All JFM modules now come tube tested and graded

There was a typo in my previous post. It was $420, not $410. I'll correct that now, but still - good deal.

drewiv said:

There was a typo in my previous post. It was $420, not $410. I'll correct that now, but still - good deal.

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420 is a good number.

I got mine for $420 on ebay as well from mojos_music.

Brilliant piece of simple gear that really helps sort out tubes in certain mods...

A little side story, I'll admit that I had some expensive tubes that I barely used because they sounded like **** in every mod...Turns out, had I had this tester, I could have returned those worn out POS...I think the seller put NOS on accident...Simple mistake...Now I can rule those tubes out and not think twice...It sucks, but at least I know...

It also helps order your tubes so easily...TexasGuitarRanch was mine on the bay as well...

Mattfig said:

Brilliant piece of simple gear that really helps sort out tubes in certain mods...

A little side story, I'll admit that I had some expensive tubes that I barely used because they sounded like s*&t in every mod...Turns out, had I had this tester, I could have returned those worn out POS...I think the seller put NOS on accident...Simple mistake...Now I can rule those tubes out and not think twice...It sucks, but at least I know...

It also helps order your tubes so easily...TexasGuitarRanch was mine on the bay as well...

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NOS? POS? I'm sure they were just labeled wrong. It's a common mistake.

Anyway, went through a BUNCH of tubes I picked up from garage sales and my neighbors grandfather was a repair man too, so bunch there. Always afraid to use the tubes, but now I have proof they are NOS (or at least "good"). Looking online I have a few rather expensive 12AX7s in my possession. I did find one vintage set of 5881's as well, test good too.

The Valve Tester is a nice piece of equipment. Like Fig, wished I had it before. Found some of my "balanced" 12AX7's I've purchased - aren't so balanced. :?

Word to the wise: NEVER pay a premium for balanced tubes. I have two reasons for this:

1: You are sweating a balanced tube for an imperfect circuit. PI circuits are NEVER perfect. Try several tubes (both balanced and not) and tell me if you hear a difference. Even better, do it before you test it to check for balance and see if your ears confirm.

and more importantly

2: If you buy 5-10 tubes, typically at least half will be balanced without paying for the "testing". I buy about 200-300 12AX7's a year for the shop from 3 quality wholesalers and this is a very true statement regardless of the source.

Jaded Faith said:

2: If you buy 5-10 tubes, typically at least half will be balanced without paying for the "testing". I buy about 200-300 12AX7's a year for the shop from 3 quality wholesalers and this is a very true statement regardless of the source.

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^this is very true. Tested and true.

I choose to ignore the rest of your post. :lol:

All kidding aside, Rob. I had a tube in my loop that was causing me all that noise, as we previously discussed. I kept it and tested it. It was split 7/10 on Valve Tester. I noticed the difference and the Tester said it was still good, not worn or bad. Maybe if it's split by one, but the difference of three was definitely noticeable.

It's probably got more to do with the tube itself than the fact it's not balanced. Even more so is how the imbalance reacts within the circuit of the PI in that given amp.

Remember, tubes became big money in the 80's and 90's. There wasn't all the optional stuff like balanced tubes before that. Matching tubes in the Fender and Marshall factories back in the day was only as technical as what the worker on the line happened to grab out of the box when assembling the amps. :lol:

If I missed it somewhere, sorry. But what value would be considered a "high gain" tube?

My initial thought would be anything rated between a 10-15 on the scale. I have tested over 150 of my own tubes and every one belonging to a customer in the last 4 weeks. My general observation is that most places will rate a tube HG if it reads an 8 or 9 on the Orange tester.

Some of the brands that are generally lower gain across the board (Tung Sol 12AX7's and Sovtek 12AX7WA are two prime examples) will consistently read around a 6 or 7 per side.