Northern Electric Tubes

[ajeffcote]

Saw these at the Tubestore.

Northern Electric 12AX7

Has anybody tried them, and if so what's your opinion?

[J M Fahey]

Haven´t tried them, but nowhere they say they are *made* in Canada, only that they are reintroducing the *brand*.
Who/where are they made?
It´s anybody´s guess ... but most certainly by one of the usual suspects.
The gold plated pins look nice, though.

[g1]

Foreign made, very expensive tubes with 6 month warranty. I assume thetubestore bought the rights to the name and has them custom made, then tests them in Canada.
"All of the design and production is overseen by a living legend in tube design, Zhe Shen Liu."
"while this manufacturer is not well known, they are the “Ferrari” of tube manufacturing and design."

more info: Northern Electric Tubes

Edit: rumour has it these may be rebranded & tested version of TJ full music 12AX7. They look pretty much alike.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/china_2009/tj_full_music/
http://www.tonepublications.com/revi...-vacuum-tubes/

[Rhodesplyr]

Odd that they decided to produce a 12AU7 in addition to the 12AX7 since there are still so many good NOS 12AU7s around at decent prices.

[g1]

Well, I think 12AU7's may be more common in hi-fi, and many audiophiles tend to frown on things "around at decent prices", ie. "if it's not overly expensive it must be crap".

[Chuck H]

Indeed, all the write up says is:

Northern Electric had a rich history of producing high quality audio products and vacuum tubes in Canada.

To me that explicitly says "not made in Canada"... But that's just me.

Might be a good tube. But I wouldn't pay sixty bones for tube the seller advertises with subterfuge. Too many good tubes available below that price that don't have a lie attached.

[Pedro Vecino]

Very large smooth plates but a bit shorter?
Box anodes > TJ Fullmusic 12AX7

[JHow]

At $58 a pop I won't be running out to buy any anytime soon.

[Chuck H]

Here's an image of what appears to be a short, smooth, box plate Fullmusic 12au7 and a Northern Electric 12ax7. Note the mica braces, the glass tint line at the top, the plate holes and notches, the pin contacts, etc... Also note that the box for the Northern Electric tubes (not shown) simply says "Northern Electric" and "Canada" and not "made in Canada". I've looked into it a bit and see that on some forums there are gear heads jumping up and down with excitement to finally have a tube that isn't made in China

[Rhodesplyr]

I don't care so much where it's made, so long as it's well-made :-)

One thought that came to mind: How much would tubes made in American and Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, and bought at 50s/60s prices, cost today in 2012 dollars?

How much did an RCA 12AX7 cost in 1960? I really have no idea...

[ajeffcote]

I had the same feeling from the wording in their description. Where-ever they were made I would still like to try one. I think I'll give'em a call and offer my services as an un-biased third party to evaluate the tubes in earnest. My free tubes should be here in a few days. I promise to report my findings ASAP.

[ajeffcote]

I can't believe it! I called the Tube Store and offered my services in a very professional manner and believe it or not, the fellow I was talking to refused to send me any free tubes! In fact, he told me that if I want some of the Northern Electric tubes, I would have to pay for them. Wouldn't even give me a discount.
But he did confirm our suspicions. Made in the land of Kung Pao chicken. Along with 90% of what we Americans consume nowadays.
So has anyone tried the FullMusic tubes?

[guitician]

Old tube prices from Radio Shack 1960

I don't care so much where it's made, so long as it's well-made :-)

One thought that came to mind: How much would tubes made in American and Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, and bought at 50s/60s prices, cost today in 2012 dollars?

How much did an RCA 12AX7 cost in 1960? I really have no idea...

Well, Radio Shack sold RCA 12ax7's for $2.55 ea in 1960.......These old catalog archives are great to look up old equipment retail prices....
1960 Radio Shack Catalog Low-res page 171 of 318
And from an online inflation calculator...."What cost $2.55 in 1960 would cost $18.56 in 2010. " The calc wouldn't go to 2012.
So tubes are priced about that I guess....

[guitician]

I would think if they were going to all the trouble of making a custom made tube, that they would model it after the 17mm plate Mullard 12AX7 from the 50's. I have some almost dead ones that would blow those Northern Electric tubes away....

[J M Fahey]

Nobody will tool up for a custom tube unless they expect to sell, say, 200000 units in the first 3 or 4 years.
Raw economics.