Name That Tube: "Westinghouse" 6L6GC...

[Timbre Wolf]

Now it is my turn to ask for help identifying the manufacturer of this "Westinghouse" black-plate 6L6GC:
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/WHouse6L6GCfull.jpg

It has a single halo-getter wire on the top, RCA-style octagon, and unique mica and plate welds:
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/WHouse6L6GCtop.jpg

Then there is this:
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/WHouse6L6GCjapan.jpg

So it seems to have been made in Japan, but by whom? Hitachi, Matsushita, NEC, Toshiba? When?

Also note the unique plate tabs, in the last photo, they look like Mickey Mouse ears.

This is a nice sounding power tube in my Victoria Regal II. Not as clear as my Ken-Rad 6L6G, but it has its own lively vibe. Anyone here know Japanese tube lore?

- Thom

[Blue Strat]

Don't know the manufacturer, but whenever I see a 6L6GC blackplate with top getter I think "Japanese".

[cameron]

Don't know the manufacturer, but whenever I see a 6L6GC blackplate with top getter I think "Japanese".

But do you think "Japanese" as in "cheap Japanese junk" or "Japanese" in the sense of "honorable Japanese tube"?

[Timbre Wolf]

But do you think "Japanese" as in "cheap Japanese junk" or "Japanese" in the sense of "honorable Japanese tube"?

I'm thinking honorable after auditioning this one. I wonder if this is the same make of 6L6GC that is sometimes labeled as "Mullard" - I think that maybe Matsushita made those (they had the Mullard/Philips connection)? Who knows??


Don't know if anyone else is as struck by the irony of the slogan on this Westinghouse box:
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/WHouse6L6GCslogan.jpg

Westinghouse re-labled almost everything, and even included their EIA code (337), just to be sure it was a "genuine" Westinghouse. :rolleyes: Gotta love the ingenuity of their sales/advertising department.

- T

[Bonenut]

"You can be sure (it's rebranded) if it's Westinghouse"

[slider313]

I have a couple of Raytheon ECC83's made in Japan that sound real nice.

[Trout]

I just love the fact that so much re-labeling had gone on.

It seems that every Tube Company did this at some point.
At some point the consumers must have raised hell over it causing some boxes to state country of origin.

http://home.mchsi.com/~my_mcintosh_240/sylv.JPG

But what makes it fun is when you open the box and find,

http://home.mchsi.com/~my_mcintosh_240/sylv2.JPG

http://home.mchsi.com/~my_mcintosh_240/sylv3.JPG

These days its best to let your ears choose whats best, I bet those 6L6GC's sound incredible!

Trout

[Blue Strat]

But do you think "Japanese" as in "cheap Japanese junk" or "Japanese" in the sense of "honorable Japanese tube"?


I think of it as "nothing could be worse than most of the tubes being made today". ;)

[Timbre Wolf]

I think of it as "nothing could be worse than most of the tubes being made today". ;)
:roll:roll

Brilliant!

[Doug's Tubes]

I think of it as "nothing could be worse than most of the tubes being made today". ;)

Actually, I can think of one thing.......how about no tubes at all!

[Timbre Wolf]

Hey Doug -

Any idea about which Japanese manufacturer made my 6L6GC?

- Thom

[Jeff West]

Hey Thom- Happy 2008 to come.

I think that's a Toshiba-made 6L6GC, at least it has multiple Toshiba characteristic features including the "threaded" side rods visible intermittently thru cutouts in the blackplate, the octagon, etc. Toshiba did make other versions with additional side getters though (later?), that seem more common.

I suspect the code on the base is likely for 1964, although with the tube potentially made somewhat in advance of that. Possibly the number on the glass is for 1962, although it doesn't really coincide exactly with any Japanese coding system I'm familiar with. Maybe someone will know more. Is there a yellow Westinghouse-screened date on that one as well?

One of my gifts this week, from my wife, is a copy of "History of Electron Tubes", Sogo Okamura, ed. (ok, I had dropped a hint). It has quite a bit of interesting info about Japanese tube industry production and history 1910-1979.

I know we've discussed Westinghouse tube design and manufacture in upstate NY before, so I won't repeat except to say that, much like Raytheon, if one looks only post early 1960s, might never suspect all the cool tubes they did themselves before that.

Jeff

[Timbre Wolf]

I think that's a Toshiba-made 6L6GC, at least it has multiple Toshiba characteristic features
I'll go with Toshiba. The only other Japanese tubes I've had are Matsushita, and this one doesn't have any of those characteristics

I suspect the code on the base is likely for 1964, although with the tube potentially made somewhat in advance of that. Possibly the number on the glass is for 1962, although it doesn't really coincide exactly with any Japanese coding system I'm familiar with. Maybe someone will know more. Is there a yellow Westinghouse-screened date on that one as well?
There is no yellow-print Westinghouse number, other than the EIA code. It is hard to read the number below the octogon in my photo, but it reads "290" - perhaps this is from 1960? Earlier makes more sense to me, because of the 6L6GB-style top-getter.

One of my gifts this week, from my wife, is a copy of "History of Electron Tubes", Sogo Okamura, ed. (ok, I had dropped a hint). It has quite a bit of interesting info about Japanese tube industry production and history 1910-1979.
It must feel great to have such a tube-hip wife ;)

I know we've discussed Westinghouse tube design and manufacture in upstate NY before, so I won't repeat except to say that, much like Raytheon, if one looks only post early 1960s, might never suspect all the cool tubes they did themselves before that.
I particularly like Westinghouse's 12AU7!

Many thanks, Jeff, for sharing your vast tube knowledge - yet again! Here's wishing you and your fantastic wife a fine New Year :BEER

- Thom