Bottlehead Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Pfenning on March 22, 2012, 12:48:03 PM
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So I find myself at a spot in life where I need a reputable tube dealer that doesn't ask for my first born child in return for some tubes. I just received a Crack kit, and my Foreplay 3 kit is on it's way to me. I just picked up a super sweet PTP wired Fender 5E3 clone, and I have a champ clone that I would like to roll some different tubes through, and of course I'm dreaming about grabbing a Tode kit. Where are you guys buying your tubes from? I mainly interested in NOS and good used tubes, I can grab JJ's and EH tubes all over the place. Mail order is my only choice, because I live in the middle of nowhere. Thanks.
Pfenning
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Tube World and Upscale Audio. Always good recommendations from both. And good tubes. Not the lowest prices but their tubes perform.
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Jim McShane. One of the best in the business.
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Tube World, mostly for their good used tubes, tested and backed. Find some good deals there sometimes. Usually I take my chances bargain hunting on ebay, mostly small signal tubes. Not as easy as it used to be though.
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Another vote for Jim McShane -- good guy and generally has very good prices. Also tube mmonger -- again, decent prices and some interesting tubes I don't see elsewhere -- such as the CV4086s I just got for my Eros. Brent Jesse is also very reliable, but tends towards the expensive side, and there is also Vintage Tube Services -- again, decent, but not bargain prices, and some of the most thorough testing and matching in the business. Those are my faves for top quality stuff and hard-to-find items, and some less spoken about versions of bespoke tubes.
HTH,
Jim