First Tube Amp: Advice? Keep spare tubes on hand?

Also, the easiest way to determine if a tube has gone bad is to have a replacement available to see if changing a tube fixes the problem when you hear one.

Now I need to follow my own advice and pick up a spare tube or two for my own tube pre.....

Whadja get? Is it an autobias amp or one you would have to bias yourself? If you have to do it yourself, you will NEED a multi-meter at some point, and/or a friend to guide you. If it is fully autobiased and the amp doesn't 'eat' tubes, what you really need is time to listen :^)

Extra tubes are OK, but it may be premature. You are better off learning the foibles of the amp with regard to your speakers, your upstream components, and tubes. That takes time, but I expect you won't be overburdened.

Make sure you dont buy off ebay.Go to Brent Jessie,Upscale,and 3-4 others here I cant remember.Do a search...

Hate to be the fly in the ointment but there are some amps that require a resistor replacement before attempting to swap out the bad output tube. This depends on how the tube failed. Some manufacturers use these resistors like fuses. If the resistor fails, like a plate, grid, or cathode resistor, it can minimize damage to other parts of the amplifier. If a new tube is installed and the resistor is not replaced, it can cause damage to your brand new tube. I would probably contact the manufacturer to make sure you can easily swap out output tubes. Small signal tubes like the 12AX7 or 6922 can be easily swapped out as long as the amp has been turned off first. G