60's Mullard 12ax7s value

I have the possibility to buy two unused Mullard 12ax7s from the sixties for about $200.00. Would you say this is a good deal or nothing special? I've just started to look into the NOS market and my knowledge isn't the best, although I'm trying to learn. How much is the going price for these?

Best regards

paw

Thanks for the reply gts.

Think I'll just have to read a lot and check out some sites to get to know the market and going prices. I've actually read TimbreWolf's thread a while ago but didn't get much out of it back then. I may find it more useful now though. And thanks for the tip on the late 50's mullards. Seems like "the earlier the better" when it comes to preamp tubes.

No, it depends on what you want. Some of the very highest quality of all were made at the very end of Western tube manufacture in the early 1980s.

Personally I would not pay $100 for two NOS Mullards, let alone each - not without being able to test them, especially for microphonics, which they can be prone to and which a tube tester will *not* show up, for those sellers who quote 'test good'. I know that the prices are starting to get up there but they are not that much better (if at all) than most other NOS tubes, and you could get quite a number of very good other tubes for that sort of money, probably enough to retube your whole amp. If you know what to look for you can easily pick up bargains even today - or get caught out badly - bearing in mind that some old tubes were deliberately re-labeled even back in the day when there wasn't the sort of price premium for Mullards that there is now.

Adding to Trem's post...a great one by the way,

Start checking out ending auction prices for the tubes you are looking for in eBay, US. Some US sellers ship internationally, and there are European sellers quite active in the US eBay site. Also eBay's UK site is good for sourcing vintage Mullards and Brimars.

As far as the '58 or '59 Mullards go, I agree, but that is when the longplate Mullards were made. Those tend to be much more expensive and more tending towards microphony than the early 60's shortplate ones. Trem's caution about the microphonic thang is really important for guitar amp usage, particularly when vintage tubes are used in combo amps where lots of wattage and sound pressure levels can rattle tubes around. Much more stressful of an environment is found for tubes in a powerful combo guitar amp than hifi setups. You should ask if the tubes have been tested in an actual circuit for microphonics at least if you can't hear them yourself.

The Philips family of maufacturors' tube products (Philips, Amperex, Siemens, Mullard, Valvo, Rogers, Electrohome) have similarities in their product's designs for certain years and build styles. The 12ax7 Mullards most commonly used and referred to in print are the short plate designs built from the early 60's. Shortplate 12ax7's were all found under the above labels at that time. My personal faves in Philips family short plate 12ax7's tonewise are Siemens, Amperex, and Electrohome.

And there is no way I'd spend two hundy for two NOS Mullards, either. I'd much rather buy tubes that are used, they tend to sound better than a brand spanking new tube that can be excessively bright on the top end. Remember that NOS means NEW old stock, unused except maybe in a tube tester of very briefly in circuit, period. Lots of sellers unethically call their vintage products NOS when not the case.

Slightly to moderately used VOS (vintage old stock) is by far the better buy in vintage tubes.