Calling all Tube Experts..."I need Help Please"??

bluesforstevie · Jan 22, 2013

I just happen to come across these tubes in this pic...

Now, I know its a LONG shot...but lets just say for conversation's sake..."suppose these were unused".....lol.....what do they call it....um.....noss or something? I think its an acronym of some kind...but it means unused or never been in a tube socket or something like that. I think they're EL34 or 6CA7....

Anyway...would I be looking at..or able to purchase a decent Historic Les Paul???

Anyone? Thanks in advance for your help.

Dan

sonar · Jan 22, 2013

IF they tested as NOS (New Old Stock) AND you can match pairs AND these pairs have the same label, then start shopping for a used R* or G0.

If you can only sell them as singles (they still need to be properly tesed) you're still going to make out, but not Historic money.

bluesforstevie · Jan 22, 2013

sonar said:
IF they tested as NOS (New Old Stock) AND you can match pairs AND these pairs have the same label, then start shopping for a used R* or G0.

If you can only sell them as singles (they still need to be properly tesed) you're still going to make out, but not Historic money.

Really? Thank you!! How much do you think I could get per single tube?? if they're unused old stock? I think there are about 43 of or so.

They're all Mullard from England...in the UK!!

Minibucker · Jan 22, 2013

They're all worthless. I'll give you 50 bucks for the whole lot.

bluesforstevie · Jan 22, 2013

Minibucker said:
They're all worthless. I'll give you 50 bucks for the whole lot.

I hear ya. Ok. Can you make it 50 + 10 shipping?....:ganz

Diablo1 · Jan 22, 2013

If they really are NOS, then you are looking at a minimum of $2200, roughly $50/tube.

bluesforstevie · Jan 22, 2013

Diablo1 said:
If they really are NOS, then you are looking at a minimum of $2200, roughly $50/tube.

That's pretty low isn't it? Most pairs go for about $250 for xf4 to $350 for dual halo xf2 right?

jcs · Jan 22, 2013

First off, there are burn marks on some of the plates which means those have been biased WAY too hot.

I can see thin getter flashing on several as well, even at a distance.

All tubes would have to pass thorough testing all the way to final testing in a live amp at full operating volts for stable bias etc.

The ones that are very strong, with stable bias will obviously bring more money and obviously the earlier Mullard versions are the most valuable by quite a lot.

These are not all NOS.

sonar · Jan 22, 2013

bluesforstevie said:
Really? Thank you!! How much do you think I could get per single tube?? if they're unused old stock? I think there are about 43 of or so.

They're all Mullard from England...in the UK!!

Lots of "if's" but if you do some work good things could happen. Don't expect to just sell them "as-is" and expect to make anything close to what they might be worth. Find a local tube guy who can test these out and go from there.

bluesforstevie · Jan 23, 2013

jcs said:
First off, there are burn marks on some of the plates which means those have been biased WAY too hot.

I can see thin getter flashing on several as well, even at a distance.

All tubes would have to pass thorough testing all the way to final testing in a live amp at full operating volts for stable bias etc.

The ones that are very strong, with stable bias will obviously bring more money and obviously the earlier Mullard versions are the most valuable by quite a lot.

These are not all NOS.

I'd say about 80% of them are. There are about 8-10 that have depleted getter or dark spots (which don't always mean something bad)....pictures and lighting could be playing some tricks on you too.

bluesforstevie · Jan 23, 2013

sonar said:
Lots of "if's" but if you do some work good things could happen. Don't expect to just sell them "as-is" and expect to make anything close to what they might be worth. Find a local tube guy who can test these out and go from there.

I've been kind of pulling your leg...I was seeing who was honest and who was a bullshiter too!! lol!!

I have a Maxi Matcher and a Hickok 539B serviced before Chris H. died.

jcs · Jan 23, 2013

I've got quite a few various old production EL34/6CA7 by most of the manufacturers of yesterday including a few new in box Mullard XF2's and many very strong Mullard pulls from XF1's thru XF4's as well as some that are worn (some really worn!)

The remarkable thing to me is how strong a really worn Mullard EL34 can sound even with borderline worn test results and thin getter flashing.

Clarity and very defined throughout the tonal spectrum and real Mullard EL34 don't tend to mush out even when you pummel them with various types of gain.

They don't tend to get "flat sounding" like a lot of newer production tubes can halfway thru their life span.

bluesforstevie · Jan 23, 2013

jcs said:
I've got quite a few various old production EL34/6CA7 by most of the manufacturers of yesterday including a few new in box Mullard XF2's and many very strong Mullard pulls from XF1's thru XF4's as well as some that are worn (some really worn!)

The remarkable thing to me is how strong a really worn Mullard EL34 can sound even with borderline worn test results and thin getter flashing.

Clarity and very defined throughout the tonal spectrum and real Mullard EL34 don't tend to mush out even when you pummel them with various types of gain.

They don't tend to get "flat sounding" like a lot of newer production tubes can halfway thru their life span.

+1:dude:

Diablo1 · Jan 23, 2013

I have my doubts about any tube being NOS if it doesn't come with the original matching box. You got boxes?

kerryboy · Jan 23, 2013

Serious questions.

What is a 'thin getter flashing' and a 'depleted getter'?.

How do I identfy this and what does it mean to a tube?.

thejaf · Jan 23, 2013

Diablo1 said:
I have my doubts about any tube being NOS if it doesn't come with the original matching box. You got boxes?

+1. For me, NOS = NIB

Anything else is pulled/used. Not implying pulled or used aren't good, but just not NOS. Any yes, I know that wholesale lots were not always shipped or packaged in pretty single boxes.

Also, anyone else notice that there seems to be more NOS tubes available now than there were 20-years ago.:wah

bluesforstevie · Jan 23, 2013

Diablo1 said:
I have my doubts about any tube being NOS if it doesn't come with the original matching box. You got boxes?

Yep. I couldn't agree with you more. However, with some tubes, they did come as OE in stereo gear and many came either in plain boxes or without..... commercial packaging wasn't necessary in that case.

bluesforstevie · Jan 23, 2013

thejaf said:
+1. For me, NOS = NIB

Anything else is pulled/used. Not implying pulled or used aren't good, but just not NOS. Any yes, I know that wholesale lots were not always shipped or packaged in pretty single boxes.

Also, anyone else notice that there seems to be more NOS tubes available now than there were 20-years ago.:wah

20 years ago there was no Ebay.

sonar · Jan 23, 2013

We're arguing semantics about what is or isn't NOS. Resellers claim NOS if a tube tests to a certain qualification. You might not like it nor agree with the process, but it isn't going away anytime soon. Any dead stock or hidden inventory of Mullard EL34's were probably gone 30+ years ago and more likely than not most popular old tubes you see for sale on eBay are coming out of something else nowadays. If you can't (or won't) fight it, buy new or join the process. NOS might be misleading (note that most sellers state "test NOS") and it it's probably here to stay.

bluesforstevie · Jan 23, 2013

sonar said:
We're arguing semantics about what is or isn't NOS. Resellers claim NOS if a tube tests to a certain qualification. You might not like it nor agree with the process, but it isn't going away anytime soon. Any dead stock or hidden inventory of Mullard EL34's were probably gone 30+ years ago and more likely than not most popular old tubes you see for sale on eBay are coming out of something else nowadays. If you can't (or won't) fight it, buy new or join the process. NOS might be misleading (note that most sellers state "test NOS") and it it's probably here to stay.

Yes I hate "Tests NOS" you know? How can something "test" Unused?....I disagree with you that ALL tubes that one finds that are labeled NOS are coming out of something. Mine have been in my inventory over 10 yrs. When I got them, they were mostly flushed out of audiophile collections/inventories and radio and stereo repair inventories. Most of the other true NOS tubes that I received came from Europe and especially from Britain and 95% of my Mullard tubes came from a friend of mine that worked for Mullard and then for a company that provide tubes for industry and had massive inventories of NOS tubes.

Other than testing.....There is a look about NOS (Unused) as opposed to used, but test new tubes. I pride myself on seeing and knowing the difference.

Calling all Tube Experts..."I need Help Please"??

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