Question about "selected" tubes

So I've been looking at =C= 6L6s to buy for my 2:90 when the existing tubes take a **** (which shouldn't take long IMO given their age).

I have 2 stores - one I have bought from and I was satisfied with (albeit they are a bit pricy) and one I have never bought from but they are reliable.
Now as you can imagine buying an octet of 6L6s isn't exactly cheap, so here's my situation:

The store I have bought from before has =C= 6L6s that are supposedly "specially selected for Mesa amplifiers" and when I calculate the shipping and VAT, I would have to pay 142€ for a quad.

The other store also has =C= 6L6s and if I would buy off them, it would cost me 115€ for a quad. That's almost 30€ less per quad than the first store. These are "normal" or should I say "non Mesa spec'd".

Is there anything wrong if I buy the "normal" tubes? I mean, would the amp's performance be affected, in the sense that it wouldn't sound the way it should or something because they're not "Mesa spec'd"?

I know Mesa's amps are fixed bias but to me that doesn't mean the bias adjusts automatically, it just stays the same, right?

Hey,
If you get new tubes (non Mesa) it's a good idea to check the bias after the install to make sure everything is within range. If you can't do that yourself, see how much a tech may charge to do it for you... Some money you save from the cheaper octet will go to biasing, which I'm pretty sure is a resistor swap for each pair or socket or quad, depending on how they are wired together.
Scott

Have an adjustable bias mod done and never be concerned with "Mesa speced" tubes again.It is a cheap and easy mod,I often do it for free when I have a Mesa amp on the bench for other reasons.

Would you ever recommend that be done to an original C+? Would it de-value it?

I've done it a few C+'s including my own.As far as what a collector might think I really dont put much in that.I have a few "vintage" amps that would sound like crap if left "original",to me they would be worthless,to a guy who wants to look at it,it might disturb him that it has functioning filter caps.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm not fond of the idea of doing a bias mod since biasing the JVM is a pain the ***, but I'll think about that option.

Per Mesa...If you buy non-Mesa branded tubes from a reputable seller, they should make sure that the tubes sold will be of a middle rating. That will be good enough. I buy from Tube Depot in the States and they have never failed me.

swbo101 said:

Per Mesa...If you buy non-Mesa branded tubes from a reputable seller, they should make sure that the tubes sold will be of a middle rating. That will be good enough. I buy from Tube Depot in the States and they have never failed me.

Click to expand...

If "good enough" is acceptable,then thats fine.I like to bias tubes to operate at optimal performance.Also,I have many tubes purchased other than from dealers,like the matched quad of RCA Black Plates I got at a flea market from an old ham radio guy for $50,would not be able to use in my Boogies without an adjustable bias.It can be a very useful mod.