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BRENT JESSEE RECORDING & SUPPLY, INC.

EL34 / 6CA7 TUBES CURRENTLY IN STOCK


This page lists all of the EL34 / 6CA7 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.

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The EL34 and it's "Americanized" version, the 6CA7, are among the most popular and sought out vintage tubes today. This tube is a pentode of the power amplifier type. It probably gained most of it's popularity as the output tube of choice in the famous Dynakit ST70 amps, but it has been around since the 1950s. It was found in musicial instrument amps, public address systems, and other types of home and professional audio systems. It packs quite a whallop in a rather small glass package, and yet, in well crafted amps like the ST70, it can image well, with a delicate airy touch and a solid bottom end. I have never heard a "bad" vintage EL34. Even those made in the late 1970s in Great Britain are wonderful tubes, easily outperforming the current made tubes of this type. The EL34 and 6CA7 are identical, and most versions have both type numbers on the label. Another British-made tube, the KT77, is also a drop-in replacement for the EL34/6CA7 family. This is an excellent, but rare tube not often found in the USA>

This tube is capable of MAXIMUM plate voltage of 800 volts and peak power at 25 watts! Of course, these are absolute maximum readings, at which stage nuclear meltdown occurs! In typical class A operation, I have seen suggested specs of 250 volts on the plate and screen, giving a conservative power output of 11 watts. The vintage versions of this tube have no problem running at 440 volts on plate and screen at about -38 to -42 bias volts, and this is what is often found in vintage amps. Unfortunately, Russian and Chinese tubes begin to spit and spark at these voltages, which is why the British and Dutch vintage EL34 tubes are so much in demand. These tubes are getting pricey and hard to come by. These tubes last so long, that used ones testing sufficiently above minimum Gm are usually priced nearly as high as NOS versions, and it is often difficult to tell NOS from used on the open market as most of the boxes have rotted away!

NOTE ON GROOVE TUBES: The E34LS, 6CA7GE, and Mullard Reissue 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. If no request is made, we will send a "normal" rated set of tubes. All Groove Tubes are new and come in boxed pairs or quads, and GT power tubes have a 90 day defect warranty in conjunction with our 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

Here is what is most often found on the EL34 vintage market:

EL34 / 6CA7 Amperex:

The made in Holland version of this tube is most often found with the Bugle Boy logo, but even earlier versions with the treble clef logo are still around. Later versions used the orange world logo, but not all of these were made in Holland (some are British Mullard) but are still great tubes. The rarest are the 1955-1957 "nickel base" versions. These have a solid disc top getter and the word "Amperex" in a circle on the front. The base has a heavy nickel collar stamped with the date code. These are not often available, almost never NOS, but even used are superb and long lived. The more commonly available older Amperex have a brown base, the skinny bottle (not much wider than the base), a flat top, two D shaped getters and welded plates. They may or may not say 6CA7 on the label, but these tube types are identical. The white painted labels and logos on these tubes are often partially wiped off, this is normal for even unused NOS tubes of this vintage.

EL34 / 6CA7 Mullard:

The early versions of this tube had a metal collar around the base, and a mica spacer below the getter. These tubes are RARE and command high prices. Later versions had a brown micanol base, and a production series indicated by "XF" codes which are printed in black ink near the bottom of the glass. All of the Mullard tubes I have seen have a small hole in the very bottom of the octal centering pin. All genuine Mullard UK made tubes, beginning with the XF1 series, will have the Blackburn, England factory code on the glass. This will be down low on the side, on the second line of code below the XF type designation, beginning with a capital letter "B". Another trait is the often very dark top getter flashing, sometimes with a rainbow-hued "oil slick" appearance. This is normal, as the gettering was done at high temperature at the factory. Some use will sometimes make the getter thin, brown, or patchy. This is also nothing to be concerned about, as these tubes will usually still test very good with no gas, and operate normally for years with faded getter patches. These are, overall, just awesome tubes."XF1" tubes have a very dark brown, sometimes streaked with metallic gold (mica flakes) somewhat wider base, with two getter rings. These usually have the old "shield" logo, sometimes with the "BVA" in a circle below that. These are rare, and their scarcity has pushed up the price. They are worth seeking out!"XF2" tubes have a slimmer base, may not be as dark brown, with two smaller getter rings, but I have seen some with a single getter ring. Again, these may be the "shield" logo, with or without the "BVA" logo. RCA, GE, Sylvania, and other USA brands of EL34 from the early to mid 1960s were usually Mullard made XF2 type."XF3 and XF4" tubes have a single center getter ring (some XF4 tubes have two "D" shaped getters), and the plates are stamped together and not welded. These tubes are more often found with other brands on the label (Amperex, RCA, GE, etc.) and sometimes have black bases. Later Mullard tubes may be "IEC Mullard". These are still great tubes. BEWARE: late 1970s production Mullard and RCA (labeled Great Britain) that have crossed seams in the top glass were made in Japan! These are not Mullard UK made tubes, although they were made in a Japanese factory that Mullard helped set up and are decent tubes. To date, the only current-production tube that comes close to the legendary Mullard quality and sound is the new Groove Tubes Mullard XF2 reissue, the EL34M. They are at an attractive price, and you may wish to try these fine tubes as a very cost effective way to get the Mullard sound without having to worry about finding pairs of vintage Mullard tubes that match, and being able to find spare tubes.

EL34 / 6CA7 Telefunken:

These are highly sought after, and unfortunately, very rare tubes in the USA. The earliest versions of this tube have a metal collar around the base, sometimes with a number stamped in it. The later versions have black bases, usually with a code number painted on the base. They usually have two small getter rings, the skinny bottle, and crimped together plates. They all have the Telefunken diamond shaped logo, "Made in Western Germany" or "Made in Germany", and a code number all printed on the label in chalky ink that is often nearly wiped off. BEWARE: The Telefunken name lived on, although the factory at Ulm, Germany stopped making tubes in the early 1970s. A Telefunken EL34 with a "dimple" mark in the top glass (the glass top may be smooth but the dimple still appears) indicates East Germany or Russian manufacture. These tubes are not genuine Telefunken tubes!

KT77:

This is a very rare tube that is a direct replacement for the EL34 or 6CA7. I have only seen versions made by Genalex (Marconi-Osram Valve Co.) in their "Gold Lion" series of tubes, which, by the way, spawned a whole family of excellent hi-fi tubes that are rare and highly prized today. The early Genalex KT77 had a skinny bottle with a flat top similar to the Mullards, but the brown base is also thin, being no more than 1/4 inch thick, with the red Genalex decal on it, and two halo getters on top in a "stacked" configuration. The Gold Lion logo holding the KT77 sign, and the words "Gold Lion" in script on the glass, all done in gold paint, make this tube easy to spot. Later versions went to a black octal base similar to the XF4 Mullards. These are probably the rarest, and most expensive, of all EL34 types today. Usually, the early thin brownbase versions will cost the most due to their rarity, and the blackbase types will be a little less. These are all excellent tubes, even used are on par with the best Mullard XF1 tubes, but are so rare worldwide they are not often found. BEWARE: This tube was made into the 1980s and still sold as "Gold Lion". The late 1970s and early 1980s versions have blackbases, with the lion label in bright yellow ink on the glass of the tube, and it was much smaller than the earlier lion label in gold. These "yellow lion" label tubes are RUSSIAN manufacture and not worth more than $15 or $20 each. I have seen eBay dealers selling these tubes as genuine Genalex UK made Gold Lion tubes at MUCH higher prices. Be careful if buying these on auction sites!

EL34 / 6CA7 RCA, GE, Sylvania, etc. "Fat Boy" or European made:

These American versions of this tube come in two basic flavors: The European made skinny bottle (usually Mullard made XF2, XF3 or XF4 codes) or the USA made wider glass bottle, known as the "Fat Boy" types. Mullard made these for many other manufacturers, and you almost need a handbook to spot the different types out there. The Mullard made tubes will look like the Mullards described above, and even have the series codes near the bottom of the glass. The RCA versions with dark brown bases and XF2 date codes are as valuable as the original Mullards. The XF3 and XF4 versions can be found in many different USA brands, and will often have black shiny bases, with the hole in the middle of the centering pin. Beware! Later versions were made in Japan and labelled "Gt. Britain". These tubes may be spotted by seams on the top glass forming a cross. They are still good tubes, but not worth nearly as much as real British Mullard made tubes. I have also seen later RCA versions of this tube labelled "Made in East Germany", and these are also not worth as much. These Eastern Europe tubes often have what looks like a dimple in the top glass. The "Fat Boy" USA made tubes were produced primarily by Sylvania and GE. These have a much wider glass bottle, a black base, several round holes in the plates, and two large top getter rings set at an inverted "V" angle. The GE has the numbers etched into the glass, while the Sylvania used a dark grey paint with the words "USA" below. These "Fat Boy" tubes are very nice, and are still attractively priced. You will find them in RCA, Zenith, GE, Sylvania, Philips, Philco, and others, but they are all made by either Sylvania or GE.

NOTE ON GROOVE TUBES: The EL34/6CA7 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.

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Tube

Description

Price Each

Quantity In Stock

KT77 (EL34 type) Genalex "Gold Lion" clearglass, thin brownbase, dual stacked halo getters, RARE

Used tested like NOS in whitebox. This was the Genalex (Marconi-Osram Valve Co. of England) answer to the popular Mullard EL34 series. It is a drop-in replacement for the EL34. This is the rare early version with the thin brownbase, red Genalex logo on base, skinny bottle w/ flat top, and serrated edge top and bottom mica spacers. The gold label is faded, but the top getter flash is very nice, and this tests at 100% of NOS! These have the legendary sweet Genalex sound. These are extremely rare tubes worldwide, but especially in the USA.

$275.00

0

EL34/6CA7 Amperex Holland nickel base, early production 1957 date codes. MATCHED PAIR

New old stock, original boxes. These are the very rare first generation of the EL34, and some say sound the best. Both are first generation nickel base Amperex, with 1957 date codes. These test at NOS levels, Gm and plate current draw match to within 5 percent. Getter flashing is excellent. These tubes are VERY scarce, and matched pairs of these have nearly vanished.

$500.00 per pair

0

EL34/6CA7 Mullard nickel base, early production 1956 date code.

Tests NOS, excellent getter flash, 1956 date code. These are the very rare first generation of the EL34, and some say sound the best. A very early production of this incredible tube! The chalky label has smudged off and the box has fallen apart with age, but the tube is NOS and ready to amaze you with it's beautiful sonics. Not many of these left in the world!

$250.00

1

EL34/6CA7 Mullard shield logo XF1 date code, hole in centering pin, large dark brown Micanol base, RARE. MATCHED PAIR

TESTS NOS. Early XF1 date code from the late 1950s to early 1060s, large ring getters, excellent getter flash, labels fair to good, tested as NOS. This pair matches to within 5 percent Gm and plate current. Both are Dynaco by Mullard, and Mullard shield label, both are Blackburn Mullard factory made. Steelbase quality at a lower price, these are a rare chance to invest in a legendary tube!

399.00 per pair

0

EL34/6CA7 Mullard made XF1 date code, hole in centering pin, large dark brown Micanol base, RARE.

TESTED AS NOS. Early XF1 date code (1950s), dual ring getters, good getter flash. Blackburn Mullard factory made. These are a rare chance to invest in a legendary tube!

150.00

0

EL34/6CA7 Telefunken diamond logo

NOS in original 1950s era original Telefunken box, perfect labels. These are getting quite scarce in the USA, and some say sound the best of all EL34 tubes. These are ORIGINAL German Telefunken tubes from the 1950s, NOT the "dimple top" East German tubes from the 1980s.

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EL34/6CA7 Mullard made, dark brownbase, XF2, dual halo getter. Blackburn UK factory codes.MATCHED PAIR

Tested as New old stock, white box and original box. Fair labels, dark brown bases, excellent getter flashing. These perfect NOS Mullard tubes are a great example of how fine these tubes were, and one listen will tell you no one on earth makes tubes like this today. Most made for RCA or GE. Carefully hand picked and hand matched.

$300.00 per pair

3 pairs

EL34/6CA7 Mullard made in Blackburn, UK, brownbase, XF2, single halo getter.

Excellent getter flash, hole in centering pin, label excellent, tested like NOS. The single halo tube was sometimes made for Westinghouse or RCA. MATCHED PAIRS ARE $300.00 PER PAIR.

$140.00

2 pairs, 3 singles

EL34/6CA7 Mullard made in Blackburn, UK, brownbase, XF2, dual halo getter. MATCHED PAIR

Used tested good, fair getter flash, a good chance to try a pair of these rare tubes at a savings. The original Mullard UK made tubes with Blackburn factory codes are vanishing. This pair is dual halo getter and should give you long service.

$200.00 per pair

2 pairs

EL34M/6CA7 Groove Tubes NEW Mullard Reissue, new current production.MATCHED PAIR

New production tubes, just released! A very detailed, painstaking copy of the 1960s Mullard tubes made exclusively for Groove Tubes and unavailable from any other brand! Available in factory matched pairs or quads. Groove Tubes are having these great tubes made for them, and then the GT techs screen each tube at their California labs. Carefully matched into pairs with respect to Gm and plate current, and you can request distortion characteristics from early breakup for guitar amps to late breakup for hi-fi amps at no extra charge. Forget the Russian and Chinese stuff, these are among the best being made today!

$60.00 per pair

2 pairs

GT6CA7GE Groove Tubes General Electric clone EL34, new current production.MATCHED QUAD

New production tubes, in matched pair boxes with instructions. Groove Tubes are making limited numbers of tubes in the USA using the old General Electric materials and machinery. These may be the next EL34 NOS classic! They have made here an excellent modern version of the classic USA "fat boy" GE 6CA7 tube. Carefully matched into quads with respect to Gm and plate current. MATCHED PAIRS JUST $90 PER PAIR! Forget the Russian and Chinese stuff, these are among the best being made today!

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EL34/6CA7 Matched Pair Mullard made for Valvo or Philips, XF3, single halo getter.MATCHED PAIR

New old stock, original box. Excellent silvery getter flash, excellent labels. Closely matched with identical plate current draw and close Gm. NOS Mullard made pairs like this are getting very scarce.

$200.00 per pair

0

EL34/6CA7 Matched Pair Amperex Holland made, brownbase, XF4, dual "D" getter.MATCHED PAIR

NOS original box and whitebox, hole in centering pin. Holland made, excellent sonics, some are CBS "Germany" labeled. SINGLE TUBES, WHEN AVAILABLE, ARE $70.00 EACH.

$150.00 per pair

1 pair

EL34/6CA7 Matched Pair Amperex Holland made, brownbase, XF4, dual "D" getter.MATCHED PAIR

Light use tested good, hole in centering pin. Holland made, excellent sonics, some are Bugleboy labeled. SINGLE TUBES, WHEN AVAILABLE, ARE $40.00 EACH.

$100.00 per pair

2 pairs, 1 single

EL34/6CA7 Siemens, mid to late 1970s production, blackbase MATCHED PAIR

New old stock in original boxes. Nice later versions of the excellent-sounding German answer to the Mullard EL34 tubes. Some made for National and Ultron. These pairs sound great and are easy on the budget. SINGLE TUBES ARE $50.00 EACH.

$100.00 per pair

2 singles

EL34/6CA7 RCA or GE "Fat Boy" type.

NOS in original box , made in USA. Dual top mounted ring getters, large envelope style. These are getting SCARCE!! All are identical manufacture, despite different brand names. MATCHED PAIRS ARE $190.00!

$88.00

0

EL34/6CA7 Japanese Mullard factory (Matshushita) made for RCA, skinny bottle type.

Blackbase, single halo getter, crimped plates, NOS in original box. Very nice tubes, made in the Matshushita factory set up by Mullard, and these tubes resemble classic Mullards.

$100.00 per pair

0

EL34/6CA7 JJ, new production from the Slovak Republic.

NOS in original box. A decent new production tube, looks similar to the old Mullard tubes. Priced right for a spare pair, experimentation, or decent sound for your guitar amp.

$45.00 per pair

2 pairs

EL34/6CA7 Svetlana, Ruby, and other Chinese or Russian types.

NOS in white box. Most are 1998-2001 vintage. Blowout price, great for spares. Fully tested and guaranteed.

$10.00

9

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