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Western Electric considering adding more tubes to their current USA production
- Thread starter EADGBE
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Kinkless Tetrode
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Good to hear. Competition is a good thing. It should force JJ to up their game and QC too.
EADGBE
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The pro-audio brand tells Guitar.com how it plans to bring US-made guitar amp tubes back – and why it doesn’t want to charge a premium for doing so. Yay!
https://guitar.com/features/intervi...c-confirms-plans-tube-georgia-factory-crisis/
https://guitar.com/features/intervi...c-confirms-plans-tube-georgia-factory-crisis/
saxon68
Just another voice in the mix.
Looks like they’re gonna be pricey. It says 5 year warranty which is good but they offer financing at checkout. The 300B is $1,500 a matched pair.
Monstercastle
Active Member
It remains to be seen if it actually happens. I suspect it won’t due to simple economics. I personally will gladly pay more for product made here by people who live here. I hope demand is sufficient to make it viable.
MonstersOfTheMidway
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Their idea for pricing for new tubes made for guitar amps is imo a bit nebulous.
The company sites labor rates that are higher in the U.S. than countries like Russia and China. The company also sites material of higher quality, which causes the company spokesperson to say, "so the price will be higher."
Later, the spokesperson goes on to say they won't take advantage and charge an "absurd premium" for new tubes.
Sorry, but I remain a little skeptical. My definition of terms like "absurd" may not agree with theirs. If the spokesperson had been a little more specific in some kind of comparison (i.e. throw some numbers around), then I might have a little more faith. As a result, I'm gonna hold off buying from Western Electric until 1) a reputable reviewer does a shoot-out between Western Electric's forthcoming offerings versus what I've been able to get on the market, 2) their pricing is posted, and 3) their warranty/return/exchange policy is also posted.
The company sites labor rates that are higher in the U.S. than countries like Russia and China. The company also sites material of higher quality, which causes the company spokesperson to say, "so the price will be higher."
Later, the spokesperson goes on to say they won't take advantage and charge an "absurd premium" for new tubes.
Sorry, but I remain a little skeptical. My definition of terms like "absurd" may not agree with theirs. If the spokesperson had been a little more specific in some kind of comparison (i.e. throw some numbers around), then I might have a little more faith. As a result, I'm gonna hold off buying from Western Electric until 1) a reputable reviewer does a shoot-out between Western Electric's forthcoming offerings versus what I've been able to get on the market, 2) their pricing is posted, and 3) their warranty/return/exchange policy is also posted.
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Maggot Brain
Well-Known Member
I just saw this on TGP and knew they would get a massive response from the guitar community.
I'll pay more for a U.S. made tube within reason and remain loyal to WE if the product lives up to U.S. tube quality. I've never had a vintage U.S. made tube fail on me in nearly 20 years of playing guitar and owning tube amps. Foreign/current production tubes? I've had many failures and most were usually within a year of replacement. My expectation of a current production power tube is that it could fail anywhere between 1 to 3 years... If they can guarantee 5 years like the 300B and the price is reasonable considering, I think that is a steller value.
I'll pay more for a U.S. made tube within reason and remain loyal to WE if the product lives up to U.S. tube quality. I've never had a vintage U.S. made tube fail on me in nearly 20 years of playing guitar and owning tube amps. Foreign/current production tubes? I've had many failures and most were usually within a year of replacement. My expectation of a current production power tube is that it could fail anywhere between 1 to 3 years... If they can guarantee 5 years like the 300B and the price is reasonable considering, I think that is a steller value.
JAC
Well-Known Member
Sounds expensive. I'm skeptical about it. I don't want to be a stick in the mud but, I doubt it will be so dandy or even occur at all. I don't care where they make them as long as they last for years and are not over priced. I'm not holding my breath on this.
Maggot Brain
Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm so confused, the response I'm seeing after the announcement is a lot different than when the poll was introduced.
10kDA
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"Along with better reliability, we hope to offer a super low-noise, low-distortion, and consistent product people can trust. Our goal has always been to make the best electron tubes in the world."
Hey WE - don't make the audiophile-smug mistake of thinking you know better than we do re: what we want our tubes to sound like. If your "low distortion" EL34s are characterless, you probably won't sell many after the initial curiosity bump. Contrary to perception, some people roll tubes to get a particular level of grit and dirt rather than pristine flawless reproduction.
Just because a new manufacturer appears in the market is no guarantee they will be doing it right. If my Marshall doesn't need tubes for 5 years but sounds like a Twin Reverb, i've gained reliability and lost everything I want about the Marshall.
Hey WE - don't make the audiophile-smug mistake of thinking you know better than we do re: what we want our tubes to sound like. If your "low distortion" EL34s are characterless, you probably won't sell many after the initial curiosity bump. Contrary to perception, some people roll tubes to get a particular level of grit and dirt rather than pristine flawless reproduction.
Just because a new manufacturer appears in the market is no guarantee they will be doing it right. If my Marshall doesn't need tubes for 5 years but sounds like a Twin Reverb, i've gained reliability and lost everything I want about the Marshall.
jeffb
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Good to hear. I will wait on some reviews (outside the yootoob influencers) once they become available to see if the tonez are up to snuff. I've no doubt they can make a great hi fi tube, but this is a new ball game for them.
paul-e-mann
Well-Known Member
I will definitely buy some 12AX7's to start to try them as long as they arent priced out of this world.
I will buy them . Not worried , most of current tubes are nothing like NOS tubes but it does make me wonder if the process was under the radar in the 60’s. Not sure at what point they Started the EPA.
Check this out
old telefunken tube plant once a thriving company . I finally translated it.
m-haz-de.translate.goog
old telefunken tube plant once a thriving company . I finally translated it.
Das Aus für die letzten Telefunken-Reste
Einst hatte Telefunken in Hannover und Celle Tausende Beschäftigte. Doch der Strukturwandel in der Unterhaltungselektronik hat zu einem schnellen Niedergang des Traditionsunternehmens geführt. Nun schließt Technicolor – so heißt Thomson inzwischen – den letzten operativen Standort in Hannover.
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Matthews Guitars
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I have customers who have been in the habit of fully retubing their gigging amps every year whether they need it or not.
In fact I just had one of those customers a few days ago. He had his stash of changed-out tubes with him and for fun we tested them.
Every one of the power tubes met rated specifications. None would qualify as "worn" by performance. So he's got spares for years.
Tube prices WILL go up. No matter what. No matter where they come from. So people will want to run their tubes longer.
Being a realist, I'd still have tube amps and retube them AS NECESSARY if preamp tubes were 50 bucks each and power tubes were 100 dollars each.
At the rate I go through tubes, which is very slowly, I'd be able to afford it.
In fact I just had one of those customers a few days ago. He had his stash of changed-out tubes with him and for fun we tested them.
Every one of the power tubes met rated specifications. None would qualify as "worn" by performance. So he's got spares for years.
Tube prices WILL go up. No matter what. No matter where they come from. So people will want to run their tubes longer.
Being a realist, I'd still have tube amps and retube them AS NECESSARY if preamp tubes were 50 bucks each and power tubes were 100 dollars each.
At the rate I go through tubes, which is very slowly, I'd be able to afford it.
