Amperex D-getters.

[spaceman]

So I bought an old Motorola portable record player with a SE 6BQ5 amp from another AKer yesterday. It turns out the 6BQ5s are late 50s D-getter tubes, from the Sittard, Holland plant, and some folks seem to think these were among the best 6BQ5s ever made. :thmbsp: I knew they were made in Holland right away, that and EL84/6BQ5 are nicely painted along the top, as you'd expect, but there's no acid-etched code at the bottom of the sides, like normal, and no Amperex label (they actually have a very faded Motorola logo, barely visible if you're looking). Instead, there's a code on the bottom, between the pins, much like the Tele diamond, but alpha-numeric. In this case, it's rX3 X8F, which identifies it as a Sittard made tube, made between 1957 & 1959, most likely '58. Here's a link to that TC site, that I misplaced & had to dig for, LOL. http://www.tube-classics.de/TC/Tubes/Valvo EL84/EL84.htm

 

[derekva]

Glad to see the Motorola went to a good home!

-D

 

[analog addict]

So I bought an old Motorola portable record player with a SE 6BQ5 amp from another AKer yesterday. It turns out the 6BQ5s are late 50s D-getter tubes, from the Sittard, Holland plant, and some folks seem to think these were among the best 6BQ5s ever made. :thmbsp: I knew they were made in Holland right away, that and EL84/6BQ5 are nicely painted along the top, as you'd expect, but there's no acid-etched code at the bottom of the sides, like normal, and no Amperex label (they actually have a very faded Motorola logo, barely visible if you're looking). Instead, there's a code on the bottom, between the pins, much like the Tele diamond, but alpha-numeric. In this case, it's rX3 X8F, which identifies it as a Sittard made tube, made between 1957 & 1959, most likely '58. Here's a link to that TC site, that I misplaced & had to dig for, LOL. http://www.tube-classics.de/TC/Tubes/Valvo EL84/EL84.htm

Feel free to e-mail Karsten, the owner of that site with any questions you might have. I corresponded with him in the past over a similar quad marked underneath the pins, and he was very helpful....:thmbsp:

BTW, by the markings, that should have been made in June of '58....:scratch2:

 

[spaceman]

BTW, by the markings, that should have been made in June of '58....:scratch2:

That's probably right, or at least real close to it. I read somewhere that this model of record player was made in '58, for sale in the '59 model year, but I realize there was a bit of wiggle room, time-wise. Both 6BQ5s are the same, but one measures at a nice strong 80%, & the other measures at 72%. That's still well into the "good" range, but it's a little disappointing, that they don't measure the same.

 

[spaceman]

Helloooo Moto! It took me a couple tries to get the power switch figured out (it's the orange & gray wires), but this thing sounds awfully nice, for using the stock speakers. The drivers are Motorola Golden Voice, and they're pretty nice for what they are actually, it's just that the woofer is only a 6" & not built for power handling, LOL, & the "tweeter" is actually another FR driver, but about a 3" or 4". But they sound pretty decent, especially for a portable unit. :thmbsp: The only thing I need to figure out is, wether I should try to eliminate that preamp board completely, and if I do, I need to figure out how to unhook a 12AX7, & use both sections of one tube as the drivers. :scratch2: One section of each 12AX7 is used for tone control now. If anyone sees what I mean & wants to offer advice, I'd appreciate it. If not, I can probably figger it out eventually. I played the radio through it for about 15 minutes, & the transformers & can cap all stayed nice & cool, but I didn't want to push my luck, & shut 'er down till I can refresh her.

 

[madwing]

i pulled two valvo el84s out of a fisher mono console amp i used for a while, and karsten has a pic of one of them on his site...the right-side valvo with the single slot in the plate...he's pretty cool about it, and we had a great interaction.

 

[spaceman]

Yay, I found an old (50s ?) CBS-Hytron 5Y3GT, clear top with a bottom D-getter, to go with them better (and a couple GEs for backups). I dunno if it's partly marketing hype or not, but these look to be very similar to the JAN-branded ones of the early 50s, but with a black base instead of brown. :scratch2:

 

[spaceman]

OK, grabbed a pic of that Hytron bottom D-getter, and one of a pair of old RCA 12AX7s with wavy D-getters from 1959 it looks like. The 12AX7s are Baldwin-branded, so we know they were pretty good in their day. :thmbsp: I'm fairly sure now, from reading, that these are all 50s tubes, and oughta play really well together. If not, it won't be the first time I've wasted a lot of time.

 

[mbskeam]

was this off of CL?

 

[spaceman]

No, there was an ad in Barter Town, right here at AK. That's one of the many benefits of being a subscriber, you can use the "secret" areas like Barter Town. Not that expensive at all, & well worth it. :yes:

 

[Stephen J]

No, there was an ad in Barter Town, right here at AK. That's one of the many benefits of being a subscriber, you can use the "secret" areas like Barter Town. Not that expensive at all, & well worth it. :yes:

X 100.... That $25.00 saves me hundreds of $'s a year in fee's elsewhere.

 

[analog addict]

OK, grabbed a pic of that Hytron bottom D-getter, and one of a pair of old RCA 12AX7s with wavy D-getters from 1959 it looks like. The 12AX7s are Baldwin-branded, so we know they were pretty good in their day. :thmbsp: I'm fairly sure now, from reading, that these are all 50s tubes, and oughta play really well together. If not, it won't be the first time I've wasted a lot of time.

Your 12AX7's are RCAs, which are middle of the road, but still good tubes. The EIA number "274" confirms it. If you care, look for "210" on your Hytron 5Y3 rectifier. That would place it as a CBS-Hytron manufactured tube. Black plates are always nice, but if you want a little extra panache, find a 5Y3 ST shaped tube.....:thmbsp:

 

[spaceman]

Your 12AX7's are RCAs, which are middle of the road, but still good tubes. The EIA number "274" confirms it. If you care, look for "210" on your Hytron 5Y3 rectifier. That would place it as a CBS-Hytron manufactured tube. Black plates are always nice, but if you want a little extra panache, find a 5Y3 ST shaped tube.....:thmbsp:

Yeah, I got on a trip yesterday of finding "only" 1950s tubes, preferably with D-getters, is how these tubes came together. I have quite a few tubes to roll, if needed, including a pair of black plate RCA 12AX7s (one came with this amp, so I just now matched them together), which a lot of folks consider right up there with Tele & Mullard (which I have both of as well), but I suspect these old D-getters "might" give the black plates a run for the money. I'm also kinda excited about rolling EL84s, I have several pairs of those now too. No Mullards yet, but just about all the other common contenders, including Matsushita, the Japanese Mullard.

 

[jaymanaa]

Why do you think I was trying to buy it?

 

[Les Lammers]

Yeah, I got on a trip yesterday of finding "only" 1950s tubes, preferably with D-getters, is how these tubes came together. I have quite a few tubes to roll, if needed, including a pair of black plate RCA 12AX7s (one came with this amp, so I just now matched them together), which a lot of folks consider right up there with Tele & Mullard (which I have both of as well), but I suspect these old D-getters "might" give the black plates a run for the money. I'm also kinda excited about rolling EL84s, I have several pairs of those now too. No Mullards yet, but just about all the other common contenders, including Matsushita, the Japanese Mullard.

Before you go nuts chasing used EL84's try a quad of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-6P14P-EV...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4ab320c47d

They are very good tubes. :thmbsp:

 

[spaceman]

Before you go nuts chasing used EL84's try a quad of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-6P14P-EV...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4ab320c47d

They are very good tubes. :thmbsp:

Yeah, that's pretty darn affordable, alright, but like I said in my last post, I have several pairs, and since you only need pairs for a SE amp, I'm set. But thanks for the heads up, in case I needed it. @Jay, I know, you had dibs, but shipping just kills a lot of otherwise nice deals. Now you know how us left-coasters feel, when we see all that Altec type stuff around Michigan.