Where do you buy your tubes? Tube Swapping?

[hydrargyrum]

Its time to retube my Fender pro-reverb again, and I recently had been reading that there are a number of tubes that can be substituted for 12AX7's to give a reduced gain, forcing the poweramp to work a bit harder.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  Additionally, if someone could point me towards a good source for tubes, it would be much appreciated.

[lembic76450]

Kevin,
 
I recently replaced my F-2B tubes with tubes from Eurotubes (www.eurotubes.com).
They have a good video on biasing a Fender  
amp,it kind of removes the mystery.
 
 Prices are good and shipping was fast.  
It's a good site for info and I found them  
very helpful on the phone.

[hydrargyrum]

Thanks a lot.  I've bought tubes from this guy before, but for the life of me could not remember his name (or site).  I'll almost certainly buy from him, unless someone cares to step in and recommend some incredibly great deal.

[crobbins]

I buy tubes for my Mesa Boogie amps from the Mesa Boogie site. Otherwise I take my amps to our tube amp guru, Robert Dixon, and he retubes them with whatever he uses....
 
http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/mesboogtub.html

[jbybj]

I have made happy purchases from both these places.
 
https://www.boiaudioworks.com/
 
http://www.tubedepot.com/powertubes.html
 
good luck, JBY

[gtrguy]

Pretty hard to beat Eurotubes (plus it's close for me). They sound good in a Fender. I wouldn't bother with anything other than 12AX7 in your amp. The best way to make it work harder is to turn it up! Mesa tubes are good but cost more and don't sound any better. Electro-harmonix (sp?) high end 12AX7s sound great in V1 position. I don't like Ruby or Sovtek. NOS stuff is OK, like RCA, etc. Again way overpriced. Mullard 'holy grail' stuff is supposed to sound great, but I don't know personally.
 
IMHO, the single best thing for a Fender Pro would be a better speaker. I stuck some Mesa C90s in my twin and now it sound GOOD! Keep the stock ones for resale time.
 
Bye,
Dave

[lbpesq]

I've had a blackface Pro Reverb for many years.  My friend, from whom I obtained it, long ago swapped out the original fender (Jensens?) for JBLs.  It sounds fantastic.
 
Bill, tgo

[hydrargyrum]

Yeah, for some time I have imagined that I would try to swap out the guts into a figured hardwood cabinet with some tone-tubbies, but alas, it always seems like some other piece of gear has tempted me more.

[dfung60]

The 12AU7 is a lower gain tube that is otherwise pin compatible with a 12AX7, but I don't think that will do you want.  If you make that substitution, then you'll have lower output because the preamp circuit isn't driving the power amp circuit as hard.  You make this change if you want more clean headroom.  
 
The 12AU7 is often used in the section of the amp between the preamp front end and the power amp section or in front of a reverb tank.  At these points in the amp, the signal level is a little higher and you don't want to introduce distortion.
 
If you put a 12AX7 in place of a 12AU7, then you'll increase the output level and that WILL drive your power amp harder.
 
David Fung

[hydrargyrum]

Thanks for the illumnination David.  The explanations I had heard were that by reducing the gain in the preamp, one had to force the poweramp to work harder to produce the same volume, thereby forcing it to breathe differently.  I wasn't necessarily looking for more gain from my, amp, as much I was in exploring different tonal options.  Frankly though, the amp has never really lacked for clean headroom.

[pace]

I might still have a bunch of old 12au7's lying around if you want to try them out Kev....  
 
shoot me an email....
 
-Mike

[crobbins]

I use a Pro-Reverb, and a Boogie amp. the fender has Tone Tubby speakers, and the Boogie a JBL..