NOS tubes

chris · Post by **chris** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:30 pm

Where do you guys shop for used and nos tubes? At $24 a piece for the mullard reissue 12ax-7's, im thinking I would be better off with a NOS 12ax-7 at least in the V1 position on my amps.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:03 am

Thats very true but the NOS Mullard 12AX7s are probably closer to $100 a peice these days.

dynaman · Post by **dynaman** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:56 pm

Some people sneer at the thought of buying tubes on Ebay but I've had pretty good luck. Let's face it, you aint gonna get a bargain on NOS Mullards if the auction title reads "NOS 12AX7 Mullards No Reserve". But you will get a bargain if the title reads "Baldwin Organ Preamp Tubes" Tons of organ and amp manufactures used high quality tubes made by RCA, Mullard, Tele, etc. and simply had them relabeled with a company logo. Same great tube, new low price.

NOS? Bah. There's lots of used tubes out there with plenty of life left. Cheaper to taste test this way.

Flea markets, garage sales and newspaper ads are a good way to find tubes if your persistant. I've found BOXES of hundreds of tubes at flea markets before. Last year, I checked out an ad for a McIntosh MC240 stereo amp. After I stole that for a cool $700, the dude showed me his attic where I found a pristine Dynaco SCA-35 loaded with Mullard EL84's and Telefunken 12AX7's. The output trannies alone in this unit are worth double his asking price of $50.

Don't forget about buying used amps just for their tubes. I've scored dozens of vintage EL34's by watching for old beater off-brand amps. Usually the costs can be recouped simply by reselling the amp.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:55 pm

Besides, used preamp tubes are a great deal, because apart from the occasional microphonic one you damn near can't kill the things, they last forever and a day. My Telefunkens that I run in my 70's Marshalls are from about '62 or '63 and well used, but they have plenty of life left in them and sound killer.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 4:52 pm

Ive told this story on Univalve.net before but noone replied. I guess they didnt believe me or something because those guys are all about tubes and this story is pretty bad. But OK. Right up until about 5 years ago I lived in a house in Philadelphia since I was in grade school. My best friend to this day lived accross the street and right next to him was this old guy I used to talk to and occassionaly help him out with his computer. So I was pretty friendly with the guy. So I moved out at about 19 and my buddy was still there and a few years ago I went up there and his dad told me the guy had died. So one time after that I was asking his dad for help with a circuit design since he was a pretty technically minded guy and designed and programed robotics for a living. We got on the topic of tubes and he just happened to mention to me just for fun that the old guy that died whose basement Ive been in quite a few times was an old radio hobbyest and owned a store years ago and had an entire garage full of nothing but tubes, components and vintage tube testers etc... He said maybe 5000 tubes or more of all kinds. Now I almost shit my pants. I went right out, knocked on the door, talked to the widow and she tells me she sold all the stuff to some guy for like $1k. She also lays on me that she would have let me take whatever I wanted. She just wanted it out of there.

Talk about an emotional rollorcoaster. Within 1 minute I thought I had a chance at an endless supply of NOS tubes then found out that, yes, I would have had I gotten there earlier. From talking to my friends dad later he told me many or most of the tubes he had werent common types but still

Zoso · Post by **Zoso** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 10:51 pm

That sucks. It's always cool when you can find something like that. I have a buddy who I went to recording school with in Tennessee who scored an old Neumann U47, a couple of Telefunken mics, and a nice RCA ribbon mic off this old lady whose husband used to run a small local radio station somewhere in Southern Tenn. I think he paid $500 for the whole lot.

I have yet to ever have a opportunity like that.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:52 am

I didnt think so either until it was too late. Son of a bitch. There wasnt likely to be EL34s or 84s or other british tubes in there. Maybe though. What was uncommon tubes to my buddies dad may have been british tubes he wasnt used to.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:06 am

I'm always on the lookout when my Dad and I hit the car swap meets, once in a while someone turns up with boxes of tubes. But 99% of the time I see some of the funkiest stuff possible. It's still there because the TV it went to died 40 years ago and no one wants to resurrect an old TV.

Of course I hunt through the boxes anyway, but I've yet to come across a stash of Mullards or Brimars.....