"Western Electric" considering expanding US tube operations; seeks input

[soapfoot]

The owners of the Western Electric trademark have apparently been making 300B triodes for hi-fi enthusiasts in Georgia (USA) for a little while.

In light of recent events, they're apparently considering expanding into other tube types.

The ones they are considering so far seem to be primarily centered on guitar amps and a few trendy HiFi tubes, but they're asking for input via an online poll on their site:

https://www.westernelectric.com/expand
For all I know this is just a ploy to increase their e-mail marketing list, but there's at least a chance they're open to having the direction of new product lines shaped by consumer input.

I'd love to see them include a 12AY7/6072, a proper good 5AR4/GZ34, and a 6386 at least.

The dream would be to have a good VF14M and AC701k, but those seem like the longest of long shots. The other socketed glass-envelope tubes could be very possible, though.

 

[TheJames]

I filled out their form and suggested some tube types. 6L6/EL34 as well as 12AX7/12AT7 are total no-brainers and would most likely see the most sales. I would love to see some strong options from the US and getting the most common tubes in production first will give them the strong base they'll need to make additional tube types.

I suggested 12AX7/AT7/AY7 and power tubes like 6L6, EL34, KT77/88. I didn't really think of tube rectifiers but they would be nice to have as well.

If they can get a strong base of everyday tubes, then there's a chance they could get the capital to make some of the more obscure tubes.

 

[Ricardus]

Yes please. JJ won't be able to keep up!

 

[JohnRoberts]

My dad used to work at Western Electric back in the 1930s.... Perhaps not the same company?

JR

 

[TheJames]

My dad used to work at Western Electric back in the 1930s.... Perhaps not the same company?

JR

They claim to be have been around since 1869...Sooo......Maybe?

 

[soapfoot]

My dad used to work at Western Electric back in the 1930s.... Perhaps not the same company?

JR

They’re nominally the same company. I get the sense someone bought the trademarks and IP

 

[MidnightArrakis]

They’re nominally the same company. I get the sense someone bought the trademarks and IP

Today's "Western Electric Company" is probably only - nominally - the same company. I used to also work for Western Electric during the late 1960's before being drafted into the Army for The Vietnam War and then again after I was discharged, as my job was "guaranteed" to be there when I got out. However, the division of Western Electric that I had worked for was involved with the installation of all of the telephone switching equipment for both "The BELL System" and the "AT&T Long Lines" segments back when our telephone system - ONLY - consisted of it being "AT&T & The BELL System"!!!

MAN!!! The stories I could tell of how impressively massive our copper-based telephony system is!!! One of the AT&T Long Lines buildings that I had worked in was easily at least about 1/8th of a mile square with about a 60-to-75 foot high ceiling that was located >> UNDERGROUND << more than 100-feet in the middle of a cornfield somewhere in Southern Indiana!!! The only indication that anything was even there was a small cinder-block building in the cornfield that once you entered it, you were immediately standing on a grated catwalk with a stairway that you had to take all of the way down to the bottom. Once you got to the bottom, you had to push this big red button which opened up this 4-foot thick steel door that then allowed you into the equipment room. But, first.....you had to go through this plastic tunnel with these metal support tubes that had multiple shower heads attached with "pull-rings" every few feet. This was so that if you should get sprayed with any of the backup battery acid, that you could either run in there or be carried into there and be immediately washed down!!! SHEESH!!!

OH!!! And, this entire underground building was built on top of a monstrous spring system, so it could both survive either an earthquake or a near nuclear bomb blast!!! YEP!!! >> ONLY IN AMERICA!!! << Not only that.....but, this building was only ONE of countless similar others that were all a part of our country's East/West Long-Distance Telephone Network that stretched from Harrisburg, PA over to Harrisonburg, MO. On top of all of that, I had learned later that there is this huge "Diagnostic Center" located in an underground building in Lexington, KY that was able to monitor all of the functions of not only all of the AT&T buildings along this link, but also all of the "Line Driver Modules" that are placed every mile in other underground compartments.

My learning all of this as a young 20-year old (I had just been to a Jimi Hendrix concert in 1969) was simply mind-blowing as I was realizing how incredibly complex and massive our telecommunications system was > AT THAT POINT IN TIME!!! < SHEESH!!!



/

 

[emrr]

Check their current tube prices and tell me if you want them expanding the line.

 

[TheJames]

On top of all of that, I had learned later that there is this huge "Diagnostic Center" located in an underground building in Lexington, KY that was able to monitor all of the functions of not only all of the AT&T buildings along this link, but also all of the "Line Driver Modules" that are placed every mile in other underground compartments.

My pops used to work for GTE in Lexington. Pretty sure the building you're referring to is downtown where he used to work. I went with him a few times in the early 80's. Lots of generator and battery power and floor after floor of switching equipment.

 

[soapfoot]

Check their current tube prices and tell me if you want them expanding the line.

Wow, that is really expensive.

If they could make a really good 12ax7 (comparable to old stock EU/USA manufacture) for $99-ish it could be viable.

but not at $700 per tube

 

[TheJames]

Check their current tube prices and tell me if you want them expanding the line.

Yeah...300b tubes for $700. Audiofoolery there. Most likely that's a "what the market will bear" and not an actual production cost with typical profit margin.

EHX just came to a resolution for importing their tubes by way of a 35% tariff. Prior to that, they were looking at a total ban on their tubes.

If stuff goes sideways with Russia, even that might go away though.

 

[JohnRoberts]

They claim to be have been around since 1869...Sooo......Maybe?

My dad passed in the 1950s RIP so I never got to pick his brain about WE but from his papers and notebooks WE was big in the early movie business.

My dad also worked at Vitaphone the joint venture between WE and Warner Brothers to make talking pictures.

JR

 

[industrialarts]

I don't know if you guys are aware but it is very difficult to get tubes right now. EH & JJ are not taking new orders and there is little back stock. Most of the distributors are out of stock as well.

 

[Ricardus]

There is another guy who has designs on starting a tube company, and that would be cool too. He's the guy who makes those Adapt-A-Cap PCB replacements for multi-section caps. But he's probably years away from production. Maybe more.

 

[Ricardus]

I was planning on doing a tube project in the fall. Hopefully tubes will be more available by then.

 

[soapfoot]

I don't know if you guys are aware but it is very difficult to get tubes right now. EH & JJ are not taking new orders and there is little back stock. Most of the distributors are out of stock as well.

Correct, this has been rather big news in the audio world lately (too big, honestly--people are hoarding and stockpiling to an irrational degree; almost a panic).

I suspect that's what's behind both this announcement and TAD's announcement that they'll be bringing a new factory in China online (the Shuguang factory was closed a couple of years ago, and there is tons of conflicting narrative, rumor and speculation about the reason for the closure and whether or not they will reopen in a new facility)

I was planning on doing a tube project in the fall. Hopefully tubes will be more available by then.

It's speculation, but I doubt you have anything massive to worry about.

If TAD and Western Electric (or even just one of the above) manage to bring new factories online in the future, the tube demand will find a way to get filled.

Even EHX is insisting that they've found a workaround for their supply chain issue (the ethics of that may be questionable, though--I haven't heard a lot of detail about exactly what their move is going to be)

 

[grid_stopper]

Even EHX is insisting that they've found a workaround for their supply chain issue (the ethics of that may be questionable, though--I haven't heard a lot of detail about exactly what their move is going to be)

from what i have head, they have to pay an additional 35% tariff on the tubes

 

[Ricardus]

It's speculation, but I doubt you have anything massive to worry about.

If TAD and Western Electric (or even just one of the above) manage to bring new factories online in the future, the tube demand will find a way to get filled.

Maybe, but it's not like they can bring a vacuum tube plant online in a few months. This has to be a year long undertaking, even with massive resources.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Tubes?

Maybe they can get a vinyl record company to help....

JR

 

[Ricardus]

Tubes?

Maybe they can get a vinyl record company to help....

JR

Sounds like my kinda party.