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Post by Shannon on Nov 24, 2006 9:14:43 GMT -7
With the demand and sky rocketing prices of NOS tubes, why hasn't someone started building them like they used to be. I've heard that the plate materials are different now, but why can't a society that can clone a sheep figure out what was in those things and make it happen. Are tone freaks just not that important in the grand scheme of things?
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Post by iggs on Nov 24, 2006 11:09:15 GMT -7
Pretty much ... niche market demand is always the least priority, and the number of people who can hear the difference or would care about the difference is so small compared to the total amount of people using/buying the product. That's why Marshall sells way more amps then Dr.Z ...
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Post by Shannon on Nov 25, 2006 12:09:12 GMT -7
But the confusing part is there IS a market and the price is there. Dr Z is in business because people wanted the great tone that use to be in amps, but over time the need to mass product sucked the life and tone out of them. Now tubes seem to be going down the same road (I guess that's what has happened). Someone needs to bring it back to good. What am I missing? Why can't the old stuff be duplicated? I'm guess if it was easy someone would be doing it.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Nov 25, 2006 13:56:47 GMT -7
Well, I think part of the problem you have and one thing you have to consider is... not just the demand for the tubes... but... 1. if you do have the market and then have the abiltity to duplicate some of the Classic tubes and... 2. manage the High quality that these older NOS tubes have...( similar to the quality Myles is working with his SAG dept. @ Groove tubes) then you actually have another problem, and that is you make a product that someone buy's... that the quality is so high and the tube lasts so long ( especially talking about pre amp tubes, but also some longer lasting power tubes)... that you don't have to buy another one to replace them for so long because they are so well made and you have new tubes sitting on the shelves that aren't selling cause they are so over built and then all you are actually doing is basically making BRAND NEW= NOS tubes for the future generations to come... Of course you will always wear out tubes regardless of how well made they are but you can see the catch 22 you've got... cause alot of these tubes can last so long and can outlast any amount of demand created because today you have a diminished market for them with guitar players and high end audio users using tubes but not nearly the demand for them that there used to be in the early days of electronics when even the military used them and needed/ demanded very high tolerences and quantities of certain tubes... thus really helping us out with lots of really high quality NOS tubes that are still available today... I'd LOVE to see Myles and the guy's @ groove tubes making alot of NEW tubes based on NOS ones Myles has traced because they seem to really care about what makes a tube tick... but I bet Myles could chime in and tell you just how hard and expensive it really is just to Break even making a new production tube, especially starting from scratch...
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Post by hdahs143 on Nov 25, 2006 16:44:49 GMT -7
I think one of the biggest reasons the situation is the way it is, is that retooling and production costs would far outweigh any potential profit. It's a bad business venture, and money still talks!
I believe that there is still a healthy supply of good to high quality NOS tubes available for the size of the market that buys these items and doesn't mind paying the premium prices for them.
I love'em and think they're worth every dollar I've spent on them. Because properly selected, they can and will take an already unbelievable sounding amp, and take it to the next level.
Harold
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