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ARS Tubes

i pulled the original drive tubes from my VTL MB 185 to do some tube-rolling. The original tubes are labeled as ARS -- "since 1947". I've not been able to find any info on this brand of tubes. I'm sure it's because I'm new at this and "ARS" is probably code for some other manufacture, but it would be interesting to me to know the actual details. Thanks for your help.
vtl
justlisten's avatar
justlisten
489 posts
 
Newbee was 100% correct, ARS was an outfit in the 80s-90s based in So Cal. My understanding is that with Power tubes they simply matched and sorted common current production tubes such as Chinese, Russian, Yugo tubes. I cannot say for 100% certainty, but I do not believe the smaller ecc81 tubes were NOS, rather they were also common Yugo/Chinese/Russian types.
fatparrot
1,314 posts
 
Justlisten, I seem to remember that they acquired the rights to the Amperex name and logo a few years ago. I believe that these new "Amperex" tubes are rebranded modern tubes, and should NOT be confused with the good old NOS originals.
vtl OP
19 posts
 
I got routed to the Tubemonger page today and as I was scrolling down the page I spotted the tube I've described in this thread. It was listed as a RFT E. German Tube -- the replica tube printed on the actual tube was identical to that on the ARS tubes I pulled out of my amps.

Thanks again for all of your responses, and for helping me solve the mystery of the ARS tubes.
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