Tube Driver sticker shock

[Jusatele]

One of my favorite pedals I have is my TUBE DRIVER, I do not use it wit my Valvetronics but with my Epiphone solid state bass amp I use when I am being miked, OK OK I use a base amp for that crystal clear tone when I am doing slide work and run a TUBE DRIVER over it when doing regular guitar playing. I think nothing sounds so killer as a tube cracking up when overdriven to give you that edge.
Anyway, half way through a set tonight, lucky it was an early night, my tube in the TUBE DRIVER melted down.  AUURGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. So I get home a few minutes ago and do a search online, They want 299 for these things now. Holy special sauce from Mary"s $%*# Batman, that is expensive.
So I need to get a new tube and a socket.
Sheesh, when did effects get to costing so much?

 

[Paul-less]

The second "real tube", "original", "Eric Johnson", "Joe Satriani", and "David Gilmour" became words to increase the price of a product.

Hell, I'm still looking for one of these that isn't $400

http://www.hughes-and-kettner.com/products.php5?id=11

 

[Jusatele]

oh, wow 2 channels you can have pre tuned in, Fantastic, but 400 clams used, ouch

I love the tube driver, have sourced the parts to fix it this morning, but now I need a used tube, got to get looking in the back of a few local music stores for a supply
It really has a smooth fat distortion that allows the tone of the guitar to raise up on.

 

[Paul-less]

Why a used tube? They aren't that expensive new, are they?

 

[swarfrat]

I'd love to find a Cream Machine. Or a Groove Tubes STP-G. I'm glad I never owned a tube driver, because I'd have drilled into it and modded it in horrible ways and be totally sick now.

 

[Jusatele]

Why a used tube? They aren't that expensive new, are they?

the original tube I had was not broken up enough and it took about 6 months till it sounded really good. When it died I put an old tube out of one of the boxes in the repair dept of a local music store and it sounded great right away. I figure it needs to decay a bit. My tube holder needs to be replaced as the connection must have gotten corroded and it burnt the wire and connection point when the tube went. So when the new base comes in I will install it and put in a used tube, Yes new tubes are cheap but old tubes save break in time.

 

[Jusatele]

I'd love to find a Cream Machine. Or a Groove Tubes STP-G. I'm glad I never owned a tube driver, because I'd have drilled into it and modded it in horrible ways and be totally sick now.

funny how you can get people to pay 2 gs for a tube amp that sounds like doo doo but cannot get them to pay 300 for a really good preamp.

 

[Paul-less]

Hey, Fender tube is the way to go. There are always used ones around. Go nuts with preamps. Playing in a cover/bar band, I can get most sounds out of my bucker strats and that little(ha :doh: ) Twin~Amp that I need for a night.

 

[Jusatele]

Yea, I really love the sound of the old Twins, have had a few, I use a Vox Valvetronics now, best of both worlds, that is when I am not miked, which at my age is more and more all the time as we do gigs like parties and stuff. I use the tube driver with a 30 watt bass amp when we are miked, I love the clarity of that amp and it really shines when I pull out the lap steel. I think I will try to make a plate reverb for it, now that will probably take up a lot of space but it will really help the steel when we are doing Cuban Jazz stuff or some Hawaiian, Come to think of it, I just love plate over spring but wow are those things big. My 5g15 is stackable but a plate reverb is as big as a person, ah well, solid state.  I hope the sky doesn't fall after saying that.

 

[stubhead]

I have a "Real Tube" OD from Tubeworks, B.K. Butler - the same designer. They sometimes call them the "Bumblebee" one because of the yellow and black decor. I got mine cheap, but you can still dig them up for $100 or so. They do the same thing, just with more tone control and Eric & Joe didn't use it.