Western Electric Survey for USA-made Tubes

[syscokid]

Honoring my civic duties...:

We make electron tubes — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity

We've made quality electron tubes for over 100 years. Most recently, the type 300B. Now, we want to hear from you regarding other popular tube types. Click to fill the form. Share this page with others.

www.westernelectric.com

Spread the word...

 

[Go Nigel Go]

Filled out the short survey, hope they follow through and start producing again.

 

[Norton]

It’s a no brainer. They’d sell all the tubes they wanted to make. Not sure if it’s a profit margin that’ll make the shareholder mentality excited. But there’s no way it wouldn’t work.

 

[smitty_p]

Yeah, what can it hurt! When I first filled out the form on the website, their list did not include 6V6 or EL34 tubes. I left a comment that these tubes were extremely common guitar amplification tubes. A couple hours later I checked the site again and these tubes were added to the list.

Now, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one to point this out, so I’m not saying they added these only because of my comment. But, it does show they are actively monitoring the site and paying attention.

 

[donepearce]

We have the equivalent in the UK. Brimar is an old and respected valve manufacturer. They have recommissioned their old machines and are producing some great valves again.

Brimar Valve Products

 

[Decadent Dan]

The Western Electric 300B price for one matched pair is $1,499.

 

[donepearce]

The Western Electric 300B price for one matched pair is $1,499.

Ouch - that's almost ten times the Brimar price. Worth the shipping at that rate.

 

[syscokid]

We have the equivalent in the UK. Brimar is an old and respected valve manufacturer. They have recommissioned their old machines and are producing some great valves again.

Brimar Valve Products

So, Brimar is actually manufacturing all the tubes currently listed in their catalog? I did not know their machinery was up to speed yet.

 

[donepearce]

So, Brimar is actually manufacturing all the tubes currently listed in their catalog? I did not know their machinery was up to speed yet.

I believe so. I can't say from personal experience though.

 

[Decadent Dan]

Eurotubes has this message…

“Our online store is temporarily closed due to an overwhelming numbers of orders placed after 3/10/2022. Do not worry! JJ Electronic is running at full capacity and we're processing existing orders as quickly as possible. Once we're caught up we will reopen the store.”

 

[MetroGMP45Head]

The Western Electric 300B price for one matched pair is $1,499.

Thing about the Western Electric 300B is that it has a 5 Year Warranty, and is rated for 40,000 hours.

 

[Decadent Dan]

Thing about the Western Electric 300B is that it has a 5 Year Warranty, and is rated for 40,000 hours.

Somehow that doesn’t make it seem any less ridiculous. $750 per tube?
C’mon man…

 

[Decadent Dan]

Eurotubes is taking orders again.
4 matched JJ EL34’s and 3 JJ 12ax7’s (1 high gain) are just under $190 shipped US.

 

[Decadent Dan]

The tubes arrived today. The bias adjust needed to come up but…
I asked the owner to play through it as-is to hear what it sounded like biased cold.
Then I adjusted upwards twice until he asked to bring it back down somewhat.
The EL34’s were all within 1mA (using a bias probe tool) in a 100W JCM-800 …I’m no expert but those were the tightest numbers I’ve ever seen.
It sounds great. It was in a studio where we could crank it too.

 

[TheDixiePig]

I like the JJ tubes stuff. I have a STV that I spent many dollars buying NOS tubes for. Came to the conclusion that the current production JJ and Electro-Harmonix tubes sound just as good and saved myself a lot of money and trouble. The STV now has EH power tubes and a mix of JJ and EH in the preamp. Guitarist I play with uses a Mesa Dual Rec and has all JJ's in it. Sounds good, and they have been trouble free.

 

[Decadent Dan]

I like the JJ tubes stuff. I have a STV that I spent many dollars buying NOS tubes for. Came to the conclusion that the current production JJ and Electro-Harmonix tubes sound just as good and saved myself a lot of money and trouble. The STV now has EH power tubes and a mix of JJ and EH in the preamp. Guitarist I play with uses a Mesa Dual Rec and has all JJ's in it. Sounds good, and they have been trouble free.

I have a pair of EH EL34’s that have no bottom end. I can’t throw them away but I can’t stand their tone.

 

[TheDixiePig]

I prefer the EH for power tubes in the SVT, the JJ's seemed, I don't know, flabby? The EH's were tighter in the bottom. My faves in the SVT power section were the old Svetlana 6550's though.

 

[Decadent Dan]

I prefer the EH for power tubes in the SVT, the JJ's seemed, I don't know, flabby? The EH's were tighter in the bottom. My faves in the SVT power section were the old Svetlana 6550's though.

I compared EH and JJ in a Marshall power amp side by side. The EH had a tight top end and cutting mids but that’s about it.
The two together through a stereo cabinet had a noticeable lacking bottom on one side.
I’ve had older Svetlana in a plexi reissue, no complaints.
I played a 77 JMP for many years with 6550’s stock, I don’t know who made the tubes but it was pretty amazing. It got switched to EL34’s but I should have left it as is.

 

[Tah-lee]

So, Brimar is actually manufacturing all the tubes currently listed in their catalog? I did not know their machinery was up to speed yet.

I would say they are not manufactured in the U.K. yet because their website says “each time you purchase one of our electron tubes it brings us closer to manufacturing right here in the U.K.”