Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2007 19:04:02 GMT -7
Hey all, I am thinking of putting an NOS GZ34 in my Maz. 18 Jr. Any opnions on a good brand to go with? I went with Myles advice found in another thread and checked out kcanostubes.com, but I am not sure which brand to go with here (Mullard, JJ, GE, etc.)......any help would be appreciated! -Matt-
|
|
|
Post by zdogma on Jun 17, 2007 19:18:50 GMT -7
Mullard. Not much debate on this one, I'm guessing.
|
|
|
Post by mudskipper on Jun 17, 2007 19:44:18 GMT -7
Mullard would have the least amount of sad based on my experience and if that's what you want, then one should outlive you.
|
|
|
Post by djc (Dave) on Jun 17, 2007 20:32:28 GMT -7
I just bought a NOS JAN Philips/Sylvania 5AR4 (mislabeled 5V4GA) from Mike at KCA NOS tubes for my MAZ 18 JR Reverb 2/10 combo . What a HUGE differance this made ! It was Like getting a new amp !
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 17, 2007 21:15:51 GMT -7
Mullard is probably the best in terms of performance and reliablity followed closely by the Sylvania USA " big bottle " which produces a bit more sag then the Mullard and is priced a bit less as well but are not as available or popular as the Mullard either . Check in the buy and sell on the Z forum , a fellow I know on here sells some at pretty good prices .
|
|
|
Post by taswegian on Jun 17, 2007 22:35:59 GMT -7
I have a 1954 steel based Mullard GZ-34 in my 66. I don't know how it compares to others as I haven't tried anything else but I love that tube just because of it's rareness and I love having something that old in my amp. Kinda adds to the vintage feel that the amp has anyway!
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 18, 2007 0:55:42 GMT -7
Those metal base are excellent tubes Taz and were made in Holland at the beginning starting in 1954 till 1957 and maybe some in 1958 when they switched to plastic bases . They have a slightly different design to the British made Mullards that started about 4-5 years later around 1958/59. Some NOS examples are going for several hundred$ now and will continue to climb in price as all the Mullards are A little history lesson.... A lot of folks don't know it but the GZ"34" rectifier was designed to work with the new EL"34" power output tube introduced in 1954 as well , hence them both having the "34" in the tube type number The early EL34 was metal based as well just like the GZ34's . The Dutch Philips company owned the Mullard company since the early 1920's and also took ownership of the Amperex company in 1955 . The mullard/Phillips GZ34 was made at a few different plants and made for several different companies with their own brand name on them . Those with the "B" in the etched/stamped number were made at the Blackburn plant in England and are the most popular , the "X" was made in Sittard Holland and the "L" in Brussels Belgium . You will see an etched/stamped 6 or 7 digit code on these tubes ( not the metal base ) on the base on early ones in the 50's and on the glass close to the base on later produced . They will have a numbering of f31/f32 or f33 ( these refer to design type , f32 being the most common you see ) a space and then for an early one in around 1958 on to around 1960 only 3 #'s in the 2nd part ofthe code such as B9E which is "B" for the Blackburn plant , 9 for the year produced 1959 and the E for the month produced . Starting around 1961/62 they go to 4 in the 2nd part of the code so you will see f32 B2E4...the 4 being the week in the month produced so this would be Blackburn plant/1962/May/4th week of May. It gets a bit confusing and you have to know the plate types to know for sure if say B4E2 was made in 1962 or 1972 ( 1975 was the last year the GZ34 and EL34 were produced by Mullard/Phillips ) . This is just a little info on Mullards for you to know about them and understand their history a bit, I may not be 100% correct on how I explain or all the changes in design dates...etc, but it's close
|
|
|
Post by taswegian on Jun 19, 2007 7:38:12 GMT -7
Hey thanks for the great info Nitehawk, I'll check the serial # when I get a chance and post it.
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 19, 2007 10:06:12 GMT -7
Hey thanks for the great info Nitehawk, I'll check the serial # when I get a chance and post it. No prob taz , just thought I would reveal some of the mystery about Mullards Your metal base will have 5-6 digits stamped right in the metal on the side . If you post those I'll tell you what year it was made . I know it will likely be a 1954-57
|
|
|
Post by taswegian on Jun 19, 2007 16:47:08 GMT -7
Hey thanks for the great info Nitehawk, I'll check the serial # when I get a chance and post it. No prob taz , just thought I would reveal some of the mystery about Mullards Your metal base will have 5-6 digits stamped right in the metal on the side . If you post those I'll tell you what year it was made . I know it will likely be a 1954-57 Well, I do remember it having a '54 marked on it, but I'll check it out.
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 19, 2007 20:08:17 GMT -7
No prob taz , just thought I would reveal some of the mystery about Mullards Your metal base will have 5-6 digits stamped right in the metal on the side . If you post those I'll tell you what year it was made . I know it will likely be a 1954-57 Well, I do remember it having a '54 marked on it, but I'll check it out. Well it probably is a first year of production 1954 but get me the numbers when you can and I will confirm . That's a rare one taz , you could probably put it on the bay , sell it for $2-300 ( or more)and buy 2-4 newer Mullards to replace it ;D
|
|
|
Post by kledbet on Jun 19, 2007 22:55:08 GMT -7
Just a note. I have collected 4-5 of those metal base Mullards. I also have several NOS JAN Philips/Sylvania 5AR4 (mislabeled 5V4GA) from Mike. For quite awhile I was using the metal base Mullard in my Maz 18, but recently pulled it out and put the Philips/Sylvania in its place. The difference is that the Mullard is tighter and a little more focused, and the Philips has more sag and a little rounder tone... a slight bit less aggressive. Both are amazing tubes, but for now I am going to leave in the sweeter sounding Philips. In my Route 66 I will keep in the Mullard to help those KT66's sing.
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 20, 2007 4:30:23 GMT -7
Just a note. I have collected 4-5 of those metal base Mullards. I also have several NOS JAN Philips/Sylvania 5AR4 (mislabeled 5V4GA) from Mike. For quite awhile I was using the metal base Mullard in my Maz 18, but recently pulled it out and put the Philips/Sylvania in its place. The difference is that the Mullard is tighter and a little more focused, and the Philips has more sag and a little rounder tone... a slight bit less aggressive. Both are amazing tubes, but for now I am going to leave in the sweeter sounding Philips. In my Route 66 I will keep in the Mullard to help those KT66's sing. I've managed to collect some Mullards with different build codes and some early ones but I have not managed to get a metal base for my collection (yet ) but hope to someday if I can justify the cost which will keep going up . I read a couple articals recently that claim investing in some types of NOS tubes is better than buying stocks.....I believe it ! Your finding that the Philips (Sylvania) has more sag than the Mullard is what is generally found to be the case . Both are excellent reliable tubes though with a little different character . Another rectifier tube I really like to use in the EL84 amps such as the Maz18 is the 5V4 type which has a bit less output , gives the amp less headroom and has a smooth creamy break up which is great for blues
|
|
|
Post by taswegian on Jun 20, 2007 9:26:44 GMT -7
Ok John, as best as I can see in this rather dim light in my house right now, it looks like 6 digits stamped on the metal base
rs1 54L
Does that give you any clues?
|
|
|
Post by Curt on Jun 20, 2007 10:36:52 GMT -7
OT
I like a 5Y3 in my Jr NR fwiw, the mislabled 5V4 from Mike is also nice.
Now, back to Jaye's ultra cool '54!
|
|
|
Post by saltydog3317 on Jun 20, 2007 13:28:31 GMT -7
The 5V4 I got from nighthawk55 is great. I put it in my Maz38 and it just sounds so good. I would tell anyone looking for a different rectifier tube to give one a try.
Thanks again John
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 20, 2007 14:16:14 GMT -7
Ok John, as best as I can see in this rather dim light in my house right now, it looks like 6 digits stamped on the metal base rs1 54L Does that give you any clues? Definately a first year of production 1954 , you've got a rare one there !!
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 20, 2007 14:19:04 GMT -7
The 5V4 I got from nighthawk55 is great. I put it in my Maz38 and it just sounds so good. I would tell anyone looking for a different rectifier tube to give one a try. Thanks again John Thanks Kevin and Curt , yes the 5V4G/5V4GA is definately a rectifier that works well with the EL84 powered amps and this is noted by Doc himself in his rectifier thread
|
|
|
Post by myles on Jun 21, 2007 13:50:24 GMT -7
Frankly, any of the NOS ones are great. In fact, if you look at some NOS GE's they say "made in Britian" ..... yes ... they are Mullard's produced for General Electric.
ANY NOS 5AR4/GZ34 is great. There were NO bad ones.
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 21, 2007 14:52:52 GMT -7
Oh definately , Mullards were sold under several brand names but a person has to know what how to ID them as some did not have "made in England or GB " stamped on them .
There was one make of NOS that I believe GE made ( and under several brands ) that was about the same size as Mullards but different and easly ID'ed . I don't know off hand but I understand the sides on some of these were really mis matched and were/are considered not a good choice of rectifier .
Also , there were some rectifiers made in Japan and east Europe/Russia in the latter 70's into the 80's that were branded GE , RCA and other known makes so you have to watch for those too and not assume they are made in the golden years of the NOS tubes . Again , it's getting to know what to look for and how to ID these tubes so you know what you are getting .
|
|
|
Post by mikekca on Jun 24, 2007 6:52:33 GMT -7
Yep, even the Japanese 5AR4s FAR exceed the quality of any new production unit. They are a relative "steal".
|
|
|
Post by dongiesen on Jun 24, 2007 9:30:55 GMT -7
You are so right nhwk55. This is why I tend to study the he (ll) out of the tube page and stay very cautious about who to buy from (yourself excluded of course). Although, sometimes we can make errors from our own ignorance. Say you go in a store and your wanting to replace a phase inverter and don't know to ask for a balanced triode? Can't blame the store. I'm talking more about a rookie such as myself seeing stuff on ebay and the like and not knowing what they're doing. It's a gamble I guess
|
|
|
Post by nitehawk55 on Jun 25, 2007 10:26:59 GMT -7
While I am far from being a tube expert I have got to know a bit about the Mullard/Philips produced tubes and a bit on the USA Sylvania's , just a hobby/passion of mine . Mike and Myles know more about tubes than I ever will . I have not tried the Japan tubes Mike , I'll have to get one and see how it sounds but I have no doubt they probably made a decent tube .
|
|
|
Post by tele1962 on Jun 26, 2007 20:47:22 GMT -7
I agree with the Mullard school of thinking. It's a tube for a lifetime. I use an RCA blackbottom that came shipped with my Z, and never had a complaint to air about it, but a Mullard might be the ticket. They''ve sure sounded good in other amps.
|
|
|
Post by dongiesen on Jun 26, 2007 21:33:48 GMT -7
By the way nighthawk, your Mullard sounds fantastic in the Maz. I went with a Bendix 5Y3GB for the Ghia. I think it will arrive tommorrow from Mike at KCA
|
|
|
Post by Telemanic on Jun 27, 2007 21:19:54 GMT -7
Yes, gotta agree that you'll be ahead of the game with just about any NOS. And to expound on something said previous, they are a bit different here and there, Kinda like any other tube ya know. It's cool to collect a handful of different ones and see which ya like. It seems to me that as was said, some will seem a little firmer or stiffer than another, in a given amp. One more nice way to ever so slightly tweak an amp to your own specs. I love the mullards 50's - 60's, the 70's are ok. And If ya got about $300 ( and up! ) the metal base holland would probably be the holy grail. But fortunately the US made ones are still pretty cheap and work fine last along time.
I just got lucky and found 2 Nos Bendix Red Bank 6087's, ...... a 5y3 variant. They're amazing! Built to go in ICBM's, and they look like it! The coolest thing is they take over a full 60 sec. to ramp up the voltage, so they're awesome for a non standby old amp, keeps the cathode plating intact longer on the other tubes.
|
|
|
Post by Restforyoursouls on Oct 8, 2007 21:37:24 GMT -7
how about Haltron or Matshshita? I've seen some up for sale....just wondering how they compare with the more well known GZ34 brands.
|
|
|
Post by kledbet on Oct 9, 2007 10:03:02 GMT -7
I have a few Haltrons and they are good. Just pick up a used Mullard and be done with it :-) Even a used one will out live every other tube in your amp by a long time. Spend the rest of your time playing and practicing. As much as I am a gear FREAK I must admit that the audience does not usually hear BIG differences in my playing if I change tubes :-)
|
|
|
Post by Stylemaster on Oct 9, 2007 15:23:46 GMT -7
I have a few Haltrons and they are good. Just pick up a used Mullard and be done with it :-) Even a used one will out live every other tube in your amp by a long time. Spend the rest of your time playing and practicing. As much as I am a gear FREAK I must admit that the audience does not usually hear BIG differences in my playing if I change tubes :-) So then, why do you have all the Z stuff ;D ?
|
|
|
Post by fisholot on Oct 9, 2007 16:57:52 GMT -7
I got a Phillip/Mullard in all three of my amps and can't be happier... thanks to nitehawk55 ;D
|
|