EL34 sellers

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Meanjoegreene

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Who do y’all buy tubes from now ?

I’d also like some recommendations in the low to mid price range since I’ll be buying a matched quad.

Appreciate any info
 
Meanjoegreene said:
Who do y’all buy tubes from now ?

I’d also like some recommendations in the low to mid price range since I’ll be buying a matched quad.

Appreciate any info
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Ruby branded EL34 BSTR made by Shuguang. IMO those and the rebrand TAD's BSTR's were on point. Good news, Shuguang is back open producing tubes. Also the TAD's EL34 STR Redbase is a fine tube as well made be PSVANE. I'm just not a fan of JJ's but many people like them.
 
I have a massive stash i've collected over the years so I rarely buy. Generally I will snipe NOS stuff from the forums or reverb though.

If I have to buy new I will generally do 1. Dougs, 2. Eurotubes, or in a pinch get Mesa str branded tubes from the big stores.

Since I made the switch to (admittedly expensive) NOS tubes, I literally never have to change tubes. :dunno:

I get it though. The sticker shock for something technically "consumable" sucks. But if you bias and match correctly with them, the old shit is made better and lasts forever.

If you have a "Forever" or #1 that is your main squeeze, I highly recommend shelling out the cash - youll save money in the long run. If you have a stable that is constantly going in and out, constantly buying and selling, then get new tubes from Dougs or Euro.
 
Which one to brighten and tighten up an amp a little ?
 
Meanjoegreene said:
Which one to brighten and tighten up an amp a little ?
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What's the amp? Preamp tube choice will likely get you there moreso than power tubes.

I typically found the Chinese EL34's bright, honestly. My favorite current production EL34 is the Tungsol EL34B's. I'm a big fan of JJ KT77's also. Both have punchy low end.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I have a massive stash i've collected over the years so I rarely buy. Generally I will snipe NOS stuff from the forums or reverb though.

If I have to buy new I will generally do 1. Dougs, 2. Eurotubes, or in a pinch get Mesa str branded tubes from the big stores.

Since I made the switch to (admittedly expensive) NOS tubes, I literally never have to change tubes. :dunno:

I get it though. The sticker shock for something technically "consumable" sucks. But if you bias and match correctly with them, the old shit is made better and lasts forever.

If you have a "Forever" or #1 that is your main squeeze, I highly recommend shelling out the cash - youll save money in the long run. If you have a stable that is constantly going in and out, constantly buying and selling, then get new tubes from Dougs or Euro.
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This.

I have almost the same type of stash...most of the power tubes are Siemens, Winged C with some Mullards sprinkled in. A few GE 6550s, Sovtek 5881s with a couple quads of Sylvania 6L6GCs. I've bought mostly pre owned tubes though, and they all still seem to last forever. The only power tube failures I've had were newer production stuff.
Preamp tubes are a mix of old school NOS stuff as well. I've had good luck finding Siemens and Winged Cs as re labels too. Those can be total steals.

If I were buying new stuff I'd go to Dougs or The Tube Store. Had good luck with them.
 
Racerxrated said:
This.

I have almost the same type of stash...most of the power tubes are Siemens, Winged C with some Mullards sprinkled in. A few GE 6550s, Sovtek 5881s with a couple quads of Sylvania 6L6GCs. I've bought mostly pre owned tubes though, and they all still seem to last forever. The only power tube failures I've had were newer production stuff.
Preamp tubes are a mix of old school NOS stuff as well. I've had good luck finding Siemens and Winged Cs as re labels too. Those can be total steals.

If I were buying new stuff I'd go to Dougs or The Tube Store. Had good luck with them.
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Yep. I don't know if you did this, but instead of buying tubes when I needed them, I started keeping an eye out for NOS or used sets of nice older stuff, and slowly pulled the trigger over time - and built up a stash, so now I never need tubes.

with how hit and miss modern production tubes are, it's a great feeling bringing an amp to a gig and having complete confidence that its going to work perfectly, like it always does, for years and years.

At the same time, I understand how that would be a giant waste of money if you've got stuff constantly moving in and out of a stable. But if were talking money, I used to carry spare tubes to gigs with me, and constantly was buying multiple new quads to keep my amps going. And now I ain't :dunno:

If you run a handful of reverb notifications, you can scoop up stuff as it pops up.
 
napalmdeath said:
What's the amp? Preamp tube choice will likely get you there moreso than power tubes.

I typically found the Chinese EL34's bright, honestly. My favorite current production EL34 is the Tungsol EL34B's. I'm a big fan of JJ KT77's also. Both have punchy low end.
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Friedman SS100. It’s not dark but I figure new tubes and especially ones on the bright side might tighten it up a little

I think they are currently using JJs, Psvane and maybe still EH for the 34’s

Ultimately I just want something new and reliable
 
I've bought from Antique Electronic Supply and Tube Depot mostly. I lean towards the Tungsol EL34B and EH EL34 for CP. Actually liked the Mullard reissue EL34 as well. I got a few pair of the Mesa-branded NOS Siemans EL34 too before they got crazy expensive, and those were direct from Mesa.
 
A lot of vendors are still selling most anything from the Russian plant at elevated prices. $180 for a matched quad of EH or Tung Sol EL34s and even more for the Mullard reissue. If you want those at a decent price try Nesstone. Not sure how he always has had the EH cheaper than anyone even thru the Ukraine war. Just watch the matching. I don't think he burns them in long enough so you'll probably get matched tubes but they may or may not remain matched...but that's pretty much the case with many/most vendors.
 

SpiderWars said:
A lot of vendors are still selling most anything from the Russian plant at elevated prices. $180 for a matched quad of EH or Tung Sol EL34s and even more for the Mullard reissue. If you want those at a decent price try Nesstone. Not sure how he always has had the EH cheaper than anyone even thru the Ukraine war. Just watch the matching. I don't think he burns them in long enough so you'll probably get matched tubes but they may or may not remain matched...but that's pretty much the case with many/most vendors.
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That’s kinda why i started this thread…so many of the same brands and vendors I’ve used for years with prices all over the place. You’ll see affordable then ridiculous prices from 2-3 sellers for the same normal EH or Millard reissue.
 
Meanjoegreene said:
That’s kinda why i started this thread…so many of the same brands and vendors I’ve used for years with prices all over the place. You’ll see affordable then ridiculous prices from 2-3 sellers for the same normal EH or Millard reissue.
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Yeah Nesstone is selling matched quads of EH EL34 for $100 vs others at $180+ so yeah I don't get it either. Since the new Shuguang factory opened you can now get the China EL34 even cheaper than that. I have a matched quad of those coming that were something like $88 shipped.
 
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