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Italian Tubes

Marconi 6CG7: Worth $750 / pair?

  • Sì

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No!

    Votes: 35 100.0%
  • Total voters
    35
FlaCharlie said:
$40 is cheap?
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I'm assuming Mamrak1 is referring to a matched pair of vintage, black plate 6CG7. A black plate pair of 6CG7 can be had for less that that, but with varied test measurements. NOS RCA clear top "6CG7 6FQ7" can be had for less than black plates, but in my estimation, without a grounded shield between the triodes, those dual model designation tubes are truly 6FQ7 spec from the end times of production.
 
I don't believe you can do better than pairing a matched set of italian tubes with a nice chianti. Or an italian anything, for that matter.
 
Ok. This is officially out of hand. 6CG7 is a tv tube, not an audio tube. So you are getting a caddy pull made for tv repair. It's not a pair of selected audio tubes. It's not even a pair of audio tubes unless you're a hacker (Which many of us are). The cool thing about using it is that it is cheap, and plentiful. Some day we will have used them all up, and the price will begin to rise, but we are hopefully several decades away from $750 junk box tubes.
In all likelihood they are Sylvania or RCA reboxes out of a tv repair caddy. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 meter pole.
 
I just can't get enough of the packaging on these Italian tubes. Might not sound any better than anything else, but they look great on the shelf.

tube-cover-marconi-2.jpg
 
trainbuftony said:
Ok. This is officially out of hand. 6CG7 is a tv tube, not an audio tube. So you are getting a caddy pull made for tv repair. It's not a pair of selected audio tubes. It's not even a pair of audio tubes unless you're a hacker (Which many of us are). The cool thing about using it is that it is cheap, and plentiful. Some day we will have used them all up, and the price will begin to rise, but we are hopefully several decades away from $750 junk box tubes.
In all likelihood they are Sylvania or RCA reboxes out of a tv repair caddy. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 meter pole.
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Sadly, the prices for TV sweep and others have started to jump up in price.
The sweep tubes are getting snapped up for small guitar amp builders. In less than a year I've seen several double in price since I bought some. A couple years ago I bought a NOS 12BH7 for $10. The same Seimans or Tung Sol branded Philip's is $49 and up now.
 
ritchie said:
Maybe you're thinking of 6FQ7? The 6CG7 is an audio amplifier tube.
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they're generally considered interchangeable. Many were marked with both numbers. Both are just a re-packaged 6SN7, which is a pair of 6J5's in one bottle. All of those saw service in loads of things including TV and audio amps. Its just a medium mu triode, nothing specific about it makes it an audio tube or non-audio tube.
 
Mamrak1 said:
When you are considering wasting $750 on these tubes, $40 is a bargain in my book.
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Absolutely. And, although it's not as extreme, $40 a pair is overpriced if they are available for $16.

Point is, these are very common tubes.

They were apparently most often used in TVs rather than audio. I say that based on the fact that I have quite a few tube amps and I can only think of one - an RCA console pull - that uses them. Whenever I've found stashes of old TV tubes, both NOS and pulls, there are typically quite a few of these in the pile.
 
Some 6CG7's have an internal shield. Likely thats what you're looking at. The 6FQ7 is basically the same tube, but no shield.
 
I've seen those tubes used most in Ampeg guitar amps and radios. I'm looking at an RCA clear top right now. It has both tube numbers on it and no shield between triodes.
 
I once had a lot of 6CG7 tubes listed the person who bit first wanted all of the ones with the shield between triodes. I seem to remember shipping them to Japan or Korea or someplace in that neck of the woods. Perhaps there's someone buying them up. $750 A matched pair is someone "fishing for fools" where "A fool and his money are easily parted" I personally wouldn't pay it.
 
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