Hey guys-

I love my old Mesa Boogie combo amp and my friends and I go back and forth on the merits of using old tubes (ones made more than 30 years ago) versus new ones.

Vintage tubes seem to have a different tone- I'm not sure the added expense is justified because, especially after effects are added, it's hard to hear the difference...

Which tubes do you guys use, and can you hear the difference if/ when you use vintage tubes?

Gearhed,

When anything grows older, it's going to make a difference, whether it's wood, metal, or whatever material you're talking about. The filament in tubes is no exception. Generally, there seems to be a constituency among tube-junkies that vintage tubes are more warm and deep sounding, with a round, kind of woody bass to them and a more flat midrange response. Is this worth paying vintage price? That's for you to decide.

I do think there is a difference, but then, you can get some of the same tone with brand new tubes. They certainly make enough different kinds today; I'm sure you could find some to compliment whatever sound you're pining for. Check out Electro-Harmonix, Groove Tubes, Svetlana, Vox, or even plain old Fender and Ibanez. Yeah, even Ibanez makes tubes. Go figure. And then there's all the different biases beneath that. There are a ton to pick from.

It's just a matter of narrowing it down and finding out what you want. Maybe once you try a few you can post some reviews for us on the site and keep some helpful information handy for all of us. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who'd appreciate help with this same question. =)

Peace,
ShackMan

Is there any certain time (in general) that is best to replace them for then? I think this would be something my husband would catch first since he is a little better at this end of things. I am no where near even close to knowing what I am still doing.

Tubes generally last, in my experience, about 5 years with regular use.

There are several signs to know when you need to replace a tube.

1) Your amp developes and uncontrollable high pitch squealing feedback. (a tube has gone microphonic. a microphonic tube can happen any time, but old age, or a sudden jar while still warm will be the most common causes)

2) Output power loss. The amp doesn't sound as loud as it used to be.

3) Loss of gain in a high gain amp. (This can also be caused by a bad cable. Check that first)

4) Tube color changes from warm orange to a blue, pr purple cast. Even if it still works fine, it's on it's last legs. Change it.

5) Amp used at the same settings is suddenly noisy with hiss, or hum.

6) Oscillating tonal changes.

7) Amp suddenly won't stay powered up, and you keep blowing the fuse.

8) When turned off, the tube is not clear but has a slight whitish cast.

These are the most common things I've experienced over the years using an old Fender Bassman, and a Hartke HA3500.

When replacing tubes, you can replace preamp tubes in singles, likely 12AX7's. When replacing power amp tubes, you MUST replace the entire set whether one is bad or all of them. The amp may also need to be rebiased when this is done. Take it to technician for that.

Hey Shackman and candit-

Thanks for the great responses/ questions!

I do seem to notice a better, more warm sound in vintage tubes; I'm not thrilled with the price tag, but to have set of old pre-amp tubes for recording to replace to newer set I use when gigging is great.

Nice overview of when to replace tubes, Shackman! Thanks

I have a vintage amp, Vox DA5, that I just love. It was given to me by an uncle. It had belonged to him when he was a teenager playing in a garage band.

In my experience, the NOS (new-old stock) tubes are always hit and miss when it comes to the money. I find that with power-amp tubes, the type of tubes (6L6, EL34, 84, etc.) has a much greater effect on your tone then the brand/age of tubes. Preamp tubes are a different story though, and even though most people consider vintage tubes to have a 'warmer' sound, some tend to have a higher chance of becoming microphonic, or just crapping out very quickly and easily. Again, it is hit and miss, but before buying NOS tubes, make sure they are tested by a professional electrician to determine the state of the tubes, and get them professionally biased because if you don't it is obvious that you could lose a great deal of money, especially on a pair of the rarer NOS pres (sylvania, etc.)

Fearthehero is right. It's best to get these things tested if you can before you make a purchase. Also, many times the NOS tubes are just tubes that have already gone through a 1-year break-in period and settled into their natural character. Personally, I've never bought NOS anything, particularly because I like to do the breaking in myself.

True, they don't make em quite the same way they used to, but they do make them much longer lasting and with better quality parts now. It's one of the few industries that doesn't have half the products it sells setup so they'll break in a few years and force you to buy again.