• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

NEED HELP WITH TUBES

#6
I've read lots of articles, talked to lots of folks. There are no more Telefunkens, Westinghouse, RCA's etc. Even NOS may be deteriorated as the tube makers employed very exotic formulas with ingredients that do expire, similar to a master chief.

Currently defect rate of the Eastern European, Soviet, and Chinese tube makers exceeds 50%. But as JimmyM mentioned, the J&J's are the 'go to' tube today.
 
#9
It really depends on the tone you're looking for...

For current production tubes, I like JJs, Tung-Sol, and Sovtek 12AX7LPS, but which one I choose depends on the amp and tube position.

All things being equal, I find the LPS the smoothest, the Tung-Sol has the growly mids, and the JJ is bright with low microphonics.
 
#10
Mine is full of Telefunken.
If I had to do it over again, I'd fill it with telefunken again.

Having said that, It takes an Acme box or something else really true to the source to be able to hear any real difference. I don't think those Pre's are especially tube sensitive. Certainly not as sensitive as my SWR stuff.
 
#11
Coolhandjjl said:
I've read lots of articles, talked to lots of folks. There are no more Telefunkens, Westinghouse, RCA's etc. Even NOS may be deteriorated as the tube makers employed very exotic formulas with ingredients that do expire, similar to a master chief.
Click to expand...
who told you that? please tell me so i can send them a scathing letter ;)

i have amps full of nos tubes, and not a single one of them deteriorate from anything except usage, and even then it usually takes a very long time...i'm talking decades. my 73 super reverb still has the power tubes it came with and gets used regularly and the tubes still test as dead nuts matched and strong.

i'd be looking elsewhere for tube advice from now on. whoever told you that obviously has an agenda.
 
#12
Properly tested new old stock (NOS) are the way to go. Militaries, hospitals, and numerous industries relied on tubes in the middle decades in the 20th century, so those tubes were built to last. In my experience, NOS audio tubes nearly always sound the better compared to current production tubes. They're more expensive for a reason. Go with Mullard, Amperex, Telefunken, Siemens, RCA, Westinghouse, JAN Philips, etc.

J/J tubes are probably as good any current production tubes. I like the J/J ECC803S tube.

Coolhandjjl said:
I've read lots of articles, talked to lots of folks. There are no more Telefunkens, Westinghouse, RCA's etc. Even NOS may be deteriorated as the tube makers employed very exotic formulas with ingredients that do expire, similar to a master chief.
Click to expand...
Nonsense. There are plenty of NOS Telefunkens, Westinghouse, & RCA tubes available for purchase. The don't deteriorate when not in use as long as the vacuum remains intact.

Coolhandjjl said:
I suggest contacting Bob at Eurotubes. They are a really great US dealer of J&J tubes (one of the more highly regarded tubes right now, made in Prague).
Click to expand...
J/J tubes are made in Cadca, Slovakia, not Prague.
 
#13
I have some Hospital Grade Telefunken ( long/smooth plate ) 12ax7's in my Trace HexaValve right now. I tried a bunch of brands in there, and to me, that's what sounded best. I also have a bunch of Amperex 12ax7's, they are my second choice to the Telefunkens. Now in my Mesa 400+, I preferred the JJ's over the Tele's and Amperex, different amps sound better with one type of tube over another. Best to try and buy as many different brands as you can and let your ears tell you what you like.
 
#16
I have a couple of the new Tung-Sol gold pin 12AX7s. They sound decent enough (opinions/tastes/amps/settings/ears/tube batches will vary though), but they're more likely to become microphonic and noisy quickly compared to good NOS tubes. The failure rates on these are quite high just like the rest of the current production tubes. A reputable tube dealer will filter out the bad ones, but even the 'good' tubes won't have near the lifespan of a good NOS tube.

twinfallsbass said:
...different amps sound better with one type of tube over another. Best to try and buy as many different brands as you can and let your ears tell you what you like.
Click to expand...
Yeah. This is definitely true. I play old Hiwatt amps that were designed to be used with Mullard pre-amp tubes, and those definitely seem to be the best.

Mesa labeled tubes are made in China, so I'm not surprised the 400/400+ amps are designed for them.
 
#17
scotch said:
Have you tried a Tung Sol reissue?
Click to expand...

Haven't tried the reissue tung-sol 12AX7s but I have a set of the tung-sol reissue 6SL7s in my B-15 and they did a pretty good job with those. Sound good, not really much difference between those and the well worn original tung-sol and sylvanias that came with the amp when I got it (bought new preamp tubes while trying to fix a noise issue, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered). They may not be the best, but they're pretty good for new production.

As far as the OP - depends on how much money you want to spend. If you want to do some tube rolling I'd start with some new production - JJ, higher end sovtek tubes (the tung-sol reissues, mullar reissues, etc). If you want to drop a little more dough, Invalid Link Removed and www.thetubestore.com have a decent selection of NOS tubes.
 
#19
JimmyM said:
i have not. you like?

...
Click to expand...

Yup. Love the Tung's! I've bought about 1/2 dozen of them for various amps, di's and pre's. Haven't gotten a bad one yet. (Not sure about all of these super high failure rate claims. ???) My gear gets pretty abused- hard touring & rough handling... I've had 2 tube failures in 15 years. I guess I'm lucky?

I've done extensive tube-scrutiny in my EBS Valve Drive and Aguilar tube di. For both devices, the Tung Sol's really shined!
 
#20
unfortunately, i've had three tube failures in two years, and each time they were new jj's bought not more than two years ago. considering i've only used 4 or 5 jj's in my amps total, i'd say that's pretty super high. had better luck with sovtek, quite honestly. they do sound good when they work, though.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back