strat0124 Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 I have a couple of Supers and also a Blues Jr, Pro Jr. I have always bought regular ole tubes, not really concerned about whether they were old stock or not. But on a whim, after listening to massive hype from other boards, bought a set, and also got some free from a bandmates Dad. I put the matched set of RCA(NOS) 6L6's and three RCA(NOS)12AX7's in a Super.....and to be honest, I didn't see a night and day difference. I did see a bit more clarity, more headroom before it started to grind. Just wondering what your experiences/perceptions of the NOS phenom the folks are shooting around. The NOS discussion goes hand in hand with the old argument we always hear about PTP and PCB amps. To me that is an easy answer cause the PTP stuff did sound better......but does it sound $1000 better???? For me, rippin in the clubs, it doesn't. If I had a record deal and had more funds, I probably would tour with two blackface Deluxes. But I think there are plenty of amps that sound great just they way they are, brand new. So let me know what you think..... Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 Mullards definitely sounded better. GE's used to sound better than anything else "cheap" at one point. Groove Tubes used to be over rate I thought. Svetlanas may sound better now. I've heard good things about the EH tubes - but they don't actually make their own tubes, do they? There's probably nothing more "voodoo" oriented in the music world than the topic of tube quality.... save maybe guitar strings. ------------------ New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 well...if you are sitting in your living room with lots of disposable income and no background noise like so many of the people that make these claims do, then the answer is a loud YES! and i don't deny it. however, if you are playing a 3rd set at 2am in some dump club for crappy money, competing with ESPN highlights on the TV, then most any tube will sound just fine. the cheap chinese ones are really microphonic though... -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted June 30, 2001 Author Share Posted June 30, 2001 Dguass......man you sure we ain't brothers? You and I think alot alike and have some similar tastes in music etc......I'm in total agreement with you.....I think it's all hogwash....like an audiophile discussing the loss of high frequency in minidiscs or something......too funny. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMan Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 100% PURE BULL!!! NOS=No Earthly Significance I run through a Fender Blues Deluxe(actually two of "em) and I love that amp but NOS tubes offer no noticeable improvement in tone or response! But then the Blues Deluxe was designed around modern tubes... In the past I've owned a few vintage amps (a Fender Pro and a Harvard among others) and NOS may make a small difference with some amps of that era since that is what they were designed with. Sound is such an etherial vapor ( humans have about a 10sec tone memory) therefore all manner of bull is perpetuated such as recording with stupidly expensive apogee converters etc... With audio, it takes a long time until one has enough experience to have their feet under them(the marketing geniouses know this and exploit it to the max) A good guitarist can make a mexican strat thru a transistor amp sound like heaven on earth! "A fool and his money are soon parted" Andrew This message has been edited by GuitarMan on 06-30-2001 at 11:24 PM http://www.mp3.com/TheBottomFeeders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 Tubes definitely have a differant character to them from make to make. The most curious thing I've heard recently (not first hand) is that Electro Harmonix is making a 12ax7 that has "spiral wound" filaments or some such that are much quieter at gain than others - that Boogie and other companies were switching to them because they're so quiet... Anyone else hear that? Tried them? NOS is hit and miss; old tubes are usually a bad deal because they've been banged around so much over time and aren't matched. ------------------ New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 I tend to agree with Andrew that a good guitarist can make a Mexican Strat through a transistor amp sound good. I saw Warren Haynes sit in with a band in Manhattan one night and although the guitarist, with a Mexican Strat and a transistor amp, sounded pretty bad to me as soon as Haynes started playing it sounded like a vintage rig. I could imagine what this guy must sound like through his own equipment since I haven't seen him yet. As far as tubes go I think that there is a very big variety of sounds from tubes of different manufacturers, new an old. So the thing to do is to try them and find which one suits your taste. I would probably only spend the extra money for NOS for a vintage amp. Just because it might be worth it in some "authenticity" mindset. I still think it's B.S. basically. ------------------ Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan My Music: www.javamusic.com/freedomland This message has been edited by gtrmac@hotmail.com on 07-01-2001 at 02:37 AM Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrbreez Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 I just use new tubes because I don't want to get hung up on NOS tubes since they will just get harder and harder to find and eventually impossible to find. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art Posted July 4, 2001 Share Posted July 4, 2001 If you're playing at low volumes and use an amp with a master volume, it's hard to tell the sonic differences. When you start to overdrive the power tubes, that's when things become a bit more noticeable. It is a subtle difference. It's more of a feel thing rather than a sonic thing for me. The response is different. Also, at high volume levels, newer tubes will melt down significantly quicker than quality NOS tubes. A lot of tubes that were made in the the 50s, 60s, and early 70s were designed for industrial and military applications. They were heavy duty. The fate of our country rested on the reliability of these tubes. Obviously, all that has changed now. Everyone uses computer chips now. Okay, okay, I may be exaggerating a bit here. Honestly, I look at NOS tubes the same way I look at vintage guitars and amps. I think that they are way overpriced. Sometimes the quality of the product is poor (after all these items are usually 40-50 years old). However, there are some gems out there. In the end, it's all very subjective. In my honest opinion, if you've got a Marshall TSL2000 use whatever tubes it comes with whether they be Svetlana, Groove Tubes, Tesla, etc.... However, if you've got an old Marshall Super Lead, stick some NOS Mullards in there. Just my humble $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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