Hi All,
I need someone with a tube tester in the Greater Boston area... I am there occasionally, and the tubes are there... I posted a while ago of the tubes I have (such as 12ax's/12au's, and six Genalex KT66's, and two KT88's that I need tested before I sell them... plus a pile of another hundred of random and military tubes...) Any ideas? I believe there is a tube collectors' organization somewhere there on the Northeast coast...
--Paul
I want everything gone in the next month or so... All the Dynaco stuff went last week, to someone that made a reasonable offer here, rather than stating 'what do you want for them?', or '$20 for KT's' and I have a good offer on the KT's, but I need to prove they are highly functional (they are NIB). Three out of five Khorns are gone, and the last two go to a church in NH, which will rock their place up in the organ loft. Wish I didn't give away the real Leslie speaker, though I built a replica with a revolving baffle when I was young. ;-)
Help is appreciated.
I need someone with a tube tester in the Greater Boston area... I am there occasionally, and the tubes are there... I posted a while ago of the tubes I have (such as 12ax's/12au's, and six Genalex KT66's, and two KT88's that I need tested before I sell them... plus a pile of another hundred of random and military tubes...) Any ideas? I believe there is a tube collectors' organization somewhere there on the Northeast coast...
--Paul
I want everything gone in the next month or so... All the Dynaco stuff went last week, to someone that made a reasonable offer here, rather than stating 'what do you want for them?', or '$20 for KT's' and I have a good offer on the KT's, but I need to prove they are highly functional (they are NIB). Three out of five Khorns are gone, and the last two go to a church in NH, which will rock their place up in the organ loft. Wish I didn't give away the real Leslie speaker, though I built a replica with a revolving baffle when I was young. ;-)
Help is appreciated.
mail me your KT66's and I'll test them for you!!
If you are in Canada, they don't get mailed. The title of this posting was 'Greater Boston Area". Simple enough. Simple vocabulary comprehension. Fortunately people on this site have trusted me, no questions, and I have delivered flawlessly. But they also paid up front, with checks cleared, upfront for them, and I delivered as promised. That is the only way I work. Shorting someone is against my beliefs, as I am a Methodist, and now a Buddhist. I am also from the Reagan era, so, 'Trust but Verify'. I will only send you the KT's with full cash upfront (and thus I request a local tester, so I can verify what I have).
Comprehend, or คุณเข้าใจสิ่งที่ฉันพูดว่าใช่หรือไม่?
Hi no1herenow,
No need to go on about this one comment like that. Chill.
Now, do you know what you're asking of someone? I wouldn't test 100 or so tubes for anyone. That puts a fair amount of wear on a tube tester, sockets and switches plus roll chart. Also, you didn't state whether you wanted an emission tester (useless) or a dynamic transconductance tester (useful). So if you are going to test your tubes with the emission tester, may as well sell them "as is", no returns. Quoting figures from an emission tester is pointless unless the tube failed that test - then it is bad.
What you might consider doing is buying a Hickok tube tester and testing them yourself, then sell the tester as well. Anyone with that many tubes really should have their own tester. If you're in a position where you bought a large quantity of tubes to flip, my advice would be the same if you're trying to get a long dollar out of them. Especially if you do this frequently.
I assume you had a good assortment of your own tube equipment. Then, even more, you should have your own tube tester, and not an emission tester, a good one.
-Chris
No need to go on about this one comment like that. Chill.
Now, do you know what you're asking of someone? I wouldn't test 100 or so tubes for anyone. That puts a fair amount of wear on a tube tester, sockets and switches plus roll chart. Also, you didn't state whether you wanted an emission tester (useless) or a dynamic transconductance tester (useful). So if you are going to test your tubes with the emission tester, may as well sell them "as is", no returns. Quoting figures from an emission tester is pointless unless the tube failed that test - then it is bad.
What you might consider doing is buying a Hickok tube tester and testing them yourself, then sell the tester as well. Anyone with that many tubes really should have their own tester. If you're in a position where you bought a large quantity of tubes to flip, my advice would be the same if you're trying to get a long dollar out of them. Especially if you do this frequently.
I assume you had a good assortment of your own tube equipment. Then, even more, you should have your own tube tester, and not an emission tester, a good one.
-Chris
I was only asking for 8 tubes to be tested, and I would pay accordingly. But since I have seen such arrogance here on this site, I will buy a (true) tube tester from a reputable dealer, and do this myself. It sort of helped having a father in the Signal Corps, and an Ivy League PhD in this curriculum. I threw out all the old testing equipment, as I (and my family) considered it irrelevant, and I still do. Fools who pay ridiculous amounts of money for antiquated, vastly outdated equipment can have them from me, (I sold two 713C drivers for $7,000) Don't need to ask here anymore, for anything. If you want what I have left, give me a reasonable offer. Untested (until I get the equipment again), new, used, whatever. No longer care.
One last comment; I tested tubes since I was 9 years old, and it wasn't on commercially-available testers. It was at Bell Labs (I needed permission to get inside, but my dad was a top scientist there), and it was (in its day) the finest tester ever built. Good enough that Dave Packard (HP) came to look at it. Western Electric needed tube testers for their production. This was a one-of-a-kind tester, that worked from 50Hz to 1GHz, and could tell you more about a tube than you can tell me from my DNA... Condescending behavior is not my thing, but experience is.
I will take you up on your offer, and remunerate you accordingly.
I have all day/night off, any day. (though in England/France for the next month for fun, starting next Thursday).
Let me know time/date that is good for you.
--Paul
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Hi Paul,
Details make all the difference, don't they? Testing 8 tubes is reasonable and something I've done for DIYAudio members at no charge before. Be aware that Kevin can probably tell more about a tube powering it up in circuit that most other people out there, but a tube tester is like a standardised circuit that we can all agree on.
I have a couple of Stark 9-66 testers I use and a TV/2U sitting here. Yes, if you have all day, a tester like the top flight one at Bell Labs could completely characterise a tube, but that isn't in the real world as far as we are concerned. Your NIB tubes should test normally in any good tester.
Try to include more important and complete information in your post when requesting help and you won't be misunderstood. I think you would see most members are helpful and willing to give you a hand. In your initial post, we only had a figure of "plus a pile of another hundred of random and military tubes...", so what were we to think. You also indicated that you were in the greater Boston area "occasionally", so to be helpful another member (bolly) joked a bit with you, but you never know something unless you ask or make a comment. Your response to that was out of line.
Some members here visit Canada occasionally, and I'll be helping them out. I am also mailed equipment and parts from the 'States, so I found bolly's quip half reasonable. Yes, it is obvious that if you aren't travelling up here, it makes zero sense to mail them here.
People, on average, will be as helpful as you allow them to be.
-Chris
Details make all the difference, don't they? Testing 8 tubes is reasonable and something I've done for DIYAudio members at no charge before. Be aware that Kevin can probably tell more about a tube powering it up in circuit that most other people out there, but a tube tester is like a standardised circuit that we can all agree on.
I have a couple of Stark 9-66 testers I use and a TV/2U sitting here. Yes, if you have all day, a tester like the top flight one at Bell Labs could completely characterise a tube, but that isn't in the real world as far as we are concerned. Your NIB tubes should test normally in any good tester.
Too bad. I agree with you about the prices being too high on the side of silly, but that old stuff would have been treasured by someone who needed it. Throwing stuff like that out is extremely unfortunate for everyone else around you.
That's an extreme example of course. But restored equipment will be expensive because of the work needed to return it to calibrated, working condition (reliably of course).
That response was due to your arrogant stance to bolly's reply. You merely had a small taste of the way you posted to him. This site is actually one of the better places on th net for civil conversation - until you show your darker underside that is. In other words, sometimes you reap what you sow.
Try to include more important and complete information in your post when requesting help and you won't be misunderstood. I think you would see most members are helpful and willing to give you a hand. In your initial post, we only had a figure of "plus a pile of another hundred of random and military tubes...", so what were we to think. You also indicated that you were in the greater Boston area "occasionally", so to be helpful another member (bolly) joked a bit with you, but you never know something unless you ask or make a comment. Your response to that was out of line.
Some members here visit Canada occasionally, and I'll be helping them out. I am also mailed equipment and parts from the 'States, so I found bolly's quip half reasonable. Yes, it is obvious that if you aren't travelling up here, it makes zero sense to mail them here.
People, on average, will be as helpful as you allow them to be.
-Chris
Hi Paul,
Send me a PM here at diyA in June once you are back and we can set up a time and day. Week-ends generally are best for me.
The nice thing about the AVO is that I can set it up using the tube manufacturer's data sheet test conditions and test at actual operating voltages and currents.
Time/date... I am back in the states, and these things are taking up a lot of room... ;-)
Want a free set of the Harvard Classics? I seem to not be able to give stuff away.
I am less than an hour from you, and will be in Maine tomorrow (7/20).... we should have a tube party ;-) Party gifts will be 6AX7's ;-) I can let the vacuum hounds sort through the stuff I have.
OP: If you're looking for a place to sell some stuff MIT has an electronics swap meet in Cambridge I think you only have to pay like 20 bucks to be a one time seller. You would be able to pretty easily unload some tubes and random gear there. Though you wouldn't be able to get that much for stuff.
Hello,
Famousmockingbird, you are only 30 minutes from me, or less, so perhaps you can test them, I will remunerate accordingly. and I did not know that MIT has a swap meet; When I was a kid we went to the Hoss Trader's field day down in (if I recall correctly) Boxborough MA , where real tinkerers played... but I need to test these tubes before I sell them, as I was taught that quality exceeds price. None of them have ever been used, and they are NIB. The other 140 or so are a crap shoot.
I have a friend that is under the green dome, and perhaps I may just be able to walk in. .I haven't been there in a decade.
Thank you Junits15 and famousmockingbird....
Famousmockingbird, you are only 30 minutes from me, or less, so perhaps you can test them, I will remunerate accordingly. and I did not know that MIT has a swap meet; When I was a kid we went to the Hoss Trader's field day down in (if I recall correctly) Boxborough MA , where real tinkerers played... but I need to test these tubes before I sell them, as I was taught that quality exceeds price. None of them have ever been used, and they are NIB. The other 140 or so are a crap shoot.
I have a friend that is under the green dome, and perhaps I may just be able to walk in. .I haven't been there in a decade.
Thank you Junits15 and famousmockingbird....
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No problem, I wouldn't mind helping a fellow forum member out. PM me to work the deetz out. I work from home so I am around the majority of the time.
Hosstraders was in Deerfield NH, there was a radio show in Boxboro up until very recently. (Maybe on going, I haven't gone in a few years.)
Since famousmockingbird has offered to test them instead, I think that is a fine option given my schedule.
Thank you all for the info... (last time I was at Hosstraders was 40 years ago ;-) My dad was into 'high-energy physics' (nicer term than 'nuclear'), as his thesis advisor was Phil Morrison, and with WWII that is why I ended up with too many tubes and random equipment. The amps made great room heaters, and we wired them to the basement to keep the ambient temperature down. (Note to self: never hand-wire an output transformer again, even with a lathe ;-)
I will PM famous to set up a day/date/time.
Thanks again.
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