Foreign Manufactured Tubes with GE Labeling
 

I posted the same comments twice and removed the first one.

GE Markings and Imported Tubes
 

There are very many cases of tubes of foreign manufacture with a GE label and plant code on them. All of the plant codes I have seen are 188-5. That appears to be the place where foreign tubes entered the US distribution system and were relabeled as necessary. Many foreign tubes distributed under the GE logo also have the European coding down near the base which gives them away and provides much more detailed information. I have a couple of 12AU7s labeled 12AU7A/ECC82 also "12AU7 Gt. Britain" near the top. Codes near the bottom of the bottle show it as from the Mullard plant at Blackburn. It also contains the GE codes RW over 188-5. We have many examples of this, some of them also include the GE etched codes, some do not. The codes on these particular tubes indicate 1966 which gives rise to the question as to why GE needed to import 12AU7s, tubes that it could manufacture itself. These appear to have been OEM tubes in Ampex tape recorders.

The last year GE open date code I have seen is 1968, but I am sure they were also coding some tubes with the two bold white letter code before that. I have seen some 6AU6A/8425s coded with open date codes in 1977 and two bold white letters as well, but they were in Tektronix products and were clearly OEM tubes. This would indicate that they are likely to have had some different schemes for coding some OEM tubes. In this case, I suspect the placement of the two letter codes on the same tubes was to "refresh" the warranty on some tubes that had been in storage for some time. Not sure, but the 8425 might have been made exclusively for Tektronix.

I bought a box of RCA branded 6V6GT's new from my parts jobber in 1988. I think there were 48 in the carton, probably more. Dont quote me on the amount.
Anyway, there were at least 40 regular looking RCA tubes with red logo on the base with clear glass, and the rest were Russian made RCA's with the red printing on the glass. I questioned this at the time, and we were told that the new Russian tubes were exactly like the older ones. Well, I've still got a few of them NOS on hand. All of the Russian built ones are dead and gone now. A handfull of the US built ones have died, but most are still kicking in Hammond organs around here, including one of my own, and a few movie projectors in my collection. I think I paid about $5 each for them. I'm sure glad I kept them, now!

So, I'd think around 1988 was when RCA stopped, at least with the popular 6V6's.

EDIT: They stopped making tubes in the US around 1976. My dates are wrong in this post. See below.

RCA shut down their receiving tube plant at Harrison, NJ in 1976. They started buying everything in after that.

Industrial and transmitting tubes were still made by RCA at the Lancaster PA plant until the GE buyout in 1986. The plant was sold off to Burle Industries, who still make PMTs and transmitting tubes there.

I wasn't sure about the date anyway. The more I've thought about this tonight, I'm convinced you are right. I'll update my post above.

Seeing this old thread makes me wonder what's Doug's up to.....I think I lost his number though..my old phone died when I threw it at a wall. Who would'a thought??

There are days when I'd like to see my cell phone experience death by wall......

I don't know drh4683's number, but his email address is still within one of his old for sale posts here.