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I originally posted this wall of text in another thread,
And thought it would be better to post it here w/ a link in that thread instead.Fred.
I wanted to post some useful info that I've learned about tubes over the Years as a collector/Roller of them:
Vintage tubes generally offer a better experience than new tubes, even better than the ones made with the old GE equipment in Mother Russia.
Vintage Military variants of tubes, often with JHS,JAN, JG, etc. in the prefix can offer an even better experience....usually ruggedized & more thoroughly tested/screened.
Cryogenically treated tubes will also offer a better listening experience as well.
Opening a New Old Stock (NOS) & New In Box (NIB) by gently squeezing the opposing corners in such a fashion as to allow the tab to come out unrestricted, so as to not rip of the tab.
Triple mica spacers instead of 2 generally offer a quieter tube, (but not necessarily better sounding)
Some tube sellers on eBay will list tubes as triple mica & they are wrong:
the third (top) spacer is actually getter flashing....a real mica spacer only touches the sides of the envelope (tube) in places....a getter flash shield does not touch at all & is perfectly round.
Do not under any circumstance buy vintage tubes from pacific rim countries unless You are a gifted gambler...
-the counterfeiters are getting better & better. Australia is an exception, as the geography required a lot more Hamtube Variants.
Real vintage Tubes will be able to have the printing removed with a thumbnail, or something similar....Counterfeit tubes are usualy very difficult to do this on. (I may be able to help identify a tube, if need be)
Real Telefunken Tubes have a diamond pressed into the base during fabrication.
Real Mullard tubes have seams on the top, a sort of cross in raised lines.
There are many different numbers assigned to many different variants of tubes...a little research can sometimes locate the "holy Grail" tube for a particular circuit.
After the mid 1960's the manufacturers started subcontracting to other countries; you can get an amperex made in japan, or a GE tube made by Mullard
When I say "experience", I mean several things:
Consistency. Very important in the recording/Referencing I do....today's top-shelf tubes test well at first...but after awhile they can change quite a bit.
While testing equipment for New tubes has come a long way,so has the metal they make them with, lol. ( A vintage tube's metal was not reconstituted scrap)
Lifespan. A Vintage Sylvania Gold Brand Grey Plate triple mica 5751 is rated @ 65,000 hours, Military & Hospital equipment rated tubes will last longer than other tubes, generally..
Sensitivity. When I play Guitar, personally prefer a distortion just on the edge of breaking up,
so when I hit hard it kicks in, and when I play softly it is cleaner...a good tube does this much more smoothly, with a wider range of sensitivity.
Sound Quality. Can be quite subjective, & there are many variables... You are gonna hate me for saying this, but often two identical tubes will sound quite different.
(but burning them in & letting them warm up sufficiently them in helps a lot.)
Fwiw,I have some amperex bugle boy 12AX7's that were rebranded as Electrohome,
and they actually peg the needle on My Tube Tester...stronger than any other NOS 12AX7 I have.
I have lists of the variants for the tubes I utilize, There are probably several for the tubes you need,
Brent Jesse Recording has a site that sells & lists most variants, and often writes about their respective scarcity & quality.
and yes,I am a tube roll-a-holic.
And thought it would be better to post it here w/ a link in that thread instead.Fred.
I wanted to post some useful info that I've learned about tubes over the Years as a collector/Roller of them:
Vintage tubes generally offer a better experience than new tubes, even better than the ones made with the old GE equipment in Mother Russia.
Vintage Military variants of tubes, often with JHS,JAN, JG, etc. in the prefix can offer an even better experience....usually ruggedized & more thoroughly tested/screened.
Cryogenically treated tubes will also offer a better listening experience as well.
Opening a New Old Stock (NOS) & New In Box (NIB) by gently squeezing the opposing corners in such a fashion as to allow the tab to come out unrestricted, so as to not rip of the tab.
Triple mica spacers instead of 2 generally offer a quieter tube, (but not necessarily better sounding)
Some tube sellers on eBay will list tubes as triple mica & they are wrong:
the third (top) spacer is actually getter flashing....a real mica spacer only touches the sides of the envelope (tube) in places....a getter flash shield does not touch at all & is perfectly round.
Do not under any circumstance buy vintage tubes from pacific rim countries unless You are a gifted gambler...
-the counterfeiters are getting better & better. Australia is an exception, as the geography required a lot more Hamtube Variants.
Real vintage Tubes will be able to have the printing removed with a thumbnail, or something similar....Counterfeit tubes are usualy very difficult to do this on. (I may be able to help identify a tube, if need be)
Real Telefunken Tubes have a diamond pressed into the base during fabrication.
Real Mullard tubes have seams on the top, a sort of cross in raised lines.
There are many different numbers assigned to many different variants of tubes...a little research can sometimes locate the "holy Grail" tube for a particular circuit.
After the mid 1960's the manufacturers started subcontracting to other countries; you can get an amperex made in japan, or a GE tube made by Mullard
When I say "experience", I mean several things:
Consistency. Very important in the recording/Referencing I do....today's top-shelf tubes test well at first...but after awhile they can change quite a bit.
While testing equipment for New tubes has come a long way,so has the metal they make them with, lol. ( A vintage tube's metal was not reconstituted scrap)
Lifespan. A Vintage Sylvania Gold Brand Grey Plate triple mica 5751 is rated @ 65,000 hours, Military & Hospital equipment rated tubes will last longer than other tubes, generally..
Sensitivity. When I play Guitar, personally prefer a distortion just on the edge of breaking up,
so when I hit hard it kicks in, and when I play softly it is cleaner...a good tube does this much more smoothly, with a wider range of sensitivity.
Sound Quality. Can be quite subjective, & there are many variables... You are gonna hate me for saying this, but often two identical tubes will sound quite different.
(but burning them in & letting them warm up sufficiently them in helps a lot.)
Fwiw,I have some amperex bugle boy 12AX7's that were rebranded as Electrohome,
and they actually peg the needle on My Tube Tester...stronger than any other NOS 12AX7 I have.
I have lists of the variants for the tubes I utilize, There are probably several for the tubes you need,
Brent Jesse Recording has a site that sells & lists most variants, and often writes about their respective scarcity & quality.
and yes,I am a tube roll-a-holic.
