Western Electric wants to know if you want them to make tubes other than the 300B

[michaelwjones]

Please go here and complete the form:

 

https://www.westernelectric.com/expand

 

More info here:

 

https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/russian-vacuum-tube-crisis-us-hifi-brand-western-electric-branching-guitar-tubes/?amp=

 

[Schu]

I wrote in 350b

[Khorn]

Really great tubes. Lookin forward to more. 

[seti]

Western Electric in name only like so many other brands.

If I were to pick one I'd go 421A.

[OO1]

I wish they could lower the prices on New 300B matched  tubes , that's what I wrote in the comments .

however ,  the fancy wood boxes they send , are a nice touch with my  Havana Cigars ,

[hobobob86]

Looking forward to seeing if they come out with a 6L6.

[John Warren]

Then there's the price point.  How much would one be willing to spend on a match pair of, say 7591s? 80USD? My guess is the new WE will come in closer to 300USD.  So 600USD for your Scott 299C. 

 

I was ready to pull the trigger on a new amp build based on the Citation II.  That will not happen.  Anyone interested in buying a tube amp should think long and hard about that purchase, you might be stuck waiting for 2 or 3 years before your EL34s or KT88s are readily available.

 

  

[ToolShedAmps]

I asked for 274b, 350b, 437a and 417a............... pipe dream, most of them. My guess is that they will try to fill the "guitar" amp tube vacuum. 12_ _7's and a power tube of some sort, unfortunately, probably not the 350b.

 

Anything would be welcome. 

[michaelwjones]

41 minutes ago, ToolShedAmps said:

Anything would be welcome. 

 

Bingo!

[billybob]

https://guitar-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/guitar.com/features/interviews/exclusive-western-electric-confirms-plans-tube-georgia-factory-crisis/?

[dirtmudd]

 

[John Warren]

Going exactly as expected, i.e. nowhere.

 

There's a handful of tubes that can meet the demands of the microscopic tube amp market.  What's it take? an $80 pair of EL-34, 6L6, 7591s?

[michaelwjones]

3 hours ago, John Warren said:

Going exactly as expected, i.e. nowhere.

 

So in your experience it takes only six months to design, build and begin manufacturing of a new tube line?

[John Warren]

3 hours ago, michaelwjones said:

 

So in your experience it takes only six months to design, build and begin manufacturing of a new tube line?

No, I don't expect a new tube line manufacturing tubes in 6 months.  But I would expect some feedback by now, what are they doing?  What's the down-select? What tube or tubes are planned? What's the date of first issue?  What's the cost? 

 

This isn't hard, J&J has already identified the popular tubes.

[billybob]

Yes if One asks a question and then just go walkabout.

[dirtmudd]

 

[michaelwjones]

3 hours ago, John Warren said:

 But I would expect some feedback by now, what are they doing?  What's the down-select? What tube or tubes are planned? What's the date of first issue?  What's the cost? 

Not that the web is a great place to gather information, but there is some anecdotal posting on Hoffman's forum that WE has some 6SN7s out for beta testing.

 

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/western-electric-6sn7-and-more-news-update.1150919/

 

I agree with your comment re: pricing. EAT was getting several hundred dollars per signal tube recently and about $800 for a KT88.

 

At least the post seems to have a new WE amp release correct.

[Marvel]

There's a tech with a shop on the bottom floor of the WE office building in Rossville. He worked on my Welborne Labs 2a3 amps back when I still had them He had a prototype WE 2A3 SET on a largish PCB. It wasn't in a case... soundex ok but it wasn't in a listening room.

 

The manufacturing is a few blocks away.

[KT88]

What is the US equivalent of a KT66. The GEC is the benchmark. I would like to see some good ones by WE for my Quad II amps

[82 Cornwalls]

4 hours ago, KT88 said:

What is the US equivalent of a KT66. The GEC is the benchmark. I would like to see some good ones by WE for my Quad II amps

 

6L6 is the closest.

Not always a direct replacement since the KT66 draws about 50% more filament current.

 

Have you tried the current production Gold Lion KT66s?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by 82 Cornwalls