Tube Gurus please step inside.. I need your help identifying these tube.

  • Thread starter Thread starter War_in_D
  • Start date Start date
War_in_D

War_in_D

Well-known member
Been meaning to do this for a while, but just now getting around to it. I need some help to identify these preamp tubes if possible. All look like 12ax7's to me, but I'm definitely no expert and I can't find any writing on them (or anything decipherable). I'll do these in three separate posts due to the pictures.

First one up:
  • Two very strong creases/lines on top, with two faint lines
  • Getter is shaped like a "D", but the straight side of the "D" looks like a flat piece of metal with the wire on top.
  • Long plate, gray. Three ribs and four square shaped holes (two on each side of the plate)
  • No discernable writing on it, but I can see "48J" etched onto the side of the tube (near the bottom mica biscuit)
Tube One.jpg

Tube One 2.jpg


Tube One 5.jpg


Tube One 4.jpg
 
Second one:

  • Long plate, gray. Three ribs with two holes on each plate
  • Looks like a triple mica top and single mica bottom
  • No markings that I can find or see
  • Smooth top
  • Getter is not round, but is round on two sides, with straight sides between the ends.
Tube Two.jpg


Tube Two 2.jpg


Tube two 3.jpg
 
Tube Three:

  • Smooth Top
  • Long plate, really dark gray (nearly black looking). Three ribs, with two holes per plate
  • Regular looking "halo" style getter but it's thicker metal than the other two

Tube Three.jpg


Tube Three 2.jpg


Tube Three 3.jpg
 
Tube 1 is a 1958 Holland Long Plate made at Heerlen factory. Philips.
Very coveted tube to Audio guys.
Great V1 tube for guitarists depending on your taste, it’s very subjective..
Could be and MC5/MC6.

New ones are very pricey!
Nice tube.

The 4AJ is actually Δ8J
(Delta)

Trying to figure out the other two tubes.
 
War_in_D said:
Been meaning to do this for a while, but just now getting around to it. I need some help to identify these preamp tubes if possible. All look like 12ax7's to me, but I'm definitely no expert and I can't find any writing on them (or anything decipherable). I'll do these in three separate posts due to the pictures.

First one up:
  • Two very strong creases/lines on top, with two faint lines
  • Getter is shaped like a "D", but the straight side of the "D" looks like a flat piece of metal with the wire on top.
  • Long plate, gray. Three ribs and four square shaped holes (two on each side of the plate)
  • No discernable writing on it, but I can see "48J" etched onto the side of the tube (near the bottom mica biscuit)
View attachment 355439
View attachment 355442

View attachment 355445

View attachment 355448
Click to expand...
Longplate Mullard / Amperex ECC-83
 
Thanks guys!! Much appreciated. Now, to figure out what #3 is.

And, now that I know what #1 and #2 are, I can run them on the tester. I just hope they are still good.
 
Tested these tubes:
  • Tube 1 (Amperex/Holland) was good, balanced triodes and zero noise
  • Tube 2 failed (twice) for thermal runaway
Both tested on the Orange Valve Tester MKII. Just gotta get some feedback on Tube 3 now. :cool:
 
shar-vell Dan said:
Longplate Mullard / Amperex ECC-83
Click to expand...

Dan, what’s your fav Marshall type amp V1 tube?🤔

I’m locked between Mullard ‘60’s I63 and Tungsram late ‘60’s / early ‘70’s.
I need ‘em both in that one socket!
 
SQUAREHEAD said:
Dan, what’s your fav Marshall type amp V1 tube?🤔

I’m locked between Mullard ‘60’s I63 and Tungsram late ‘60’s / early ‘70’s.
I need ‘em both in that one socket!
Click to expand...
Herleen coded short plate Amperex i got a ton of them. Mostly Deltas. Thats practically all i use in V-1 thru V-3 in Marshalls.
The 2 or 4 criss cross seams on top glass are a Blackburn Mullard / Amperex Holland dead giveaway.
 
shar-vell Dan said:
Herleen coded short plate Amperex i got a ton of them. Mostly Deltas. Thats practically all i use in V-1 thru V-3 in Marshalls.
The 2 or 4 criss cross seams on top glass are a Blackburn Mullard / Amperex Holland dead giveaway.
Click to expand...

Yep, that’s the way of identifying them, for sure, also the Δ (Delta-Heerlen) code vs the B ( Blackburn Mullard) code.
I also prefer the early short plate Amperex over the long plates. My fav Amperex have the large ring getters.
The other one I really like is the dimpled solid getter from around 1970-71.
 
SQUAREHEAD said:
Dan, what’s your fav Marshall type amp V1 tube?🤔

I’m locked between Mullard ‘60’s I63 and Tungsram late ‘60’s / early ‘70’s.
I need ‘em both in that one socket!
Click to expand...
For me it's a tie between '50's Tungsram, '50's Fivre D Getter, and this foil getter '50's RFT labelled as Ultron. After that I also love '50's Bugle Boy's
 
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