Yes, NOS stuff is for real. Old Tesla's, RFT's, Tungrams, GE's, RCA's, Holland Amperex Bugle Boys are all great tubes. The Bugle Boys and Tesla's being my favorite. I still have not tried a Mullard, that's on my list though.
I'm looking for a backup head to my trusty modded Mesa Boogie .50cal+. It needs to be reliable, loud, and have a good amount of gain for both my bands. Any sound differences between the two different designed VH140c's? The older one looks like a SVT while the newer ones have the knobs on the...