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So I keep wanting to get another tube amp for the rare occasion I want that sound. I was reading a post today on FB and old pro Fusion player and complaining about being ripped off by NOS tube that tested weak and probably used. Then reading the posts on finding and costs of good tubes. So I keep getting close to pulling the trigger on another tube anp and I run into tube stories. So I wonder those of you who use tube amps all the time about how much a year are you spending on tubes and tube related maintenance?
Just curious.
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11-14-2014 03:25 AM
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I use tube amps. Tubes last a long time...unless they are (a) crappy or (b) roached out by someone who runs an amp on 12 all the time with a tube screamer engaged. Halfway decent--JJ, EH, Tung Sol, Mullard--tubes should work for years in a jazz amp. They do for me.
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Buying a few good preamp tubes is a good idea. I would not personally worry about nos power tubes, just my opinion.
That being said, I stuck brand new gt power tubes in a marshall and promptly ripped them out and threw some ancient ones I had back in. The gt sounded terrible.
I believe V1 is the most important "tone" wise btw.
Good luck!!!
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Power tubes last a long time when not driven real hot. If you use a pre-amp pedal with a lot of gain dialed in you may wear the pre-amp tubes too. But at my (and probably most folks here) playing levels with decent airflow and a cool room I don't worry about them much. Few amps use a rectifier tube so the power stage is more reliable on current amps too.
I expect I'll always want a tube amp around, I say go for it!
You may find like me that the allure of solid state won't go away either... the greatest advantages to solid state amps is they're available used inexpensively so I can have one in every room, they're generally light, disposable and some sound pretty darn good too.
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If you play Jazz at low volume, good preamp valves should last a lifetime, I've got British Military spec Mullard's in my Deluxe Reverb, I've had no problems.
I've built amps and added more gain on the preamp valves and they did burn out.
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I've never "had" to replace tubes. With my amp, it's wired so I can use different tubes for different sounds (i.e., 6L6, EL34, 6550, 5881, etc.), and I experiment with that at times, but my tubes have lasted years.
Come to the Dark Side ....
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Never had to change tubes yet . They will last a long time .
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I bought my tube amp used two and a half years ago, i don't know what the tubes have endured before
Never touched the preamp tubes, and I know they are the original ones
I had to change the power tubes after one year of "my" use. I put the "new" tubes that seller gave me with the amp, so I'm not sure they were really new. I had to let them break up before being able to get the "jazz tone" I had before.
Pretty sure preamp tubes last "for ever"
Power tubes life depends on the use, for jazz, long enough
Only rockers have to vote for a tube replacement budget every year.
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I had a Vibro - Champ for decades with original tubes. I sold a 30 year old silver face Champ with original tubes. I have a Teisco 50 watt amp with 50 year old tubes.
Just don't go nuts with stomp boxes.Last edited by Greentone; 11-14-2014 at 03:19 PM.
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I run tubes in both my guitar amps and audio gear. The small signal tubes (preamp) last a very long time. Many of the tubes I use have date codes from the 50s. Power tubes are usually good for about 2000-3000 hours. I've owned a Deluxe Reverb since 1987 and it still has 60s RCA power tubes. They still test strong.
For my audio gear, which gets about 15-20 hours of use per week, I find that I need to replace the power tubes every 3-4 years.
Most of my tube were purchased in the 1980s at garage and estate sales. It was fairly common to find lots of NOS boxes for cheap. Those days are long gone. Buy from reputable dealers who stand behind their product. I've had good experiences with Jim McShane for audio power tubes.
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Thanks all.
I never used overdrive/distortion pedals never liked the buzzy sound, it was always organic amp overdrive for me. Did have to re-tube and get the solder joints all touched up on my Mesa-Boogie back when I had it. So I guess with what I play these days a good set of tubes should last a LONG time. Now back to finding an amp.
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Same experience as the others for me. They should last years. I experiment a little with a different v1 tube (5751 in place of v1 12ax7) and maybe buy a couple a year to do that.
I also don't believe in spending much on NOS tubes. I believe the current production JJ and Tung Sol tubes are solid and the difference in tone isn't great enough to justify the cost difference.
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I DO find that NOS tubes are better, but you have to go with very reputable sources to find truly NOS tubes, these days. Most of us bought them all up back in the day.
For my everyday amps I use new tubes without complaint. For the one or two special amps I use NOS--very expensive.
My exception to the rule is that I use NOS rectifier tubes exclusively. They are uniformly better than the new stuff...but quite expensive. Then, again, they will last forever if used appropriately. (I have only had one rectifier tube, a 5Y3GT, fail, ever.)
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Marc, my Allen Sweet Spot will accept 6V6's or 6L6's, but requires re-biasing to optimize each. Does your amp have the ability to swap out power tubes without re-biasing? That's a cool feature if it does ...
Originally Posted by marcwhy
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My Mesa Boogie I had in my later working day could use different tubes. In fact the last set of tubes they mixed 2x6L6 and 2xEL?? power tubes. I sold the amp back to who I bought it from ten years earlier so its still going strong. He's got his students to help him lug the heavy amp around (Mark IIB in a anvil case). Originally Posted by marcwhy
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I'm sure Marc will reply in detail, but I think he's talking about his Frenzel which allows swapping of power tubes without having to rebias. I've been hitting him up with questions about his Frenzel as I'm interested in one too. Originally Posted by bmw2002
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The 20 watt "Creamer" by Milkman amps also has that feature. Milkman Sound - 20W Creamer
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I love a good 5751 in V1
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I find JJ's work pretty well for most of my standard tube needs. I do like the JJ 6v6's in my Princeton as they have a rounder, more 6L6 type tone. I also replaced the rectifier with a Weber copper cap, mainly for reliability reasons. Otherwise for clean playing I don't find the need to use NOS tubes.
However, for overdrive tones I'd use a few good NOS tubes. In addition to the preamp 12ax7 and the powertubes, a good solid balanced PI tube can make a pretty big difference as well as a good rectifier tube.
In my Pro Jr, I found a JAN 5751 in V1 and a GE 12AU7 in v2 worked wonders for the noise flooor.
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I lean a bit toward new for power tubes, and NOS for the others (I like the Bendix 6106; there is no modern equivalent). I do lots of Internet research before pulling the trigger on a tube purchase. I have had mixed luck with the tubes that came in gear I bought, 100% success with tubes purchased on the Internet. Case in point; bought an old fisher receiver with JJs in it; all its issues went away when I replaced them with EH tubes.
Just replaced the original but worn out RCA power tubes on my '57 deluxe with new tung sol copies. It was time.
Don't know much about electronics, but some elementary trouble shooting with spare tubes can save you a trip to a shop. If an SS amp screws up, it generally means a trip to the land fill.
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I have a ca. 1972 Pro Reverb with the original preamp tubes in it (at least they were the tubes in it when I bought it in 1985). All RCA. I did put some Mesa branded tubes in it for a couple of years but the RCAs sound better for jazz.
I've got a tweed Deluxe clone that I built from a Mission Amps kit. This has been my gigging amp over a year with zero tube issues in that time. I run the signal from the guitar to a Baggs Para DI to do some EQ on the bass side of things and to notch down the Bb on the low E.
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This thought keeps the prices of solid-state used amps down where I like them. I have been able to purchase "junk" SS amps and repair them without too much trouble on many occasions. The deal is, most people can swap out tubes, but few people know how to troubleshoot a solid-state amp. Originally Posted by nopedals
The troubleshooting basics are essentially the same. The voltages, devices, and _some_ of the principles are different. The irony is that although solid-state devices are newer than old tube-style technology devices, often it is the solid-state technology devices that are no longer available. [Many of the ICs and some of the transistors cannot be purchased these days, but you can generally find almost any tube, resistor, choke, or capacitor that you need for a tube amp.]
Still, it is usually possible to recondition a solid-state amp with just a few dollars of parts and a trusty soldering iron.
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Hey Greentone..........sometimes a good cleaning....mainly any push-pull connectors................. Originally Posted by Greentone
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Generally, I agree, what I said was: "lot of gain dialed in you MAY wear the pre-amp tubes" I don't think you can blame all pre burn outs on an overdrive. Originally Posted by GuyBoden
I've built amps and pre-amps also, and was the staff repairman for a store, and I can only say this. The first stage 12ax is the only tube I've tested weaker than the REST when I knew for a fact that the owner over drove the input with a pedal.Last edited by GNAPPI; 11-14-2014 at 05:15 PM.
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I have three tube amps and a tube preamp pedal, is it worth buying a tube tester ? If yes, any recommendations ? If no, where do you buy your low-noise tubes (especially 12AX7s with minimum hiss/hum) ?
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