Rectifier tube identification help please
- Thread starter Deli
- Start date
First one looks like a 5u4g to me at a quick glance:
vinylsavor.blogspot.com
Tube of the Month : The 5U4
This month I'd like to introduce another full wave rectifier tube, the 5U4. The 5U4 is probably one of the widest used directly heated rect...
vinylsavor.blogspot.com
Second one might be a 5U4GBFirst one looks like a 5u4g to me at a quick glance:
Tube of the Month : The 5U4
This month I'd like to introduce another full wave rectifier tube, the 5U4. The 5U4 is probably one of the widest used directly heated rect...
Good call. I didn't think of that.
Mind if I play?
I ordered a (non brand specific) NOS 5AR4 from Antique Radio and got one of these….
Is it just wishful thinking, or could this be a rebranded Mullard?
I ordered a (non brand specific) NOS 5AR4 from Antique Radio and got one of these….
Is it just wishful thinking, or could this be a rebranded Mullard?
I have some of those in the collection- I don’t recall exactly what they were, Amperex, Mullard, Holland made or England, but no doubt a quality rectifier.
I know there were metal base, smooth plate, four notch, seven notch…
The smooth plate are frequently referenced as on the better end of the spectrum and are desired and coveted.
Just so I’m not misleading here, can I see the top? If there are seams on the top of the glass that would indicate Japanese manufacturing but if no seams then European.
Either way it’s an excellent rectifier.
Dang it! I was indeed misremembering! Here's the thread.
United National was the sketchy name, but the printing on the label sure looks a lot like yours...
I’m far from an expert but I had looked into lots of rebrands and got all kinds of answers- if I were to cull from what I have read, I’m led to believe the company, like Lindal, El Menco and others relabeled whatever they could get their hands on. This sometimes meant the potential for seconds, but would include overstock or whatever was needed to fill a contract. And they would do any brand, any country of manufacture- Japan, Holland, Russia, USA…
I do know some folk have felt quality control had a less strict adherence for some of these labels.
I did some snooping and found a Japanese Toshiba labeled United Electron that looks very similar- which would make it a great tube if so. The Mullards of course are the princesses on the pedestals but lots of these Japanese tubes (Hitachi, Toshiba, Matsushita) are excellent, along with the American tubes from Sylvania and G.E.
While the rectifier I found by United Electron that’s of Japanese origin looks at quick glance like the one posted above, I can tell you others can look much different- some are copies of the American GE rectifier and Matsushita made models have distinctive seams on the tops. I’ve seen very unique Hitachi ones with black plates.
Anyhow, the relabeling outfits sometimes changed their own branding and even names over the years, further confusing things, and sometimes the manufacturers changed procedures- while Matsushita 6CA7s are typically seamed at the top, I have some early models that are smooth.
Trying to sort the rumors from the facts is definitely a challenge but I really love reading about tube history and manufacturing.
Some of the Japanese options are pretty interesting as are those from supposedly Hungary, India and some unique tubes from around Russia.
Anyway, I’ll link that rectifier below…
That’s a Russian tube most likely- the lower support tabs, or “fingers” are frequent among SED/Winged =C=. The top supports throw me off a bit- mostly I see them on Chinese tubes, but I have seen them on Russian tubes as well.
Here’s a kicker on Svetlana and SED/=C=. I had read that two companies/factories made this era of tube simultaneously, one using the Svetlana label, one the SED label. They are of identical construction inside, but there was issue over logo/name usage so they have different logos and boxes. True or not it’s hard to say, but plausible. I have about 140 or so EL34s from this manufacture and era. And there were side getter clear top versions of this tube- some named Audio Glassics, a relabeling outfit. I have a handful of those.
This is BEFORE The more recent SECOND turn of the century name conflict, which details are also muddled, but as the decades stretched into each other, easier to figure out- the most modern Svetlana tubes are of much different construction.
I’ve been digging through all sorts of stuff here and it’s overwhelming but also fun-tubes from EI, Toshiba, Matsushita, Philips (Sylvania), Tungsram, Russia, Tesla, and so many more. Lots of relabeled tubes and tubes of deceptive claims of origin.
So this is a supposed Toshiba, although looks different than what I have. What I have resembles the copper edged GE of US manufacture but replaces the copper band with a shiny silver polished band. That doesn’t mean that tooling wasn’t changed at some point and structure of the tube radically changed…
It is. Thanks Deli! I have a few 5U4s (pretty sure, anyway) with missing info, so this thread is really interesting to me.
I mentioned Lindal before- if I am to believe lore, ITT was sold/rebadged as RTT, and Lindal a consumer mail order branch of ITT/later RTT.
Later I believe the Lindal name was used exclusively to phase out the company but I’m not sure if that’s truly accurate. Makes sense but…
ITT & RTT was a distributor direct to manufacturers who used (but weren’t manufacturing) tubes like television and radio companies as well as industrial tools and devices that used tubes, and would ship tubes made by GE, Sylvania, RCA and many foreign manufacturers. Tubes sold to consumers and likely small outfits by mail order were stuck in Lindal boxes, often likely relabeled with Lindal logos but I’ve opened some dusty ancient Lindal boxes that were most likely NOS and found tubes with RCA, GE and Sylvania labels on them.
It’s like Kinder Eggs for adults!
Here’s the Lindal/ITT/RTT labels. Notice the similarities….
Later I believe the Lindal name was used exclusively to phase out the company but I’m not sure if that’s truly accurate. Makes sense but…
ITT & RTT was a distributor direct to manufacturers who used (but weren’t manufacturing) tubes like television and radio companies as well as industrial tools and devices that used tubes, and would ship tubes made by GE, Sylvania, RCA and many foreign manufacturers. Tubes sold to consumers and likely small outfits by mail order were stuck in Lindal boxes, often likely relabeled with Lindal logos but I’ve opened some dusty ancient Lindal boxes that were most likely NOS and found tubes with RCA, GE and Sylvania labels on them.
It’s like Kinder Eggs for adults!
Here’s the Lindal/ITT/RTT labels. Notice the similarities….
