JJ 6L6GCs... WTF?

[Chuck H]

I think the Shuguang 12ax7's are very good sounding. That's what Mesa used for years and I don't know if it's changed. Certainly QC could have. Ruby has a good rep with the same tubes so perhaps they still weed them out like they use to. I recently bought ten Shuguang 12ax7's from Tube Depot and one was unusable because of noise and another was grossly microphonic. The other eight are golden. I think I should have gotten ten tubes since that's what I paid for but that IS a comparably low failure rate and I didn't trouble to send two tubes back. Buying through Ruby should yield better results but you'll pay a little more.

[bob p]

20% failure rate just isn't acceptable, but the know they can get away with it because they know that a mail order customer won't come walking into their store to complain and demand an exchange. They hide an unacceptably high failure rate behind the cost of shipping.

[Chuck H]

I agree entirely!!! And I also succumb. My only other option is to spend more than the effort is worth chasing it. Since Ruby products are at least 20% more with no guarantee of a 0% failure rate I figure I'm money ahead and playing the game as best I can.?. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade (assuming you have sugar. Which is sort of like "Let them eat cake" isn't it!). It's a sad state of affairs to be sure. There's a thread here about cryogenically treated tubes. If all those vendors do is cull the bad tubes they'll come off with a legitimate perception!?! Obviously they can't sell a "special" tube that doesn't work. So the fact that theirs do would seem like merit at this point. Not that cryogenics has a thing to do with it.

[bob p]

You know Chuck, this problem of not having a local store and being forced to use mail order would not be a problem if Radio Shack were selling tubes instead of cell phones.

[mhuss]

I wonder what Radio Shat would do if I brought back one of their Lifetime Guaranteed tubes tomorrow. }:-)~

--mark

[bob p]

I have read that they will honor the warranty by special ordering a replacement tube for you. What you get is a current production, non-RS tube, which itself doesn't bear the lifetime guarantee.

I have several of their 6BQ5 that still work fine... haven't needed to try the guarantee yet...

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

I think the Shuguang 12ax7's are very good sounding. That's what Mesa used for years and I don't know if it's changed. Certainly QC could have. Ruby has a good rep with the same tubes so perhaps they still weed them out like they use to. I recently bought ten Shuguang 12ax7's from Tube Depot and one was unusable because of noise and another was grossly microphonic. The other eight are golden. I think I should have gotten ten tubes since that's what I paid for but that IS a comparably low failure rate and I didn't trouble to send two tubes back. Buying through Ruby should yield better results but you'll pay a little more.

I bought 20 Chinese 12AX7Bs.... so far I've used 9 tubes. One died within an hour and two others in about three weeks... that's not looking too good either.
Added... Yes, I have found a number that are a bit too microphonic to be used in combos...

[Enzo]

Lifetime warranties are not about the part. They are about getting you into the store. There will be some who would walk in with a dead tube and walk out with only the replacement. But their market research will show that on average, each person who enters the store will spend X amount. The cost of a tube is tiny compared to customer good will and that per cap spending.

And it helps sales. How many times have we seen a young musician looking for advice on what amp to buy. He expresses his concern that a tube amp would mean a lifetime of replacing tubes all the time. Lifetime warranty removes that concern. Radio Shack or whoever makes a lot more money on selling the amp than the tube in it.

[Chuck H]

True to ALL that. In my life I've watched Radio Shack morph from a DIY sort of place into a less than competitive gadget retailer. They sadly hang on to their DIY roots by carrying a few items that become non sequitur in their scarcity. They DO have 12V secondary, 3A transformers, small perf boards, some LED's, pots and such. But they only carry capacitors in random bulk packaging and resistors are either 1/4W or some off value in a +3W rating. Their DIY offerings are like a beat up Mr. Potato Head with a missing ear.

Sadly, the same goes for their gadget market offerings. I haven't followed closely but I think many, if not most of their stores have shut down.

[Enzo]

Radio Shack transistioned years ago into selling phones. AT&T, SPrint, others. All the non-phone stuff is just legacy.

[bob p]

I don't know if they're closing stores or not, but I have heard about RS' financial woes. I have two stores that are equally inconvenient for me to go to, being equidistant in opposite directions. But I needed a right angle stereo phone plug a few days ago and they had one in stock. I think they're still a useful place when I need something right now, but their parts selection is limited.

I wish that it was economically feasible for them to stock more things that I like, but then I have to remind myself that I'm not really their target demographic any more. Today everyone wants a new cell phone, and that's where the money is -- in coin operated walkie talkies.

Maybe they're staying true to their roots after all - their name is Radio Shack, and they are selling hand-held radios...

[g1]

Their DIY offerings are like a beat up Mr. Potato Head with a missing ear.

That hat never seems to run out of stuff to pull out.