[jameshuls]

I just picked up the below item on ebay for cheap. Has anyone used any of these 1940s era 5y3s in any of the Hagerman gear. My Cornet is not running at the moment so I won't be able to listen to it for awhile, but if it does sound good it will be a fine deal. These rectifiers are typically less than $20.

[GRD]

I picked one up awhile ago at a Ham fest for my Cornet.  Tested after getting it home and it was OK but lower emission - so used but with some life left.  It looked great and sounded soft (muted highs) but not bad at all.  So I think that was due to the the fact is was well used.  My guess is a fresh one would sound very nice.  And they look way cool (if "cool" is not dating myself - and I've probably written beyond 144 characters already).

[amandarae]

Hi,

It's a good tube for the Cornet 2.  Here are some of the tubes I collected with great results in the 5y3 position of my Cornet 2




My two choices are the NOS Tungsol and the Radiotron/Cunningham S-Type.  The bottom right is a Mazda 5y3 and sounds different on the top end(extended) but great as well.   

Of all the tubes above, the Crosley, although NOS, test consistently lower (I have four now, a pair not included in the pic) than the others for some reason.

regards,

Abe

[jameshuls]

Thanks for the feedback lads. Yes, the ST type DO look cool. If that is dating ourselves (I was born in the '70s... I think I still can say cool), well...

I have amassed quite a collection of rectifiers of late... I think I have about 50 pieces of about 30 different types. I found in my few months living with the Cornet 2 that the rectifier made the most significant difference amongst the 4 tubes for my listening. We'll see again once I complete my project. I will keep buying the various 5Y3Gs, as they sell for such a small amount of money! I am curious about the Sylvania Fat Bottles from the 60s, but they consistently sell for $40-50. I have picked up 4 Bendix 6106s for between $25-40 so I am loathe to pay that much for a tube, just because it is rare. Such is the lot of the tubeophile in this day and age I suppose. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. I suspect the guitar players are driving the prices up.

I have also obtained some more interesting 12ax7s lately. Sometimes ebay is expensive, but if you wait long enough you can generally find some great deals. I have about 60 different types of 12au7s, including some of the most sought after varieties. These seem to go quite cheap if you're not looking for a matched pair, so over the past 3-4 years, I've managed to get a hold of pretty much every 'boutique' NOS tube there is. Again, patience on ebay is worth the wait.

I guess I have some tube rolling ahead of me once I am again listening to the sweet sounds of the Cornet...

Nice collection BTW Abe!

[david62]

I love the look of those old rectifier tubes.