Groove tubes
- Thread starter TC 57
- Start date
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corliss1
Poster Extraordinaire
Groove Tubes rebrands and matches tubes made by other companies. You can usually get a better deal buying matches sets from well-known sellers.
nathan5782
Tele-Holic
I have a new set of Groove Tube 6L6 and on the other side of the tube it is Sovtek 5881. I'm pretty sure you are correct about them being in new Fender amps but not sure if they still are with current models.
Internally it can be 5881 which max dissipation is about 23...25W and can be replace 19W 6L6M and 6L6GA and 23W 6L6GB but not 6L6GC which dissipation is 30W.
Or it is internally 6L6GC (or 6L6GB) which can replace 5881 and other lower power 6L6 although not properly.
Fender bought Groove Tubes some years back.
Jared Purdy
Poster Extraordinaire
I have a bunch of them from previous Fender amp purchases. I don't recall if they were Groove Tubes or Fender rebranded tubes (they may be one and the same), but a Custom '64 Hand Wired PR that I bought new came with them. Seems to me, after about 6 months, the power tubes started to crap out. They were also in a new 57' Deluxe that I bought, and I believe the same thing happened with that amp. I keep them as spares for emergency use only. As for their affect on tone, I'm not the one to ask. If you're buying a new amp, then I'd use them until they start to show signs of fatigue, then replace them with what ever your favourite brand or mix.
One would do well to know what tubes were rebranded by whomever….Fender, GT, Ruby, Mesa, TAD, etc…..before buying new tubes IF one wanted to avoid certain tubes.
Jared Purdy
Poster Extraordinaire
Aside from a few vintage tubes, I have only bought original brands from thetubestore.com. They don’t carry Groove Tubes or “Fender” tubes.
I was responding to your reply to TC 57…..
I have a bunch of them from previous Fender amp purchases. I don't recall if they were Groove Tubes or Fender rebranded tubes (they may be one and the same), but a Custom '64 Hand Wired PR that I bought new came with them.
My reply was to say that one would want to know those rebranded tubes you have from those ‘previous Fender amp purchases’.
Hi!
Aspen Pittman was the founder of "Groove Tubes".
He was a tube-amp enthusiast, inventor and business-man.
He founded several companies, and also wrote some well-known books about tube-amps ("The Tube Amp Book"...).
The main goal for "Groove Tubes" (as I understand it) was to test and match tubes, so that the customer could have a reliable source of tubes.
Fender - among others - liked the concept, and bought the company in 2008.
"Groove Tubes" never produced tubes, and never claimed they would - see above.
cheers - 68.
This may be helpful to put things in some kind of "perspective"...
Aspen Pittman was the founder of "Groove Tubes".
He was a tube-amp enthusiast, inventor and business-man.
He founded several companies, and also wrote some well-known books about tube-amps ("The Tube Amp Book"...).
The main goal for "Groove Tubes" (as I understand it) was to test and match tubes, so that the customer could have a reliable source of tubes.
Fender - among others - liked the concept, and bought the company in 2008.
"Groove Tubes" never produced tubes, and never claimed they would - see above.
cheers - 68.
actually Pittman/Groove Tubes did instigate and take part in the production of the 6L6GC STR….a ‘remake’——take that loosely,okay? ——of the GE STR tube. This occurred in the early years of this century…iirc….with the machinery Pittman bought from the old GE factory. There was much written about this tube’s production at the time it was begun. Iirc, some of the physical components were done in the U.S., and the final assembly was done in China.
Hi!
Maybe I missed something...
cheers - 68.
I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved with some sort of tube-production - but I haven't heard of any actual/available products, yet.
Maybe I missed something...
cheers - 68.
I forget exactly when these tubes were first produced…sometime early in this century, iirc. Here is a review from 2008.
Legendary Tones - Groove Tubes 6L6GE Review
In this review, we explore the world of USA made power tubes and investigate the Groove Tubes 6L6GE.
legendarytones.com
Hi Wally!
The date may explain why I havn´t seen these tubes around...
I was mostly using Marshalls at that time - and it seems like they're not being offered anymore.
cheers - 68.
Thanks a lot for the link - very interesting!I forget exactly when these tubes were first produced…sometime early in this century, iirc. Here is a review from 2008.
Legendary Tones - Groove Tubes 6L6GE Review
In this review, we explore the world of USA made power tubes and investigate the Groove Tubes 6L6GE.legendarytones.com
The date may explain why I havn´t seen these tubes around...
I was mostly using Marshalls at that time - and it seems like they're not being offered anymore.
cheers - 68.
Engine Swap
Poster Extraordinaire
Bought a pair of Groove Tube 6V6 back around 1990. Fairly certain they were Russian or Eastern European origin. Didn’t care for them in my 1965 Fender DR. Very clean sound.
Those Russian tubes had trouble standing up in a DR. The screen grids were weak, iirc.
Henry Mars
Tele-Afflicted
I won't use Grove Tubes ... IMHO the just don't hold up well. I use JJ's a lot. There are better current production tubes though ..... They jus t cost a lot of $$$.
Sonic aspect aside you, are far better off with NOS or military grade tube when you can find them.
I put Grove tubes in one of my Ampegs and they would always short out and take something else out with them.
I don't know what they put in new Fender's these days but if they are Grove Tubes change them out right away.
Sonic aspect aside you, are far better off with NOS or military grade tube when you can find them.
I put Grove tubes in one of my Ampegs and they would always short out and take something else out with them.
I don't know what they put in new Fender's these days but if they are Grove Tubes change them out right away.
arlum
Friend of Leo's
If I have to use current production tubes I try to stick with JJ Electronics and Sovtek, (now owned by New Sensor).
Groove Tubes, TAD and Ruby Tubes mostly sell rebranded tubes. That's not always bad. Ruby Tubes comes up with some great product and I've used tubes by TAD with similar results.
Some of my favorite production tubes are only sold by The Tube Store under their "preferred series" label. Some come from batches of vintage tubes they've come across while others are current production. I buy them in matched quads or pairs and every set I've purchased has worked excellently.
Note that I'm not a fan of current production tubes so I tend to be pretty hard on them. That said ...... I've owned and used JJ, Sovtek, TAD, Ruby and The Tube Store "Preferred series" EL84s, EL34s, 6L6GCs, KT66, KT77s and 12AX7 / ECC83s.
Groove Tubes, TAD and Ruby Tubes mostly sell rebranded tubes. That's not always bad. Ruby Tubes comes up with some great product and I've used tubes by TAD with similar results.
Some of my favorite production tubes are only sold by The Tube Store under their "preferred series" label. Some come from batches of vintage tubes they've come across while others are current production. I buy them in matched quads or pairs and every set I've purchased has worked excellently.
Note that I'm not a fan of current production tubes so I tend to be pretty hard on them. That said ...... I've owned and used JJ, Sovtek, TAD, Ruby and The Tube Store "Preferred series" EL84s, EL34s, 6L6GCs, KT66, KT77s and 12AX7 / ECC83s.
gwjensen
Friend of Leo's
I just stick with JJs from Eurotubes. Great service, they match them up, and they sound plenty good to me. I'm just not motivated to go down the NOS route... but thats just me...
The Bohunk
TDPRI Member
You kind of nailed it for me. Whether an audio amp or a guitar amp, I rolled tubes. But the Princeton Reverb ‘64 hand wired sounds so darn good I still have the original tubes and speaker in there. It’s almost like I don’t want to mess with it which is new for me. Are these new tubes getting better?
