Yay I got a Telefunken ECC83 for $10

[tubeswell]

(and that's NZ$) And I got a Marconi 12AX7 for another NZ$10. Pity I can't tell you where (because I'm heading back there later to nab the rest of 'em).

[Chuck H]

Excellent.

You wouldn't think that it would even be possible to find UOS (used, tests good, old stock) tubes anywhere any more. I found them in the San Francisco Bay area at an electronics salvage warehouse. They had an old beat tube tester on site and a bunch of cardboard boxes. ie: "Anything that's a nine pin miniature goes in this box." So I would go in and find all the 12ax7's (at the time I had a list of all the numeric pseudonyms) and test them right there. I would take a paper bag full to the counter and pay $2.00 US a piece for them. After real world testing in an amp about half would be good and non microphonic. I scored Telefunkens, Mullards, Phillips, RCA, Bugel Boy and others for an average of $4.00 each. I cleared out the good stuff in about four trips and managed to score about 30 12ax7's, 6 or 7 12at7's and a nice pair of barely used Tung Sol 5881's

I love salvage.

Chuck

[defaced]

Nice score. Let us know how you make out.

There was a place near where I grew up that had an entire room of what I would gather to be UOS tubes. They had bins, easily a dozen, filled with miniature noval tubes with markings on the bins "No 12AX7, AT7 or AU7". That was as recently as 5 years ago. Last I heard the place was closing. Not sure what happened to the tubes.

[stingray_65]

I genuinely hope each and every one you get is NOS

I live for the great scores!

and yes I'm more tan a wee bit jelouse

[tedmich]

Telefunkens only way to tell...the label wipes right off and then...there's no way to tell!

except the sound...the sound...

[Chuck H]

Telefunkens only way to tell...the label wipes right off and then...there's no way to tell!

except the sound...the sound...

They have enormous smooth plates! At least, those are the ones that get all the raves.

I'm sure the ribbed plates sound just fine too. I'm actually not a big fan of the Telefunken smooth plate sound. Too linear for me. Good high gain and broad bandwidth. But just kind of dry and stringent sounding to me. They are one of the only large plate 12ax7's that have a wide bandwidth and aren't typically microphonic though. But give me the old RCA's any day.

Chuck

[dai h.]

you can tell even with no markings. Look for the diamond mark in the base, the internal structure, bottle(not the same as Ei).

[tubeswell]

Yep its got very fadey printing on the bottle (I tested one little corner of the diamond with my fingernail) "Tele-fun-ken" inside a square, inside a diamond with little electric lightning things, and "Made in Germany" underneath that, and "ECC83" underneath that, and on one side a serial number which looks like 'B610590' or 'B610590_' (there is a trace of printing of what looks to be a last number but it might've rubbed off). It has 2 mica spacers and a round getter above the plates, smooth long dark plates, and a Diamond imprinted in the glass base between the pins with the numbers '26' and a backwards '2' underneath that, inside the diamond. I haven't tested it yet.

[Chuck H]

WooHoo. Let us know how it sounds. FWIW the last time I checked it out a "used tests good" Telefunken smooth plate with poor nomenclature could still fetch $70. US.

Chuck

[dai h.]

yep, sounds genuine. I actually have what (AFAIK) is a genuine Tele sans diamond (not a 12AX7 but a dinky 12AL5 rectifier tube), but for the most part I think the presence (or lack of) the diamond can be used to tell if it's authentic W.German manf. or not. I've read of fake Tele 12AX7/ECC83 w/diamond, supposedly made in China IIRC from a couple of sources but I think that info was basically BS. Anyway if you can find low (or very low)-priced *old production* 12AX7s--even used ones (which don't look dead or obviously problematic)--I would snap them up. Having a lot helps you get quiet input stage ones (numbers mean you can select--although some makes/versions do seem inherently quieter from construction or quality), plus if it's some typical amp that doesn't run the tubes very hard (i.e. not high current/dissipation), the old ones do seem to be capable of long life.

[Prairie Dawg]

(and that's NZ$) And I got a Marconi 12AX7 for another NZ$10. Pity I can't tell you where (because I'm heading back there later to nab the rest of 'em).

I got two of em fer nuthin today, and I'll tell you where. My basement, I started a long deferred cleanup and sort of the tube stash.

they are a helluva tube. These babies are going right in my AC30CC2/

[Chuck H]

I only have one left (out of four) . One went bad. The other two had a respected spot in amps I built for friends.

Funny about the one that went bad. It sounded Ok but did this wierd thing where in the V1 position I couldn't turn down my guitar all the way. The plate was conducting enough voltage onto the grid to actually charge my guitar pickup with the guitar pot at 0. Changing the tube was the only thing that fixed it...Wierd.

Chuck