Buying NOS/Vintage Tubes off Ebay

[BesaMoogie]

Control those guys!

I lately got into the NOS and vintage tube rabbit hole and started buying tubes off Ebay. While having some good deals, I came across some, let`s say, rotten apples.
The dealers state in the add, that the tubes are measuring 100 to 110% and when you measure on your tube tester, it`s like 50 to 60%. Of course, they offer immediate discount or return shipping on their expanse. No questions on how the tube was tested or which tester was used.

It`s like they know they were caught screwing you. They just count on, that the guy on the other side of the deal can`t control what they are selling. Of the last like 15 buys two were bad here in Europe.

 

[Racerxrated]

I always check the feedback before I buy. I’ve hoarded tubes prior to Covid, so my stash is pretty complete. But shopping now is really a crapshoot. My most recent tube purchases were ‘anos’ or used/strong tubes. A couple were bad but the other 16 or so were good. These are EL34/6L6. My 12ax7s are set…I have around 100.

 

[tlp1234]

But shopping now is really a crapshoot. My most recent

Wish I could give that a 1000 thumbs up. Even the subpar new garbage coming from the few remaining places in the world making tubes.

I gave up on all of them last year, and grateful now I hoarded the good stuff years back when I could.

Remains to be seen if Western Electric will actually make any. I'm not holding my breath on it.

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

Yep, they play the odds… how many of their buyers have tube testing equipment?
If they have to deal with just 5% of the ‘educated’ buyers, at least they can still rip 95%.
The biggest thing for new rookies to watch for is the ads that say for instance…
“Mullard 12AX7 NOS tested 100%+
So, you might think you are getting actual brand new NOS tubes, but you’re really getting well used tubes that still measure great on a tube tester.
But, like RacerX said, if you get a good testing Mullard, even if it’s 60 years old, it will likely still outlast any of the crap being made today and have way better tone, no comparison at all.
I’ve been buying tubes for 30 years and if I see any European tubes that are true NOS at a decent price, I buy ‘em,
Mullard England, Telefunken Germany, Tungsram Hungary, Amperex / Bugle Boy Heerlen Holland, Siemens Germany, Valvo Germany, RFT, Lorenz, Brimar, etc

 

[tlp1234]

Yep, they play the odds… how many of their buyers have tube testing equipment?
If they have to deal with just 5% of the ‘educated’ buyers, at least they can still rip 95%.
The biggest thing for new rookies to watch for is the ads that say for instance…
“Mullard 12AX7 NOS tested 100%+
So, you might think you are getting actual brand new NOS tubes, but you’re really getting well used tubes that still measure great on a tube tester.
But, like RacerX said, if you get a good testing Mullard, even if it’s 60 years old, it will likely still outlast any of the crap being made today and have way better tone, no comparison at all.
I’ve been buying tubes for 30 years and if I see any European tubes that are true NOS at a decent price, I buy ‘em,
Mullard England, Telefunken Germany, Tungsram Hungary, Amperex / Bugle Boy Heerlen Holland, Siemens Germany, Valvo Germany, RFT, Lorenz, Brimar, etc

Back in 1991 I bought 65 of the Mesa STR 415 6L6’s. In 96 I bought 100 of the Original =C= EL34.

I was the laughing stock and brunt of countless jokes by my peers at the time. Fuckem’. Those bastards aren’t laughing now.

I could never hear these dramatic differences in sound people often rave about. Not saying it isn’t there, I just don’t hear it. I hear subtle differences is all.

I just want something that will live in harsh design environments.

It’s stupid in some ways to have all these, but grateful now to have them.

And as much as people rag on Mesa about their branded tubes, I believe Mesa tests them better than most. You can tell from the construction where they come from. Same places all others get theirs.

I was using only Mesa branded tubes before the pandemic tube debacle all the sissies on TGP were crying about.

I’m sure some fail, but I’ve never had any of their power tubes fail, and only a few of their preamp tubes ever go microphonic.

Before I had to dig into my stash I tried lots of garbage from Eastern Europe, Russia, China. Very inconsistent as far as longevity.

I finally said the hell with it and tapped my stash. Right now, as far as I know Mesa is not doing retail tube sales at all. They are the only ones I would buy from otherwise.

I would not want to be an amp builder today.

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

You got me beat, brother… I thought I was nuts when I bought 10 matched quads of NOS Siemens 34s from Bogner in 1992, they were $135 per matched Quartet?.
A few years later I bought 8 matched Quads of original =C= 34’s from Reinhold, but I don’t really care for those like most do. Probably sell them at some point.
Siemens are king of the 34’s in my world.

But of course, it’s all so subjective.

 

[OUTLAW1969]

Definite crapshoot these days, but there are actually still some sellers on Ebay that are merely supplementing their income, and are honest about the ratings / readings, on their calibrated tube testers. NOS tubes can be pretty big business for individual sellers, so it is in their best interest to keep everything honest. If their secondary income relies on their honesty, and they want to continue making money from repeat customers, they will be mostly honest.
But if the seller is merely selling a handful of preamp tubes that their drunk uncle left in a spare bedroom, they will probably say whatever they have to, in order to get you to buy them.

Check the seller's previous feedback, check their selling history for multiple tube sales, and learn what the ratings / numbers actually mean. Some sellers will mention that the preamp tube rates at 90 / 90 (both sides), but that doesn't always mean 90% tube life REMAINING........ If you automatically assume that the stream of numbers listed in the ad, are attributed to percentages of tube life remaining, the mistake could be on you. For example, some NOS tubes could have a max reading of up to 130%.....and some could be considered "used up" (as far as reliability, performance, and usefulness) at 70% Try to brush up on which brands / models of testers provide what type of readings, and WHAT those readings actually mean.

PERSONALLY, I WOULD STILL TAKE A CHANCE ON A NOS, 70/70 RATED PREAMP TUBE.......OVER A SLIGHTLY USED, NEW PRODUCTION TUBE, ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. BECAUSE THE NOS TUBE (EVEN NEARING THE END OF ITS LIFE), WILL STILL PROBABLY OUTLAST THE CURRENT PRODUCTION TUBE .

Some of the sellers that I buy from and ACTUALLY TRUST, will mention in their ad that the specific tube was tested for Filament, Leakage, Dynamic Mutual Conductance, and Emissions, as well as Microphonics or Shorts. Not to beat the point into the ground, but for the 3rd time.....learn what each of those terms actually mean, because it will help you make an informed decision on whether to actually make the purchase. But it also doesn't hurt to spend the money on a calibrated tube tester, to "spot check" what you receive, as it keeps everything honest, .

 

[Techdeth]

Back in 1991 I bought 65 of the Mesa STR 415 6L6’s. In 96 I bought 100 of the Original =C= EL34.

I was the laughing stock and brunt of countless jokes by my peers at the time. Fuckem’. Those bastards aren’t laughing now.

I could never hear these dramatic differences in sound people often rave about. Not saying it isn’t there, I just don’t hear it. I hear subtle differences is all.

I just want something that will live in harsh design environments.

It’s stupid in some ways to have all these, but grateful now to have them.

And as much as people rag on Mesa about their branded tubes, I believe Mesa tests them better than most. You can tell from the construction where they come from. Same places all others get theirs.

I was using only Mesa branded tubes before the pandemic tube debacle all the sissies on TGP were crying about.

I’m sure some fail, but I’ve never had any of their power tubes fail, and only a few of their preamp tubes ever go microphonic.

Before I had to dig into my stash I tried lots of garbage from Eastern Europe, Russia, China. Very inconsistent as far as longevity.

I finally said the hell with it and tapped my stash. Right now, as far as I know Mesa is not doing retail tube sales at all. They are the only ones I would buy from otherwise.

I would not want to be an amp builder today.

I always put Mesa branded in stuff . There is always an aggressiveness to my ears

 

[midnightlaundry]

I bought a bunch this time last year and did good. Stick with the sellers with real testers that post results and solid feedback.
Start some topics over at TGP. The people that know will tell you what to look for.

 

[PDC]

During the 2-3 years before COVID, I scooped up several nice pairs and a quad of the ‘Brown Base‘ Dual Halo Getter Teslas labeled as Groove Tube EL34B. One tube from a pair arrived damaged in shipping and the seller immediately refunded - and even told me to hang onto the remaining single. Anyway, I think I’ve got 3 matched pairs and 1 quad of those.

 

[Searay]

I also started in the 90's with tube buys. Just like anything else these days, buyer beware. The wisdom is dying off and the apparent variability in test results once you receive the product is a greater margin than dealers from years past. There are still many good ones out there, just not sure if Ebay and Reverb is where they choose to sell.

 

[Bardagh]

Even from sellers with positive feedback I’ve found its still a crapshoot. I haven’t bought NOS stuff in a couple years but when I did I mostly focused on preamp tubes because they’re usually more likely to hold up. I’ve bought various Sylvania and RCA 12ax7 types and it’s been maybe a 50-60% success rate. Sometimes they will work fine at first but then start having problems after a couple months of use, but I’ve definitely had duds off the bat. Thats said I’ve gotten some good deals on ones that worked just fine.

The effect of most of these on your tone is going to be very subtle though. For the most part I’ve found the juice isn’t worth the squeeze and the current production tubes give you plenty of options.

 

[Racerxrated]

There's also ways to scope out the good ones when the seller doesn't know that they are re branded X brand pre/power tubes that are sought out. That's the real score for me, when I search out tubes. I can't tell you how many 'test new' power tubes I've bought that are re branded Siemens, Winged C, even some GE 6550s....many Mesa branded pre tubes are 9th gen Chinese or Tungsrams. All of these in used condition can have thousands of hours left; and many are 10-30$ per tube and well worth it. IMO anyway.

 

[Racerxrated]

Even from sellers with positive feedback I’ve found its still a crapshoot. I haven’t bought NOS stuff in a couple years but when I did I mostly focused on preamp tubes because they’re usually more likely to hold up. I’ve bought various Sylvania and RCA 12ax7 types and it’s been maybe a 50-60% success rate. Sometimes they will work fine at first but then start having problems after a couple months of use, but I’ve definitely had duds off the bat. Thats said I’ve gotten some good deals on ones that worked just fine.

The effect of most of these on your tone is going to be very subtle though. For the most part I’ve found the juice isn’t worth the squeeze and the current production tubes give you plenty of options.

One man's subtle, is another mans "holy shit do these sound good!" Lol. Like someone who feels there isn't much difference between a Mark III and a 2C+. For me it's HUGE. For others not so much. They will save a LOT of money over time that's for sure.

 

[Bardagh]

One man's subtle, is another mans "holy shit do these sound good!" Lol. Like someone who feels there isn't much difference between a Mark III and a 2C+. For me it's HUGE. For others not so much. They will save a LOT of money over time that's for sure.

It does depend on the circuit and everything etc. Some designs definitely are more sensitive to what you put in them and where.

But also I didn’t find that too many of the NOS preamp types I tried changed the tone of the different amps I experimented with in ways I necessarily preferred over the various current production tubes.

There are of course exceptions. I have some early 80’s manufactured Tungsram 12ax7’s that have a certain midrange bite that nothing currently made really matches. I really like them in Marshalls - but I’d still say in the grand scheme of things its a subtle enough difference that when I run out of them I won’t be looking to shell out the current asking price to get more.

 

[Racerxrated]

It does depend on the circuit and everything etc. Some designs definitely are more sensitive to what you put in them and where.

But also I didn’t find that too many of the NOS preamp types I tried changed the tone of the different amps I experimented with in ways I necessarily preferred over the various current production tubes.

There are of course exceptions. I have some early 80’s manufactured Tungsram 12ax7’s that have a certain midrange bite that nothing currently made really matches. I really like them in Marshalls - but I’d still say in the grand scheme of things its a subtle enough difference that when I run out of them I won’t be looking to shell out the current asking price to get more.

Tungsrams are great in any of my amps...although in Mesa Marks, where I first found them they can make the tone a little tubby if used throughout. But mixing them with the 8th/9th gen Chinese seem to solve this. I have my 72 Marshall loaded with them and it screams.

 

[BesaMoogie]

Some of the sellers that I buy from and ACTUALLY TRUST, will mention in their ad that the specific tube was tested for Filament, Leakage, Dynamic Mutual Conductance, and Emissions, as well as Microphonics or Shorts. Not to beat the point into the ground, but for the 3rd time.....learn what each of those terms actually mean, because it will help you make an informed decision on whether to actually make the purchase. But it also doesn't hurt to spend the money on a calibrated tube tester, to "spot check" what you receive, as it keeps everything honest, .

So far I can only test the emission with my tester. I understand, that this only gives you a first glance on the lifespan of the tube. Transconductance would be the next step but those testers are expensive when buying new. And when buying old testers, you actually should service and calibrate it. I would not trust measurement results on a 40 or even more years old tester the never was serviced.

 

[BesaMoogie]

The effect of most of these on your tone is going to be very subtle though. For the most part I’ve found the juice isn’t worth the squeeze and the current production tubes give you plenty of options.

Talking about preamp tubes, I think the simpler the amp is, the more effect it as. In modern amps with various gain stages I wouldn`t bother putting in nos tubes.
I actually started all of this tubebuying by finding RFT tubes in my 60ies Vox AC30.

 

[OUTLAW1969]

So far I can only test the emission with my tester. I understand, that this only gives you a first glance on the lifespan of the tube. Transconductance would be the next step but those testers are expensive when buying new. And when buying old testers, you actually should service and calibrate it. I would not trust measurement results on a 40 or even more years old tester the never was serviced.

Agree completely.
If you are going to buy a GOOD, but OLDER tester (not always cheap!), it benefits you to have it regularly maintained and calibrated......otherwise, you should just skip buying the tester, and believe what the sellers are telling you about the tubes.

 

[Bardagh]

Talking about preamp tubes, I think the simpler the amp is, the more effect it as. In modern amps with various gain stages I wouldn`t bother putting in nos tubes.
I actually started all of this tubebuying by finding RFT tubes in my 60ies Vox AC30.

I agree for the most part, although the amps derived from the Soldano SLO I have messed with like the Hot Rod and even the JCA50/100 I found to be sensitive to preamp tube selection in certain positions. But the 5150, despite being initially based on the SLO, I find to be pretty indifferent. I can always tell a difference if you compare something like all JJ pres vs chinese or adding a tungsol in v1, but NOS would be a total waste IMO.