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Old 30th Jan 2023, 6:39 pm   #1
G6Tanuki
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Default Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

They were one of the bigger post-WWII "alternate sources" of valves, along with the like of Z&I [Zaerix], Haltron, Pinnacle, Torvac.

Incorporated 19/06/1947 ,

Registered address:
204 CHURCH RD.
HOVE
BN3 2DJ

No sensible records show up on Companies House as to when they ceased trading.

The postcode BN3 2DJ seems to have lots of companies associated with it; I suspect it is an 'accomodation address' or an accountants who dealt with company registrations; maybe they took on BAC ro wind them down?

There is this reference: http://primrosehillhistory.org/?p=1604 to an address/shop at 38 Chalcot Road, Primrose Hill, London.


There seems to be little real information about who they actually were, or where they sourced their valves.

Who knows?

I've got a set of Bentley Acoustic Corporation valves in an Eddystone S.750 - Not sure if they are original or replacements....
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 6:56 pm   #2
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

They were remarkers like Pinnacle. They sourced valves from all over the place - some were overstocks from British companies, but they also sourced a lot from eastern Europe and the USSR. If you're lucky you may find Philips or Mullard factory codes on them.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 7:08 pm   #3
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Yes, the ones I have here [the likes of ECH42 and 6BA6 and an EB91 in the noise-limiter] look rather more like Mullard or Brimar than anything smuggled out from the 1950s/60s COMECON countries.

I'm more intrigued as to understanding the business behind the company. Who were the shareholders/investors? What profits did they declare? Would I have wanted to invest in them? To me this side of the 'radio' industry is just as intriguing as the technical side.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 7:20 pm   #4
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Ts & Cs
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 7:25 pm   #5
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Bentley acoustic were based in the old police station Littlehampton. Behind the railway station. In the seventies I used to get my valves from them. Very strange guy who ran the place. The old police station was demolished in the 1980's, replaced with new flats. I will look through my old photos tomorrow to see if I have any pictures.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 7:31 pm   #6
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

A lot of these remarkers were quite small operations often associated with the sort of general electronics hobbyist shops which were everywhere in the 50s and 60s, particularly in suburban London.

Colomor did a lot of remarking at one time.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 7:40 pm   #7
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
A lot of these remarkers were quite small operations often associated with the sort of general electronics hobbyist shops which were everywhere in the 50s and 60s, particularly in suburban London.
That's what fascinates me. A list of the company's shareholders might be enlightening - just as the backstory of the 1950s "Relda Radio" reveals that Relda was Adler spelled backwards the business of a German migrant who post-WWII settled in the UK, which in turn spawned "Eagle" who sold lots of audio-stuff in the 60s/70s and were also the people behind "Altai"

https://www.ukdj.co.uk/general-store...agle-altai-m20

I really like researching these business-related threads.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 7:42 pm   #8
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

I doubt if many of these operators had shareholders as such.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 8:51 pm   #9
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobdger View Post
Bentley acoustic where based in the old police station littlehampton. Behind the railway station. In the seventies I used to get my valves from them. Very strange guy who ran the place. The old police station was demolish in the 1980s, replaced with new flats. I will look through my old photos tommorow to see if I have any pictures.
Bob
Yes, I lived just round the back of them as a youth. I used to visit to get valves, the place was totally cluttered, the stairs were down to half width due to boxes on every step. As has been said they remarked surplus valves and the quality was very variable.

Peter
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 9:53 pm   #10
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

I definitely remember going to the shop at Chalcot Street in Chalk Farm NW1, once or possibly twice, in the late 60`s or early 70`s, I recall they specialised in obscure Audio O/P bottles.
Funny old place, inside the shop was like going back in time to the 40`s.
Then I believe they moved to Littlehampton, possibly just as Chalk Farm a very run down area, started to get trendy and attract the Bohemian set.
Ken G6HZG.
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 10:28 am   #11
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Hello,

Can’t help with info as regards Bentley Acoustic Corporation, but it brings back a memory though…

As a lad back in 1971-72 I got a faulty PYE P76 Radio form the local Council Tip, which had an EBC41 that had gone to air with the giveaway whitening of the valve. I couldn’t find an EBC41 locally, so I had look farther afield and I’d seen the Bentley Acoustic Corporation adverts in Practical Wireless – so it was nice handwritten letter off to Bentley Acoustic Corporation ordering an EBC41 with a cheque from by my mum. A Couple of weeks or so later said valve arrived in the post. I eagerly popped it into the P76, and it came to life!

There were a lot of companies like Bentley Acoustic Corporation, quite a few of which were regular advertisers in the likes of Practical Wireless. This type of supplier/company did form a small part of the article I wrote about the Harverson 10/14 Watt amplifier in last year’s BVWS Spring Bulletin.

When we were building the guitar amplifiers in the latter part of the 1970’s we were buying valves directly from GEC, and I can remember (?) the GEC rep saying GEC had purchased quite a few of the final production run of the Mullard EL34 from Mullard when they ceased production of this valve. I can also remember at this time GEC were also relabelling an ECC83, which were of an Indian origin – This is all from memory though!

Crikey, heading off topic and waffling on now!

Terry

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Old 31st Jan 2023, 11:23 am   #12
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Bentley were prepared to stretch things a bit far when it came to the labelling. From time to time I've come across straight-sided valves of theirs labelled KT66 but looking like slightly smaller EL34s. They're actually, I think, some sort of 6L6GT (0.9A heaters, rather than 1.2-1.3A in 'proper' KT66s). They don't survive any kind of stress well and if they've been left unused they can be prone to being gassy (then again, so can actual KT66s). They're very much a 'cheap and cheerful' replacement for the real thing.

Cheers,

GJ
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 1:13 pm   #13
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

I came across a Bentley 'EL33' in a radio I got - it looked very tired...
It also looked suspiciously like a 6V6G and on checking the heater current, it measured at 0.45A... so it was a 6V6G !
Given the different bias requirements between these two I wasn't surprised at it's condition.

Andy
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 1:16 pm   #14
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

An odd coincidence... Somewhere I have a valve with the original markings cleaned off and a 'Bentley Accoustic' paper label stuck round the glass. It's either an EBC41 or an EAF42, I think the former.

I also remember the Harverson 14W amplifier, I think I still have the construction 'manual' for it somewhere.
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 2:36 pm   #15
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GrimJosef View Post
Bentley were prepared to stretch things a bit far when it came to the labelling. From time to time I've come across straight-sided valves of theirs labelled KT66 but looking like slightly smaller EL34s. They're actually, I think, some sort of 6L6GT (0.9A heaters, rather than 1.2-1.3A in 'proper' KT66s). They don't survive any kind of stress well and if they've been left unused they can be prone to being gassy (then again, so can actual KT66s). They're very much a 'cheap and cheerful' replacement for the real thing.

Cheers,

GJ
My 2 Bentley 'KT66' are more KT66ski ie a pair of 6P3S, here are a pair of each side by side, identical. Photo attached.
At least I got them free in a box that included a real GEC KT66 grey glass

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Old 31st Jan 2023, 2:39 pm   #16
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by radioman View Post
I came across a Bentley 'EL33' in a radio I got - it looked very tired...
It also looked suspiciously like a 6V6G and on checking the heater current, it measured at 0.45A... so it was a 6V6G !
Given the different bias requirements between these two I wasn't surprised at it's condition.

Andy
Probably a rebadged soviet 6P6S too!

Doug
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 4:07 pm   #17
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Hello,

I’ve seen a few of those alternate Bentley Acoustic ‘second source’ slim straight-sided tube 6L6’s come to a sticky end in 50-100 Watt Fender or similar make guitar amplifiers. There were maximum rating differences between the original 6L6 and the 6L6GC, but saying that they were still being sold as an equivalent of the 6L6GC.

Yeah, that's an odd coincidence... Thinking about the EBC41 from Bentley Acoustic, it wasn’t a Mullard or similar brand. It was probably of eastern European origin in the ‘all in one’ moulded glass envelope, whereas the Mullard was in the two-piece glass base and glass envelope – mind you this is all from memory and I may be totally wrong!

Regards the Harverson, if you can locate the construction 'manual' and is earlier than the one I’ve have here which dates to 1972. The reason for asking, when I was looking in to the Harverson amplifier there was some anomalies between my ‘later’ 1972 unit and assembly instructions and the ‘earlier’ unit that dated to the mid 1960’s. Seeing an earlier construction 'manual' would be interesting.

Terry
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 7:08 pm   #18
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Valvepower View Post
Hello,

I’ve seen a few of those alternate Bentley Acoustic ‘second source’ slim straight-sided tube 6L6’s come to a sticky end in 50-100 Watt Fender or similar make guitar amplifiers. There were maximum rating differences between the original 6L6 and the 6L6GC, but saying that they were still being sold as an equivalent of the 6L6GC.

Terry
This site:
https://www.tubeampdoctor.com/en/6l6...milar-to-6l6gc
still sells NOS 6P3S as a 6L6GA equiv also quoting "similar to a 6L6GC" Caveat emptor...
Max anode is 375v and G2 is 300v max dissipation 20W.
When I got them I did a test in a 50W amp with 480v on the anodes, they started red plating. I set the fixed bias voltage a bit more conservative but they went back in the drawer, I'll build a 25W amp with a pair of them one day...
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 7:25 pm   #19
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

I am sure there was an advert by Mullard, in a Radio Constructor magazine, that deliberately distanced themselves from Bentley - they were not an authorised distributor of theirs, and any valves obtained from Bentley labelled 'Mullard' should be viewed with suspicion. Though, I'm jiggered if I can find that advert!
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 8:53 pm   #20
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Default Re: Bentley Acoustic Corporation.

I also remember the premises at Littlehampton.
Knock at the front door, to be answered by a lady sounding like Minnie Bannister, from the Goonshow. - "What do you want, young man?"
" I want to buy some valves".
"I will take you to see Mr.?? - follow me".
Up the cluttered stairs to meet the gentleman described by Bobdger. He would carry on rolling unmarked valves across a white inkpad, embossed with whatever the valve of the day was.
I seem to remember that the valves were generally OK. An entertaining shopping trip!

Chris R
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