Power tube life ?

[Tone Slinger]

Which current (I know,, old shit is THE shit in this department) power tubes hold out the longest ?

I'd rather fancy a timeline on a amp that is being used hard in this example.

JJ gets good marks (Svetlana's (el-34) were in my JCM 800 2205 when my last 'electric' gigs were over. No problems, though I knew they needed rebiasing after I initially bludgeoned them (they sounded REAL good a few minutes in after installing them, then settled in to a lesser tone performance).

I have MORE sovtek and EH (the same saratov Russia plant) SPENT tubes than any. Chinese (Shuguang) is a close second. These were gathered from all the used 800 series Marshalls I've used since '89 or so( the tubes always being GONE in these when I bought them). I've seen far less JJ and Svetlana (now winged C).

I guess I've sort of answered my question (though TONE is another topic) ?

[elronhoover]

Which current (I know,, old shit is THE shit in this department) power tubes hold out the longest ?

That is pretty tough to nail down to absolutes. There are several parameters that can affect power tube lifespan, particularly the operational voltages and (most important IMO) related bias setting, how the amp is used, and the construction/vacuum of an individual tube. These are all variables that make such predictions difficult.

Suppose there are 2 identical amps, with identical voltages, and set to the identical bias, each using say one pair of a perfectly matched quad of same production date tubes. Both amps are played for 3 hours/day every day; one by Country Clem on his Willie Nelson cover gig w/ the vol at 4, and the other by Death Metal Dave (not me!) sludging out 2 finger drop tuned gut shakers w/ the vol dimed. Gonna be a difference in power tube lifespan of the same tubes for sure.

That said, and assuming you mean specifically EL34's, I get pretty good mileage out of svet and/or wing C's. For example, in a '76 hiwatt 50 that runs high 400v's on the plates which I use as much if not more totally cranked for bass as I do for medium cranked guitar. I don't gig w/ it, but I use it a lot every week, and I can get about 4-5 years out of a pair before they start to crap out.

I have some EH, JJ, and sovtek el34's, but I cant tell you how long they last comparably because I found the svet/wing C's to sound a lot better to my ears, so I've never used 'em for any length of time. ;^)

My personal gauge is to swap in a new set of power tubes and listen when I hear the low end start to get ratty or an overall dullness is noticed in any of my amps. 99% of the time I get that bottom back and the new tubes stay in. But it's always a lot longer service life than somebody like Aspen Pittman would recommend (what a surprise!)..


Dave

[Tone Slinger]

Thanks for the response. It seems that most guy's ('classic' rock being the focus) really like the St. Petersburg tubes (I hate how a simple name is of consequince , like Svetlana or winged c, etc). For regular el-34 type TONE I actually must say that Straight EH (not the Mullard) El-34's sound the best (the mids are very smooth and pronounced) though I do hear a bit of harsh type qualities within certain chordal riffage. The svet's were a little bit more 'mellow' in all regards.

Certain circuits (like you mentioned) will bring out different qualities in tubes. I tend to dislike 'stock' things . I really like certain JJ tubes, though vintage purists seem to discard them outright. I certainly wish I had more OLD stuff to compare.

[elronhoover]

Thanks for the response. It seems that most guy's ('classic' rock being the focus) really like the St. Petersburg tubes (I hate how a simple name is of consequince , like Svetlana or winged c, etc). For regular el-34 type TONE I actually must say that Straight EH (not the Mullard) El-34's sound the best (the mids are very smooth and pronounced) though I do hear a bit of harsh type qualities within certain chordal riffage. The svet's were a little bit more 'mellow' in all regards.

Certain circuits (like you mentioned) will bring out different qualities in tubes. I tend to dislike 'stock' things . I really like certain JJ tubes, though vintage purists seem to discard them outright. I certainly wish I had more OLD stuff to compare.

There ya go, and you did answer your own question heh heh. They're (current production) all cheap enough that I wouldn't worry about lifespan enough to sacrifice the tone you like, which is subjective anyways. Power tubes are only part of the equation too, guits, fx, speakers, cabs, and down to musical & playing style are all factors.

And the last thing I'd lose sleep over is what anyone, vintage purist or otherwise, thought about my tube brand preference. You like what you like. I have some NOS tubes that were considered dogs by the 'experts' vs. what else was available back when I bought them, but I like the way they sound, they are quality built, have lasted long and served me well for years, and I got a pile of 'em really cheap to boot due to said dog status. ;^)

Dave

[Tone Slinger]

Thanks 'bro. I tend to agree with you. I only have a few tubes that are older and BETTER (I got a late '80's Chinese 12ax7 that is a flame thrower !). Most of my older stuff ISNT better than my newer stuff. I'm sure I will hit gold someday with the vintage stuff, and find 1st quality 'representative' type stuff (but hey, maybe thats just hype ?) Hearing is believing.

[elronhoover]

Thanks 'bro. I tend to agree with you. I only have a few tubes that are older and BETTER (I got a late '80's Chinese 12ax7 that is a flame thrower !). Most of my older stuff ISNT better than my newer stuff. I'm sure I will hit gold someday with the vintage stuff, and find 1st quality 'representative' type stuff (but hey, maybe thats just hype ?) Hearing is believing.

In today's $$, the vintage stuff, for me is 1) way too much $$ and 2) picked over to the point that the good 'old' stuff is long gone in most cases. So that leaves us to work with what's available. So, you grab a set of each and try 'em out, cheap enough to do.

To quote Dave Mustaine "see these things on my head, they're my ears, they're not f***in' painted on, and I use 'em"

And that's probably the only time I'll ever quote Dave Mustaine ;^)

Dave (not Mustaine)

[Tone Slinger]

Good one , .