Hey GUYS..DID I SCORE, OR NO?

[Mooncusser]

Hey all,


I hope evryone is doing well.
Today at work, I had the opportunity to DE-TUBE an old tube radio.
All of the tubes inside were specific to audio, but not really in the way of being a good find for an amplifier user.
I know pictures are awesome, and I will see if I can post some, but until then, these are the output tubes I nabbed:

The tube brand is yellow silkscreened with a black bottom and labeled

"Realistic Lifetime"
The tube is a 6V6GT...I got two of them.

The tube also has Japan stamped on it.
They are in MINT condition.

So, score or no score? LOL!
Take care and all the best,
Mass

[CarlH]

Probably no score. Japan tubes are not thought of as being valuable. I assume Japan refers to where they were made.

[Mooncusser]

So, they are just regular 6V6's?
I wonder what the GT stands for...probably glass tube?
Peace,
Mass

[CarlH]

GT is just part of the 6V6 designation. For examle, 6V6GT, 6L6GC, etc. They may still be good tubes.

[Rich M]

They sure would be a score if Radio Shack is still honoring the lifetime warrantee :AOK

Worth checking

[Mooncusser]

They sure would be a score if Radio Shack is still honoring the lifetime warrantee :AOK

Worth checking

I don't understand what you mean by that.
Are you saying that Radio Shack manufactures this tube?

Best regards,
Mass

[brad347]

Realistic is the Radio Shack house brand.

I heard that someone brought them an old tube recently and they actually DID honor the warranty on it. Found another tube from somewhere to give them.

[mc5nrg]

Probably no score. Japan tubes are not thought of as being valuable. I assume Japan refers to where they were made.

Kindly send me those "poor quality" MIJ tubes so I can dispose of them properly.I'll gladly cover shipping.

[Swarty]

Radio Shack does still honor the warantee. Although you have to do a lot of explaining to the sales person. They are in the catalog. You are not going to receive a premium tube, but it is a fun excercise.

[Stormy]

Old Radio Shack tubes stamped Made In Japan could be Matsushista which are not bad sounding tubes. The old Matsushista factory was set up by Mullard. I believe they used Mullard parts.

[Sparky6string]

Yup Matsushitas can be good. BTW GT stands for the shape of the glass envelope.

[Garbanzoman]

Realistic also marketed some British and Dutch made tubes as well.

[Mooncusser]

Wow,

I had no idea the Radio Shack had anything to do with tubes.
You learn something new every day.
Thanks for all the help............
Peace,
Mass

[rockon1]

Realistic also marketed some British and Dutch made tubes as well.

Just about any tubes evidently! I have a bunch of Realistic RFT's and Tunsram!

[mc5nrg]

Wow,

I had no idea the Radio Shack had anything to do with tubes.
You learn something new every day.
Thanks for all the help............
Peace,
Mass


Don't take this as a dis in anyway, but for Gear Pagers of a certain age,like,..uh..me,.. this has to be one of the funniest posts ever.If I recall correctly Radio Shack started as the merger of two companies,Allied Radio and Shack Electronics both of which grew out of a post WWII boom in radio and electronic home hobbyists in general.Of course before the transistor showed up on a wrecked spacecraft or however it got here radios and all sorts of electronics(you name it,medical,industry,B52s...whatever) relied on vacuum tube technology and except for the early transistor radios tubes were used in hifi and home record players,organs,etc even through the mid to later 60s.TVs too of course.There were also chains of electronics stores that sold kits of guitar amps and hifi for home hobbyists to build as well as premade.(Lafayette etc.)Anyway Realistic was/is the Radio Shack brand for various electronics including tubes, the tubes featured gold pins and a lifetime warranty which you can still use.While RS has changed its business model and pretty much given electronics the short shift in favor of cell phone sales they should still have a catalog that includes all sorts of what are now considered oddball tubes ,if they haven't dumped that also.

[Mooncusser]

Don't take this as a dis in anyway, but for Gear Pagers of a certain age,like,..uh..me,.. this has to be one of the funniest posts ever.If I recall correctly Radio Shack started as the merger of two companies,Allied Radio and Shack Electronics both of which grew out of a post WWII boom in radio and electronic home hobbyists in general.Of course before the transistor showed up on a wrecked spacecraft or however it got here radios and all sorts of electronics(you name it,medical,industry,B52s...whatever) relied on vacuum tube technology and except for the early transistor radios tubes were used in hifi and home record players,organs,etc even through the mid to later 60s.TVs too of course.There were also chains of electronics stores that sold kits of guitar amps and hifi for home hobbyists to build as well as premade.(Lafayette etc.)Anyway Realistic was/is the Radio Shack brand for various electronics including tubes, the tubes featured gold pins and a lifetime warranty which you can still use.While RS has changed its business model and pretty much given electronics the short shift in favor of cell phone sales they should still have a catalog that includes all sorts of what are now considered oddball tubes ,if they haven't dumped that also.


No dis taken..LOL!
I am about 40 yrs old, and remember watchiing nothing but tube powered TV's and listening to tube powered radio's that were big enough to be considered furniture.
No cells, no beepers.....heck, I remember the first color TV we got.
All phones were rotary...some with the cloth covered lead, later the plastic coil leads.
I loved the Honeymooners, and miss the whistling theme to the Andy Griffith show.
I just never looked that deeply into Radio Shack before to know they were into tubes...but it sure makes sense!
Oh yeah, and at 12:00 midnight the TV would sign off, show the flag, play the start spangled banner and then leave you with that strange channel logo with a long never ending beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, until moring came around again.
Boy times have changed.:crazy

All the best,
Mass

[JohnnyL]

I have quite a few NOS Realistic Lifetime 12ax7s and 12at7s. I believe some of mine are of British origin.

I love the gold pins!

Take Care,

JL

[Tuberoast]

I have a couple of old Realistic 12ax7 and 12at7, both are stronger than a lot of older tubes I have. The lettering is yellow on one and white on the other.

[UR12]

This thread does bring back memories. Every Radio Shack also had a big tube tester and you could bring in your tubes and test them for free. The bottom of the tube tester had a door that opened up where they stored their tubes. They also use to give each customer a battery card and when you came in you could get a free battery and get your card punched. The whole store was full of parts and you could just about find anything you needed.

[Mooncusser]

So, if someone was in need of a pair of 6V6's..would these be appealing for the seeker?
Peace,
Mass

[mikey]

No dis taken..LOL!
I am about 40 yrs old, and remember watchiing nothing but tube powered TV's and listening to tube powered radio's that were big enough to be considered furniture.
No cells, no beepers.....heck, I remember the first color TV we got.
All phones were rotary...some with the cloth covered lead, later the plastic coil leads.
I loved the Honeymooners, and miss the whistling theme to the Andy Griffith show.
I just never looked that deeply into Radio Shack before to know they were into tubes...but it sure makes sense!
Oh yeah, and at 12:00 midnight the TV would sign off, show the flag, play the start spangled banner and then leave you with that strange channel logo with a long never ending beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, until moring came around again.
Boy times have changed.:crazy

All the best,
Mass
+1 I remember our old 'remoteless' Curtis Mathes console TV. ....Actually, 'I' was the remote. "Change the channel!" ...That channel selector turning sounded like a bank vault... Good times! I remember plenty of stores that had DIY tube testers also...

[JJman]

This thread does bring back memories. Every Radio Shack also had a big tube tester and you could bring in your tubes and test them for free. The bottom of the tube tester had a door that opened up where they stored their tubes. They also use to give each customer a battery card and when you came in you could get a free battery and get your card punched. The whole store was full of parts and you could just about find anything you needed.

Tube testers were everwhere in the good old days.

I had the "battery card." I was in elementary school and would walk to the RS on the way home once a month for my free 9V. A real bonanza for a kid with no money.