The Amperex Bugle Boy are almost unobtainable and the ones I did find were all fakes.
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The Amperex Bugle Boy are almost unobtainable and the ones I did find were all fakes.
You got a good deal on those. You have to be careful buying from the dealers here. Some of them are only rare on eBay. Those are good valves.
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Yes, exactly that :)
I too have rolled more tubes than Easter eggs down the hill at the local park! :D It's always a learning curve though, and there are few I've always wanted to try but couldn't find, and these French chaps were amongst that, especially when I spied a matched pair with balanced triodes, both of which make a significant difference to the sound achieved.
I also rate the M8137 and Tesla, as I've used both before, so we'll see what the RTs bring to the equation, hopefully blending nicely with my recently purchased Raytheon VT-229s! :cool:
Marco.
Don't get what you mean by that, Nathan... :scratch:
But yes, I did get a good deal , especially as I forgot I made an offer on them for £170 (equivalent in US Dollars), which was accepted! The seller is also based in Germany, so no import taxes due and quick delivery. They should be here for the middle of next week :)
Marco.
The dealers in the US. There are a lot on eBay, and tube sites that I see listed as rare that are relatively easy to find.
I don't see those Raytheon ones often, and definitely not in matched pairs.
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Ah I see... You mean La Radiotechnique - or are you referring to the VT-229s I bought before?
I'll always use quality NOS tubes in my amps, as the best of them sonically piss all over the current production variety, so much so that it's not funny! Good ones also last much longer.
Also, if possible I'll always choose military spec 1950s vintage ECC83/12AX7s and 1940s vintage 6SL/6SN7s, as the earliest varieties of a particular tube invariably sound best. By the 1970s, solid-state devices started to dominate, thus demand for tubes fell, and with it so did quality.
Marco.
I was talking about the VT-229s. I always use the NOS ones too, but I have a stockpile acquired from retired repairmen. I never use the really expensive ones in any of my personal stuff. I'll put them in someone else's if they want. I usually end up trading them for stuff I want with other people around town. I think the prices some of those things go for on eBay are insane, and I wouldn't feel right selling them for those prices. I've been burned on eBay so many times I don't like selling anything on there anymore. FedEx managed to take the transformers off a tube amp without opening the box once according to the buyer.
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Thanks for sharing, I have concluded the same. Your experience on eBay is sadly common where folk are taking advantage of the protection afforded by PayPal.
There are some specific tubes I've been searching for a number of years - and I've only seen on eBay USA, perhaps you can help?
In regards to prices some tubes fetch, I and I'm sure most here feel it's incongruous to what we do, there were some UK dealers now long retired who didn't subscribe to this, I spoke with them personally and it was refreshing to hear that these are merely components in a circuit and nothing more. But those guys are long gone and so are those views.