Recommendations for a reliable source of NOS Valves

bacchanalian

I currently run a Victoria with

1 x 5Y3
1 x 6V6
3 x 12AX7
1 x 12AT7

All are JJ but I am thinking of trying NOS.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good supplier of NOS valves?

Also, what would be the best order to replace the valves to have the most noticeable effect?  

Thank you in advance for any advice

crunchman

NOS are getting more difficult to find now, and a lot more expensive.

There will be some on Ebay, but some of them will be fakes, and others won't actually be new.

Watford Valves have some, and they will be genuine, but they aren't cheap.

Gadget

Preamp valves generally have the greatest effect on tone / gain structure.

Try Tube Distinctions.

Funkfingers

crunchman said:
Watford Valves have some, they will be genuine, but they aren't cheap.

+1 for Watford Valves.

bacchanalian said:

what would be the best order to replace the valves to have the most noticeable effect?  

Watford Valves product descriptions are pretty honest about which specific makes/models lend themselves best to specific applications.

normula1

Watch out for Watford valves not displaying VAT on their prices or delivery charges.

clarkefan

normula1 said:

Watch out for Watford valves not displaying VAT on their prices or delivery charges.

Wow they still doing that?

Also watch out for the guy on the phone, he was ridiculous, like I was an unwelcome intrusion...

That was a long time ago though, he could be gone,  I've no idea cos I never went back.

crunchman

clarkefan said:

normula1 said:

Watch out for Watford valves not displaying VAT on their prices or delivery charges.

Wow they still doing that?

Also watch out for the guy on the phone, he was ridiculous, like I was an unwelcome intrusion...

That was a long time ago though, he could be gone,  I've no idea cos I never went back.

He can be grumpy but he knows his stuff, and I've always had decent service from him.  When I had a valve go bad after 3 weeks he replaced without any quibbles.

Let's face it, half the people on this forum seem to be grumpy old men.  It's not a crime.

Stewart Ward at Award-Session is another grumpy one but I'll still buy from him.

normula1

Despite what 90% of the people who know me say, I am not in any way shape or form a grumpy old fu**er, that semi permenent scowl on my face just means I'm not listening and thinking about stuff... OK

ThePrettyDamned

crunchman said:

clarkefan said:

normula1 said:

Watch out for Watford valves not displaying VAT on their prices or delivery charges.

Wow they still doing that?

Also watch out for the guy on the phone, he was ridiculous, like I was an unwelcome intrusion...

That was a long time ago though, he could be gone,  I've no idea cos I never went back.

He can be grumpy but he knows his stuff, and I've always had decent service from him.  When I had a valve go bad after 3 weeks he replaced without any quibbles.

Let's face it, half the people on this forum seem to be grumpy old men.  It's not a crime.

Stewart Ward at Award-Session is another grumpy one but I'll still buy from him.

Although when I called a few years back he put a very hard sell on cryogenic valves... Sounded like nonsense to me, and when I compared valves they didn't sound any different to the slightly random differences you get anyway. 

exocet

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/COLOMOR-VALVES-TUBES-COMPONENTS

crunchman

ThePrettyDamned said:

Although when I called a few years back he put a very hard sell on cryogenic valves... Sounded like nonsense to me, and when I compared valves they didn't sound any different to the slightly random differences you get anyway. 

It is conceivable that the cryo treatment does make a difference.

I did a metallurgy/materials degree.  When there was a discussion of cryo valves on here, I found an academic paper online that looked at cryo treatment of steel, and it did make a difference to the microstructure of the metal that would stay there unless it got heated up to over 700C.  Not sure what metal the plates and structure of a valve are made of, but it's not impossible there is a difference.  Also not sure how much affect it would have on the sound.

If there is a difference, it isn't necessarily for the better.  I did try a cryo one once, when he first started doing them, and I didn't like it all.  It was a different brand of valve to what I normally use, so it may have just been that, but I've never bothered with cryo since.  I'm happy with the sound of normal valves.

bacchanalian

Thanks for the pointers. That eBay shop looks interesting.  Having checked some of the prices, I think I will avoid the premium end of the market, like Mullard and Brimar.  There seems to be some reasonable value in  US made valves. 

exocet

I’ve also bought from this company.

https://www.langrex.co.uk/product-category/valves/

nick79

A mate of mine just last week was given 3 boxes full of old valves, loads of 12ax7/ecc83 and quite a few other strange ones that i had never seen before. I'm guessing from old radios/tv's?

Anyway, we checked the 12ax7's were working in one of my amps, and amazingly (?) they all worked. Lot's of Brimar/Mullard and s few Ten.
I quite surprised at the difference in tone between a lot of them, they all sounded good but to me the Brimar's sounded best - Lovely rich warm overdrive. 

bacchanalian

@nick79 What is you mate planning to do with the valves? Sell on The Fretboard?

nick79

I mentioned that to him, but he went ahead and flogged them all to an antique dealer! I had 4 from him to use myself, but i did tell him i would have bought more, plus anyone that wanted them on here..

clarkefan

crunchman said:

clarkefan said:

normula1 said:

Watch out for Watford valves not displaying VAT on their prices or delivery charges.

Wow they still doing that?

Also watch out for the guy on the phone, he was ridiculous, like I was an unwelcome intrusion...

That was a long time ago though, he could be gone,  I've no idea cos I never went back.

He can be grumpy but he knows his stuff, and I've always had decent service from him.  When I had a valve go bad after 3 weeks he replaced without any quibbles.

Let's face it, half the people on this forum seem to be grumpy old men.  It's not a crime.

Stewart Ward at Award-Session is another grumpy one but I'll still buy from him.

No thanks I've no idea if we're taking about the same bloke but if we are he can do one.  Actually, it's in my power to decide, not him, and I have  

Wonder how many sales he's lost over the years by treating customers as irritants? Shame he's the only source left in the planet for valv... oh no, hang on

bacchanalian

I am watching a 1954 Mullard NOS 12AX7/ECC83 on eBay. 
£84 at the moment!

bacchanalian

The 1954 Mullard went for £138.  You could easily end up in a position where your valves are worth more than your amp 

nick79

Thats madness surely..... Prompted by this thread i put an old Mullard and Brimar in my Mini Rectifier yesterday just to see what the results would be, and to be fair they do sound very very good. The valves they replaced were standard Mesa 12ax7's that were originals and 4 years old, so whether they sound better than some new ones i cant say. But they do sound good.