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Look for a 1938 Blazmonic Trumpet Lad Elite "Petunia Rhinocerous" 717A quadruple triode

Grainger49,

The small signal tubes are usually made as compact as possible- so the shapes are usually regular and not immediately impressive shapes. Really a typical 845 is far more interesting looking than any 12BH7 or 12AU7.

Still, there is such stuff in the tube world that nightmares are made of. I think you have to look into big old power tubes and prewar signal tubes , thyratrons, compatrons for the visually stunning. The strangest tube I ever saw (photos)was a mercury vapour rectifier that had a large globe with several other glass pipes running in and out in loops- absolutely bizarre. If one of these could be energised to glow on it's own- and these produce an intense blue mercury vapour light all over, it would make a table lamp that would make strong men faint. Actually, I saw amplifers at the HE2206 show with these tubes I'd never heard of- big Amperex 833 (I think) that look like some kind of bizzare pillows for medical research- and these amplifiers were open to see these amazing tubes- each monoblock had only one of these tubes that can apparently disappate 150W each. The amplifiers too were something so expensive that there could be more fainting of strong men from tubes- $40,000 a pair?

My suggestion is to go on Ebay and look for generic lots of tubes- just do a search "tubes" or "tubes lot", and look at tubes with very short numbers- 45, 23- the older the more unusual. German Ebay too has a lot of big prewar globe tubes, many with extremely unusual shapes and sometimes coated a dusky gold or brown inside.

I don't think yours is such an eccentric request, I think most people that are interested in tubes appreciate the strange intricacy of these. I see them as little buildings under glass- tiny architecture in a museum case- and even ordinary ones are physically fascinating in design and detail.

Don't spend TOO much time looking for a "1938 Blazmonic Trumpet Lad Elite Petunia Rhinocerous 717R-WA quadruple triode" - they're almost all in the hands of the Rosacrucians for religious reasons.

Cheers,

Bambi B


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