EBAY: Bogus Tube Alert

[Blue Strat]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-RCA-12AX7-ECC83-5751-7025-Gt-Britain_W0QQitemZ330119779603QQihZ014QQcategoryZ73 379QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone know what the REAL country of origin is?:munch

[slider313]

I have had a few of these in the past and they are,I believe, Yugoslavian made.

[brad347]

ok so let's all learn...

are they real RCA made overseas and re-branded, or fake tubes from an unscrupulous seller? What's up with the "great britain?"

So the mica spacers are shaped wrong... but how else do we know?

[slider313]

I believe these are EI tubes with the RCA logo. The GB country of origin was from a time; most likely the early-mid 70's;when this was common practice with overseas mfg. Look at some of the straight thin bottle 6L6 tubes from China made about the same time marked Germany or GB.

[Timbre Wolf]

What's up with the "great britain?"
Many tubes from communist countries were funneled through Britain for sale in USA. I believe there were laws prohibiting US companies from doing direct business to communist countries. But to meet the quota for orders (usually to US military), American companies were willing to re-label these tubes they purchased through an intermediate who'd mis-labled them as British. Make sense?

- Thom

[Blue Strat]

It's the smooth plates that are the giveaway and what Slider and TW said.

[Timbre Wolf]

It's the smooth plates that are the giveaway
Smooth plates without a pinched getter ring (not Telefunken). :AOK

- T

[Blue Strat]

Smooth plates without a pinched getter ring (not Telefunken). :AOK

- T

Heehee! Good pointhttp://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/icons/icon10.gif

[rockon1]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-RCA-12AX7-ECC83-5751-7025-Gt-Britain_W0QQitemZ330119779603QQihZ014QQcategoryZ73 379QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone know what the REAL country of origin is?:munch


Defintely Ei..........

[Trout]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-RCA-12AX7-ECC83-5751-7025-Gt-Britain_W0QQitemZ330119779603QQihZ014QQcategoryZ73 379QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone know what the REAL country of origin is?:munch


When I read the listing, I suspect the guy knows they are not actually " MADE IN GT Britain" and he has made no claims that they were made anywhere actually.

We should ask a bunch of questions to seller, See if he is honest.

Trout

[Blue Strat]

When I read the listing, I suspect the guy knows they are not actually " MADE IN GT Britain" and he has made no claims that they were made anywhere actually.

We should ask a bunch of questions to seller, See if he is honest.

Trout


I'll bet he honestly doesn't know, like a lot of Ebay tube sellers.

[brad347]

In all fairness, I've owned (and own) quite a few tubes, looked at a bunch more, and even I didn't instantly recognize the fake-ness of those tubes in an Ebay pic. The Gt Britain stamp was sorta suspicious, but without that I could've easily bought 'em. I guess that's why you really have to look hard and know what you're looking for.

[Blue Strat]

If I hadn't seen a lot of these in the past, it would've been harder to spot them. Ebay can be a dangerous place.

[Timbre Wolf]

you really have to look hard and know what you're looking for.
Amen, Bro!

But after you've learned to protect yourself from misinformed or unscrupulous sellers, you can sometimes pick up a real hidden gem, if you know the esoterica of tube manufacturer i.d. That is, unless you take delivery and find they're horribly microphonic or noisy.

- T

[rockon1]

I have a few of them in my collection. Thankfully I didnt pay much more than new Ei prices. Just part of my education. Dont regret it. Bob

[alotas123]

Hey, I've got a similar one, not exactly the same. Weird sheet-metal getter support and VERY short small smooth plates. It came in an amp I bought earlier this year. It has almost identical markings but different construction. Mine's marked "RCA - HU - L" in red and "ECC83/12AX7 GT BRITAIN" in white. It is a very stong tube, but it is very trebly and piercing in V1 or V2 of my amp. I removed it in favor of a real RCA because it looked strange and sounded bad to me. When I happened upon this thread, I looked at it again. Cool! Great information!

-alotas123

[TheAmpNerd]

Interestingly those tubes came stock in a Sound City 100 amp.

They sound very good in stuff that I've put them in
including the amp they came in...

...now that it is up and running again.

I think Timbre woof pointed this out.