BlackMoo said:
Questions remain.
How much are tubes?
Whats a rebiase?
Burlington Square (just next to Sim Lim Square) has 2 tube stores.
Of the two, Martin Electronics and Well Audio Labs, the latter has a website
http://www.wellaudiolab.com/ which displays the tube pricing.
Poweramps tubes:
* Assuming you are using 6L6s or EL34s, you are looking at $15-$20 (avg) for each tube. Check the attached URL for more accurate prices on brands/tube types.
* Amps will need anywhere from 1-4 powertubes on average depending on the amp.
* tube life is shorter than preamp tube; highly dependant on how much you play, how high you crank the volume and for amps with variable voltage selector, which setting you play on most often (high voltage - punchy, low voltage - brown), and whether you bias cold/recommended/hotter (for those which allow manual biasing).
* my powertubes last me 6-12 months on amps which I run at 75% vol, high voltage and bias as per manufacturer recommendation. After which, I notice the amp start to react weirdly.
Preamp tubes:
* Assuming you are using 12AX7s, you are looking at $10 (avg) for each tube. Check the attached URL for more accurate prices on brands/tube types.
* Amps will need anywhere from 1-5 preamp tubes on average depending on the amp.
* tube life is longer than the poweramp tubes; highly dependant on how high you turn up preamp gain and number of gain stages in the preamp section.
* my preamp tubes last me 1-3 years.
Rebiasing:
* doing a web search on the word will give you a more clear definition than I ever could, hence I'll pass on the definition.
* For manual biasing amps, leave it to techs to do it for you if you;re not comfortable. Voltage shocks can kill. Beware.
* Many amps nowadays are fixed bias. Just plug and play tubes in 1-5 minutes.
* In addition, many later-model amps are being built with simplified (user-friendly) biasing controls which allow further tone shaping via use of front/back panel controls.
The info I've mentioned is very general. I would encourage you to read US forum posts, guitar/amplifier magazines to learn more about the in-outs of the subject.
Best regards.