the amp.

The good news is that there are some great new manufacture tubes coming out on the market lately. The New Sensor Tung Sol reissues are a great example. Their 5881 reissues are hard to tell from the NOS, and their reissue 12AX7's have killer tone - warm, fat, harmonically balanced, and musical. Unless I stumble upon a really great deal on NOS, I'll opt for the TS 12AX7's as my first choice from now on.

[Bobbo]

I used to deal in vintage tubes on Ebay for a long time .. I would suggest buying a cheap tube tester and giving some NOS tubes a shot ...

[Spudman***]

Holy thread resurrection!

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Holy Member resurection ..lol ...

[duhvoodooman***]

Holy Member resurection ..lol ...

Yeah, you ain't kidding! LTNS, Mike! What's happening?

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Hey there yourself pedal maker to the stars .. great to see everything is still rockin round these parts .. what a great job you mods and Robert have done maintaing an interesting and informative forum , congrats ...... btw Rob my ZYS needs a paint job ..lol How are things goin with you , opps better move this catch up bit to a different thread before the mods nail me for straying off of the nos tube topic ..

[Bloozcat]

I used to deal in vintage tubes on Ebay for a long time .. I would suggest buying a cheap tube tester and giving some NOS tubes a shot ...

Bobbo...from mylespaul forum...welcome aboard!