What Does JAN mean regarding NOS Tubes?

[hardys]

I think it has something to do with military quality/durability, but that's all I know about JAN. ???? :confused:

[Blue Strat]

JAN = Joint Army Navy, ie, built to military specs.

Tubes 101
http://www.tonequest.com/articles/article3.htm

[hardys]

JAN = Joint Army Navy, ie, built to military specs.

Tubes 101
http://www.tonequest.com/articles/article3.htm

This is TOO funny Mike. I was looking at the JAN Philips/Sylvania mislabled GZ34s on your web site and thinking about buying some more (I only have 4 now) and started this thread.

BTW...I am amazed at what a difference in tone these make in my amps, compared to the JJ and Sovtek rectifiers. My amps all sound bigger and richer. :drool Not a subtle difference! :dude

[r8burst]

BTW...I am amazed at what a difference in tone these make in my amps, compared to the JJ and Sovtek rectifiers. My amps all sound bigger and richer. :drool Not a subtle difference! :dude

Blue Strat

Not to hijack, but could you explain why this is? Or is this "wishful hearing"?
Do these NOS JAN rectifiers change voltages as compared to JJ and Sovtek and cause a change in sound of the amp?

Just wondering

Tony

[Blue Strat]

This is TOO funny Mike. I was looking at the JAN Philips/Sylvania mislabled GZ34s on your web site and thinking about buying some more (I only have 4 now) and started this thread.

BTW...I am amazed at what a difference in tone these make in my amps, compared to the JJ and Sovtek rectifiers. My amps all sound bigger and richer. :drool Not a subtle difference! :dude

Small world eh? Yep, I get that reaction on the 5AR4s from a lot of people. Added bonus is that NOS rectifiers last DECADES (of years) on average....not decades (of weeks or months) like new production rectifiers.

[John Phillips]

Not to hijack, but could you explain why this is? Or is this "wishful hearing"?
Do these NOS JAN rectifiers change voltages as compared to JJ and Sovtek and cause a change in sound of the amp?No, it's not 'wishful hearing' - it's not as big a difference as between power or preamp tubes, but it is fairly clear once you start to hear what it does to the sound. The odd thing is that it isn't just audible at higher volume - where you would expect it to be because that's where the power supply is under most load and so is more affected by the rectifier characteristics.

It's due to the simple fact the the modern tubes are in many cases not even built to the correct specs, let alone to the same quality. Many of the manufacturers seem to have found a 'close enough' tube and just relabeled it as a marketable guitar amp type. This means that its forward resistance curve (which is what causes the tone difference, and is not linear even for a particular tube type, which is why they don't sound the same as even a solid-state rectifier with an added resistor) may be completely different from that of an old-production tube built to the proper spec. Add to that, that the old-production tubes had higher quality construction too (including things like the cathode coating) which affects the efficiency of the tube, and it's not surprising that they sound better.

[Blue Strat]

No, it's not 'wishful hearing' - it's not as big a difference as between power or preamp tubes, but it is fairly clear once you start to hear what it does to the sound. The odd thing is that it isn't just audible at higher volume - where you would expect it to be because that's where the power supply is under most load and so is more affected by the rectifier characteristics.

It's due to the simple fact the the modern tubes are in many cases not even built to the correct specs, let alone to the same quality. Many of the manufacturers seem to have found a 'close enough' tube and just relabeled it as a marketable guitar amp type. This means that its forward resistance curve (which is what causes the tone difference, and is not linear even for a particular tube type, which is why they don't sound the same as even a solid-state rectifier with an added resistor) may be completely different from that of an old-production tube built to the proper spec. Add to that, that the old-production tubes had higher quality construction too (including things like the cathode coating) which affects the efficiency of the tube, and it's not surprising that they sound better.

Whew! Thanks for saving my fingers (typing this) John! :dude

I'll add that the Russian 5AR4, like so many other Russian tubes, is NOT what it pretends to be. It's NOT a 5AR4. It's close, but puts out higher voltage than a real 5AR4. This is part of the difference people hear.

As for "wishful hearing", some people hear differences that others don't. I never predict what people will hear or offer promises. I don't have to. The believers are keeping me VERY busy buying, testing, selling and shipping tubes.

One thing that's not debatable is the longevity issue. NOS tubes surpass new production tubes, on average, by 5:1...and this is a conservative estimate.

[r8burst]

Thanks for the replies, John and Mike. Makes sense to me.

Tony

[landru64]

i love JAN. she's gorgeous.

[Old Tele man]

i love JAN. she's gorgeous....yeah, but SHE'll whip your butt if you get too frisky (wink,wink)!

[ChickenLover]

FWIW, I have a Sovtek 5V4 that yields higher voltages than 5AR4/GZ34.

And for some strange reason, I'd love to have one of those Radio Shack labeled Mullards...for that 'wolf in sheep's clothing' aspect.

[Blue Strat]

i love JAN. she's gorgeous.

Careful, JAN could be a guy in drag. :rotflmao

[JJGross]

MarSHA, MarSHA, MARsha!

[devbro]

MarSHA, MarSHA, MARsha!

Played a wedding a few weeks back in Malibu and Marsha danced all night. Marsha get's wild :crazyguy