I will take picture and show you guys later. The pins are now straight, I managed to put them into a socket saver and that fixed the issue. I'm ok with unmatching serial numbers I guess, considering they all should be from the same year, even though 5 of them have a serial number string starts with a 2, and only one starts with a 3, a little strange.
I bit the bullet and put them all into the Lyr, sonically they all sound the same. The rest of the pins are perfect, besides that one (not the one with the serial number that starts with a 3), they look factory new. Maybe I'm just being picky.
Pretty sure Tele date codes are a little deceptive. I'll try to dig up the format.
There are a few pages on the Net that list the format. Here's one:
www.audiotubes.com/teledate.htm
It can get complicated, as a 1964 may be indistinguishable from a 1974 going simply by the date code. That said, here's a summary from the above link:
On the side of the tube there is a 7 digit code beginning with a letter B for Berlin or U for Ulm, and might end with a letter. You only need the first letter and the first 5 digits to determine the factory and the manufacture date. For example, U9208811:
U= Ulm, West Germany
Day=reverse the first and second digit=29.
Month=third and fifth digits=08=August
Year=fourth digit is the year, 8=1968.
Therefore, we have Ulm factory, August 29, 1968. Another example: B2009300
B=Berlin factory.
Day=reverse the first and second digit=02
Month=third and fifth digit=03=March
Year=fourth digit=9=1969
This code would then be Berlin factory, March 2, 1969.
Another good site:
www.tubemuseum.org/SearchResults.asp?Cat=23
Scroll to the bottom for the format summary.
