Ei 12AX7- another hidden gem on eBay

I still have not heard anything back from your friend. I sent an email but no replay from him. Can you check to see that his email is correct or if there is some other problem?

Thaanks..
 
As I mentioned, he is at the cabin through the weekend..... I'll check with him when he returns to be sure that everyone is connected.

Thanks,
Robert
 
I've been in touch and have a check in the mail for some of these tubes. He has some very nice ones...I think most of them are now sold however...He even had some "SELECT" grade ones, stamped "SELECT" and with the red paint on the tips...those are all gone however...didn't get any of them, but the ones he had are beautiful complete with the ink intact...really hard to find these days.. Thanks again for turning me on to these...
 
Still waiting on the tubes, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time... I can't wait to hear them...I'll bet they are fantastic...
 
I am pretty sure the tubes are shipped as Lyn mentioned something early in the week about the idiot Post Office in an email I received. He is off on a train ride to the west coast so if you have sent an email to him likely there has not been a response. Hopefully all will be happy in a few days.

Robert
 
Cool beans. They may be at my office. I haven't checked the Friday mail yet....I'm sure they will be here soon. Not in any hurry here at all...
 
Sutton, you soooooooooo full of it!! Not in a hurry?????????? Gotta call BS on that !!
 
Yeah, you are right again...I'll have them in the preamp within minutes of getting them in hand....but really.......they will just be replacing the set of Teles I already have in the pre.....but these will be the SELECT, or medical instrument grade tube, and not simply a random Telefunken......man, I wonder if people will still be using and forageing for these tubes a hundred years from today, or will sound reproduction be so unrecognizeable that they would laugh at the thought? I guess we do still like to cruise in an old T-Model on occasion...
 
Selected Telefunken 12AX7 Tubes from Medical Device

Pictures of the tubes..........awesome tubes...........I really had no idea how good these were suppose to be until I read about them. They are the cat's meow....and are pretty spendy on the market...I'v seen prices from 30 bucks up to almost 250 bucks EACH for these. I had NO idea...but tell me what you think. They look great!!!
 

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They are all smooth plates...the ones everyone says are more detailed, and just generally better...but I don't know...some pople say the ribbed plates are warmer...which is a good thing in my book, but from what I understand the SELECTED TUBE repersents a whole new realm beyond smooth vs ribbed, etc...I would think that the SELECTED TUBE would be one, that when tested, is the cream of the crop, and is pulled as the best matched sections, lowest noise, highest gm, etc...but who know.. Do we think these tubes were produced in a seperate run? Did they MAKE a SELECTED TUBE using different materials, or do something SPECIAL, or are they simply pulls of the best from regular production? I would think the later, but I wonder if anyone KNOWS?

I haven't tested the tubes in the Hickok yet, nor have I listened to them. I'm still cool with just looking at them and taking pictures and finding what I can to read about them...apparently they all have either red, blue or yellow paint on the tips of the tube. I wonder what THAT means? Some have cloth tags on them, others have the word SELECTED TUBES stamped with white paint on the tubes, and others have only the paint on the tip....so anyone have any theories?
 
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I dunno man but "ribbed for her pleasure" popped into my wee brain.:happy9:
I don't know the differences, but I see NOS pricing seems to be based on the plate types.
 
So I take you are happy....... :)

FWIW, The two tubes I have are marked with the blue paint and sound really good in my Music Man amplifier.

Robert
 
Yes, I have a Hickok, and I just tested all the tubes. I have three that I think are "bad" and read in the "replace" range. The rest are "in the green" and mostly grouped around the 2500-2700 range...with the hottest tube reading 2950 and 3100. I picked up a few of the NOS EI tubes and they came in around the 3500-3800 range...

I think 11 of the tubes are very useable...and maybe all of them are functional. I've very rarely run across a preamp tube that simply doesn't work...Maybe two or three in my life..and I expect that all of these tubes will probably work...Usually, even though the tube reads in the "replace" area of the scale, it will still make music...The next test is putting the tubes in a premap and seeing what they sound like. To these tired old ears I don't expect to have any grand revelation or anything, but hey...ya never know...I know they will sound fabulous. I have no doubt, but I just don't know if I have a system which is revealing enough to hear a big difference between what I am using and these..( already using Telefunken, just not the "selected tube" designation)

I am thrilled though...to find out that 11 of them are "in the green", although a little tired...but they are probably over 60 years old...hell, we are all tired after 50 years..or so...

The Hickok is a 6005 and has not been calibrated...so these readings are relative and not absolute..There is one meter, and it depends on which "scale" you use, so I know these particular numbers will not be comparable to someone else's numbers...it all depends on which corresponding numbers you read below the meter's needle......and I don't know which group to use, in reality...
 
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