Is this the end of the tube amp?

Chubtone said:
They must be sold out of those power tubes. Which preamp tubes do you like from Nesstone?
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He lists the quads as he tests them. Usually 3 to 4 at a time. You just have to keep checking and when they show up, grab them quick.

I bought the Nesstone branded 12ax7's. I haven't confirmed it, but they look identical to a Mullard CV4004 which is a great tube. I'm fairly positive they are Russian at least.
 
blackba said:
Too bad they are discontinued and that they never seem to have made a power tube version. I can see using them in non critical positions like a reverb driver.
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At least the technology is there and they have something to build on if worse case scenario does somehow happen.
 
I think I need to pull all the JJs and other new tubes that I'll never use and sell them. I wasn't really thinking of selling them but it seems now is the time.
 
EHX website says they are taking orders again for target of April resuming shipping.

https://shop.ehx.com/russian-tubes/
Realize others may feel differently, but JJ/Chinese/EHX quality differences aside, I have a moral problem with buying any current production items shipping from Russia, a portion of the money will get to Putin regime via taxes & trickle-down. Sucks for the EHX workers and the US ownership of the company. Not trying to steer thread into a political discussion, I mention it only because many other tube buyers will feel the same, and more importantly, big amp companies will get public pressure to shift their bulk orders to JJ/Chinese sources whenever that is logisitcally possible- (look at heat Coke & McDonald's took for not pulling out right away, they changed their tune in about 48 hours). So it looks grim long term for EHX anyway, they should be looking for way to partner with (or maybe buy) a non-Russian plant.
 
9985 said:
EHX website says they are taking orders again for target of April resuming shipping.

https://shop.ehx.com/russian-tubes/
Realize others may feel differently, but JJ/Chinese/EHX quality differences aside, I have a moral problem with buying any current production items shipping from Russia, a portion of the money will get to Putin regime via taxes & trickle-down. Sucks for the EHX workers and the US ownership of the company. Not trying to steer thread into a political discussion, I mention it only because many other tube buyers will feel the same, and more importantly, big amp companies will get public pressure to shift their bulk orders to JJ/Chinese sources whenever that is logisitcally possible- (look at heat Coke & McDonald's took for not pulling out right away, they changed their tune in about 48 hours). So it looks grim long term for EHX anyway, they should be looking for way to partner with (or maybe buy) a non-Russian plant.
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Mike should approach the JJ facility and license his products from them. Maybe in the process that can help the plant grow to help the increase in production. By and large the EHX and the Reflector plant were producing better tubes than JJ's. Who know maybe he does that with China if they ever reopen the Shuguang factory.
 
jabps said:
Mike should approach the JJ facility and license his products from them. Maybe in the process that can help the plant grow to help the increase in production. By and large the EHX and the Reflector plant were producing better tubes than JJ's. Who know maybe he does that with China if they ever reopen the Shuguang factory.
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He has to be thinking about other options. What is the secret sauce that makes EHX tubes better (for those that think they are, that isn't universally accepted). Assuming they are... is it superior/different raw materials that JJ/Chinese plants can't source? Better manufacturing equipment in the New Sensor plant itself? Higher skilled labor? Better QC? some IP of the tube design (which I can't believe would stop Chinese from knocking off)? The process documentation, design IP and maybe the key skilled labor people could all get shifted to another plant.
 
9985 said:
EHX website says they are taking orders again for target of April resuming shipping.

https://shop.ehx.com/russian-tubes/
Realize others may feel differently, but JJ/Chinese/EHX quality differences aside, I have a moral problem with buying any current production items shipping from Russia, a portion of the money will get to Putin regime via taxes & trickle-down. Sucks for the EHX workers and the US ownership of the company. Not trying to steer thread into a political discussion, I mention it only because many other tube buyers will feel the same, and more importantly, big amp companies will get public pressure to shift their bulk orders to JJ/Chinese sources whenever that is logisitcally possible- (look at heat Coke & McDonald's took for not pulling out right away, they changed their tune in about 48 hours). So it looks grim long term for EHX anyway, they should be looking for way to partner with (or maybe buy) a non-Russian plant.
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I doubt Putin's government is making that much from tubes specifically to warrant boycotting tubes. What it is doing however, is robbing the good hard working Russian people who rely on the income generated from these tubes and that is a bigger shame.

EHX makes awesome power tubes, still prefer the chinese pres though so I can adapt either way. Ultimately the hands playing the guitar make a bigger difference than the tubes do to my ear.
 
I can say, as a music store owner and an amp repair tech, it’s a big deal. I can’t get anything. Some of the amp lines that I’m a dealer for won’t even accept warranty repair returns because they don’t have tubes. It’s not the end of tube amps, but it is definitely hurting the people who repair amps right now
 
Fordman65 said:
Up until recently, I never tried JJ's. Considering their price point I thought I would give them a try in my Friedman 50W. Two matched sets cherry bombed with under 60 hours of use. I'm done with that. Not saying that's indicative of the whole, but for me, they're a non-starter now.
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All the power amp tubes (all brands) I've bought came from well-established sellers that have strong reputation for testing & matching, been lucky to not have any meltdowns, except one EL34 in a Voodoo modded Marshall JCM2000 DSL 100 (there's a whole saga of me doing stupid things with an attenuator that caused it.) Brings me back to my previous question about what the "secret sauce" is in EHX tubes, and how much of that could be transferred or replicated.
 
9985 said:
He has to be thinking about other options. What is the secret sauce that makes EHX tubes better (for those that think they are, that isn't universally accepted). Assuming they are... is it superior/different raw materials that JJ/Chinese plants can't source? Better manufacturing equipment in the New Sensor plant itself? Higher skilled labor? Better QC? some IP of the tube design (which I can't believe would stop Chinese from knocking off)? The process documentation, design IP and maybe the key skilled labor people could all get shifted to another plant.
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No clue. But I think Mike really got that factory up to snuff.

Frankly I prefer Chinese tubes both pre and power. In fact for years the only thing other than chinese I have used is the old wing C's or the real Svets in my amps. Other than that it's Chinese El34's and 6L6's. To me, they just always sounded better. I bought a couple sets of Tung Sol 34's (which I was going to try anyway before all this), couple sets of 34's (chinese) from Nesstone and a couple EH 7025's and a couple Tung Sol pre's before supplies dried up. But I've still got a couple sets of the Ruby El34bstr's which other than those old svets/c's are my favorites. And I'm pretty much stacked on Chinese 8th and 9th gen 12AX7's that I've had for a long time. In fact last pre's I bought other than those 4 above were from I think psychodave on here a few years back. I've also got a box full of Sovtek pre's (WA's, B's, WXT+'s, LP's) that I've had for a long time, I don't like them but for whatever reason I kept them.
 
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jabps said:
No clue. But I think Mike really got that factory up to snuff.

Frankly I prefer Chinese tubes both pre and power. In fact for years the only thing other than chinese I have used is the old wing C's or the real Svets in my amps. Other than that it's Chinese El34's and 6L6's. To me, they just always sounded better. I bought a couple sets of Tung Sol 34's (which I was going to try anyway before all this), couple sets of 34's (chinese) from Nesstone and a couple EH 7025's and a couple Tung Sol pre's before supplies dried up. But I've still got a couple sets of the Ruby El34bstr's which other than those old svets/c's are my favorites. And I'm pretty much stacked on Chinese 8th and 9th gen 12AX7's that I've had for a long time. In fact last pre's I bought other than those 4 above were from I think psychodave on here a few years back. I've also got a box full of Sovtek pre's (WA's, B's, WXT+'s, LP's) that I've had for a long time, I don't like them but for whatever reason I kept them.
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That box of pre's you don't like is now worth a bunch!
 
I like Svetlana EL34's and JJ 6CA7 sound just fine to my ears. RFT pre's for my amps (thankfully I got a few extra of those over the years) and whatever in the PI. I don't fuss that much over that spot. EH EL34 have a nice crunchy top end though. I think 6 months from now we will be able to get what we need again with minimal price hikes. Might cost an extra 10$ a tube due to the fact that they are imported first to China and then kicked down the line to the rest of the world.
 
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