Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2004 3:18 pm Post subject: Tube preferences
What are Robben's preferences for pre amp & output tubes in his rigs these days, what with NOS stuff gradually drying up,(did he ever use those?). Do you guys check out batches of new product, & buy up a bulk stock when you find something he's happy with. Or does he still have a Groove Tubes endorsment deal? Also, if it's decided to tour Europe, & the twins are used, do they get retubed with his current faves?
I think robben uses fresh tubes from GT. Many pro's use NOS tubes but i think robben's got his dumble tweaked for new tubes.
if you test them well and pick the cherries, new tubes can be GREAT. Not all NOS are that good.
Try www.watfordvalves.com they are in the UK but deal a lot with people in the US. The Harma valves they do are good, I've bought EL34's and ECC83's from these people, they test everything.
Other good valves are Ruby, Svetlana and Brimar (NOS) even Mullard if you can get hold of any, the prices on Ebay are a bit mad.
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 11:00 am Post subject:
I agree, NOS are a crapshoot. Like the workmanship of old Gibsons, they are all over the map, unless you get military grade JAN stocks.
For 6L6 output tubes, I stick with Svetlana. No, they are not top notch Mullards but they allways seem to work well. I agree with Scott Lerner that the Sovtek's have to go. Except for the ones with the really thin base (had a few OEM'd in different amps but they don't have anything unique written on them and aren't listed in Sovtek's web site, and the Svetlana's still sounded better)
For preamp tubes I like the Electro Harmonix rebranded things and EI's although you have to get these from someone who screens them like TheTubeStore.com or they can be microphonic. Still waiting to get my hands on a Svetlana 12AX7, should be good based on their beam power tubes.
No longer can we go to the corner drugstore with the tube tester and racks of RCA tubes in the bottom. Now those tubes are collectors items. What is this world coming to? _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 122 Location: Cherry Hill, NJ
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:39 pm Post subject:
Aeolian wrote:
I agree, NOS are a crapshoot. Like the workmanship of old Gibsons, they are all over the map, unless you get military grade JAN stocks.
For 6L6 output tubes, I stick with Svetlana. No, they are not top notch Mullards but they allways seem to work well. I agree with Scott Lerner that the Sovtek's have to go. Except for the ones with the really thin base (had a few OEM'd in different amps but they don't have anything unique written on them and aren't listed in Sovtek's web site, and the Svetlana's still sounded better)
For preamp tubes I like the Electro Harmonix rebranded things and EI's although you have to get these from someone who screens them like TheTubeStore.com or they can be microphonic. Still waiting to get my hands on a Svetlana 12AX7, should be good based on their beam power tubes.
No longer can we go to the corner drugstore with the tube tester and racks of RCA tubes in the bottom. Now those tubes are collectors items. What is this world coming to?
FYI, I have been using JJ ECC83S 12AX7 tubes. I think they sound better than the other 12AX7 tubes. I have been swapping all kinds, including all new brands and a Mullard and Brimar, for months. I keep coming back to the JJ. I am going to give the Mullard another listen tonight now that Andy made a cap change in my head.
For power tubes, I like the Svets and maybe the JJ 6L6. I have both. Mayeb the JJs are a bit brighter. Not sure yet....
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 3:01 pm Post subject: Not a "plug" exactly . . .
other than taking your chances with NOS tubes (I use KCA NOS Tubes with good results) I like Bob Pelka at Eurotubes (all tested, matched JJs all the time) or go through a guy like Myles Rose who is the head of GT's
"Special Applications Group." With those three sources you really cannot go wrong. Bob and Myles will listen to what you want and do their very best to send you tubes that will get you there.
Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 943 Location: Terra Firma, Ether Sea
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 6:00 pm Post subject: Re: Tube preferences
veldt666 wrote:
What are Robben's preferences for pre amp & output tubes in his rigs these days, what with NOS stuff gradually drying up,(did he ever use those?). Do you guys check out batches of new product, & buy up a bulk stock when you find something he's happy with. Or does he still have a Groove Tubes endorsment deal? Also, if it's decided to tour Europe, & the twins are used, do they get retubed with his current faves?
We experiment every once in awhile when Alexander has new product suggestions. Sometimes we change, most times we don't. Alexander currently loves the JJ-Tesla 12AX7S/ECC83's. We tried them, Robben didn't like 'em.
Alexander also very much has a current fondness for the JJ-Tesla 6L6's. We haven't experimented with them in Robben's gear yet, so I have no opinion. Lately we usually just stick with what keeps Robben content. If Robben is happy, then why mess with it?
Each amp currently has a matched quartet of Svetlana 6L6GC tubes and three Sovtek 12AX7EH tubes.
We are not doing any tube endorsements at present. I usually buy my tubes thru Jim Foote's Music Works in southern Cal or either online or by phone thru Mojo.
Alexander is big on NOS items and likes to test, read, and rate all components he gets his hands on, both old and new. But whenever we retube Robben's gear, I always purchase fresh and move the used tubes, after checking them, into my backup supply.
I suppose that I bias towards the feeling that tubes, like people, develope 'personalities' as they mature and though their "measurements" may read the same, they will actually respond differently (Hey, it could happen!).
So, I always seem to feel that things are more consistent if I load the heads with "virgin" tubes from right out of the chute and let them mature specifically to Robben's use.
Okay, maybe my thought process here is a little etherial, but it works for me and has so far kept Robben happy.
Lastly, yes, when we pull our Twins out in Europe, I change the tubes with 'retired' stock from the Dumbles, about every other year, whether they need them or not. _________________ B C-ing U!
( }:-Daved
"This boy's diseased with rhythm!" -Bing Crosby (Road To Rio, '49)
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2004 10:03 pm Post subject: Re: Tube preferences
Daved wrote:
Alexander is big on NOS items and likes to test, read, and rate all components he gets his hands on, both old and new.
Interesting, when I worked at Dolby, we had a room full of ancient parts to support the old products with stuff that had gone obsolete. I cringed every time I went in there with the thought of how in the world we would ever solder them to something and what would happen to the part when we did.
There is an old maxim in audio engineering that if two things measure the same but sound different, you're measuring the wrong attribute. Some day, someone will figure out what there is about some of these old parts that is special and we can look to things for the right attributes, not just the fact that they're old. Like Daved, I have more confidence in something recently built and tested, rather than something of unknown quality that's old enough to vote. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
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