Vintage NOS Quad Groove Tubes 6L6 Sylvania STR387 RARE!

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Up for grabs from a large personal collection of vintage NOS (New Old Stock) Groove Tubes are some highly desirable (and many say the best ever) Groove Tubes 6L6 A Quartet (stands for American made) that were originally manufactured for GT by Sylvania back in the early 80's right in the USA. These are still packed in their old original GT style 2" clear plastic sleeves (although I will repack them better for safer shipping). These original Groove Tube Quartets were matched and packed about 25 years ago when Sylvania was still in operation and supplying companies like Fender and Groove Tubes with Made in USA power tubes. These were the Special Tube Request, which Ed Johns at the old Fender company requested to get better field service from the tube...they have a doubled Mica (look and you can see these are very thick) which gives them better support and so last longer in loud Rock amps...like Fender. This special tube was only available to Fender and GT, and a similar version called STR450 was created so Boogie could buy them...basically all the same tall Grey plate Sylvania 6L6 tube but with different STR numbers for different customers. These are STRONG hinest 6L6 tubes and have asolid linear tone for either guitar or HI Fi (I love these in my MC30 amps). Considered by many guitar players and Hi Fi Golden ears to be the VERY best US made 6L6 Tetrode of all time (yes tube geeks, I said Tetrode because technically the 6L6 has the additional beam former component (unlike the EL34) so it really has 6 parts not 5..making a REAL 6L6 like this a Tetrode, not Pentode!). Uhhh, but I digress, so like all USA made vintage NOS tubes you can expect triple the lifespan over Russian, Slovakian or Chinese made tubes...they will very likely out last YOU!I think GE made the best sounding USA 6L6, closely followed by the RCA and Sylvania (later aka ECG Phillips). But most players and HI FI buffs agree these 3 are at least on equal terms with each other. All good, each w/ it's own sonic signature and minor technical advantages. Frankly it's really hard to pick a favorite (so I used and loved them all!). No offense, but nothing made today from Russia, Slovakia or China comes even close to sounding and performing like these clear top beauties, with perhaps the single exception of the still currently in production Groove Tubes 6L6GE reissue which are 99% close copies made from some USA materials but assembled in the Shuguang factory in China for GT under contract...these come close, but nothing is like the original article. Use these to REALLY upgrade your sound; get that TRUE vintage USA tube tone for your Fender, Boogie, Ampeg, Peavey, or Marshall guitar amps, or that correct and original highest quality USA tube performance from your McIntosh, Marantz, Leek, Quad, Audio research or Conrad Johnson HI Fi Amps. This is a NO RESERVE auction with a low starting bid set well under the (per tube) prices I haveseen recently for USED GE 6L6 A tubes with auction copy that states "test strong" selling for $50 each...or really clean USED Quad sets for $400+!!But let's face it, new is NEW and used is USED, even moreso w/ vacuum tubes that can test strong and sound like crap and/or be noisy. Think about it; used guitar strings ALSO "test strong", but are worthless if you want great tone...so furgetaboutit with these used "test strong" tubes...they will typically rattle, be highly microphonic, lack bass or highs and have no tone at all...WHICH IS WHY SOMEBODY PULLED THEM OUT TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW TUBES A LONG TIME AGO AND THE YAHOOS SELLING THESE WORN OUT TUBES IN THEIR FANCY HI FI AUCTIONS HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO EVALUATE TUBES...SO DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY...BUT NOS WHEN EVER YOU CAN AND BE HAPPY!! Remember NEW examples of real USA tubes have exceptionally LONG life cycles that will likely out live you or your amp. This is a unique opportunity indeed, and when my small remaining quantity of these gems are gone t will be no more!FYI, I am selling off a part of my (wife sez too large) perso... read more

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