I've not had any issues with JJ big bottles at all. The only time I ever had an issue with JJ's was the stock tubes jammed inot amps at the factory- ECC83s and EL84s. The JJ's I have sourced from Third party tube re-sellers have been long lasting with no issues. Same for the Mullard Reissues- I've had 4 sets of the EL34s, and 3 of the EL84s- The EL84s really took a pounding for years before needing replacement. The EL34s seem to not last as long, but I've yet to have them go bad/cause issues. On the flip side, my TAD (Chinese) EL34sl went south within about two months in my VSL. Chinese/Ruby 12ax7s have not been all that sturdy- pins break/bend too easy- cheap steel/whatever pot metal they use for pins.
I used to have that problem with JJ EL-34s and the 6Ca7s. Happened so many times. For the past 5 years or more, I been using mostly Ruby & now Svetlana. Ruby's are great - only had one problem out of maybe 5 or 6 quads. I now have Svetlana and so far they're holding well.
You probably got their first production EL34, which many forums have discovered to be sub-par. I use their E34L, never let me down. They now have the EL34II (version 2) which EuroTubes recommended me, but I am happy with the E34L. Sorry for your luck, I'd contact the seller and send them back if I were you.
My recent take on JJ tubes. The preamp tubes are in my opinion are dark and dry. I have used them initially to tame the high end brightness. Recently i replaced the JJ EL34 in my JVM with the Preferred Series EL34, I don’t usually use superlatives but in this case, the Preferred Series totally blew them away.
Definitely the original JJ El34 is lacking. That's why they designed the 34L and 34II. The El34II is also a fantastic tube- very 70s/80s Euro tonality. I've had mixed results with the E34L. The JJ KT77 is also excellent if you are expecting something different- it's not an EL34 type tonally. The ECC83S is dark/warm. I like the dry part. I don't want more syrup/compression in my setups- I get enoughof that from my pickups and speakers. But it's an excellent PI and CF- very robust. I still use them there and to tame highs on the Red channel onomy DSL. The new JJ E83CC frame grid is fantastic. Same big tone and high gain as the ECC83S but clear and complex with balanced midrange. Again reminds me of old stuff from the 70s/80s-- Siemens, RFT, etc. I will be ordering more.
jj tubes suck here here ,i can't really say that because i have 4 in my jcm 800 2210 right now ,9 actually ! but i want groove tubes ! am i wrong? crazy ? or what?
Groove Tubes suck since they were bought by Fender. Fender just uses what they get cheapest at the time of purchase. Also, buying tubes at Guitar Center is a bad idea; they buy seconds. I've been a tube amp tech for a long time and these are things I've noticed; guys would always bring their amp in for retubing and bring their Guitar Center bought tubes for us to install. Many times they come back with tube issues in short order. As far as JJ tube quality... They are the best current made tubes with the exception of the JJ 6L6 ( get shorts a lot and become very microphonic) and JJ EL84s (wimpy for an EL84). Their KT88 is built like a tank and last a LONG time. Their KT66 is great also.
I can vouch for this. Every tube I have gotten from GC (which has only ever been in a pinch) has either been bad from the start or went bad quickly. GC is the K-Mart of music stores. Also, I have not had issues with JJ in a long time. In the past they gave me some headaches but for the last several years? Not a single issue. I only use the 12AX7 to tame an overly bright amp, though. Not my "go to" brand in any sense, but they are usually all you can get around here at any brick and mortar. If I have the luxury of planning ahead I go online and purchase other brands. If I need a quick fix to get me through I buy JJ at a local store.
