You may have a point there. The worst tubes I've
had with regard
to shorts are recent Eastern European imports. Used tubes rarely
give me this grief.
From accounts I have heard, with tube computers and 50s
radars, the first
six to twelve months were hellish on the tube swapping techs.
Anyway, I think comparing the recent Eastern European tubes to 50s
U.S. tubes is like comparing pot metal to platinum. The 50s and 60s were
THE time to use tubes - the quality was very high (at least with the
quality brands), and the performance of the devices was unlike anything in
the 40s.
William Donzelli
aw288 at
osfn.org