kvflyer
12-10-2011, 12:32 PM
For sure, they are made by Mullard and re-branded as General Electric, a very common thing to do. As for flashing on start up, usually the very early Mullard ECC83 tubes did that. Most likely, these tubes are later production and have a controlled warm-up design. Not all Mullard tubes flame up when power is applied...
jwrosenthal
11-24-2010, 09:29 PM
As he said, it's completely normal. The heater resistance is low when cold, and they draw extra current at startup. This makes them flash brightly for a moment until they heat up. Some styles of tube have a heater with a "controlled warmup", and they don't flash. Either type is fine, just don't mix the two if you've got series stringed heaters.
Also, don't go switching the amp on and off and on again quickly just to see if it flashes. That's really hard on the tubes, especially the rectifier. Always allow the amp to cool completely after you turn it off. Then it is safe to turn it back on again.
Do MC30's have series string heaters? I always thought signal tubes were a drop and go type rolling where any 12ax7 will work...I am apparently learning not so.