Tube Gurus; Are These of Any Use to Me? (Pics inside)

warwick.hoy · #1 07-27-2009, 03:12 PM

I pulled these out of an old TV and plan on de-soldering and collecting the sockets once the TV is gutted (a neighbor is turning it into a fish tank,....uh,...clever huh

).

As you may or may not know; I'm on a waiting list for an EET program, so I'm looking for anything and everything that may be of use. Effects kits,...tubes, transistors and diodes. About the only thing I'm not touching are caps. I don't want to get fried.

I thought I may be able to use these for something. Obviously I won't be replacing the tubes in an SVT or 400+, but I thought I'd consult you guys and glean some insight. Maybe some sort of tube distortion preamp. Sorry; didn't search and not sure if this is the appropriate forum.

Sorry for the lousy pics. My battery died on the last frame.

1st Pic (L to R): 6CB6A, 6AM8A, 6U8, 6CB6A, 12BA7A.

2nd Pic starting from the big tube (L to R): 6BQ6GTB/6CU6, 6AX4GT, hallicrafters 6SN7 GT, 6BN6, 6AW8 L4E.

danka.

teleharmonium · #2 07-27-2009, 03:17 PM

The 6SN7 is an audio tube, it's not especially commonly used any more but some older hi fi, studio, and guitar gear uses that tube. It's similar to the 6SL7 used in many Ampeg preamps including the B15.

warwick.hoy · #3 07-27-2009, 03:19 PM

The other ones are not usable for audio then?

SnakeAnthony · #4 07-27-2009, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

The other ones are not usable for audio then?

Nope.

But you could strip the insides of the television of all the brass components and sell them for something close to $20, probably.

bassmodder · #5 07-27-2009, 06:37 PM

Yeah, aside from the SL7 those are ornaments. Most circuits will need EXTENSIVE modification to use anything else in that pile.

Hang 'em on your Christmas tree.

Taylor Livingston · #6 07-27-2009, 08:21 PM

If you're able to design, you can certainly do fun and interesting things with these. All the Metasonix stuff (which, admittedly, I think sounds terrible) uses TV tubes. This will be great to get you doing something new instead of more of the same old clones.

warwick.hoy · #7 07-27-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conical johnson

If you're able to design, you can certainly do fun and interesting things with these. All the Metasonix stuff (which, admittedly, I think sounds terrible) uses TV tubes. This will be great to get you doing something new instead of more of the same old clones.

Checked them out,...that's sort of thing I'm talking about.

BassJunkie730 · #8 07-28-2009, 12:03 AM

I wouldn't say unuseable, just atypical. If yo are going to explore the inner workings old radio circuits and see how they gave birth to musical instrument amplification, then hold on to them and test away.

warwick.hoy · #9 07-28-2009, 12:33 AM

I like the idea of atypical. Apparently there is little (almost none) demand for these types of tubes and there is a rather large NOS stock of them,...so I'm certainly going to hang on to them. Designing circuits is what I'm interested in and who knows what I'll learn in that program,...I might need more school to get that far, but in the mean time I plan on tinkering away.

Still gotta get those sockets.

Taylor Livingston · #10 07-28-2009, 02:01 AM

Realistically, you're probably not going to learn anything about tube circuits in any school setting. Tubes are obsolete in almost all fields of industry, so electrical engineering education doesn't really involve them. You'd be better off getting some books from the 50s. Eric Barbour, maker of Metasonix, may be of some help (he's almost certainly the guy with most knowledge on the subject of TV tubes in audio), but my experience with him on Wikipedia is that he's a bit difficult.

Pitbull Growl · #11 07-28-2009, 05:20 AM

There's a guy in the UK named John Chambers who made a 500W bass amp using some EL36/6CM5/EL360 tubes HERE. (He also made a 1000W tube amp too using some tubes that look more like HID lights than typical output tubes... big & hot!) I've spoken to him via email and he's a very nice guy. from what I've seen he's more prone to using atypical tubes more for power amps than preamps/effects, but maybe he could help ya out?

warwick.hoy · #12 01-17-2011, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

I pulled these out of an old TV and plan on de-soldering and collecting the sockets once the TV is gutted (a neighbor is turning it into a fish tank,....uh,...clever huh

).

As you may or may not know; I'm on a waiting list for an EET program, so I'm looking for anything and everything that may be of use. Effects kits,...tubes, transistors and diodes. About the only thing I'm not touching are caps. I don't want to get fried.

I thought I may be able to use these for something. Obviously I won't be replacing the tubes in an SVT or 400+, but I thought I'd consult you guys and glean some insight. Maybe some sort of tube distortion preamp. Sorry; didn't search and not sure if this is the appropriate forum.

Sorry for the lousy pics. My battery died on the last frame.

1st Pic (L to R): 6CB6A, 6AM8A, 6U8, 6CB6A, 12BA7A.

2nd Pic starting from the big tube (L to R): 6BQ6GTB/6CU6, 6AX4GT, hallicrafters 6SN7 GT, 6BN6, 6AW8 L4E.

danka.

So rather than post a new thread I dug up this old one I started to ask the same question of these.

http://spokane.craigslist.org/msg/2164116029.html

obviously the 12au7s may be of some use but the rest?

FWIW,...once I get a place I'd like to start building things,...FX and eventually amps.

EDIT: Wait I thought I originally put this in the amps subforum,...

MAMMOTHvolume · #13 01-17-2011, 04:09 AM

http://tdsl.duncanamps.com/tubesearch.php

search for pinouts and datasheets and see if there useful.