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Which of These Old Soviet Tubes Should I Pick Up?

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by Cowboy in Latvia, Jan 21, 2018.

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  1. Jan 21, 2018 #1
    Cowboy in Latvia

    Cowboy in Latvia

    Mar 1, 2015
    Hi all, I'm a real n00b when it comes to tubes. With that in mind, I just ran across a guy here who is selling a bunch of old soviet tubes (NOS) for a few euros each and I figured that if any were good ones to pick up, I would do so. Partly for myself and partly to share the wealth a bit back home with some tube amp lovers in the west. I don't have a tube amp anymore but will probably pick one up eventually so this is a bit of future planning as well.

    Also, any ideas of which brands I should look for or avoid would be welcome.

    So, which of the following tubes would be good ones to pick up for guitar/bass amp use? Here is a list with the Cyrillic translated to Latin to the best of my abilities.
    RUS_______Latin
    6с3п_______6s3p
    6н1п_______6n1p
    6ф1п_______6f1p
    6ц19п______6c19p
    6п15п______6p15p
    1ц11п______1c11p
    6к13п______6k13p
    6ж5п_______6zh5p
    6ж38п______6zh38p
    6ф3п_______6f3n
    6п18п______6p18p
    6п1п_______6p1p
    6ж2п_______6zh2p
    6ц10п______6c10p
    6р4п_______6r4p
    6ф12п______6f12p
    6ж52п______6zh52p
    6ж49п______6zh49p
    6Ф4П_______6f4p
    Гу17_______gu17
    6Ж9П______6zh9p
    ИН19_______in19 (This one is more expensive)
    6Н2П_______6n2p (This one is more expensive)
    ГУ50________gu50 (This one is more expensive)
    ИВ26________iv26
    6Ф3П_______6f3p
    6Э5П_______6e5p
    6Н3П_______6n3p
    ИН13_______ih13
    6Д14П______6d14p
    3Ц18П______3c18p
    6П42С______6p42c
    4П1Л_______4p1l (This one is more expensive)
    6Р3С________6r3s (This one is more expensive)
    6Ц18П_______6c18p
    6Ж3П________6zh3p
    6Ц11П_______6c11p
    6Х2П________6x2p
    6Ж1П_______6zh1p

    There are a couple places with more tubes available but no list of numbers. If you have other soviet tubes you tend to look for, I can look for them as well.

    (Edited to remove prices. I just realized it might look like I was looking for price advice which I cannot do without a supporting membership.)
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2018
  2. Jan 21, 2018 #2
    Jim C

    Jim C I believe in the trilogy; Fender, Stingray, + G&L Supporting Member

    Nov 29, 2008
    Bethesda, MD
    Personally, I don't look for older Russian tubes.
    I think used or NOS German (Telefunken), British (Mullard), Holland (Amperex), or US tubes (RCA, Sylvania, etc.) are the best sounding IMO / IME.
     
  3. Jan 21, 2018 #3
    Freightshaker

    Freightshaker

    Aug 8, 2013
    Metro Detroit
    It's been a while since I've touched non-Musical Instrument tubes but I think that's what that list is, mostly radio/television tubes.

    I actually prefer some of the new reissue tubes to NOS for amps.
     
  4. Jan 21, 2018 #4
    beans-on-toast

    beans-on-toast

    Aug 7, 2008
    You need the tube that the amp or device requires. For instance, if you have an A-Designs REDDI, you could buy a 6n1p. That’s the tube that is used in that DI.

    You would be best to identify the amp first, then see what you can run in it. Some of these tubes are not worth a lot. The 6X2P for instance sells for $1 in the US.

    Unless you are designing a preamp, the tubes listed are not going to help. If you google the latin equivalent, you will find out if they are roughly equivalent to useful western tube.
     
    JimmyM and Roland GR 88 like this.
  5. Jan 21, 2018 #5
    coreyfyfe

    coreyfyfe

    Nov 19, 2007
    boston, ma
    You'd have to figure out which ones had common equivalents to see if any would be useful. Or designed around these specific tubes, but unless you've got a large supply that might not be the best idea.

    This website has a listing of a lot of older Russian tubes and where there are equivalencies with common EU/US tube types, I'm sure you can find other sites and/or just google the list you have. I imagine the more expensive ones are those with more utility, but that's just a guess.