Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
|
Post by Peppy on Mar 9, 2022 9:31:55 GMT -5
or if you have more than one tube amp especially...get yourself some replacement tubes pronto. I bought some ten days ago. Price has increased since then and availability of some types is approaching endangered species status.
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Mar 9, 2022 9:44:27 GMT -5
Good point! So many tubes are made in Russia.
I have me some spare tubes.
|
|
|
Post by Vibroluxer on Mar 9, 2022 11:15:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the PSA.
Im lucky. A guy in the old neighborhood worked for a company that calibrated medical devices. Just in case their newer equipment failed, they had a tube model in reserve. When they were phasing out the tube backups, he brought home 2 12x12 styrofoam repairman's gross of tubes. The one gross was made up of Mullard 12AX7s(i forget the British names) and the other 12AT7s. All made in England at Mullards Blackburn plant.
I was the lucky recipient of the ECC83s and half of the other flat.
|
|
Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
|
Post by Peppy on Mar 10, 2022 22:24:17 GMT -5
So many tubes are made in Russia. Most. Slovakia, of course, is JJville. China hasn't made any in nearly three years...the plant burned down. Seriously, order now if you need tubes.
|
|
|
Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 11, 2022 9:52:40 GMT -5
This is all so depressing, and I don't necessarily mean limited to this particular situation. I suppose if I was considering a new amp these days and not in the terrestrial home stretch this would steer me to a tubeless amp. Bye bye domestic boutique amp builders.
|
|
|
Post by reverendrob on Mar 11, 2022 9:55:22 GMT -5
I have backup sets but I don't go through tubes in abundance - most of my playing is still solid state amps.
When I want tube, I have tube, and the room to crank it in.
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Mar 11, 2022 16:27:03 GMT -5
I have sets that were replaced over the years. None crapped out, I just replaced them before there was a prob. Remember the good old days when finding a free tube tester was easy? I wouldn't even know where to go now.
|
|
Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
|
Post by Peppy on Mar 11, 2022 19:14:44 GMT -5
EH president Mike Matthews just announced today that no more tubes are coming. At least until next calendar year...if that. So, no more EH, Tung-Sol, Sovtek, Gold Lion, Genalex, etc.
|
|
|
Post by rdr on Mar 13, 2022 14:26:55 GMT -5
Hmm. I have a bunch of tube amps. Maybe I should sell a couple. I know, blasphemy. I hate shipping them. Maybe I'll try the "local pickup only" option and volunteer to deliver within a reasonable distance.
|
|
|
Post by kito75 on Mar 14, 2022 18:22:06 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Mar 14, 2022 18:57:45 GMT -5
I’m not doom and gloom on them yet. There are some great SS choices though.
|
|
|
Post by jazzguy on Mar 14, 2022 19:43:29 GMT -5
My tube caddy is loaded w NOS, I knew this day would come
|
|
|
Post by budg on Mar 14, 2022 20:51:07 GMT -5
Well there’s always modeling amps….oh wait there’s a chip shortage too. Geez.
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Mar 14, 2022 20:54:51 GMT -5
We’ll all be playing our acoustics.
|
|
|
Post by reverendrob on Mar 15, 2022 1:25:26 GMT -5
We’ll all be playing our acoustics. I'll make a nuclear war start at that point, screw acoustic only.
|
|
|
Post by larryguitar54 on Mar 15, 2022 21:49:25 GMT -5
It's already too late. You can check all the suppliers from StewMac, Amazon, Sweetwater and all the specialty suppliers. For the standard tube sets for popular models such as TRRI, DRRIs etc there are no tubes available anywhere on planet Earth at this time and no word when they will become available.
I do have some spares but I am especially concerned 6L6GT's are nowhere to be found. Fortunately I have so many amps I can cannabalize for 12AX7's and 12AT7 for a long time. I have about 6 good amps...for now. Also a lot of my tubes were recently replaced.
But I did not see this coming. This is always the problem. If you think 'uh oh!.." on something it's usually too late.
|
|
|
Post by larryguitar54 on Mar 16, 2022 0:03:21 GMT -5
So my follow up thoughts....
a.) I have about 8 amps but generally get by with a DRRI for most of my needs. I gave some thought to what happens if I need to interchange tubes as needed.
b.) So I did an inventory of the amps. Most of the tubes are relatively new. Also my workbench has a lot assorted parts. It turns out I might have lucked out. When I order stuff like tubes online I usually order an extra set so I have spares.
c.) So I made a list and here is what I have:
18 6L6s 3 6V6s 34 12AX7s 10 AT7s 10 EL 84's 1 5AR4 (rectifier tube)
The rectifier tube is for the rare 1966 Fender Pro Reverb. I recently replaced it when I bought it but I was able to order 2 more which should give me years of service.
However the 6V6s are a concern because that's for my often used DRRI and it requires 2 6V6s. That means I have only 1 spare and these will be difficult to find.
But I think I will be fine. I"m not a touring professional and I probably have years of reserve.
|
|
Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
|
Post by Peppy on Mar 16, 2022 5:47:38 GMT -5
Not when I posted the original post. I gave fair enough warning.
|
|
|
Post by budg on Mar 16, 2022 6:18:42 GMT -5
As with everything thus far , panic has set in . I fully expect a lot of these to surface shortly with an inflated price of 20x their original price.
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Mar 16, 2022 7:19:56 GMT -5
IMO this tube shortage will sort itself out over time. I don’t see the tube world ending with a bang. I think it will fizzle over time - and probably not in my lifetime.
|
|
|
Post by larryguitar54 on Mar 16, 2022 9:50:10 GMT -5
Not when I posted the original post. I gave fair enough warning. Yup. This is what happens when I go out of town for a week and don't log in. I come back and the world has shifted. But common sense says we should have seen this coming. I don't know how long my tubes should last but it seem to me most of my amps were retubed in the last year or so and I should be good.
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Mar 16, 2022 19:41:21 GMT -5
Checked my gig bag. 2 sets of spares, lightly used. 3 spares for spares amp. Kinda wish I had fixed and kept my Fender Ultimate Chorus. Oh well.
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Mar 16, 2022 19:47:34 GMT -5
All this is going to put a kink in tube amp production in the near-term.
And it really isn’t helpful that China continues to lock down the first sign of sniffles.
|
|
|
Post by reverendrob on Mar 17, 2022 6:00:32 GMT -5
And now EHX is announcing that they'll be back starting shipping in April or soon thereafter, but with price increases (and the 35% tariff slapped on in the US and Canada).
So ...not the tube armageddon, but...going to get pricey.
|
|
Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
|
Post by Peppy on Mar 17, 2022 7:42:29 GMT -5
Allegedly (according to a recent Rhett Shull video) Fender is halving tube amp production. The hits just keep on comin'!
|
|
DrKev
Wholenote
It's just a guitar, it's not rocket science.
Posts: 418
|
Post by DrKev on Mar 17, 2022 16:29:49 GMT -5
Some more news from TAD who have been working with a small producer in China and have just announced new production.
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Mar 17, 2022 16:37:49 GMT -5
As with so many other businesses in the last couple years, there’s a shift in the tube world.
|
|
|
Post by budg on Mar 17, 2022 21:03:39 GMT -5
I guess we shall see where this ends up. The shift has been happening for decades now . Now it’s finally hitting the tube market.
|
|
Peppy
Wholenote
Guitar gear guru at Milano Music Center
Posts: 180
|
Post by Peppy on Mar 18, 2022 7:55:31 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Vibroluxer on Mar 18, 2022 15:19:54 GMT -5
Easy and done. Thanks for that link.
|
|