1950s valve/tube score to rule them all

[dougsta]

Saw an add in the UK version of craigs list on Sunday, only one photo, looked interesting and the price was £1 and only 15 minute drive into town so couldn't say no, even the wife wasn't too bothered at me bringing old crap into the house as it was only a small box and not a 4x12 cab

The large Mullard box caught my eye and the large bottles on the left.

Turns out the large Mullard box did contain a NOS valve but a PD510, some kind of pro tv/monitor HV rectifier.

But all was not lost as the grey bottle above the Philips box (a 500Watt filament light bulb, bit too big for a current limiter unless I build huge bass amps one day...) is a 1956 GEC KT66 and the 2 other big bottles are 5U4G rectifiers rated at 225mA.

The best finds were under the large bottles.

4 x Mullard ECC81 1955

1 x M-OV MWT B309 = ECC81 = 12AT7 July 1954

2 x Brimar 12AT7 1953 and 1954

3 x Brimar 5965 (used in computers, long service life) all 4H7 date codes

1 x RCA 12AU7A long plate

1 x Mullard ECC82 Holland July 1954

1 x Brimar 6060 = ECC82 1957

1 x Mullard ECC83 mC1 B6B (1956) holy grail long plate

1 x Mullard M8137 (ECC83) box plate mil spec

3 x Brimar 12AX7 long plates (1956 date code) and 1 black plates (1953 date code 1F3)

1 x Mullard ECC85 B8A

4 x Mullard E88CC gold pins but 1 has a white getter

1 x Mullard ECL80

1 x Mullard EF86

1 x Mullard EZ80

5 x Mullard EF80

1 x Mullard EF89

3 x Mullard PCC84

1 x Brimar 6BQ7A

1 x Mullard PCL83

1 x Masda PCF80

1 x Mullard PCF80

1 x Mullard PCF802

2 x Mullard PY81

2 x Mullard PY82

1 x Mullard PL83

some photos attached, been checking dual triode types in a preamp today, I ran the GEC KT66 beside a 6L5GC pp amp, all good.





Doug.

 

[OmegaWoods]

Whoo Hoo! Instant vintage tube business!

Congrats!

 

[dougsta]

Whoo Hoo! Instant vintage tube business!

Congrats!

I'd have to test them on a proper tube tester if they go for sale.

 

[chris m.]

What a score! But it also supports the idea that tube amps are eventually going the way of the dinosaur....hastened by the fact that they just don't make tubes like they used to.

 

[dougsta]

What a score! But it also supports the idea that tube amps are eventually going the way of the dinosaur....hastened by the fact that they just don't make tubes like they used to.

You nailed it, the current production tubes are hit and miss, you have to try a few to get good ones.

All is not lost... The Brits are coming! there is a project here in the UK called the "Great British Valve Project" to start making valves using the old Brimar tooling good news is they have managed to get the old tooling:

https://brimaruk.com/menugbvp/great-british-valve-project-2/

 

[King Fan]

Yippee! Paul Revere is smiling this time, and the church bells are ringing in celebration instead of warning.

Those old Brimar and Mullard labels have me drooling on the keyboard....

 

[Deeve]

Well done, sir; well done!

 

[mountainhick]

Nice Haul!

 

[monkeybanana]

You nailed it, the current production tubes are hit and miss, you have to try a few to get good ones.

All is not lost... The Brits are coming! there is a project here in the UK called the "Great British Valve Project" to start making valves using the old Brimar tooling good news is they have managed to get the old tooling:

https://brimaruk.com/menugbvp/great-british-valve-project-2/

That's great news!

And congrats on the tubes

 

[SerpentRuss]

Wow, really envious here! Now, if you make them all into amps, it should only cost you about $2000 dollars, LOL.

 

[john_cribbin]

You nailed it, the current production tubes are hit and miss, you have to try a few to get good ones.

All is not lost... The Brits are coming! there is a project here in the UK called the "Great British Valve Project" to start making valves using the old Brimar tooling good news is they have managed to get the old tooling:

https://brimaruk.com/menugbvp/great-british-valve-project-2/

Can't get staff to work at Starbucks, so there's really going to be a rush to work with hazardous materials ....

 

[DougalC]

Well spotted. Can't really go wrong for £1.
I missed that one.....
Theres a collection of similar boxes been advertised on FB marketplace in Dunfermline for weeks, but they dont answer messages.

 

[dougsta]

Well spotted. Can't really go wrong for £1.
I missed that one.....
Theres a collection of similar boxes been advertised on FB marketplace in Dunfermline for weeks, but they dont answer messages.

It was posted in the "Home and Garden" section!

I fired up the KT66 in a 50W 6L6GC push pull amp (pulled one of the 6L6GC's as they are similar spec) it drew 10% more current than the 6L6GC but that's fine. Sounded good too.

I have a 10W SE OT I could use to build a beefy champ type amp with it and use some of the '50s triode goodies.

There was a couple of Sylvania JAN-CHS-6SL7GT in the haul too, so maybe an all octal build, not tested them yet.

Doug

 

[NTC]

There was a couple of Sylvania JAN-CHS-6SL7GT in the haul too, so maybe an all octal build, not tested them yet.

Something similar is on my bucket list: an octal preamp with a 6L6GC SE output. That KT66 should sound great in something similar...

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

What a score! But it also supports the idea that tube amps are eventually going the way of the dinosaur....hastened by the fact that they just don't make tubes like they used to.

They've been predicting the demise of the tube amp for the past few decades. Hasn't happened as of yet...

 

[teleman1]

And as the OP investigates more, he finds the owners of the Home are the Mullards. I mean it is in the country of origin. Its possible.

 

[W.L.Weller]

..even the wife wasn't too bothered at me bringing old crap into the house as it was only a small box and not a 4x12 cab

A crafty variation on what the sales folks refer to as "price anchoring"

Set expectations with speaker cabinets and smelly old combos, then a small box of tubes seems downright sensible!