# Who makes Mesa Boogie tubes?



## Tuned (Apr 11, 2014)

There must have been topics like this one before , but I am fairly new to this forum , so please excuse me for my topic.

I recently bought my first ever Mesa Boogie Mark III  and... it needs to be retubed.
It runs five of 12AX7-A (IIRC) tubes in the preamp section, and 4 tubes in the Simul-Class power section: two 6L6 GC STR 440 and two EL34 STR 447. That's nine! I searched the net for new Mesa Boogie brand tubes, they are not hard to find but pricey.
So, who actually makes them? I'm currently in Russia so, if they are made by Sovtek or Svetlana, I could probably find the same tubes cheaper than if I get them back from the USA. Or...?

EDIT: The first question should have been: are the STR 400 and STR447 actually THE tubes that the amp originally runs on?
I found that STR 440 are Chinese and my Mark III dates 1985 - can this even make sense?


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## cereal_guy (Apr 11, 2014)

IIRC the STR-440 6L6's are TAD 6L6GC-STR's and the STR-447 EL34's are Electro-Harmonix EL34's and the 12AX7's are Chinese.

not 100% on this though, so if someone else could double check it?


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## titan amps (Apr 11, 2014)

mesa buys tubes from lots of manufacturers. 

the problem isn't finding out who made them, it's finding a set that will work properly in the amp. mesa buys tubes in bulk and tests them. the ones that will bias within an acceptable range get the mesa logo and are either sold or used in new amps (don't know where the rest go).

there are a few ways to deal with this that won't result in a damaged amp.

1. buy tubes from mesa
2. buy tubes from some other vendor that can provide a set that will work in a mesa (i don't suggest this, as you're depending on the tube vendor's integrity)
3. modify the bias circuit so that it's adjustable fixed bias and get a bias probe so you can buy whatever tubes you want.
4. buy whatever tubes you want and run the risk of either premature tube failure or damage to the amp.


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## xero7 (Apr 11, 2014)

mesa power tubes r Chinese and the pre s r jj. Tad tubes r Chinese too just made better


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## asher (Apr 11, 2014)

I've replaced Mesa 12AX7s with JJ 12AX7s, the sound is not the same.

Also, the Mark amps can run either a quad of 6L6 or a pair of 6L6s and a pair of EL34s. In my Mark IV I was more fond of the quad I think, though KT77s instead of EL34s was neat.


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## RustInPeace (Apr 11, 2014)

Last I heard, all Mesa tubes are JJ's. Before that was Ruby, sovtek, etc. Seems to change quite often so it's almost anyone's guess. I do prefer buying Mesa tubes if I'm in a pinch though.


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## Elric (Apr 11, 2014)

I would just buy the tubes based branded correctly rather than rebranded and marked up by Mesa. I have a bunch of old Mesa tubes and they are Sovteks. There is nothing special about them.


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## SpaceDock (Apr 11, 2014)

I remember reading that Mesa tests and screens all the tubes before relabeling them to make sure they have a bias that will fall inside a really tight bandwidth. That is what gives them the plug and play ability without rebias every tube change, but I could be wrong.


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## cGoEcYk (Apr 11, 2014)

Who knows what they use, they are always changing. I've had tons of Mesa-labeled tubes and they are all different. I have some old school Mesa 6L6 tubes from the 80's. I forget what they are but they were made in US and go for a small fortune on ebay.

Their 6L6 tubes measure at about 35-40mA. That is their spec. So you can purchase tubes with this spec from any vendor who tests their tubes.

As for preamp tubes, you don't have to buy Mesa brand either. Just use whatever rocks. I tend to use a mix of these three types in all my amps: Tung Sol RI, JJ EC83, JJ EC803 ("long plate").


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## DavidLopezJr (Apr 12, 2014)

I've seen it's been said that Mesa tubes for the most part are Ruby tubes but that Mesa gets first pick of their stock and do their extensive tube testing to get the best ones.


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## MESA Boogie (Apr 15, 2014)

DavidLopezJr said:


> I've seen it's been said that Mesa tubes for the most part are Ruby tubes but that Mesa gets first pick of their stock and do their extensive tube testing to get the best ones.



There are only 3 countries manufacturing tubes left in the world: China, Russia, and the Czech Republic. ((China - Shuguang (Penta, Ruby, Groove Tubes, etc), Russia - New Sensor (Sovtek, Svetlana, EH, Tung Sol, etc), and Czech - JJ.))

We choose the source for each tube type depending on what sounds the best and is the most reliable, then we thoroughly test them and select power tubes for the correct current draw for the fixed bias requirements of our amps. We are the largest consumer of 6l6's and 12AX7's, so we get first crack at the supplies. We offer a 6 month warranty and will replace any failed tubes if you have proof of purchase date. 

As for color codes - they are really for internal matching purposes only, and as long as they are installed in matched pairs, its perfectly fine to use different colors in the same amp. The end user will notice no difference between color codes, as they are all VERY close in terms of current draw and characteristics.

You can read more here: 

http://mesaboogie.com/news/2013/05/v...own/#more-4701

and here: http://mesaboogie.com/news/2012/03/m...randall-smith/

Thanks!


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## titan amps (Apr 15, 2014)

Elric said:


> I would just buy the tubes based branded correctly rather than rebranded and marked up by Mesa. I have a bunch of old Mesa tubes and they are Sovteks. There is nothing special about them.



again, the only way to do that is if the vendor can provide power tubes that will function properly in a mesa -or- you modify your amp so that you can adjust the bias.

the most reliable way to get power tubes that will function properly in a mesa is to buy them from mesa.


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## TubeTone (Apr 16, 2014)

MESA Boogie said:


> There are only 3 countries manufacturing tubes left in the world: China, Russia, and the Czech Republic. ((China - Shuguang (Penta, Ruby, Groove Tubes, etc), Russia - New Sensor (Sovtek, Svetlana, EH, Tung Sol, etc), and Czech - JJ.))
> 
> We choose the source for each tube type depending on what sounds the best and is the most reliable, then we thoroughly test them and select power tubes for the correct current draw for the fixed bias requirements of our amps. We are the largest consumer of 6l6's and 12AX7's, so we get first crack at the supplies. We offer a 6 month warranty and will replace any failed tubes if you have proof of purchase date.
> 
> ...



Being from the other side of the world, I have to point out that JJ tubes are made in Slovenia, not in Czech Republic  Not that it changes anything))


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## MESA Boogie (Apr 16, 2014)

TubeTone said:


> Being from the other side of the world, I have to point out that JJ tubes are made in Slovenia, not in Czech Republic  Not that it changes anything))



Yes, to be more correct - they are made in the Slovak Republic.

Thanks!!


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## The Scenic View (Apr 16, 2014)

I heard Mesa just buys up "the better deal" of tubes, and that "they're rebadged JJ's". I could be wrong though...


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## MESA Boogie (Apr 17, 2014)

The Scenic View said:


> I heard Mesa just buys up "the better deal" of tubes, and that "they're rebadged JJ's". I could be wrong though...



As I said above, we select tubes from all 3 of the worlds tube manufacturers. We select the tubes that sound the best and are the most reliable - then we run them through a battery of tests and select only the best tubes. Our 12AX7s are currently manufactured by JJ. As the largest consumer of 6L6s and 12AX7s we get first choice of tubes - what we reject goes on to other tube re-sellers.


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## vansinn (Apr 17, 2014)

xero7 said:


> mesa power tubes r Chinese and the pre s r jj. Tad tubes r Chinese too just made better



TAD's aren't made better than others off same factory, they're simply selected to (TAD's) parameters - which isn't too bad, as it allows getting pretty much the same sounding tube again, production permitting, of course..


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## xxx128 (Apr 18, 2014)

I used to have Mesa Boogie Branded ECC83 in my JCM. Purchased these tubes in late 1988. They were absoluetely insane. Can anyone confirm Mesa branded ECC83 were actually Ruby tubes back then?


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## Thanatopsis (Apr 19, 2014)

I needed some tubes about a year ago so went to Guitar Center and all they had for 12ax7's was Mesa so I took them. I was very happy with them(still using them now) so did a little research and came to the conclusion that they were JJ. Whether that is still the case I have no idea.

As it turned out in the end the tubes weren't the problem and never needed to be replaced but the Mesa ones sounded so good I left them there and still have the old ones sitting in the boxes the Mesas came in. Old ones weren't bad though. They are Sovtek 12ax7wxt+. I was thinking of playing around with different combinations of the two just for the hell of it, if I don't like it, easy enough to switch back.


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## TRENCHLORD (Apr 19, 2014)

Recently purchased a couple tung-sol RI 12ax7 just to see for myself what the hype was about. 
Tried them both in the V1 of my single-rec. (obviously not at the same time )

Well, I guess I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype is about, because the mesa spax7 worked much better for my tone-taste.
I was actually quite shocked at how much difference I could hear and feel just by changing one preamp tube.

The tung-sol was bold and punchy in the mids, but really seemed to lack on the edges (top and bottom).
They were big and expansive in the lows but not defined and tight like the spax7, and their highs were not quite as clear sounding IMO.(maybe presence is more what I mean)

The older rectifiers used to have some EH preamp tubes mixed with the JJ, and to my ears they fall about halfway between the JJ and the TS, so not bad at all.
They have the "Russian#2" stamp on them. Their highs are more like the JJ and the lows are more like the TS-RI IMO.


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## Tuned (Apr 21, 2014)

to MESA/Boogie:

special thanks for chiming in. I'm actually the topic starter and am still in search for the tubes fr my Black Stripe Mark III.
As I am in Russia I 'd rather get matched Sovteks or Svetlanas noticeably cheaper in this country than re-import them back here. The question is, where the technical requirements line lies.
EDIT: However, your links don't work, I checked twice.

Thanks to all that added personal experience. Always good to know what the actual players perceive.
I'd love to hear what different tubes add to your sound


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## MESA Boogie (Apr 21, 2014)

Sorry about that! Here ya go!

MESA Tube Color Codes by Randall Smith

VIDEO: Randall Smith ~ Tube Manufacturing, Testing and &#8216;Tube Town&#8217;


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## Enselmis (Apr 22, 2014)

RustInPeace said:


> Last I heard, all Mesa tubes are JJ's. Before that was Ruby, sovtek, etc. Seems to change quite often so it's almost anyone's guess. I do prefer buying Mesa tubes if I'm in a pinch though.



Ruby are rebranded tubes made by an assortment of other companies if I recall correctly. Probably sovtek and tung sol and stuff.


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## antuni (May 18, 2014)

MESA Boogie said:


> As I said above, we select tubes from all 3 of the worlds tube manufacturers. We select the tubes that sound the best and are the most reliable - then we run them through a battery of tests and select only the best tubes. Our 12AX7s are currently manufactured by JJ. As the largest consumer of 6L6s and 12AX7s we get first choice of tubes - what we reject goes on to other tube re-sellers.



Good to know. I always buy Mesa tubes


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