6BQ5 Tubes From Brent Jessee Recording

Home ALL Tubes Audiophile Tubes 12AX7 12AU7 12AT7 6BQ5/EL84 6SN7 6SL7 6DJ8 6V6 EL34/6CA7

Antique Tubes 6L6 / KT-66 Fender Amp Tubes Tubes We Buy Links FAQ Euro Tube Codes Telefunken Tube Codes How to Order Order Online Ordering Tips Gift Certificates

Recording Services Tube Shirts Speaking of Tubes Free Screensaver Tube Testers Our Guarantee Tube Dampers / Tube Coolers Radio Station Old Radios Tube Amps Remote Controls Legal Disclaimer

www.audiotubes.com

BRENT JESSEE RECORDING & SUPPLY, INC.

1566 West Algonquin Road #111

Hoffman Estates, IL 60192

Phone 847-496-4546

6BQ5 / EL84 TUBES CURRENTLY IN STOCK

This page lists all of the 6BQ5 type tubes I currently have in stock, including all industrial and European versions. It is a long page, use your scroll button and scroll down the page to see it all. These are extremely high demand vintage tubes, so I have these listed on their own page, as my stock changes rapidly. If you need a quantity of these tubes, or have specific needs such as matching, special construction, etc., please e-mail me.
An Important Note About NOS Tubes. Please Read.
Return to the Audiophile tube page.
Return to the Main tube page.
Return to the Home page.
The 6BQ5 is a small beam power pentode vacuum tube. It is a finger sized tube, all glass, and has a standard 9-pin base (like a 12AX7) with a large cylindrical plate structure inside. This tube is truly a mouse that roared, as it can handle 12 watts on the plate at 300 volts, and 300 volts on the screen at 2 watts! The early Beatles music was all heard through 6BQ5 tubes (Mullard EL84s actually) as they exclusively used VOX British made amps that were full of these little guys. This tube was also popular in the 1950s and 1960 in larger hi-fi table radios, hi-fi amps, smaller console stereo systems, and "portable" tube amps that were found in better record players and tape recorders. The USA factories were primarily RCA, GE, and Sylvania that made this tube, despite what the label says. RCA has the number in the "stop sign" octagon, GE has the number and a code of dots etched into the glass, and Sylvania usually has 6BQ5 and the letters U.S.A. in dark grey paint at the top of the tube. Both grey and black plates (early type) were used. The early RCA tubes had black graphite sprayed on inside the glass for shielding. Some are quite dark, others have a variable density "smoky glass" look to them, giving them the term "smoked glass" types. This "greyglass" makes the tube look used, but it is normal, and these tubes are rare and excellent sounding! Later 1960s and 1970s USA 6BQ5 tubes were often made by Amperex, Mullard, or Siemens, and can be spotted by the factory date code near the bottom of the tube. This tube is currently being made in China and Russia, but caution needs to be used when using these in a vintage amp, as some of the current tubes cannot handle more than 200 volts on the screen or plate.
The 7189 is an "industrial" version of the 6BQ5. It can handle 400 volts on the screen and plate, but otherwise looks just like a 6BQ5. Usually you can use a 7189 in place of a 6BQ5, but NOT the other way around! The 7189A has even higher ratings, at 440 volts, and has a different pinout. The pinout difference may make this tube incompatible with 6BQ5/EL84 circuits, unless you know it will work!
NOTE ON GROOVE TUBES: The EL84S types of pairs and quads made by Groove Tubes may be ordered with factory matching with respect to both Gm/plate current AND "hardness" ratings. The hardness rating is the degree to which the tube breaks up or distorts, when driven to it's limits. The standard "normal" breakup hardness is numbered 4-6. You may request early breakup ratings of 2-3 where the tube will distort nicely in a guitar amp when moderately overdriven. For very clean playing, or for use in hi-fi or stereo tube amps, you may request a late break up number of 7-9. These are very low distortion at high output tubes, and will not break up until heavily overdriven. There is no extra charge for hardness requests. All Groove Tubes are new and come in boxed pairs or quads, and GT power tubes have a 90 day defect warranty in addition to our 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

6BQ5:

The standard USA designation for this tube. The usual brands predominate in the NOS tube market: RCA, GE, and Sylvania. Zenith was often made by GE, and Westinghouse was often made by Sylvania. Any of these USA NOS tubes will sound better and probably last longer than the current production 6BQ5 tubes. Early tubes used blackplates, later versions had grey plates, and a limited production period of RCA produced smoked glass tubes. These are still reletively plentiful and prices are reasonable.

EL84:

This is the European designation for the 6BQ5 type tube. It is the same tube as a 6BQ5 and often the tube has both type numbers on it. The popular vintage tubes here are those by Telefunken, Amperex, or Mullard. Virtually all European EL84 tubes used grey plates, often with cooling fins at the top, and seams in the top glass. The Telefunken are said to sound the best, and are the most difficult to find of all of these brands. All Telefunken tubes have a tiny diamond shape molded into the glass on the bottom, and have a very chalky ink on the surface which often is partially wiped off. Beware! These tubes are being reproduced in China, and look like the real thing, complete with diamond mark. The tipoff is the label: the fake labels will not wipe off.

The Amperex can be found with a white label and the treble clef logo (rare), the Bugle Boy cartoon tube logo, Amperex in white ink, and the orange world logo. The Bugle Boy is the most popular, almost to being a "designer" label, which has driven the price up and supplies down. Amperex made many tubes for the USA market, mainly for Zenith and Motorola. These are excellent tubes, identical in quality to Bugle Boys. They usually say "made in Holland" in white around the top, and have the Heerlen, Holland factory code near the bottom. All of the Dutch Amperex and Philips made tubes were burned in at the factory, which created small "sooty" patches inside the glass in the genuine old tubes. This is not a sign of use or wear, but rather a sign of authenticity.

Mullard EL84 tubes were made in both the old "shield" logo in white ink, and later the IEC/Mullard logo in white. They are rarer than Amperex, but worth seeking out. Mullard made these for GE, Raytheon, Admiral, and many other USA brands. They can be spotted by the seams on the top of the glass, "Great Britain" in white at the top or bottom, and the "B" code for the Blackburn factory at the bottom. Like the Amperex tubes, Mullard tubes are burned in at the factory, so even new ones have small "sooty" looking spots near openings in the plate. Just a few hours of use will make Mullard tubes get large sooty patches inside the glass. This in no way affects the life or sound of the tube.

Siemens and Tungsram tubes often look very similar to Amperex. Most have the Munich factory mark near the bottom, looking like the "unequal" sign (equal sign with a slash thru it) and plates similar to Amperex. Siemens have a number molded in the glass on the bottom, and usually say "made in Germany". They made many EL84 tubes for Realistic-Radio Shack with gold pins. Tungsram are also nice German tubes, usually with "made in Austria" printed on the bottom. Two types of plates were used, one type with a slit in the center like Mullards, and another with several large circular holes in the plate. Early Austria-made Tungsram tubes are easy to spot, as the gettering process usually made large, bright silver spots on the glass at every opening in the plate. This is normal, and not a sign of use!

EL84 made in Japan:

There are still quite a few of these tubes floating around in the NOS marketplace. Many are actually excellent tubes, and are a great bargain currently. Those made by Matsushita (who made much of the Japanese tubes available) were made in a factory that was set up by Mullard, and their tubes are very similar to the famous Mullards. Japanese brands include Towa, Matsushita, NEC, Toshiba, Futuba, and Hitachi. They also made tubes for late 1970s Realistic, RCA, Raytheon, Motorola, Zenith, and others. Try 'em, you may find they kick the butt of the Russian and Chinese tubes!

7189 and 7189A:

This is the "industrial" version of the 6BQ5. It has a bit higher screen voltage maximum, at 400 volts, but is a plug-in replacement for a 6BQ5. Mullard made a wonderful version of this tube, and is what is usually found in the USA in a European made 7189. Probably the best non-USA 7189 available. Mullard and Amperex also made these as OEM for Scott, Heath, and other amplifier makes, with the brand of the amp on the label. The other types more often found are RCA, GE, and Sylvania. The USA brands are also about all you will find in the 7189A, which is slightly different in pinout and voltage ratings. The screen and plate maximum voltages are up to 440 and 400 volts, respectively, which is significantly higher than either the 6BQ5 or the 7189. Replace a 7189A only with another 7189A unless you know a 7189 will work OK. These are all getting hard to find, especially the European versions, and prices are beginning to soar. Grab some while you still can.

Click here for a printable order form. Use your "back" button to return to this page.

e-mail me!

Return to the Audiophile tube page.

Return to the Main tube page.

Return to the Home page.

NEW! Order tubes or merchandise using your credit card! Click here:

FAX YOUR CREDIT CARD ORDER 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, to 847-496-4546. Click here for a printable, easy FAX order form. Use your "back" button to return to this page.

NEW! Order tubes or merchandise online using PayPal! Click here:

Tube	Description	Price Each	Quantity In Stock
6BQ5/EL84 Telefunken, diamond mark, made in Germany, NOS MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box. Great early 1960s vintage German tube sound! These have the bottom diamond mark. These tubes are scarce. These nice pairs are matched to within 3 percent Gm. SINGLE TUBES $80 EACH.	$180.00 per pair	1 pair, 1 single
6BQ5/EL84 Telefunken, diamond mark, made in Germany, light use MATCHED PAIR	Light use tested good, in white box. Great early 1960s vintage German tube sound! These have the bottom diamond mark. These tubes are scarce. A great chance to try these rare tubes at a savings, they test at least 75% of new. SINGLE TUBES $50 EACH.	$105.00 per pair	1 single
6BQ5/EL84 Siemens, made in Germany by Siemens Halske, NOS MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in white box. Great 1960s vintage German tube sound! These have original Siemens labels and Valvo labels, a few are CBS. These tubes are similar to Telefunken in quality, and just as scarce. Siemens sometimes made tubes for Telefunken, the quality is the same. Carefully matched pairs.	$179.00 per pair	4 pairs
6BQ5/EL84 Siemens or Lorenz, made in Germany, NOS	New Old Stock in original box and white box. Great 1960s vintage German tube sound! These all have the Siemens/Halske Munich factory mark, the Lorenz are from the Stuttgart factory. These tubes are similar to Telefunken in quality, and just as scarce. Some are made for Zenith and other brands.	$40.00	5
6BQ5/EL84 Valvo, made in Germany, NOS MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box and white box. Great 1960s vintage German tube sound! These all have the Valvo Hamburg factory mark. These tubes are similar to Telefunken in quality, and just as scarce. SINGLE TUBES, WHEN AVAILABLE, ARE $50.00	$120.00 per pair	3 pairs
6BQ5/EL84,Mazda made in France, NOS MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box and whiteboxes. A rare tube in the USA, these French made EL84 tubes are similar to Amperex, with a nice balance of air and midrange warmth. Punchy with excellent dynamics, too. A 1960s vintage European tube at a very nice price.	$120.00 per pair	4 pairs
6BQ5/EL84,Mazda made in France, NOS	New Old Stock in original box and whiteboxes. A rare tube in the USA, these French made EL84 tubes are similar to Amperex, with a nice balance of air and midrange warmth. MATCHED PAIRS ARE $120.00 PER PAIR.	$60.00	5
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard made, RARE early 1950s disc getter, Mullard white label, MATCHED PAIR	New old stock, in white box. RARE 1950s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. These are the first generation of this excellent tube, with 1954 and 1955 date codes, and the top disc getter. Tested and burned in at the factory, with dark marks visible on the inside glass from this. Excellent match confirmed by us. These first generation EL84 Mullards are nearly extinct!	$190.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard made, Mullard white label, MATCHED PAIR	New old stock, in original box. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. A rare pair, since these tubes are so hard to find. Tested and burned in at the factory, with dark marks visible on the inside glass from this. Excellent match confirmed by us.	$140.00 per pair	1 pair
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard made, Mullard logo,	New old stock, in original box. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. Beautiful, unused tubes in crisp, clean original blue and purple Mullard boxes.	$75.00	1
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard made for Valvo, Mazda, Philips or Haltron, Blackburn UK coded MATCHED PAIR	New old stock, in original boxes. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. A rare pair, since these tubes are so hard to find. Tested and burned in at the factory, as evidenced by the slight dark patches inside the glass. Blackburn factory codes on the tubes. Excellent match confirmed by us.	$140.00 per pair	1 pair
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard Mitcham UK made, 1970s vintage label, MATCHED PAIR	New old stock, in original box. Great 1970s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. A rare pair, since these tubes are so hard to find. These are Mullard labeled stock, and the Mitcham, England factory produced most of the tubes for the British military. Excellent match confirmed by us. Save!	$120.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard made for other brands or OEM	New old stock, in white box. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. These are made for various brands, and some are unlabelled OEM amplifier stock. SAVE big on these genuine Blackburn, UK vintage tubes!	$40	0
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard Great BritainMATCHED PAIR	Light use in white box. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. Some are no label, some have the Mullard logo, all are Mullard UK made.	$88.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 Mullard Great Britain	Light use in white box. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. Some have other brands on the label but are definitely Mullard made UK tubes.	$30.00	0
6BQ5/EL84 Brimar, England, MATCHED PAIR	Light use tested very good, in white box. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare. These were from tested spare matched pairs in stock in a British radio shop. These 1960s Brimar tubes are very similar to the early Mullards. These have some of the "soot" on the inside glass typical of Mullard and Amperex after a few hours of use, but these test near NOS and should give years of service. Fully guaranteed. SINGLE TUBES $40.00 EACH!	$99.00 per pair	2 singles
6BQ5/EL84 Amperex, Mullard made, orange label, MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock, in original boxes. Great 1960s vintage British tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Mullard made tubes are among the very best. Blackburn, UK factory and date codes, excellent match. Fully guaranteed. Nice pairs like these are getting scarce!	$140.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 Early Amperex white label type, 1950s with "D" getter, Holland, MATCHED PAIR	Tests like New Old Stock, white boxes and original boxes. These are the rarest the most sought after Holland made EL84 tubes, the incomparable D-getter version from the late 1950s. Sweet, musical, and powerful, these tubes have become virtually impossible to find in pairs. Labels are fair to good, most have 1956 date codes. Hand selected and carefully matched in pairs. SINGLE TUBES, WHEN AVAILABLE, (SOME OEM BRANDED) ARE $70.00 EACH.	$190.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 Amperex Bugle Boy, Holland, MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock, white boxes. These are the classic essence of 1960s Dutch tubes, and some say the Bugle Boys sound the best. Beautiful new old stock tubes, with fair to good labels. Marked as type 7189 but are identical to EL84 type. Hand selected and carefully matched in pairs.	$150.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 Amperex, Dario, or Philips, original Holland made, WHITE label, MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock, in original boxes. Great 1960s vintage Dutch tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Amperex made tubes are among the very best. Heerlen, Holland factory and date codes, excellent match. Fully guaranteed. Nice pairs like these are getting scarce!	$140.00 per pair	1 pair
6BQ5/EL84 Amperex or Philips, original Holland made, OEM label, MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock, in white boxes. Great 1960s vintage Dutch tube sound! European EL84 tubes are rare, and the Amperex made tubes are among the very best. Heerlen, Holland factory and date codes, fair old white labels, excellent match. Made for various brands, or no label OEM tubes. Fully guaranteed. Nice pairs like these are getting scarce!	$99.00 per pair	2 pairs
6BQ5/EL84 Amperex made, Holland factory codes, no label or OEM tubes	New Old Stock, white box. All Holland made at the same Amperex factory that made the famed Bugleboy tubes, early white label type. Identical internal construction. Many made for Zenith, Motorola, Admiral, and other brands, but Heerlen Holland factory coded. Great Dutch tubes. MATCHED PAIRS $90.00 PER PAIR!	$40.00	0
6BQ5/EL84 Tungsram, made in Austria, NOS MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in white box. Great 60s-70s vintage European tube sound! Early Tungsram production. These tubes are similar to Telefunken in quality, and just as scarce. This nice pair is matched to within 3 percent Gm. 1 pair labeled for Telefunken in Telefunken boxes.	$75.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84,Tungsram, NOS	New Old Stock in original box and whiteboxes. Great 60s-70s vintage European tube sound! Early Tungsram production. These tubes are similar to Telefunken in quality, and just as scarce.	$40.00	3
6BQ5/EL84 Ei made in Yugoslavia, NOS MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box. Great early 70s vintage European tube sound! Early Ei production made for International, that still sounds like vintage Philips or Amperex. These have the Yugoslavia labels unlike the later, less desirable versions. This nice pair is matched to within 3 percent Gm.	$55.00 per pair	1 pair
EL84-S (6BQ5) Groove TubesMATCHED PAIR	New production tubes, original matched pair box. Groove Tubes is making available matched pairs of these nice JJ made current production tubes. They are nicely made, and closely matched by Groove Tube techs in California with regard to Gm and plate current. They come boxed in a matched pair box with instructions. Pretty decent sonics for a modern tube.	$34.00 per pair	2 pairs
6BQ5/EL84 Japan made NOS.	NOS in original box and white box. Various singles of these often overlooked but excellent tubes. Great for spares or fun tube rolling. You will be surprised at how good these really are.	$15.00	0
6BQ5/EL84 RCA Blackplates, 1950s version, MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box and whitebox. Nice early version of this USA classic. These have the flat blackplates and the unmatched sound that made RCA the leading brand in the West. All are RCA USA made, carefully matched into pairs, and fully guaranteed. 3 SINGLE TUBES ALSO, $38.00 EACH.	$90.00 per pair	1 pair
6BQ5/EL84 RCA rare smokeglass MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box. Nice late 1950s, early 60s classic cylinder "no hole" plate RCA tubes. These are the rare smoke glass versions with the tilted top disc getter, some very dark glass and some almost clear. A sweeter toned tube than the later clearglass rectangular plate versions. These rival the European NOS types at a big savings! Some labelled Dynaco for OEM use in amps. All are RCA USA made, carefully matched into pairs, and fully guaranteed. SINGLE TUBES ARE $35.00 EACH.	$85.00 per pair	3 pairs
6BQ5/EL84 RCA, clearglass, NOS.	NOS in original box and white box. The famous, and best known USA 6BQ5. These are long lived and great sounding tubes. This is the 1970s rectangular plate version with the slot in the center. Some are unlabelled, some labelled for other brands, but are definitely RCA made. 1 Matched pair RCA made, $48.00!	$29.00	1
6BQ5/EL84, Sylvania organ screened for Baldwin, NOSMATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock in original box. These are the rarer early production Sylvania 6BQ5s, with grey oval plates made specifically for Baldwin organs. Long lived, excellent sonics, an all around good ole USA boy tube. Great match on these pairs.	$70.00 per pair	0
6BQ5/EL84 General Electric, NOS.	NOS in original box. A solid American tube, will blow the pants off the current production junk. 1 pair made for RCA. MATCHED PAIRS, JUST $70.00!	$40.00	5
6BQ5/EL84 Sylvania BLACKPLATE, NOS.	NOS in original box and white box. Another legendary USA tube, same quality as the GE. These rare blackplates are the older and considered better type of USA made EL84. MATCHED PAIRS ARE $80.00 PER PAIR.	$40.00	4
6BQ5/EL84 Sylvania, NOS.	NOS in original box and white box. Another legendary USA tube, same quality as the GE. MATCHED PAIRS ARE $60.00! Some blackplates in stock, add $10.00 per tube for blackplate.	$25.00	6
6BQ5/EL84 other USA brands NOS.	NOS in original box and white box. A mix of NOS Motorola, Westinghouse, Raytheon, TungSol, GE or RCA made, etc. Various singles of these famous and excellent tubes. These are the versions made in the USA, some unlabeled OEM tubes for manufacturers. MATCHED PAIRS, WHEN AVAILABLE, JUST $45.00 PER PAIR. Great bargains!	$22.00	8
6BQ5/EL84 used tested good.	Used tested very good in whitebox. Various singles of both USA and West European brands. These are the best priced way to go for spares or experimenting.	$13.00	0
7189 Mullard UK made, shield logo MATCHED PAIR	NOS in white box. Nice late 1950s, early 60s classic British tubes, the best 7189. This tube is similar to the 6BQ5 but has higher power ratings and screen voltage specs. These are the original old shield Mullard logo, and the UK made versions of this tube are rare. These are tested and match to within 2 percent Gm.	$140.00 per pair	1 pair
7189 Amperex Holland made MATCHED PAIR	Light use, tests very good, in white box. Nice late 1950s, early 60s classic Holland tubes, identical to the Amperex BugleBoy 7189. This tube is similar to the 6BQ5 but has higher power ratings and screen voltage specs. These were made for HH Scott amps, and the Holland made versions of this tube are rare. These are tested and match to within 2 percent Gm.	$130.00 per pair	0
7189 Amperex Holland made, or Mullard UK made.	Light use, tests very good, in white box. Nice late 1950s, early 60s classic Holland, German, or British tubes. This tube is similar to the 6BQ5 but has higher power ratings and screen voltage specs. Some were made for HH Scott amps or IEC Mullard, and the West Europe made versions of this tube are rare.	$49.00	0
7189 RCA, clearglass or greyglass	New Old Stock, original box. Rare beefy power version of the 6BQ5. Excellent step up from the 6BQ5, these RCAs are the best made in the US! MATCHED PAIRS JUST $130.00!	$60.00	9
7189 GE, MATCHED PAIR	New Old Stock, original box. Rare beefy power version of the 6BQ5. Excellent step up from the 6BQ5. This fine pair has plenty of power.	$120.00 per pair	0
7189A GE MATCHED PAIR	New old stock, in original box and whitebox. Nice USA made power tubes. This tube is similar to the 6BQ5/7189 but has higher power ratings and screen voltage specs. These tubes are not in production anywhere currently, and are getting very scarce. Some rare pairs here, carefully matched. Grab some now!	$130.00 per pair	1 pair
7189/A Raytheon, GE, or RCA, single tubes	New old stock, white box. Nice USA made power tubes. This tube is similar to the 6BQ5 but has higher power ratings and screen voltage specs. These tubes are not in production anywhere currently, and are getting very scarce. Grab some now!	$60.00	5

HOW DO I PLACE MY ORDER?
Click here for a complete list of Telefunken tube date codes with manufacture dates.
Click here for a complete list of Amperex, Mullard, Philips and Valvo tube date codes with manufacture dates and factory/country codes.
Click here for a printable order form. Use your "back" button to return to this page.
Return to the Audiophile tube page.
Return to the Main tube page.
Return to the Home page.

Home	ALL Tubes	Audiophile Tubes	12AX7	12AU7	12AT7	6BQ5/EL84	6SN7	6SL7	6DJ8	6V6	EL34/6CA7
Antique Tubes	6L6 / KT-66	Fender Amp Tubes	Tubes We Buy	Links	FAQ	Euro Tube Codes	Telefunken Tube Codes	How to Order	Order Online	Ordering Tips	Gift Certificates
Recording Services	Tube Shirts	Speaking of Tubes	Free Screensaver	Tube Testers	Our Guarantee	Tube Dampers / Tube Coolers	Radio Station	Old Radios	Tube Amps	Remote Controls	Legal Disclaimer