Mullard Tube Blackburn UK Bankrupt

[GUITARGOD]

You know there's a couple ways you could do this... I use a processor for my sound and a tube power amp for the power of that sound. This so far for me has been the way to go and gives me more options with what i want to do or CAN do with my sound. Just a straight anp is great but you should look at both options because one may be more cost effective then the other also.
In fact the amp i use has two sets of out-put jacks, 2 at 8 ohms and 4 at 4 ohms which means it can be ran as a half stack or a full stack depending on what ohm speakers you use. I daisy-chain two 16 ohm speakers for each side of the amp for a half stack setup. (old fasioned style) But could use four 8 ohm per side for a full stack also.
Just a thought, some heads will give you similar options, One good tip, the back of the amp is at times more important then the front.
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GUITARGOD

[Bobby66]

...I hear ya G-God...I am on a budget so I am considering all possibilities for amplification...I can get a Marshall MG 4/12 slant cab rated at 8 ohms/200 watts for a very reasonable cost...yet when I acquire the 100w tube head that I want this will not be sufficient unless I run another cab...or a full stack...I dont know...when I hear the sound that I want...I'll buy it... ...anyhow, I cant wait to pick up my Iommi SG 400 & Morley pedal this week...I'll post some vids when I do...
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...As long as it's NOT about love...

[GUITARGOD]

You can make a four 12" cab work in place of a full stack set-up if the Ohm load is right, you may already know this but if you daisy-chain two 8 Ohm speakers the load is now a 4 Ohm load, and two 16 Ohm speakers would make an 8 Ohm load and so forth. You can also rewire speakers to keep the Ohm load the same I think it's in series for that.. not sure off the top of my head. The point being you can start out with a smaller system and add to it later to make a bigger badder set up. Money is always an issue now days man... scary times.

Love the Morley by the way those are great, i'd like to get one, i don't like the wah in my effects unit, i need to mess with it more and see if i can fatten it up somehow.
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GUITARGOD

[really long nick name]

Here is the Marshall puppy I was talk'n bout.

[really long nick name]

Just received this email from TechTube. In case you don't want to read all of this post, I'll give the overview:
TechTube is having difficulty and setbacks reaching their goal of producing this highly anticipated tube. Their goal is to produce a tube that is above all current tubes. The tube that they are using as a model is a old out-of-production Blackburn Mullard tube. They find it is no easy task.

Hi there,
It’s now been three months since our last notice and activity has been frantic and very productive but as yet the elusive solution is not quite ready for public unveiling. Despite the economic downturn our drive to launch the new TechTube™ valve technology is not diminished. We still have full management backing and are getting closer to the specification we have set ourselves.

Our target for the E813CC valve is to have every triode and consequently every valve with an Ip current within a band from 0.8mA to 1.2mA. We targeted this band after benchmarking several competitor valves. The benchmark analysis showed that current valve production has Ip ranging between 0.7mA and 1.6mA, even though the data sheet specification is 1mA! Within a valve, the triode to triode variation ranges from nothing (both triodes having the same output) to 0.5mA difference between triodes.

NOS valves perform better having Ip varying between 0.7mA and 1.3mA. Mullard NOS (Blackburn production) have excellent within valve (triode to triode) variations of less than 0.1mA against a norm of 0.25mA. Sovtek have a slightly wider triode to triode variation of 0.25mA but valve to valve they are very consistent with all the valves we tested falling between 0.95mA and 1.4mA.

Currently, our Ip ranges from 0.75mA to 1.5mA, too much variation considering our claim that we are benchmarked against the Blackburn Mullard valve. We continue to work on the factors that give this variation and are near to a resolution.

The other characteristic that we needed to improve upon according to feedback from the September show is microphony. Again we benchmarked several valves already in the field, both current production and NOS. Once again the variation seen was incredible. It’s no wonder end users complain about inconsistent performance!! Over the months the team has been working on this problem, we have come to know how valves shake, rattle and role in intimate detail. Our use of high speed cameras, differing construction techniques and numerous mechanical designs has led us in several directions. Unfortunately even though most were successful in removing microphony they created problems with other characteristics of the valve and consequently they have been scrapped. The down side of this process is that time moves on. Our knowledge base is rapidly increasing but that elusive solution that can be industrialised and automated is still to be found. We continue with numerous parallel paths and the team continues to work hard.

As a result of these factors we will not be in a position to launch the web sales to our plan of April this year. The team continues to work hard on the problems and we will keep you informed as we move through April and probably May.

From all in the TechTube™ team @ Blackburn

[really long nick name]

I've got an update for this. You people want me to post it?

[D-Man]

That is a great Marshall amp, but it's one of the most expensive on the market.
There is a great alternative - Marshall has been making tube preamps for a long time - I have the 9000 - my friend had the JMP digital - both have 12AX7s in them and sound simply amazing.
Since people don't think of rack gear when they think Marshall they are often to be bought VERY CHEAPLY! Often $150 or less.
I run mine through a Marshall Valvestate power amp and it sounds awesome with 80 watts per side, more than enough to run a split stereo cab or 2 4x12 cabs if that is your wish. Obviously the cabs don't have to be Marshall either, and there are about a bzillion companies making good 4x12s these days for much less than a Marshall - all to be found on Ebay or Craigslist.
What's surprising is what a good vintage sound they can get. In no way are you stuck with a sterile "rack" sound.
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Bass guitarists hold it all together.

[really long nick name]

Ya, but I was wondering if others are interested in the particulars on the tubes that have just been released on to the market. Their goal was to produce a tube that compares with the original Mullard tubes. This company reopened the original Mullard plant in Blackburn England. I'll post the info in a few days. The tubes are out. Now I wanna hear the reviews. If these highly anticipated tubes live up to their expectation, they will the best thing since sliced bread.