What tubes and where to buy them? Conrad Johnson

Pedro45...I really thought that the tubes from cj would be less than what NOS tubes will run you. Your preamp, (one of my favorites BTW) uses (9) tubes and the amp uses (8).

Jim McShane is a great recommendation along with Brent Jesse. I have bought tubes from both of them. My favorite tube supplier is Kevin Deal who owns Upscale Audio.

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/VacuumTubes/

I think you will find that decent NOS tubes are going to cost you a fortune, but you never know.

Good luck on your search. Tube rolling can be fun, but you can also drive yourself crazy. I'm been collecting tubes for over 30 years and have 4 drawers full of tubes that I have acquired. I've always said that I could probably retire on what these tubes are worth now.

Pedrod45, that is a lot of tubes. Maybe you should invest in a used vacuum tube tester on Ebay. Different tube types last longer than others. ie; small preamp tubes can last for years vs. amp power tubes.

Go talk to Paul at Sound Ideas on NW 13th St. there in Gainesville. He has an a nice selection of tubes and you can discuss your ideas, goals, and budget.

Another possibility is Andy Bowman at Vintage Tube Service. You can reference his website for some information, but you really just need to speak to him on the phone. He has great insight to most equipment and what tubes work well. His "perfect pick" tubes can save you some money on very well tested tubes.

Mofimadness, here is the quote that Conrad Johnson has sent me for the tube sets I need: "RTPR3 is $475 plus $19.95 for shipping and RT55 is $340 plus 19.95 for shipping". These are the tubes included: 12AX7 Mullard, 5751 Sovtek, 5965 GE, 6SN7 Sovtek, EL34 Mullard (I believe all brand new reissue tubes).

I`ve already received a quote from Brent Jessee (BTW, thank you Lowrider57 for this recommendation) and that`s what I got:

12AX7 Sylvania or GE 1960s, $30.00 USD each
5751 GE 2 mica military stock $30.00 each
5965 RCA $14.00 each

6SN7GTB General Electric 1960s $50.00 per matched pair
EL34 Groove Tubes Mullard reissue, $60.00 per matched pair

The total would be U$408,00 for all tubes and I believe that the only brand new reissue tubes are the EL34 Mullard`s.

Lowrider, yes, it`s a lot of tubes!!!! I just want to take the chance that I`m here in the US and take some tubes to Brazil, since once I get back there it`s hard to find this tubes and they are even more expensive.

I aprecciate your help guys!

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