Amperex BB ECC82 - Real or Fake?

[hafp]

Would appreciate information on NOS Amperex Bugle Boy ECC82 tubes.
Read on another forum years ago that any Amperex BB tube stamped "Made in England" were fakes; real ones are labeled Made in Great Brittan.
Can anyone confirm this?
Pictures is of a tube pulled from an old reel to reel machine which looked like it had not been touched in at least 30 years.
The etching on the tube is k61 / R8J; and has the correct 17mm long plates with a square getter.
Thanks.

 

[316a]

The k61 Mullard is one of the best rated 12AU7 . Bugleboys were just ordinary Mullards and Philips valves marketed in the US by Amperex

316a

 

[DF96]

It appears to have the usual Philips/Mullard glass seam on top, so at the very least it was probably made using Philips tooling.

 

[kevinkr]

The few bugle boys I have all have much tidier labeling. These don't look convincing to me, but....

I have a small number of E82CC/12AU7WA Amperex made in Germany and Holland. Orange globe logo.

Amperex was a premium line and were always top quality tubes until Rich*rdson bought the rights to the name and started sticking it on tested military surplus sometime in the 1980s. (?)

 

[DF96]

I seem to recall that the R code means made in Mitcham, which is where some of the military and SQ stuff was made. It is possible that this originally had just a military CV number, but later was re-marked by persons unknown as a civilian valve. So it could be both 'fake' (Amperex label was a later addition) and genuine (made in a Mullard factory) at the same time!

 

[hafp]

The few bugle boys I have all have much tidier labeling. These don't look convincing to me, but....

I have a small number of E82CC/12AU7WA Amperex made in Germany and Holland. Orange globe logo.

Amperex was a premium line and were always top quality tubes until Rich*rdson bought the rights to the name and started sticking it on tested military surplus sometime in the 1980s. (?)

Yes my thoughts exactly; regarding the labeling being a little too "nice" for a 50+ year old tube that is a used pull.
The other comment about the tube being produced using Philips tooling makes sense too; as the tube has all the proper internal build structure.
Yet it does not have that "k61" tube sound.

Another recent interesting find is a tube labeled Webcor 12AU7 Made in GB.
This one also has the k61 etching, but date code is R9J4.
It also has short 14mm ribbed plates with a round getter.

From what I've been told, all real Mullard "k61" ECC82s were 17mm long plates.

 

[RE 604]

Hello ,

http://frank.pocnet.net/other/Philips/PhilipsCodeListAB.pdf

k6 = ECC82 ; 1 means batch 1948 - 1950

R = Mitcham ; Year 1949/1952/1955 ; October

I hope , I read the code correct.........

Kind regards , Alexander .

 

[316a]

From what I've been told, all real Mullard "k61" ECC82s were 17mm long plates.

Mullard 14mm anode ECC82 from the Mitcham plant exist . usually with a R0 1960 etch code . These do not have the stubby exhaust tip

316a