Issues with Nutube include its relatively low input impedance, high output impedance and microphonics. The input impedance is limited because of its high grid bias current, so that the correct grid bias resistor must be between 10k to 33k ohms. This makes it unsuitable as an input for either magnetic or piezo pickups without putting an input buffer ahead of it. The manufacturer also recommends including a trimpot in the circuit to set the correct bias, which adds both a component and labour cost, for someone to sit with a meter and set each circuit's bias properly. The output impedance is relatively high, such that an output buffer is required. The manufacturer recommends physically mounting NuTube on soft foam and making connections via a soft, flexible ribbon cable in order to reduce vibrations coupling to it, as these will be picked up microphonically. It's also susceptible to picking up sound through its glass window. So these are the complications facing a product designer, all of which can be overcome but at an added complexity and cost. I had been excited at the early Nutube rumours, but discouraged when I saw the data sheets.
Intersting. Maybe Korg or a retailer/supplier could hire well known designer (a Keeley Nutube Phat Mod, for example) .. or come up with a "ready made" circuit that could be modified with different tonestack,gain structures, etc.. but I have no idea if it's feasible or worth it..
As a former Michigan resident I sometimes forget how cool people from the left mitten can be. Funny fact Ernest Hemingway bred 6 lingered cats in his UP MI residence where he as an active game hunter.
NuTube stuff seems to pop up in bass pedals quite a bit for some reason. I have seen them in Eurorack Synthesizer modules also. For Eurorack it was a plus because the real tube modules I have in my modular setup have a pretty dramatic initial power draw sometimes as much as 500ma. Erica Synths real tube modules at one time had to use a 12 volt power adapter just to work. New versions are alot friendlier on voltage draw and don't require the oddball power supply. The NuTube modules I had were distortion/drive and sounded really good and only had a draw of like 15-35 ma. I wish they would use them more but it seems like they show up mostly in "low end" audio products unfortunately.
I‘ve glued two Piezo pickups in the cavities of my kit build telly, wired in series, besides a middle slim double rail always on humbucker. The Piezo’s are to mix with the electric pickups, wired directly to the output jack. They did not work as expected, I just can tell they act like a capacitor or a resistance, lowering the volume and cutting the treble. But they do add some woodiness to the tone. They pick up the sound of the guitar wich I hear unplugged.I should‘ve wired them to a separate output, I read. With a stereo output and a separate volume control, their sound would nicely come to life. For sure not as good as a bridge piezo, but still better than at the moment. Cheers guys!🤘🏻
"Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn." "Moral number three." "Elvis lives on in our hearts, in his music, and in a trailer park outside Milwaukee."
Builder chiming in: looks like the dual triode NuTube costs $49.99 each which is INSANE. The current go-to “amp in a box” technology is a JFET, which you can buy for < $0.20 each in quantities of 100 or more. I love the idea of the NuTube, but at those kinds of prices it’s just not feasible to use in a pedal.
Yeah I had looked in to this too. The developer board for testing circuits is ridiculously expensive too. I don't think they fit in a standard breadboard.
In order to get a couple tubes, the developer board, power supply was going to cost several hundred dollars to even try to see if you even like using it in a build. Plus, when I was looking it to it, they were backordered and had a several month lead time.
I have a nuTube amp (Vox MV50 clean) that is a wonderful piece of kit. Vox and Korg need to do more with the application of it nuTube technology because they make a lot more sense than traditional tubes, but basically do the same thing. I would love an update of the MV50 clean with an FX loop, reverb, and the power switch on the front. If the current MV50 had that it would be the perfect amp for what I do.
I had the HiGain version, which definitely would have needed an FX loop. In fact, I destroyed mine trying to retrofit one. ;) I'm now running an MV50 Clean in a dual amp setup, and I don't think this one needs an FX loop. I totally agree it should have the power switch on the front and maybe some built-in effects. It does sound amazing!
I have one too and it's fantastic. One of my favorite sounding amps. I run it at 50 watts with and extra cab and haven't had any issues with extra noise.
@@GTRmike64 I also own the Brian May Edition of the Vox MV50. Since I use it without the Treble Boost, i might as well use the regular model, but this edition had the nice red Cab 🙂. I feed my quad cortex into it and use the modeler (kinda "wrong") as a massive multi fx/drive pedal unit. This way I got Amp Sound on Stage, with the Guitar reacting to the Sound and the PA get's parallel CapSim out from the MV50.
Update after speaking to 3 levels of employee including direct overseer of NuTube development (allegedly): There is apparently open market / freedom of independent R&D for NuTube devices by way of purchasing units and using them at cost in your products. Allegedly this means you owe no liscence or extra credit to Korg when you market a device beyond mention that it’s used inside. However they made it abundantly clear they have no program nor any interest in a program to lessen the impact of cost for research / testing with these things, and do not plan to change that in the near future. So unless someone wants to start funding the testing of NuTube stuff, folks like me will be forced to stay away simple due to cost
Class D Power Amp with a Nutube built in, so it doesn't sound/feel too sterile would be cool. Imagine adding a bit of tube feel to your preamp pedals or modelers
20:11 Piezo will react to vibration of the body but unless there is a buffer / preamp to match impedances it will be better for “noise” than for picking up info coming from the strings. Needs pressure (to be pinned in place) to pick up the body vibrations. Pinning it under the pickguard will kind of work. 23:32 Strings sliding across Tele saddles works VERY well with the right trem. Break angle is indeed insufficient here though.
the main problem with the nu tube thing, is that the products they released them in basically sucked for the price/performance. they were prone to failing (not the 'tube, but the surrounding components), so people largely gave up on them as a gimmick. you can still get them bare and in diy kits, but no ones really doing much with them as a full blown product anymore.
im that builder i build both tube amps and analog fuzz pedals for my living. i believe although the nutube works like a tube its just dealing with to little of power to do anything aside from preamp signals
A regular tube, like a 12AX7 is a small fraction of the price of a NuTube, so it would not make sense financially to use them. And they are sometimes hard to get, they don't fit a standard breadboard, and getting the board for testing it out was a couple hundred bucks just to see it you even like it. So a good few hundred bucks before you can see if you even want to use it. They were backordered when I looked into getting some a couple years ago, and had a few month lead time.
As a builder, the nu-tubes are too cost prohibitive for prototyping. And for me that alone makes them a no go. A single unit plus the 3rd part (or homebrew) adapter for breadboard ends up being about 70$ after shipping and parts. For as much as they touted them for everyone to use, and still do on their site as far as I know they do zero in term of incentivizing builders to use them. At least small companies. I’m sure bigger names get samples Edit: looked into it while watching, they don’t sell them direct anymore that I can find. Sent an inquiry about them / getting them as a builder. We will see
@@60CycleHumcast I saw that too, I asked in my email if it’s legit. I also linked the video for yall, and will update if they respond in kind. About 2 years ago when I started working with tubes I pedals I was interested in these but the cost again stopped me. I emailed asking about partner programs / loners or if they even offer a discount to builders. It’s curious that only companies they share a parent with (korg) have done anything with them besides Vox. And makes me wonder if the decision to no longer sell direct is a product of lack of interest or a decision to keep the tech proprietary. Or perhaps if it has something to do with them fearing bad publicity in situations like Ryan had where you wisely noticed it likely is a power supply flaw or lack of context given to users.
There was this weird thing where when I saw the "Ugly Bass", the song "Rio" by Duran Duran came up in my head on repeat, so I had to go look at the album art to see if I could see if it carried the same aesthetic. The answer is no... not really, but it won't stop! This guitar apparently scrambled the wiring in my brain.
The Nutube is readily available, but they are $40 - $50 each for regular consumers. It seems like the draw back is low margins for a product people might not take up.
Viable if you have a project, though I'd suggest look for one that's not restorable at any reasonable cost so you're not destroying some marvelous old instrument. I have a really wonderful old Ivers and Pond (1923) full size upright that I got for "free". It weighs about 1,000 pounds, cost $700 to move, $160 to tune, and I'm looking at a couple hundred to replace the dampers. The moving specialist took a look inside the case and said "this thing screams upright grand". It has a wonderful voice and astonishing bass for an upright. The soundboard and bridges are in great shape, though the lowest key (A) is dead. That might be the bridge, but if it's the string then replacing all the bass strings would run $500, and I'm told that replacing just those for the low A would make that note stand out unacceptably. I can live quite happily without it. So that's a bit of "free" acoustic piano reality. If you're considering going that route, have it inspected in situ or at least do it yourself with some RU-vid recommendations from piano refurbishers. That's the route I took.
What we need from NuTubes is a conversion kit that allows them to work with an existing tube amp. that's the only way I see them being marketable reasonably.
best way to learn is to tear apart cheap guitars and mod the shit out of them, rebuild them, shove toothpicks in them, whatever, you will destroy some guitars but we learn more from our mistakes than our successes, in the end.
Ryan, if you're creeped out by how much that mannequin resembles you, check out the film, Tim Ritter's Killing Spree. No joke, the lead actor, Asbestos Felt (yes, that is his name), looks JUST LIKE YOU. I swear.
The last item I saw with a NuTube in it was a high end sound daughter board for modernised Commodore 64 (an 8-bit home computer from the 1980's) motherboards.
consider that the nutube may simply not add anything, ive had tube pedals with real tubes and crazy odd power requirments that the tube made no differrence, based on my changing AX7s for AU7s etc and getting zero difference that could be heard by anyone, folks kinda caught on to the "stick a tube that does nothing ion it, and jack up the price cuz its "Tube", I'm a tube amp fanatic, although i have unconventional opinions, like my fave modern make amp is a modded Stage right with my V1 and V2 swapped with JJ AU7s and my v3 is a Marshal AX7 run thru a homemade 1X12 fashioned from an antique walnut drawer and open front cabinet thing, pre plywood age (idk shit about antiques so no idea what timeframe would use solid walnut boards) with a closed back and the tube cooling grate/vent off the back of another stage right combo amp, that i cannabalized for parts, above the speaker, which is still on the original front panel panel off the old monoprice, (the OG 70/80) so it acts lke a bass flute kind of, filling up the space where the drawer used to be above the speaker panel and all in all its about double the size of an average 1x12 if you measured the volume in square inches etc, I have a 4x12 that I find myself not using a lot unless im layering tracks and wanting to mic different speakers for slight differences in the dubs, but more and more im just moving the mic slightly on the walnut 1x12, why doesnt anyone use openings or fluted design on cabs? i can only speak to the one i have made, but it really sounds nice, the opening transformed the cab completely in a very good way, made a 70/80 sound like something a lot better while still being the "jack of all trades" its known for being, sounds great with all different guitars and even with my bass rig, eventually plan to replace the 70/80 with a Vintage 30 or if I ever get my hands on one, a Fane Pop 50, but those are not easy to find, let alone if your poor as dirt. BTW i added a brass nut to a HB MR classic, and cut some of the saddles a little bit deeper to get past a limited min. hight of the wraparound bridge, as well as a full basic setup, and you wouldnt believe how well it plays and sounds, everyone i know is amazed at it being a 135$ guitar, tho if you count the hours spend shaping and cutting the brass nut (had to totally reshape it and recut it with limited tools) and the rest, I would add average cost of a full setup at the least to the og price were i to sell it (not gonna happen tho, I love it, even with the cheap roswell p90s, it doesn't just growl it roars, thru the op amp big muff with a tube pilot OD in front of it) whoops, comment turned to a book length rant, oh well.
I think there could be a bigger market for the NuTubes if there was a Power Amp variant, so you could get tube power amps in a smaller package, closer in size to class d power amps but with the sound of a tube power amp.
18:50 Selling a hyper customized guitar like this one will be impossible at this price point. The best way to maximize return is to accept a significantly lower offer or sell each individual part.
Always wondered why they didnt make the nutube into an actual preamp tube socket config. Someone made something like that back in the day but they werent any good
If I remember right, nutubes are really susceptible to vibrations. When they started building headphone preamps using nutubes you could hear a strong noise coming out of your headphones if you'd gently tap the preamp with your finger. I would imagine it's not the right technology for a pedal that needs to be stomped, as a strong noise will come out of your signal chain every time you stomp a switch on your pedalboard... or anytime if you play with a drummer?
Ta for the Captain America shout, chuffed , there are a couple of Chris Evans that I get compared to (not in looks only in name)so I'll take that one as the best of the lot, I'm in Swansea , Wales hence the GBP :)
I bought the nu-tube screamer.. it slipped off my pedalboard and that tube broke. Like one week into owning it. 😶 It's been sitting here disassembled for 3 years🤷
im in phoenix az I know phil a little I ran the biggest new and used shop in phoenix for about 11 or 12 years. I build fuzz pedal for a living i was a heroin addict for over a decade i built my own gear and played live so when i cleaned up i decided id start taking my hobby more serious. Thank God ive been off hard drugs for 13 years now and im lucky enough to make a very sad living building germanium fuzz ok some silicon stuff as well. what type of fuzz pedals do yo prefer
They actually just announced a new series of Vox pedals, problem with other people using the nuTube is that it's Korg's patent. Are they really going to pay extra for nuTubes when modern modeling can already nail the sound of tubes 99%? Honestly if you're a builder and you're making boutique pedals for pedal nerds, pedal nerds want real tubes. They don't care about nuTubes. I think it's just a matter of not really being worth the trouble for 3rd parties, but I'm glad Vox is rolling them out again.
Yeah, they're called VFDs, and were used in microwave displays, sound systems among other things. You can even use a VFD from a microwave as a "tube" if you find the pinout.
@@joseislanio8910Wow thanks. I've got a dead Microwave waiting to be disposed of. I have the Korg Nu Tube synth kit, so that should give the pinouts. I wanted to get one, but $50 is too much just to fool around
@@terryenglish7132 I hate to be that guy, but I feel like I'd be seriously negligent if I didn't mention that there are some pretty hazardous things to worry about inside microwaves, really serious capacitors and so on. If you're not already familiar with going into them I'd at least do some research first. It may not have a VFD anyway, I think LCDs have been more common on microwaves for a while.
@@max_archer Thanks. I'm aware of cap dangers from tube amp discussions. I actually have 2 , not 1 , dead Microwaves that have been sitting for over a year, so the caps are discharged. Yeah, you might be probably right about the LCDs. That's what they looked like. I have a recollection that the display looked different on one from years ago. .. Any idea of the power supply ratings voltage , amperage ? These are 800W so the amperage would be lower, but probably not the voltage... Always good to post safety tips.
I know nothing, but I wonder if the Nutube issue is related to Korg wanted to retain the proprietary intellectual property. Interesting, Microsoft made its fortune licencing OEMs to use their software, as opposed to only supplying it on Microsoft manufactured computers.
Yeah…Korg/Vox keeps using it. In the end, though, the truth is that the companies making music gear know that there’s really no magic in tubes other than the marketing magic. Solid-state and digital are simply more cost effective. And most of the customers who buy things only because they have tubes aren’t the kind of people to embrace new tech even when it does exactly the same job.
Bought a Box Cambridge amp..with nutubes... The on /off switch was junk... So..I returned it..got another one . I was using that amp at a gig...it turned off by itself... I wanted to like the amp... But given those two examples.. I don't need stuff to turn itself off at gigs.. Possible problems... Perhaps overdrive to the system..or malfunction of the automatic turn off.. Any way I still have the amp but don't use it. The sounds were great.. Perhaps if Vox addresses those troubles they will have a winner..
I really like that "fluorescent light diffuser" paint job, but not on an instrument. I think the artist did a really good job with the execution but it needs to be appreciated closer than a stage instrument is viewed from. It's interesting up close but from afar you're only going to see the colors, squares, and nudie girl and that's not great. The details are what make it interesting.
Lately, I been asking myself, "why do I do X like this?, Where did I learn to do X like this" Then I look up a video on X and usually learn something or a different way to do something. Or I am reminded as to why I do X thatw ay. Hope this makes sense and helps someone. It has helped me a TON.!!! Just start like you just got a guitar, go back through all the basics of amp set up, eqing, guitar, etc.
The problem with the nutube is that KORG has a stranglehold on the patent and reqiure a licensing deal in order for a company to use the technology for resale. Could you imagine Fender, or Marshall making an amplifier, with the requirement of having "KORG" (a direct competitor) printed prominently on the faceplate of the amplifier? That's be like buying a Chevy, but insisting that the car have a Ford powertrain under the hood.....Chevy won't build that car, and Ford isn't going to give Chevy any sort of "discount" on a single powertrain, simple because you want it, making that fictional vehicle (product) cost-prohibitive. THAT is the problem with nutubes, and what is keeping nutubes from being everywhere in the audio industry, especially in guitar amps and pedals.
i rescue dogs i was always alergic to cats well i found a kitten so i figured i get her and find her a home, but to my luck she was a siamese and i learned siamese cats dont mak the dander that people are alergic to so you could get a cat a siamese. i have both dogs and cats they are all rad
In their case, the tech was always relatively experimental. I wouldn't be surprised if the folks that developed it just went back to doing science - steve
that duo sonic is a project that didnt add up to what the player wanted and now he wants to get his one back out of it which wont happen. the duo sonic is a rat guitar. i took the springs and spring posts out of my 1965 mustang bridge an use grade 8 bolts to lock down the cigar and make it a stop tail it 100% reversible. it made a a difference in sound i was very suprised. i live for the 24 inch scale. i was buying jags when nobody cared i lost most of my guitars to heroin but never sold my main players my 1963 and 64 jags and a 65 mustang an old junior. i loved how almost no one played jags now i cant go to a show without seeing one