For Tube Folks...


Hi All,

I am rather new to tube gear and recently purchased a 'NOS' GE 6550 Power Tube

 

A. It was advertised as:  "New old stock in original or OEM box. A nice USA tube that will outperform any current production 6550 made. An excellent lot, matched to within 5 percent and then aged in a hi-fi shop demo unit. Very low hours, burn-in time only, and the performance has been verified by us..."

B. The seller also sells used GE6550 tubes that are advertised as: "Light use, tested good with good match, and white box..."

 

The large black spot on the glass where it GE is etched makes wonder how many hours of usage this tube has seen...

My question -  Within reasonable certainty, is this tube is NOS or is it USED?  

Thanks in advance for any clarity.

 

 

Ag insider logo xs@2xinagroove

Showing 1 response by mulveling

The pic you show has a very large side-getter patch (good), with light-gray fringes that indicate some light use - roughly consistent with the seller’s description. As use continues, the side patch typically shrinks (well before the top patches), with the fringing sometimes becoming more dominant. I have some GE 7581A with chrome side patches and NO fringing, that are probaly truly NOS. Anyways, to see a very large side getter patch on a power tube (dark metallic or chrome, NOT chalky white/gray or brown) is usually a good sign. (note: if you see a side patch on a tube that shouldn’t have a side getter, like an EL34, that’s bad news lol)

The debate on "NOS" nomenclature is boring semantics. NO I wouldn’t call this tube strictly NOS, but these days very few tubes left are. If the seller’s description is accurate, and seller can be trusted, I’d be happy with ’em.