Tubes.....cool find

heiney9

I have been out of the loop of buying tubes for about the past year. I pretty much have everything I want. But I got the fever again, but so far I am not feeding my addiction. On a cool note I have been scouring the internets trying to identify a triplet of the same tubes I bought on a whim for next to nothing. I had my suspicions, but only now are they confirmed. Of course this type of hunt and reward has fired up my addiction again.

What I managed to snag was a very rare, early triplet (1955 or 1956) Valvo Hamburg, long plate, D getter w/flat bar spot welded to the corner of the wing tab, no post, ECC82's (12AU7) a holy grail of sorts! They are re-branded and the etched, painted codes were wiped. But their is no mistaking the plate structure and getter type and placement.

So I'm kinda stoked since they were advertised as NOS/unused.

I'll post pics later.

H9

pitdogg2

you'd better post pictures....
welcome back Brock

headrott

That is a cool find Brock. Are they still tilted 45 degrees? I am guessing they are, but haven't seen any D-getter Valvo Hamburg tubes (at least not that I remember).

For 12AU7's I also very highly recommend the Mullard long plate halo and D-getters. Excellent tubes!

heiney9

These are as good or better than Millard or Amperex Holland long plates of the same era. They are much rarer too. I'll post pics and my findings in thenext couple if days.

Just goes to show if you know certain characteristics and study different tube types you don't need labels, etc. I admit this was the hardest to find out. The Valvo Hamburg lp like these are very scarce because of the small numbers produced.

They are not 45* in the common way you are talking about Greg.

H9

heiney9

I'm posting from my phone. If you want a quick Google tube maze info. Under tags on the right select 12au7/ecc82 and scroll down to Valvo/Amperex 12au7 Hamburg D-getter. There is 1 photo and a desc.

H9

heiney9

I'm posting from my phone. If you want a quick look ......Google tube maze info. Under tags on the right select 12au7/ecc82 and scroll down to Valvo/Amperex 12au7 Hamburg D-getter. There is 1 photo and a desc.

H9

heiney9

linky:

http://tubemaze.info/valvoamperex-12au7-hamburg-d-getter/#more-2578

In the photo you can barely see how the D-getter with foil cross bar is directly connected to the plate tab sticking up through the mica. It is angled a bit, but not at 45* as the getter flashing still covers the entire top of the tube not at a 45* angle like the 45* O-getter.

Hamburg has no side hole in the plate. Holland made have a single side hole in the middle.

H9

ALL212

What did they test?

heiney9

What do you mean? They tested 110/105; 107/112; 110/102 with anything over 100 being new and the seller said they were never used. Part of a larger collection in his family. Don't remember what tube tester was used. I bought these over a year ago and have been painstakingly trying to identify them. I simply bought then on a hunch based on the photos and what I knew about tube construction.

They are branded "National" with a thunderbolt through the circle. National Union right before they were dismantled would use a thunderbolt at times. My best guess, based on research, is right after National Union was bought out after the war they became National Tube with this logo, and then we all know the current National Tube brand logo owned by Richardson Electronics, these tubes are way prior to that based on the date the tube was manufactured. Pretty much after the war National ceased making tubes and became what amounted to a "private" label rebranding everything in site.

There is no mistaking these are 1955 or 1956 Valvo Hamburg ECC82 long plates. They only produced them for a few years in very small quantities with the D-getter foil bar attached directly to the wing tab.

H9

heiney9

My best combo so far is a pair of 1958 Mullard long plate ECC83 and these 1955/56 Valvo ECC82 Hamburg long plates with =C= 6L6's for power tubes in the Dared I-30. Really, really great sound!!!

H9

ALL212

What do you mean?

I typed it as slowly as I could but I can go slower just for you!

w..h..a..t d..i..d t..h..e..y t..e..s..t..?

headrott

heiney9 wrote: »

My best combo so far is a pair of 1958 Mullard long plate ECC83 and these 1955/56 Valvo ECC82 Hamburg long plates with =C= 6L6's for power tubes in the Dared I-30. Really, really great sound!!!

H9

Nice Brock! Congrats. on your find and excellent tube combinations!

heiney9

ALL212 wrote: »

What do you mean?

I typed it as slowly as I could but I can go slower just for you!

w..h..a..t d..i..d t..h..e..y t..e..s..t..?

I guess I didn't understand what that had to do with my finally discovering their origin. But it's a good question and I have no way of verifying his findings. Certainly test numbers are important, but I took the guy at his word that they were NOS/unused and the numbers he gave were very good. In the end, it's how they sound and they sound fantastic. Of course you'd have a greater degree of consistently superb tubes coming from a well known dealer, but that puts the $$$ into the stratosphere for these older rare tubes. Clearly because they were rebranded someone didn't realize what they had or they never would have let them go so cheaply. I'd bet you couldn't touch a NOS pair and if you could someone like Brent Jesse would probably ask $299/pr.

Like I said, it was a hunch and while I spent some time when I first got them trying to figure out what they were, (and what I'd hoped they were) and then put them a way until recently I started researching again. I had originally thought they were Amperex Holland long plates, but those had a side hole in the plates and never had a getter attached in that way. After striking out the first time I was convinced they were Indian, Asian or Japanese as they were known to produce excellent copies of Mullard tubes, seams and all. After all these tubes have the seams across the top. But I looked at every 12AU7/ECC82 at Tube Monger library as well as many other sources at that time and came up blank for Euro and Asian tubes, because none of them mentioned a real early Valvo Hamburg tube.

Then I thought they might be real early American tubes by Sylvania or Tung Sol or even GE, again exhausted all avenues there as nothing looked close from the American stable. Don't recall ever seeing an American made tube with the seams across the top. Then I thought maybe they are Ei tubes, as they made a long plate ECC82 using original TFK equipment, again the getter style and placement was way off.

I am just excited like the guy who finds that rare, semi-valuable painting at a garage sale and the icing on the cake is they sound so damn good!!!

H9

ALL212

No harm meant but if I sound a bit short I've got major projects to finish at work before the end of year and it looks like 6 day weeks are going to become a standard rather than the exception - a tad stressed at this time!

My thought was - I own some E80CC's, one of which is a rare old pinched waist version. Brent says it's worth $175. I say it's not work jack because the triode sections aren't balanced. If I could find another with the same test results I could possibly use that pair in a system that needs two tubes but in my headphone rig it's worthless - it's far enough out of balance that it's annoying to listen to. (If someone would like to purchase that tube for $100 - let me know!! :twisted:)

If any tube, no matter how rare, doesn't test well it's pretty. It's also pretty worthless from a useable value standpoint.

Get some 7316's and see what you think - IMHO - THE BOMB!!

heiney9

I completely agree all212. 7316 prices are through the roof so I probably won't get the chance to compare. But those that have say it's as good or better depending on individual preference and systems.

I have no doubt 7316 is da bomb and I know that's where the road ends for you at the ECC 82 slot

mhardy6647

heiney9 wrote: »

...What I managed to snag was a very rare, early triplet (1955 or 1956) Valvo Hamburg, long plate, D getter w/flat bar spot welded to the corner of the wing tab, no post, ECC82's (12AU7)... H9

That's what I like about this hobby; there's nothing too abstruse or arcane about it! ;-)

headrott

heiney9 wrote: »

I completely agree all212. 7316 prices are through the roof so I probably won't get the chance to compare. But those that have say it's as good or better depending on individual preference and systems.

I have no doubt 7316 is da bomb and I know that's where the road ends for you at the ECC 82 slot

Yeah Brock, 7316's are "da bomb", particualrly the D-getter versions! One of the best "ECC82/12AU7" varients I've heard! If yo get the chance to get a couple, buy them!

ALL212

D-getter 7316's are what I run in the pre. Haloed 7316's in the headphone amp.

Anyone know what "22M" marked three times on the top of a tube means?

Whoops...pardon the hijack...:redface:

SCompRacer

ALL212 wrote: »

Anyone know what "22M" marked three times on the top of a tube means?

The assembly line stopped and the stamper didn't......:biggrin:

agfrost

What a wise(acre). You can always count on a fellow RAS member to bag on you! :razz:

ALL212

heiney9

I have read that sometimes that is an inventory or stock number at either the distributor or retailer level. But I can't say for sure and they certainly don't need it printed 3 times

H9

W WALDECKER

I have several of the Holy Grail 12AU7's but I was not aware of the existence of these super rare Valvo's this is very cool! if I can ever find a pair I would like to add them to my collection.

SCompRacer

agfrost wrote: »

What a wise(acre). You can always count on a fellow RAS member to bag on you! :razz:

....

drumminman

headrott wrote: »

Yeah Brock, 7316's are "da bomb", particualrly the D-getter versions! One of the best "ECC82/12AU7" varients I've heard! If yo get the chance to get a couple, buy them!

Got to agree Greg. Those that I picked up from you are amazing. I thought the RCA cleartops were something, but these better them in every way.

tonyb

Brock,

Where ya been man ? You better start posting more....or...or...Ms. Frizz will have a word with you.

megasat16

I am worried these NOS tubes are radioactive?