Tried out some NOS tubes in my 5e3 build

[ragamuffin]

I've used tube amps since I got serious about playing (around 20 years ago) and ever since I started browsing internet guitar forums I've wondered about the hype around NOS tubes. I once tested out several brands of new production preamp tubes in one of my amps and didn't notice a major difference between them, so for a long time I assumed that NOS would be the same. Last week however I went a little crazy and ordered a full set of NOS tubes to try out in the 5e3 Tweed Deluxe that a built a few months ago.



GE 12ay7 and 12ax7 preamp tubes , grey glass Sylvania 6v6 power tubes, and a RCA 5y3gt rectifier! All from Ebay, three different sellers who all specialize in tubes and had plenty of good ratings. Set me back around $170 for all of them.

I swapped out the JJ in my amp one section at a time:
-First just the preamp tubes. These made a very noticeable difference; brighter and clearer! Less stuffy or muffled sounding!
-Next the power tubes; maybe a little brighter, but it could have just been my ears getting used to the sound with the NOS preamp tubes.
-Finally the rectifier; I don't think that it changed the tone, but I could swear that it made the amp just slightly louder?
-Improvements all around! I jammed with the amp for an hour or so, and noticed that there seemed to be less idle hiss/hum as well!

Anyways, I guess I'm a believer now!

 

[TBurst Std]

Yeah but what you gonna do when NOS is gone? Believe me, I love the sound of tubes, but between dwindling stock and weight, I went digital almost 2 decades ago. I figured get ahead of the learning curve. But alas while the gear is current, my learning curve ias about 18 months behind.

 

[TBurst Std]

My 3 best sounding rigs was an orig JTM45, and orig Mesa Boogie MKII and my current Fractal Audio rig

 

[ragamuffin]

Yeah but what you gonna do when NOS is gone? Believe me, I love the sound of tubes, but between dwindling stock and weight, I went digital almost 2 decades ago. I figured get ahead of the learning curve. But alas while the gear is current, my learning curve ias about 18 months behind.

Yeah I get ya, but my way of looking at it is I might as well enjoy my tubes while I can still get them

 

[Spud]

Yeah I get ya, but my way of looking at it is I might as well enjoy my tubes while I can still get them

Yer damn right!

 

[mrpinter]

GE 12ay7 and 12ax7 preamp tubes , grey glass Sylvania 6v6 power tubes, and a RCA 5y3gt rectifier! All from Ebay, three different sellers who all specialize in tubes and had plenty of good ratings. Set me back around $170 for all of them.

Either prices have come down since I was tube shopping, or you got a heck of a deal. I put some old NOS Russian Reflector brand 6V6 tubes in my Rivera Venus 3 (actually the factory did when I had it tuned up) and I noticed a difference. It's hard to describe sound, but it sounded better.