That must be frustrating about the tubes mitchb.
My Sherwood S3000 III tube tuner just had a power supply capacitor replaced and one tube replaced. All of the other 50 year old tubes were in great condition. As others have said tubes should last a long time in a tuner.
While I'm here, first post here BTW, can I better the Sherwood for less than $500? I don't need dx ability as I have one station that I listen too. Sound quality is my number one priority. Any other tuner ideas?
I recently had a Sansui TU-9900 in house that was nice but would have needed a rebuild to better the Sherwood, which has been re-capped in the past. I like the magic of tubes, but wonder how much I'm missing?