So, minus buying from 3rd Party Sellers, all tubes are gone?

I play anything as long as I get chug chug out of it :)

I must say tho, when I play my DSL ( currently down) sound feels alive compared to digital set up I use.
This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^I am of a similar mindset these days. If I were gigging regularly, I might feel different… I have no DSL though….I have other things that are similar in stature.
 
And that's why Im hanging onto what I have vs buying anything at this point. Inflation has reached across the board obviously, but it will recede in time as it always does eventually. Things now are very difficult globally with supply and demand from a number of factors; but, you just have to adjust to it I suppose.

Same reason I'm still in the house I'm in now, because the market has been or sellers not buyers these last few years. Really need to expand with the family but it's not economical at this time. Automobiles is no better at all right now and thankfully, both of mine are paid off now, so we will sit on them and maintain them for the foreseeable future lol

Basic materials have suffered this same fate but they are a necessity and I just bite the bullet and go with them. Got a bathroom and 5 doors in my house that need replaced, so I will just suck it up and do it at the ridiculous cost it's currently at, because it HAS to be done. But gear wise, everything minus repairs is a luxury at this point in my eyes. If i were a paid musician ( and let's face it, that will never be the case lol) it would be a work related expense and thus a necessity. But being an arm-chair hobbyist, it can wait for me
I'm in a similar position as you outlined in your posts. I got a new Marshall amp in 2020 but didn't follow up with buying any spare EL34's. I won't buy any at these prices either and hope my current tubes last. I'm using my little 1W practice amp more than my bigger ones right now since it only takes 2 pre tubes.

No new gear purchases for me either. My wife and I are only buying the essentials and doing necessary repairs. I've been around for a while but I've never seen inflation like this before. :shock:
 
I'm glad that I'm all set. I didn't panic buy, but I do buy tubes the way I buy strings, gaskets, or other stuff. If something is on sale, I'll grab a few. When I was buying gaskets for my Harley, I'd always buy the ten-pack, instead of just what I needed for the job at hand. It's always cheaper that way. When I buy strings, I also buy a bunch. Part of it is, I'm a cheap bastard, and will buy something when I know I can save a few bucks. I'm by no means flush with supply, and ready to try to make a killing. But now, hopefully I can just weather the storm. Only three or four of my amps are used regularly anyway.
 
I'm in a similar position as you outlined in your posts. I got a new Marshall amp in 2020 but didn't follow up with buying any spare EL34's. I won't buy any at these prices either and hope my current tubes last. I'm using my little 1W practice amp more than my bigger ones right now since it only takes 2 pre tubes.

No new gear purchases for me either. My wife and I are only buying the essentials and doing necessary repairs. I've been around for a while but I've never seen inflation like this before. :shock:

Yeah I remember when gasoline shot up to $1 a gallon in the 1970s.

But I have never seen 30% price rise on food, gas, in a few weeks. The price of tubes doubled.
But that's basically what just happened.
 
you know there were those that said these technology wonders would never go away ........
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we are at the forefront of a paradigm shift (in many ways not just musically)-- and frankly guitar tubes is a minuscule item in the scope of life--the universe and everything--dont forget your towel!!

I do not think any of us will live to see it but eventually the tube amp will go away -- the cost-- the frailty the limited shelf life and use life .... all will compile in time to find that the "majority" of people will use other options
SURE -- there will be those (as there are now) that hang on to tube driven hi fi stereos that will relish in the true tube amp tone ... and will pay DEARLY for it---but the masses will use Solid State or digital --- is that good ? maybe ...maybe not.... is it practical, functional and fiscally logical..... yes....
 
i know: i have just now unleashed the Kemper clan upon myself lol but i stand by my words
I know…I’m a part of that Kemper clan…but…I still love my tube amps. I don’t want them to go away…from my Dual Rec to my Greta, I love to play through them. I will be saddened if am not able to enjoy them. The Kemper thing is cool for me too…but it’s different…like if I’m playing with other humans, and maybe a drummer-dick…I want one of my amps at hand…period.
 
I know…I’m a part of that Kemper clan…but…I still love my tube amps. I don’t want them to go away…from my Dual Rec to my Greta, I love to play through them. I will be saddened if am not able to enjoy them. The Kemper thing is cool for me too…but it’s different…like if I’m playing with other humans, and maybe a drummer-dick…I want one of my amps at hand…period.
The Kemper is really cool, along with the AxeFx. Not trying to poop talk it by any means really as i would be a liar if i said i wasn't toying with digital technology myself already, with fx modeling processors that very cheaply attempt to do the same thing albeit very poorly lol

But as I tinker with stuff like that, eventually after a few weeks i will usually just get frustrated by both a lack of understanding and a caveman mentality and rip everything out of the way and plug straight in; eventually repeating the whole process all over again lol
 
No worries Mike, I have 4 SS amps . If you run into trouble let me know , i will help you out...:)
Lol i got one but it still has 2 tubes on the preamp, so im still screwed. Besides that, id be either down to my first amp ever : a cheapo Squire Champ 15GR or a stealing my daughter's little Fender Mustang V1 1x8 amp which IS a modeler technically! So much for the stack look lmao
 
you know there were those that said these technology wonders would never go away ........
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we are at the forefront of a paradigm shift (in many ways not just musically)-- and frankly guitar tubes is a minuscule item in the scope of life--the universe and everything--dont forget your towel!!

I do not think any of us will live to see it but eventually the tube amp will go away -- the cost-- the frailty the limited shelf life and use life .... all will compile in time to find that the "majority" of people will use other options
SURE -- there will be those (as there are now) that hang on to tube driven hi fi stereos that will relish in the true tube amp tone ... and will pay DEARLY for it---but the masses will use Solid State or digital --- is that good ? maybe ...maybe not.... is it practical, functional and fiscally logical..... yes....
I think tube amps have been around nearly 90 years now...and just getting started.
You are still connecting your guitar cable with a 1/4" plug from the 19th century phone systems....when is that going to change? Like...never.
 
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I don't think the tube prices are that bad honestly. I've been buying Genelex B759 Gold Lions for years and they are $49.00/each.

I ran (2) DSL40C's (5) nights a week (sometimes 6) for 2-1/2 years and never had a tube failure.

Now, I blew up a few Creambacks though...
 
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