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Curated Re-Tubing Kit

Aloha_Ark

Active member
Joined
Apr 2, 2020
Messages
154
Interesting one stop shopping:

https://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and...Set_for_Fender_Deluxe_Reverb_Black Panel.html

I suppose this saves time surfing Ebay for the right complement of tubes, but how are good are Genalex tubes? Kits for other popular amps such as the Fender '57 Champ Reissue are based on JJ and Ruby tubes.

Related question: After so many decades since manufacture, why are NOS RCA black plate tubes still in abundance? They are my tube of choice, yet confirmation bias could be tricking me into thinking they are/were the creme de la creme.
 

PaulLaRue

New member
Joined
Jul 2, 2003
Messages
268
Tubes are just another tone seeking area for guitarist's to explore.
Knowledge & experience of tubes and their effect on your sound is worth reading about and experimenting with.
Modern tubes are ok but the vintage brands offer so much more.
Besides tone, the best thing about expensive NOS tubes is their durability, last years longer than modern tubes.
I always install NOS tubes in my amps and always will.

Sorry no experience with modern Genalex glass.
Vintage tubes are still in abundance because millions were made.
 

sonar

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
Lots of old, tired glass out there. They can still sound good and are durable, but you're going to pay extra for "NOS" or "NIB" grade examples.

Some modern power tubes are decent and worth a look.

I've never been a fan of modern 9-pin preamp tubes. Too many microphonic problems I've had to deal with over the years.
 

thejaf

Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2006
Messages
527
Lots of old, tired glass out there. They can still sound good and are durable, but you're going to pay extra for "NOS" or "NIB" grade examples.

Some modern power tubes are decent and worth a look.

I've never been a fan of modern 9-pin preamp tubes. Too many microphonic problems I've had to deal with over the years.

I second this exactly.

Some great new power tubes have been Ruby EL34BSTR, and the JJ 6L6GC.

My favorite preamp tubes over the last 20 years are still old Mullards pulled from broken PAs, stereos, and organs. They are old and worn in but still test strong and sound oh so creamy.
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
Most of the valves I use in my personal amps are 50-65 years old. I have at least 100 preamp valves made by Mullard, Brimar, Telefunken, Amperex, Tungsram & Ei. The majority of my output valves are M.O.Valve, Mullard, etc. Most are NOS (80%) but some are ANOS. My amps use KT-66, EL-37's, EL-84's & EL-34's. There's not much in the way of newly manufactured valves that sound great to me. These old valves were made by folks who gave a shit about what they did, had considerably better materials to work with and had years of training on how to build them.
The biggest problem with new stuff today is the materials used today aren't near as good and the chemicals used to treat the Mu-metals aren't nearly as good due to EU/CE regulations and and U.S. regulations. the other problem is with the advent of digital people figure why should I spend a small fortune on great audio gear when I can but a $100. set of crap speakers, a $100. amp and Shit speakers. The audio industry has been "dumbed down" by the [FONT=&quot]Millennials[/FONT] <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} span.EmailStyle15 {mso-style-type:personal; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; color:windowtext;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:12.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}</style> who think nothing of listening to an MP3 that has only 5-10% of the original audio information.
No Thanks! I'd rather listen to LP's through my British made NAD turntable going into my 1962 Fisher 800C to my late Sixties BIC Venturi speakers(I swapped out the 10" drivers ages ago for a pair of Sixties Altec drivers that one would find in a guitar amp). Sure, back in the 70's I had a Technics turntable, cassette deck and Receiver, but as they broke I went back to the good stuff..Anyway...
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I've run across a bunch of places that you can get tube kits for amps - just plug in what you have, and they'll often give a good/better/best options.
 

akstrat61

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Messages
1,845
I recently bought a '65 BFSR out of some elderly guys closet. :dude: When I cleaned the amp up the original tubes were crazy dusty/dirty. Went to wipe them off and "Mullard" from the recitifier tube just vanished in front of my eyes. Needless to say, the RCA's are still dusty! Point being, I was an avid collector of vintage amps and guitars for many years. The vintage game has changed so much and the fun has vanished for me. On rare occasions, like this BFSR, I will buy something.:salude

I guess my point is, I'm wondering how hard it would be to ink new tubes to look NOS? Not that I have any proof, just throwing it out there. Where there is profit to make, crooks will lurk. As always, buyers beware! BTW, I must have bought three or four TV repairmans old stock of tubes, maybe 3000-4000 tubes, and most of them are junk to vinatge amp guys. I wonder where all these stashes of NOS are coming from?:hmm:hmm
 

ampdan

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
434
Modern tubes are like disposable razors. Just like a lot of the mass produced amps made today.
What are now NOS tubes, and the vintage amps myself and many others own, were just made better.
You can use either tube type in either amp. You can keep replacing the modern tubes, or buy NOS.
Most legitimate vendors of NOS tubes bought their stock decades ago when they were still plentiful.
I was buying sealed cases of WW2 era JAN tubes into the 80's.
The NOS tubes are still out there because everything used to be tube powered. Thus, millions were manufactured.
 
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