Would you buy a tube amp if you were unable to use vintage tubes in it ?

Yes. In my 5 tube amps, I use many current production tubes. Not because I’m cheap. I have boxes of NOS in the closet. I just prefer some of the new tubes is some cases. In others, like 5ar4-type rectifiers, current tubes can’t match up to my favorite NOS. But plenty-good tubes are being made these days.

@whart , hey bro, sorry to be tardy: I just saw your post. Yes, still running the H3000, although I supplement it with the MC/MC phono in my VAC preamp and a last-gen K&K Maxxed Out with silver Lundahls, which is a gem. The Allnic is still top dog, though. Like you (of course!) I ran a GEC for years until it died. Wonderful tube: harmonically rich and detailed with great dimensionality. I located what I think is another, although it’s labeled CV575. It has a brown cup base, like the first one, and a similar sound. Expensive like the first one, too. But I have to admit, for my system, it’s been superseded by a recent creation, the Richard Kron Anniv 5U4G, which is sadly no longer made.This tube offers much of the GEC and CV575 but has more extension on top. I’m a big fan and luck to have found a couple extras.

You’re right that the H3000 is mostly influenced by the rectifier--to an almost bizarre degree. All the other tubes, as you know, are weird ones and NOS only.But I have found that USA-produced E810F sound noticeably inferior to the Holland-made ones. Too bad, because I have a bunch! Otherwise, yeah, no tube rolling to done outside of the power supply.

@whart , I know what you mean about Andy. I once placed an order and he called me 18 months later to fill it, haha. Sorry, Andy! I’m pretty sure KR Audio is still operating. The 5U4G I’m talking about (actually called Riccardo Kron Anniversary Edition) had a brief production run, I believe in 2018, so they ran out a while back. But they do pop up for sale. I found a new one 7 or 8 months ago on AudioMart.