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How Many Brimars Are There??

I've owned many of the Mullard ECC82 & ECC83 variants and currently have a pair of the Brimar CV4003/12AU7 Boxplates (love these tubes). Now I'm looking to replace a Mullard 12AX7/ECC83 with a Brimar, but how many versions of the 12AX7 Brimar are there?
  I'm looking for a legitimate CV4004 Half Wing/ Box plate, but I keep seeing Brimars marked as CV492, CV492/CV4004, 12AX7, and 7025. Most online dealers state that these versions are the same as the CV4004 Boxplate. This doesn't make sense since some of these tubes have long blackplates, some have gray short plates, and some have the Gray Half Wing/ Box plate.

I don't believe Brimar would mark their tubes "12AX7" at the factory since this UK tube is known as ECC83. It looks like some of the tubes for sale have been remarked with new Brimar logos; it's easy to tell when compared to a tube marked with a factory code.
Does anybody know the real story about the production of Brimar valves in the 1950's and 60's?


128x128lowrider57
11 responses Add your response
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57 OP
5,417 posts
 
@whart , thanks for your comments. I find tube history very interesting, going back to when I would watch the TV repairman open the back of our B&W TV.

Many people go for Mullards first w/o ever considering trying a Brimar. In fact, there is a lot of misinformation on the web that  Brimar is made by Mullard.

I found this quote from a startup company in the UK...
The UK was the centre of thermionic valve (tubes for our U.S buddies) production for many years and we produced the best and most consistent products which are still highly sought after even now – nearly 50 years after production stopped. Our dream is to restart manufacturing of valves in the UK using existing knowledge and equipment but bringing it into the 21st century where not only consistency and performance are drivers but efficiency and the environment.

http://brimaruk.com/menugbvp/great-british-valve-project/

lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57 OP
5,417 posts
 
@tls49 , @tomcy6 ,
Many thanks for the information. It makes sense that tubes were labelled for export, although I didn't know the Brit's did this.
And tis49, I love the sound of my Brimars. No surprise that your friends wanted to keep those tubes.

With regard to the Vivatubes Brimar, that's what I would expect some vintage tubes to look like...marked with the factory code.


nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,838 posts
 
Looks like they might be the real deal after all. 😄
whart's avatar
whart
3,037 posts
 
Doesn’t Brimar stand for "British Made American Range" to enable the UK tube maker (it was part of ITT and got bought or renamed as STC if memory serves) to compete with the American tube configurations?
I'm also not sure Brimar manufactured all the tubes bearing their brand, even though they did have a a factory in the '30s. I have a very nice GEC U-52 rectifier branded Brimar- cost me less than the same tube with the GEC label on it. There are also some Brimars that have been relabelled more recently, using other brands that draw more money. There are a few web articles on this, and I'm sure any old tube hand or good vendor could tell you more. Apparently, the brand was recently revived, but I didn't really look deeply into the details. 


tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,588 posts
 
British tubes were labelled 12AX7 if they were destined for the American market, because that’s what we called that tube. The British designation was C.V. 4004, Common Valve 4004. The European designation was ECC 83. I’m sure that Brimar painted all three designations on their tubes depending on who they expected to sell them to.

Vivatubes.com on eBay has exactly what you described. I haven’t bought anything from them but they have 100% positive feedback on 21,573 transactions, so I would at least talk to them.

www.ebay.com/p/Brimar-12AX7-ECC83-Vintage-Tube/166842589?iid=153041922562&_trkparms=aid%3D555018...
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,351 posts
 
"See the pretty label. UK does not use the 12AX7 code."

I'm thinking they did. There's many Brimar tubes out there similar to that 12AX7. For over 20 years, I have had the remainder of a Brimar 12AT7 bulk pack. Originally had about 65 of a 100 tube box. They look like the 1955 red label in the Brimar picture here. The ragged old box also has the red Brimar name printed just like the tube.

https://www.tubeworld.com/12at7.htm

For years, I had no idea what they were, then found that picture. After finding it, I let a few friends try the tubes, and no one would give them back. They wanted to keep them because of how good they sounded. There's also a reference on Brent Jessee's site for this tube under 12AT7. The tube is a black plate with a square getter, and he said made for the military. That seems to make sense because of the bulk box of 100 and no individual boxes.

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,838 posts
 
Someone went to a lot of trouble to print those. They look sweet but....
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57 OP
5,417 posts
 
Thanks, @nonoise .
There's a good discussion over at Tube Asylum without any real consensus. One item up for discussion is about this dealer who has admitted his tubes are re-branded, but insists they are genuine NOS.
http://www.tubeaudioproducts.com/Mullard-Brimar/Enlarge.aspx?ProductID=154

See the pretty label. UK does not use the 12AX7 code.

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,838 posts
 
@lowrider57 
That's a tough call what with all the counterfeits out there and not really knowing if those are one offs or fakes. At least Jessee can advise you even if you don't buy from him.

I wish I knew more but alas, I don't.

All the best,
Nonoise
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57 OP
5,417 posts
 
@nonoise , thanks. Brent is one of my go-to-guys and he describes the tubes pretty well, but his prices for Brimars seem very high.

Here is a CV4004 boxplate, but don’t know anything about the dealer...
https://www.kcanostubes.com/content/nos-brimar-12ax7cv4004


This is a CV492 with same plates as a CV4004. But much cheaper than CV4004’s...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/True-NOS-Vintage-Brimar-CV492-Mil-Spec-12AX7-Long-Gray-Box-Plate-Vacuum-Tub...


Here is a 6057 that the dealer states is the same as a CV4004,
but Brent says... "One of the rarest Brimar made 12AX7 tubes is this long plate with the famous Yellow T decal on the glass. These are all the older long plate version that is so difficult to find today."
And to make it more confusing, the "T" is not yellow.
https://tubeworldexpress.com/products/copy-of-6057-cv4004-mullard-rebranded-brimar-t-nos-1981-gm-160...


I’m wondering if many of these tubes are being re-branded. The safe bet would be to go with Brent, but first I’m hoping one of our members knows some Brimar history.


nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,838 posts
 
Brent Jessee of BRENT JESSEE RECORDING HOMEPAGE would most likely know. 

Here is a list of what he has in stock re: 12AX7 tubes: 12AX7 Tubes in Stock. I went blind trying to find what you asked for. If he doesn't have it in stock, he'll still know of it.

All the best,
Nonoise
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