Best/cheapest place to buy tubes

[lillinator]

I need to retube my Mesa 400+ and I know it's gonna cost a million dollars haha

[JimmyM]

why do you need to retube? had them checked out by a reliable tech? a lot of folks believe tubes need replaced regularly. this is crap. replace tubes when they break, and only replace the broken ones, or in the case of power tubes, the number of tubes required to keep the matching even. not sure how the power tubes in the 400+ are grouped, but for example, in svt's there's 6 of them grouped in triplets, so if one broke, the most i'd need to replace is 3.

[lillinator]

Well here's the thing, my 400+ is used and currently not working. He has a mishmash of tubes in it and I am trying to be prepared for the worst case scenario. I'm having it checked out by a mesa tech but I also have no idea how old the tubes are.

[AdamR]

http://thetubestore.com/

http://www.dougstubes.com/

[lillinator]

Cool thanks. I checked out thetubestore but dougstubes I didn't know about

[coreyfyfe]

9 times out of 10 these guys are cheaper than most

www.tubesandmore.com - for example, they list a pair of JJ 6L6GCs for $34.50 where they're $36.95 at the tubestore and $38 from Doug.

[beans-on-toast]

The mesa tech might want to use mesa power tubes. They have the current prices listed on their web site.

Normally there is a colored dot sticker on the tube base. If your amp originally had green dot stickers for example, and you bought a set of green dot tubes for your amp, you wouldn't need to re-bias the amp. Otherwise your tech will need to change some parts to re-set the bias. It is important to have this done properly to get the optimal sound out of your amp.

The best place to buy tubes is somewhere where they burn them in and match them properly. Places who do this sometimes charge a little more. It is worth the added expense. Other vendors do a match with no burn in and figure that you'll return any problem tubes. It is important to find a good vendor first, then weigh the price.

[derekeugene]

Craigslist! When I needed to replace the power tubes in my svt2pro I found an unused matched sextet of tungsol 6550s for $100. I sold my old used 6550s on there too. Definitely do your research, but don't rule out the 'list.

[Alex1984]

12 EL34s or 6L6GCs should run around $200, it's not actually that different from retubing an SVT, but I'd wait for your tech.

[jastacey]

I've used the Tube Depot and AES and have been very happy with them, just check out their policy on how they deal with bum tube issues

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by jastacey

I've used the Tube Depot and AES and have been very happy with them, just check out their policy on how they deal with bum tube issues

AES is 90 day warranty on all tubes IIRC.

[ZachM]

I ordered some JJ KT88's from Tube Depot not too long ago, and they were friendly and helpful. They shipped my order extremely quickly too, so I'd recommend them.

[Calaverasgrande]

I would advise against tube depot! The last time I ordered =C= 6550 from them they came up with a very spotty batch. And this is after I exchanged several emails about re-tubing my Mesa Bass 400 as well. My amp tech said he had a hard time believeing they were matched at all. He said he could probably have gotten a better matched set pulling random tubes off a shelf!
I would second the tube store. dougs tubes and also reccomend eurotubes, lord valve and triodeonline.
Sorry but I dont know how to track down lord valve. I am on his mailing list which I get sporadically. I think you basically have to get his email address and find the company he works under, which IIRC was NRB or NBS?
As far as how often to retube, I seem to find my amp sounds a lot bolder and more solid in the bass after a re-tube. But this is also easily ascribed to proper biasing.
I play my amp pretty hard in some of the bands I have been in. So I wear the suckers out every other year or so. But then thats just me being picky.
The bass 400+ runs the tubes pretty conservatively so it can last a set of 12 6L6gc for years. Heck a babied set might last decades.