[Bill Thomas]

     The picture doesn't do it justice!  This is as close to a brand new Mullard GZ34 as you will probably find.  This tube has never been used, other than to test it.  The tube has perfect printing and is wrapped in the factory cardboard and paper wrapping.  The box is almost as pretty with only a slight amount of VERY light staining.  Here's a close-up of the tube.



     I HAVE to ask $175.00 for this thing, but it really is a work of art.  If you need two of them, I have a "twin" to this one, but there is slight damage to the printing (approximately 10%).  It is available for $165.00 (due to the damaged printing).  It is also in the same factory cardboard and paper wrapping and the box is in the same condition as the one you see.

     I *warned* you that you were going to need smelling salts due to the price on this little gem!

     Seriously, I have MANY other Mullard-manufactured NOS GZ34/5AR4's in stock, starting at just $125.00.  The ONLY reason to purchase a tube like this is because you want a "Mullard-branded tube that is cosmetically perfect!  (OR, you're stocking a museum, NOT an amplifier!)

     I don't exactly expect to SELL this tube anytime soon (or maybe even in this lifetime)!  But, it IS available if anyone REALLY wants it!

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

September 13, 2008 Addendum:  Sorry, this tube is now heading off to its new home.  Thanks for looking.

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

[woodsyi]

Very Nice.   

Sanity check. 

I will stick with the rebranded ones.   

[Bill Thomas]

Hi, Woodsyi!

     If *I* were replacing a 5AR4 in an amplifier, I would do exactly the same thing you would!  This tube isn't for "using", it's for "looking pretty."  Kinda like having a perfectly restored Hemi-'cuda convertible.  If you actually DROVE the thing, you'd lose a hundred grand just by *starting* it!

     On the other hand, I *would* spend $100.00 on a NOS Mullard-manufactured re-branded tube with lousy printing.  There simply is no current-production tube that comes close, and they are getting more and more expensive by the minute!

     Just *my* silly opinion.

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

[DaveC113]

I've been keeping my eye on ebay for a while, it might hit $175 there. That tube (7-serration late 60s) is very common, even in NOS shape... You can get a used, but in great shape, metal-based Amperex for around $250. I got that exact same tube, a rebranded (RCA) NOS Mullard, for $70. 

[Bill Thomas]

Hi, Dave!

     I appreciate the comments and I understand where you're coming from.  Sadly, the days of finding absolutely PERFECT Mullard-branded Mullards, even the later 7-serration variety, are galloping to the finish line.  I also agree that this would be a $175.00 tube IF it were in "less than perfect condition."  But here, condition is everything.  As I said, this isn't a tube for "using."  It's a tube for "looking pretty."  I also mentioned that I didn't actually expect to sell this tube anytime soon (if ever).

     I don't know about your area, Dave, but around here (Western North Carolina) the RCA-branded Mullards are routinely going for $125.00 in "used, but test as new" condition.  Also, how many eBay sellers will give you a satisfaction guarantee?  How many tubes on eBay were actually as "mint" as they were described?  Don't get me wrong, Dave, but while eBay is ONE part of the pricing equation, it certainly isn't the ONLY part.  If you are swindled on eBay, it's up to YOU to go after the seller.  If someone thinks *I* have swindled them, all they have to do is send the tubes back and I will refund their money, as well as the postage to send them back to me.  Granted, when someone buys a tube from me, they don't get to enjoy being "sniped" at the last second, nor do they get to enjoy the excitement of the auction process.

     By the same token,  if someone wants a NOS/NIB Mullard-manufactured, RCA-branded GZ34/5AR4, I am offering TWO of them right now for $125.00 each!  That is 1/2 the price Vacuum Tube Valley is asking (and getting) for them.  It is the SAME price that "Used, but test like new" tubes are routinely being sold for locally.  Can you find them cheaper on eBay?  Probably.  But by the time you get through all the waiting for the auction to end, all the sniping, all the uncertainty and all the frequent disappointment you often get from eBay, being able to simply purchase a first quality tube for a little more than eBay pricing becomes an attractive alternative.

     There is NO question that $250.00 for a NOS/NIB Mullard-branded, Mullard-manufactured tube is a LOT of money for ONE tube.  But then, if you are looking for a "museum-quality" tube, it's going to cost a good deal more than the average eBay pricing would indicate - even for such a "common" tube as this one.

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

P. S. You mention that you have the "exact same tube, a re-branded (RCA) NOS Mullard"...  Pardon me, but while it may be *constructed* exactly the same, it is NOT a "museum-quality" Mullard-branded Mullard.  Does that make an electrical difference?  Of course not.  But it DOES make a HUGE aesthetic difference. (Just wanted to make sure we're comparing "apples to apples" here.)

[Bill Thomas]

     Yes, this tube is still available!  (Gee, is anyone surprised?  I know *I'm* not!)  But, if "pretty" is what you're after, THIS is the tube for you!  No hurry!  This tube will be available for *quite* some time, I'm sure! (lol)  I just wanted to give you "Oil Company Executives" something to do with those extra Dollars.

     Don't take this ad *too* seriously.  If you are looking for NOS Mullard-manufactured GZ34/5AR4's for HALF of this price or better, e-mail me for more details.  I Hope I can be of service to you.

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

[Bill Thomas]

     OK, let's find this tube a new museum, er home!  I have reduced the price to a more "tolerable" $175.00.  It is truly worth MUCH more than that, but it's time to let this Mullard start a new life as a "working" tube.

     e-mail me at [email protected], and I'll take care of the rest.

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

[topround]

Maybe you should have your own circle, for selling your tubes
or maybe try audiogon or ebay, lots of people willing to overspend there.

[Bill Thomas]

Hi, topround,

     I appreciate the comments.  I also understand why you feel that these tubes might be "overpriced."  But I can also counter that with a LOT of NOS Mullard GZ34/5AR4's were sold for $100.00 each.  The local "guitar guys" are paying $125.00 and UP for these tubes.  The prices have scaled upward DRAMATICALLY.  That doesn't mean you won't find some cheaper.  I've even mentioned that in earlier ads.  What I hope to provide is a source for high quality tubes, until the closet is bare.  I don't WANT to be in the tube business.  BUT, I'm not an idiot either.  I have been VERY careful to only keep the REAL NOS tubes in my closet.  And now I'm trying to empty it - eventually!  But I DO know what they're worth!

     I'm just offering to be a temporary source for high quality tubes for a fair price.  If someone doesn't think the price is fair, they don't have to buy 'em.

     I'm not criticizing you, I'm just explaining what *I'm* trying to do here.  These tubes are too nice to do NOBODY any good, so I'm making them available.  That's it.

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

     

[zybar]

Maybe you should have your own circle, for selling your tubes
or maybe try audiogon or ebay, lots of people willing to overspend there.

Mike,

Not too cool to be making a post like this in somebody's For Sale thread.   

George

[Bill Thomas]

Dear George,

     I appreciate your feelings.  But, I also understand topround's position as well.  When the going rate for Mullard-manufactured GZ34/5AR4's in the "real world" is around $170.00 for "run-of-the-mill" tubes, and I've been supplying a LOT of "top of the line tubes" for $100.00 - $125.00, it only "stings" for a few moments.  And when you consider that the major tube sellers are asking (and getting) two or three times that amount, I don't feel *too* guilty when my head hits the pillow.

     On average, I usually spend around three hours in e-mails and details per tube because I'm not a "ship it and forget it" kind of guy.  I also offer a 90 day guarantee on the tubes I am supplying.  I have sold MANY more tubes than just the tubes I have listed for sale.  Not a single one has been returned for ANY reason (so far).  I had originally planned to offer a couple of "loss-leader" GZ34's at $100.00.  But due to the listings, I had MANY more people ask about matched pairs and even triplets of GZ34/5AR4's.  I have supplied well over a dozen of these tubes at $100.00 each.  Not only have I had ZERO complaints, but I have had enthusiastic e-mails from almost EVERYONE telling me how surprised they were at the high quality of the tubes they purchased.  The gentleman who purchased a matched trio of GZ34's was positively "gushing" about how incredibly well-matched his tubes are, AND about their "pristine" condition.  He paid a total of $300.00 for his VERY close trio of Mullard GZ34's.  No, I'm not losing any sleep over the prices asked for these tubes.

     When people are spending HUNDREDS of dollars on simple Power Cords, or even THOUSANDS of dollars on a pair of 3-foot interconnects, $400.00 for a matched quad of NOS Mullard EL34's is an absolute BARGAIN - especially when they are Xf2 double-halos!  Not everyone will feel that way.  I understand and appreciate this.

     By the same token, I have a storage unit FILLED with old Dynaco tube-type equipment.  I spent YEARS collecting this stuff (just as I spent over a decade collecting these Mullard tubes).  Sure, I could just "push 'em out the door" for a song and let the NEXT "victim" worry about how SAFE or how WELL they worked.  But, I simply can't DO that!  Instead, I have taken marginal, or even DANGEROUS units and completely rebuilt them.  I have spent countless HOURS simply matching NOS Allen-Bradley carbon-composition resistors in order to provide the BEST possible performance.  But even THAT isn't enough.  I have documented my rebuilds with a LOT of text and TONS of pictures to make SURE that people know exactly what was involved in the rebuild process.  My goal here is to help OTHER people rebuild THEIR old gear with a minimum of "hassle".  I have been totally honest about both the rebuilds AND the tubes I am offering.  When I had a tube "go south" after listing it for sale, I didn't try to hide that fact.  I explained what my results were and then "de-listed" the tube.  But I also offered the purchaser of those tubes an even BETTER set to replace the ones that were listed at no additional charge, OR I was willing to send him a refund via Western Union so he would have his money back IMMEDIATELY!  (He chose the tubes.)

     As I said from the outset, "This ISN'T a 'fire sale.'"  I DO know what these tubes are worth.  I am trying to avoid the "greed factor" in pricing them.   So far, I have priced EVERY TUBE well BELOW the current "Market Value" for tubes of this quality.  Yes, even this "Museum Quality" Mullard GZ34.  At current "Market Value" rates, I should have RAISED the price, rather than lower it.  Sure, you *might* find a lower price on eBay.  But, unless you KNOW who you're dealing with, and KNOW how they "qualify and quantify" their tubes for sale, you never REALLY know if those tubes were just checked with an ohm meter to see that the filaments are still intact.  Tube testing is a mixture of art and science.  But even the BEST tube testers fail to test tubes under "real world" conditions.  At best, a tube tester can "pre-qualify" a tube.  If the transconductance values are similar, THEN you can get into matching the currents at specified bias Voltages.  This all takes time.  But you WON'T wind up with a pair of "supposedly" matched tubes that will be anything BUT matched when you stick them in your amplifier.

     I recall a pair of tubes I purchased YEARS ago that were supposedly a "matched pair."  Yes, they had close transconductance readings, but one tube was a Mullard Xf2 single halo, while the other one was a Sylvania-manufactured "fat bottle".  Would YOU want this "matched pair" of tubes in YOUR Output Stage?  This kind of situation WON'T happen when you purchase a tube, or tubes, from me.

     I really didn't mean to get into a long "explanation" here, but it seems that one was "itchin' to get out." (lol)  I just find it interesting that our friendly "critic" didn't bother mentioning that I am also making NOS RCA and Sylvania PAIRS of 7199's available for $50.00 - including shipping in the US.  That puts the price of the tubes somewhere around $22.00 each!  (Try and find THAT price on eBay!)  He also failed to mention the "Performance Pack" kits of tubes for the Dynaco FM-1 and FM-3 tuners.  $30.00 isn't a whole lot to pay for the six RF/IF tubes needed.  That's less then MOST tube sellers are charging for just the 6AQ8!  How many FM-3 tuners have a dead EMM801?  LOTS!  The going price for these "unobtainable" tubes is anywhere from $75.00 to $150.00!  I'm selling them, NOS/NIB Telefunkens, for LESS than the lowest "going rate."  I could go further, but there's really no need.

     In reviewing the MANY posts by our friendly "critic", I see that he has helped a LOT of folks "unload" THEIR overpriced "used" equipment.  Perhaps he should go to audiogon where "lots of people willing to overspend there."  Me?  I prefer the community here at audiocircle.  MOST of the people here seem to be friendly, knowledgeable and (generally) quite sane! (lol)  I also hang out at audio asylum at the "Dynaco Doctor's" forum.  (In case you hadn't guessed, I have a "thing" for that old Dynaco stuff.) 

     But, since it has been suggested that I might be catering to the "raised pinkie crowd" with my pricing, I think I'll go ahead and offer some "Low-dollar tubes" at "loss-leader" pricing.  I will post an ad for them later today.  Then, we'll see what happens.  (I wonder if topround will offer a word of "positive affirmation" to THAT listing?)

     The old expression comes to mind: "I disagree STRONGLY with everything you have said, but I will defend to the DEATH your right to say it!"  I think that coves the situation here.

     If the "tone" of this post is a bit negative, that really wasn't my intent.  I have no "bones" to pick with anyone who thinks the tubes I am offering are overpriced.  EVERYONE is entitled to their opinions.  I truly welcome this kind of discussion.  It always helps to "clear the air" about the reasons for the "price of admission" being what it is.  A lively debate can help everyone solidify their opinions and separate the "signal" from the "noise."

     As always, comments and opposing viewpoints are TRULY welcome.  The overall goal here is BEST summed up by the late Bob Tucker of Dynaco:  "The real art is bringing the greatest good (music) to the greatest number."  I am simply trying to continue in the same tradition.

Most Sincerely,

Bill Thomas