KT120 tubes are readily available from China , yet none of the US or Canada dealers have any stock. So, not really a shortage but some kind of sanction.
If there are few wishes I can get is to have an affordable US made tubes again. None of this horse-s***t will happen today.
Well there could still be geopolitical or economic supply disruption, relating to the finished tubes or raw materials or whatever regardless of the country of manufacture depending on circumstances. That kind of thing could happen any time in any market really.
Sanctions imposed on Russia IS the reason that there are no Russian made tubes being imported to the USA or Canada. These sanctions cover a wide range of products and materials, and people too. As the war drags on, there actually may be supply issues within Russia that interfer with tube production, but who knows. jeff
Actually I don't think Russian made tubes are falling under and import or export ban in the US at the moment, though they might be facing higher import tariffs than before. They were briefly in an export ban to the West early after the start of Russian's war against Ukraine. But that only lasted a matter of weeks. In fact Russian made New Sensor tubes of most tube type are at present available for purchase in the US. There seem to ne shortages of some types however.
There is the possibility that anything produced by New Sensor is exempt from the banned Russian goods list, because it is considered to be foreign owned. I still see a lot of the larger power tubes out of stock at places like thetubestore.com. jeff
Premier Guitar has an article posted today about the tube shortage. Includes some quotes from Mike Matthews being optimistic. And quotes from others in the guitar amp industry. Premier Guitar: Don't Sell Your Tube Amps!
That's an interesting article, but doesn't really offer up any new info. Kinda sounds like sanctions and high import tariffs are still active. jeff
Very early after the Ukraine invasion, Russia passed an embargo on Russian goods to the West that appeared to include tubes, but after a couple of weeks, Mike Matthews somehow was told by the Kremlin that it did not include tubes. I'm not sure consumer electronics tubes were ever on the list of embargoed goods by the US, which has targeted particular sectors -- banking, mining, oil, defense. But maybe someone has more specific information. Here's the International Trade Administration information on Russian sanctions in the US -- Russia - Sanctions Framework
Import tariffs hasn't stopped tube sellers in the US in the past. They just passed on the extra cost to the consumer. Why is China the only place to buy KT120 tubes? If they could be imported to the US and Canada we would see them, albeit with a big price increase. We don't see KT120 tubes at all.
Made in Russia, not sold from Russia. Of course, but KT120 tubes can actually be delivered from China. Trade agreements, some with hostile regimes, it's all we have. I'd prefer more US manufacturing.
Just heard about this, not sure if it has been discussed here. Perhaps it misses part of the point of tubes, but it is intriguing. Soundsmith's New Solid State Power Tubes: MOSTUBE ONE - Twittering Machines
This is really interesting. I suppose it defeats the purpose of using tubes. I mean, CAT could make amps with these rather than using tubes. Still, it beats having a boat anchor. Honestly, I would like to give these a try, or rather let Ken Stevens give them a try.
Well I have now have used the following tube from TAD from Germany. And the are well matched and made I think the are mad by JJ for TAD to a tighter tolerance. And they sound quite good for modern tubes. TAD EL34 STR REDBASE - MATCHED PAIR KT88-STR TAD Premium Matched
If anything, they could sub for my KT120s for a couple years, or until power tube tube supply approaches some degree of normalcy. I'd be a happy guinea pig if I could get some. Apparently they are are MOSFET based and produce "tube - like" 2nd harmonics or something like that. Also they claim to be autobiasing. Interesting.
Well that would be great not having to send the amp to the manufacturer for re-bias. They claim an increase in power, as well.
Not to gloat but...well, ok, to gloat...before the shortage I managed to snag two matched quads and two spares of the NOS Svetlana Winged Winged C 6550s. First time I ever heard them in my CJ amps and man they work great! Really neutral (for tubes) and great punch and control.
What’s the stock of el84’s like out there? I’ve felt pretty safe in regards to available 2a3 stock, but considering making a change to a leben cs300xs or AN OTO (no more open design would make the wife happy.)
Can't say definitively but I think the stock are good. They currently manufacture this tube. In addition, this was one if the most widely used output tube in all kinds of vintage amplifiers. Back when there were only tubes, you had your every day run of the mill amplifiers. These used EL84 power tubes. Sure, larger more expensive stereo consoles used EL34's and other of the larger power tubes. But, ordinary radios would use the EL84. They were found practically everywhere. Most audio people today seek out amplifiers with larger more powerful output tubes. The audiophile crowd enjoys a bit of volume. Most of them do not have large, high sensitivity horn speakers, so powerful tubes are required. But, some of our members have small late 50's and early 60's vintage integrated amps from makers like Scott and Fisher. We know and very much appreciate the quality of the EL84 power tubes. There are also a good number of alternate tubes in the EL84 family. Because today's focus is more on the larger output tubes, there is still a relatively generous supply of NOS EL84's to be sourced. Compared to the larger power tubes, the EL84's have a super long tube lifespan. Meaning, it is one of the few power tubes you can buy used, if they test good. Chances are that you will still get years of play from them and they are really cheap!
