Quote:
Originally Posted by maxtheaxe
...I looked at the Tubestore's pages with re-tube kits for specific amps...Incidentally, that's a real eye-opener, seeing the prices of the various tubes sets, with some of their "Ultimate" re-tube packages selling in the neighborhood of $600.00 or more! Some of those amps don't even cost that much (but maybe that's why...?).
With what little I do know of tube characteristics, my guess is gonna be something along the lines of Phillips or similar...USA mil-spec?
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Practically speaking, those "Ultimate" and "Vintage" packages are for the restorers/collectors - the guys who have the dead-mint '64 Twin Reverb with the original (also dead-mint) cover, or the gold-logo Marshall that hasn't seen the light of day since Monterey - and want/need period-accurate tubes for their museum-quality equipment; IME the "Premium" packages offer the best performance-per-dollar for guys like us, whose amps are regularly used but not abused - "Value" packages are for the CL/eBay "flippers" ("Marshall DSL40 1x12" combo for sale - great condition, all new tubes"), a step or two up from made-in-China OEM but that's about it...
FYI JAN (US mil-spec) tubes are a scarce commodity and becoming increasingly so - hence the elevated prices on the most popular types (12AX7, 6L6, 5AR4, etc.) - and although a few boutique builders use them it wouldn't be practical for a mass manufacturer like Supro. As I said earlier, I'm thinking they source theirs from either Russia (most likely IMO) or Eastern Europe (Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic): supply is plentiful, prices are reasonable, and they're durable enough to handle running Class-A @ 50W output - conditions that would result in certain failure for lesser tubes...