looking for a tube preamps that doesn't sound like SS

There are so many! Any older CJ preamp. A wonderful tube preamp is the LInear Tube Micro Zotl with power supply.  This is the venerable David Berning design! I love that one with Tungsol round plates.  Backert Labs makes a great preamp, Modwright, Supertek is wonderful plus you can get a phono stage for that price, Don Sachs is also highly regarded, Atmasphere, Cary etc. I also liked the Doge 8 with NOS tubes (about $1400 new.) All are great and I probably forgot about 10 others.
It is a great time to be an audiophile with all the great choices new and used!

Schiit balanced "Freya +" at 900 bucks...the "improved" version (same features as the original but adds some things like a motorized volume control and tube "turn off" when using the passive or FET modes...great way to save tubes if using the thing for background music) of the original I’ve been using for a while with NOS GE 6SN7GTBs...a superb sounding USA made preamp that proves great design needn’t be expensive.

I found the sound I was after with a Modwright 36.5 with a NOS GZ34 Mullard in the power supply. 

Oh, easy. Take a close look at the Supratek Audio Chardonnay. This is the latest iteration of the preamp that kicked off the longest running thread on Audiogon. Search for "Preamp Deal of the Century".

Another top candidate would be the Don Sachs Model 2. Extremely well regarded.

If you're wanting to buy new, I don't think you can go wrong with either of these two preamps. You can spend more, but it will be tough to find better.