As hams drink the solid state kool-aide and rush out to unload their
perfectly good tube gear and buy dinky little light weight plastic
boxes with heat sinks, the rest of us reap the benefits of the free
market lowering prices due to a glut of vacuum tube equipment. Let
them complete their slide into glorified CB.
But, it isn't a bad idea to have spare tubes. Just remember a
properly operated 3-500Z etc. will probably out-last most of us. I
know people running 3-500s that are now 45 years old. When tubes that
are well made don't last, it us usually due to operator incompetence
or bad product design. There's no need then, to get a half dozen
spares with one exception: audio tubes. The glass audio nuts, who
seem to have an unlimited amount of money to blow on "high end audio,"
drive up the price of certain triodes like 211s and 845s. So far,
they have not been interested in anything with a plate lug on top, but
that may change. I'd start stashing away RCA 811As, Cetron 572Bs, RCA
807s and anything else you run. The 807 is a beam power tube but
1950s Williamson amp designs use it, so it may get on the audiophool
radar, ending the days of 807s for less than $10. The 6V6 and 6L6
have already suffered.
73
Rob
K5UJ
>
>>What's everyone doing to plan for the day when most tubes are unobtainium?
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
|