Can you recommend good tube brands and a supplier?

[Walker]

Hello,

I need to get some good quality, quiet, low microphonic 12AX7's and12AU7's for my Ampeg pre'.

Can anyone recommend good brands to look at and a good place to buy 'em?

First time I've ever done this!

Cheers

Chris

[ahpook]

have a word with watford valves - i told asked them for suggestions for revalving my ampeg svp-pro and they came up trumps.

[Walker]

Perfect, thank you.

[Roland Rock]

Hotrox are great also. Lovely people
http://www.hotroxuk.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=12ax7

[Muzz]

I use Watford Valves, spot on for me.

[Mr. Foxen]

I've got tons of tested good old ones, and there are some up in for sale. Hard finding new ones as good as the good old ones.

[bigash]

Hi Chris,

Me again, i looking at some reviews for the SVP, and it was suggested to put a 7025 in one position
can't remember which, but will be east to find it will reduce the noise made by the SVP.

Cheers Ash.

[The fasting showman]

I'd check with Mr Foxen above maybe before contacting any outlets, he may have better stuff than off the shelf.

I've just (in the last year or so) jumped ship after 20 years or so of valve amps, still like them but a GK800rb does the job better for what I want. For 12ax7s I hit upon using JAN GE 5751s in some applications, always seemed very long lasting and well behaved as you'd expect being old military spec valves.
For most applications though I found getting new old stock valves (GEs and the like) from suppliers like Langrex and Chelmer were the best bet, or some of the old radio ham guys with back cupboards full of the old stock valves; there used to be a few people listing vast stocks online for good prices.
One of the things that made me turn away from valve amps was when the industry of valve supply became a bit too aware of itself (last 10 years or so) and guitar valve suppliers making silly claims and hiking prices etc.
Hope I've actually helped here and not muddied the waters!

[bertbass]

+1 for Hotrox. I hear bad things about Watford Valves.

[Noisyjon]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1351775753' post='1855206']
... I hear bad things about Watford Valves.
[/quote]

I have found them to be rubbish with online/email contact put absolutely brilliant over the phone in terms of advice and stock availability.

[Walker]

Thanks again for all your advice.

I've just had a chat with Watford and the guy is a bass player and an Ampeg user. I'm just going to double check to see what i have in at the moment and learn a little more about what I'm buying!

Out of interest, does anyone what that goo is around certain compenents in this gut shot?

[Walker]

[quote name='jonthebass' timestamp='1351777933' post='1855239']
...absolutely brilliant over the phone in terms of advice and stock availability.
[/quote]

This was my experience this afternoon - passionate about his subject and I don't doubt his expertise and he was a very experienced bass player and Ampeg user too.

[Beer of the Bass]

The goo looks like glue from a gun. It's used to stop the heavier components from flexing around and stressing their solder joints.
Re. valve suppliers, Hot Rox have been fine when I've bought from them, though I've had no problems with Watford Valves either, and they were helpful on the phone.

[paul_5]

I've bought from both HotRox and Watford Valves, and never had a bad experience with either. There's no such thing as a '2 minute phone call' to Watford if you're discussing Ampeg kit though - and that's not a bad thing either!

[dan670844]

do you really need to revalve the pre? i have a 1970s bassman it has the same pre valves in and they sound good i swapped them out with different ones just to see i only change the Phase inverter regularly with the power valves thats pre that gets nailed!! even then the original 6l6s are still about they work good but i took them out as they are probably worth more than the amp as its the crappy drip edge silverface 70 version, i only change preamp valves if they sound crap i.e go micro, or squeal like a pig, good pre valves last a long time, trouble is there are a lot of sh*te about

Edited November 3, 2012 by dan670844

[dan670844]

[quote name='Walker' timestamp='1351781967' post='1855315']


This was my experience this afternoon - passionate about his subject and I don't doubt his expertise and he was a very experienced bass player and Ampeg user too.
[/quote]

let me guess he recommended his brand as they are lower gain and less fizzy in the top end, i used to have an svt if you put lower gain ecc83's or 5751 in v1 it blows the top end i.e rolls it off, those lower gain dudes are better for modern over blown high gain circuits the svt is best with 12ax7 with a drive of 100 what it was designed for

[Bassmec]

Well I have been an amp tech since 1972 and often used Watford Valves and primarily bought matched sets of Svetlana tubes in either EL34 or KT88.
If its my amp I will find up nice old tubes, mostly ex equipment off eBay and such like. I tend to look for Brimar, Mullards, RCA and GE.
Matching sets of tubes is not so bad with old tubes, as they had such good quality control and spec back then that for instance if you substituted any Mullard or Brimar EL34 they would usually have very similar quiescent current and bias together as nicely as any new manufacture so called matched set.
If its a customer amp and they just want it to work properly, JJ is no worse than other cheapish new production tubes brand.

[Walker]

I took my SVP-pro back out of my rack this weekend and opened her up again and found I had exactly the same valve set that Watford recommended, so I'll live with these for a bit and maybe save up for some valves that are older than me!

The Basschatter I bought it from is going to send me the old tubes he took out too, so I can have a fiddle.

The reason I was going to swap them out is that it's buzzing like mad, but I had an electrician over and he said that he'll run a new power supply, independant of everything else with it's own earth supply and this may help quieten my rig. Does that sound right?

Cheers for your input on this thread - I'm sure it'll be a lot of use to others in the future too.

[BILL POSTERS]

I was repairing amps on and off from the late 60s till the mid 90s, and still do the occasional one or two. Theres a big difference between the older Mullard and Brimar stuff which was of a much more consistent quality than the stuff available these days, so as Bassmec already said, NOS or good second hand is my preference if its my own gear.

I dont believe much of whats claimed by the brand names that are aimed at musicians for ridiculously high prices. Even 30 or 40 years ago there were firms that bought in bulk and would screen print whatever brand name you wanted, ie they came mainly from the same few factories anyway. After all, worldwide, how many plants are there turning out ECC83s and EL34s to sell to what must be a small and well diminished market.

Chelmer Valves (CVC) seem as good as any nowadays tbh, and helpful. The have been around for donkeys years and their own brand stuff is as good as anybody elses. [url="http://www.chelmervalve.com/electron-tube.php"][color="#0f72da"]http://www.chelmerva...ectron-tube.php[/color][/url]

Edited November 5, 2012 by BILL POSTERS

[The fasting showman]

Bill has said more clearly the point I tried to make.

I think always go for NOS as the valves of that era lasted for decades, and try and get them from a non musical outlet, e.g. Chelmer. I've always found them good to deal with, I don't think you'd have hassle if you had to return something.

The music industry often neglects to tell people that audio applications are very much a secondary usage compared to what the valves were often designed for, for example the military use that 6l6s were originally intended.

There's also very much a concensus in the world of music of if in doubt or if there's an issue, bin the valves. I've fell into the trap of that one many a time over the years and it is a folly. Preamp valves can last for ages in my experience, it's easy to establish if they are microphonic (tap with the back of a plastic biro) for instance.
I dread to think how many good valves I've got rid of 10-15 yrs ago due to bad advice!

Edited November 5, 2012 by The fasting showman

[BassPimp66]

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1351599893' post='1853056']
have a word with watford valves - i told asked them for suggestions for revalving my ampeg svp-pro and they came up trumps.
[/quote]

Yup, Watford Valves are great.

[dan670844]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1352114208' post='1858779']
I was repairing amps on and off from the late 60s till the mid 90s, and still do the occasional one or two. Theres a big difference between the older Mullard and Brimar stuff which was of a much more consistent quality than the stuff available these days, so as Bassmec already said, NOS or good second hand is my preference if its my own gear.

I dont believe much of whats claimed by the brand names that are aimed at musicians for ridiculously high prices. Even 30 or 40 years ago there were firms that bought in bulk and would screen print whatever brand name you wanted, ie they came mainly from the same few factories anyway. After all, worldwide, how many plants are there turning out ECC83s and EL34s to sell to what must be a small and well diminished market.

Chelmer Valves (CVC) seem as good as any nowadays tbh, and helpful. The have been around for donkeys years and their own brand stuff is as good as anybody elses. [url="http://www.chelmervalve.com/electron-tube.php"][color="#0f72da"]http://www.chelmerva...ectron-tube.php[/color][/url]
[/quote]

+ 1 on Chelmer and Langerex they still supply the military with valve for their EMP resistant stuff ad they arent going to buy any crap!!!!

[umph]

[quote name='Walker' timestamp='1352111570' post='1858715']
I took my SVP-pro back out of my rack this weekend and opened her up again and found I had exactly the same valve set that Watford recommended, so I'll live with these for a bit and maybe save up for some valves that are older than me!

The Basschatter I bought it from is going to send me the old tubes he took out too, so I can have a fiddle.

The reason I was going to swap them out is that it's buzzing like mad, but I had an electrician over and he said that he'll run a new power supply, independant of everything else with it's own earth supply and this may help quieten my rig. Does that sound right?

Cheers for your input on this thread - I'm sure it'll be a lot of use to others in the future too.
[/quote]

It could be an earth loop issue but if its come on I'd be looking at the heater circuit.

[BILL POSTERS]

[b]TEMPORARILY [/b]disconnect the earh in the mains plug, and short out the input - a 1/4" bladed posi screwdriver is good for this, or if your like, use a shorted jack plug - if it still buzzez, its not an earth loop. [b]PUT THE EARTH BACK STRAIGHT AWAY[/b]. Too easy to forget otherwise.

Then try it in another house. Some amps buzz in my house if they are anywhere near the leccy meter. and some appliances radiate 50Hz. Lighting and especially dimmer switches can be a big problem for radiating buzz.