N.O.S. tube supply here in Portland, OR is excellent with electronics salvage dealers selling Mullard, Tele and Amperex small signal tubes,12Ax7, 12AT7, 12AU7, for as little as $3.50 each. Power tubes are less plentiful but good examples of EL-34, 6550 and 6L6 can be had for under $15.00 each. Even on the net fine small signal tubes can be purchased for under $25.00 and Power tubes under $80.00. If you spend seven grand on an amp what's another six hundred to retube every three years. Under twenty-five dollars a month. There seems to be no shortage of quality tubes at all. If that isn't enough many of the tubes from the former Soviet block are getting much better in quality. I recently sampled the Svetlana EL-34 and it is of excellent quality; the Sovtek 12AX7 seems to be improving quite markedly also. Don't sweat it. Uncle Sam alone has enough tubes to keep all of us going until the next century. Happy hunting.
When the Power Tubes Run Out
A lot of you have nice amps that essentially require quality NOS tubes. Do you have any plans about what you are going to do when you get cut out of the diminishing tube-trade loop? Or are you like Dubya?...By the time tubes run out someone will have thought of a substitute. I don't see a sub of equal quality on the horizon. No one is insane enough to spend the money in order make them like they used to for such a small market. And even if they did, the price of those tubes would make the NOSes look like a dime a dozen. But maybe i'm wrong.
So SS for you, then? *Cringe*, i'm sure:) Any idea if or how the industry (e.g. high-end tube amp manufacturers and/or SS companies) will respond when the supply becomes critically low?
So SS for you, then? *Cringe*, i'm sure:) Any idea if or how the industry (e.g. high-end tube amp manufacturers and/or SS companies) will respond when the supply becomes critically low?
4 responses Add your response
