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Post subject: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 6:55 am
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How does Fender decide what pre-amp tubes to put in their amps in the factory? There are a number of Groove Tube branded 12AX7 tubes from Sovtek, JJ and China to choose from so how is the choice made? For example, my DRRI came with Groove Tube branded JJ in V1, V2 and V4 but a friends Supersonic 22 came with Groove Tube branded Chinese tubes in the pre-amp.

Is the decision based on the intended voicing of the amp, what's available at the time or just random?


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Post subject: Re: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 8:57 am
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The companies probably buy the cheapest (but decent quality) tubes they can get. If they save $.25 a tube and produce 5000 amps that is $1,250 in savings per tube, say there are 6 tubes in an amp that is a $7,500 in savings. Plus they may save another $.25 per tube in bulk purchases. The bottom line is always important to any company of course......

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Post subject: Re: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 12:25 pm
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desertbluesman wrote:
The companies probably buy the cheapest (but decent quality) tubes they can get. If they save $.25 a tube and produce 5000 amps that is $1,250 in savings per tube, say there are 6 tubes in an amp that is a $7,500 in savings. Plus they may save another $.25 per tube in bulk purchases. The bottom line is always important to any company of course......



I agree, it is money because people look first how much a amp cost than how it sound :(


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Post subject: Re: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 4:59 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
desertbluesman wrote:
The companies probably buy the cheapest (but decent quality) tubes they can get. If they save $.25 a tube and produce 5000 amps that is $1,250 in savings per tube, say there are 6 tubes in an amp that is a $7,500 in savings. Plus they may save another $.25 per tube in bulk purchases. The bottom line is always important to any company of course......



I agree, it is money because people look first how much a amp cost than how it sound :(


+2

Bean-counters now drive the bus instead of production engineers and the bottom line is always the bottom line.

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Post subject: Re: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:50 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
desertbluesman wrote:
The companies probably buy the cheapest (but decent quality) tubes they can get. If they save $.25 a tube and produce 5000 amps that is $1,250 in savings per tube, say there are 6 tubes in an amp that is a $7,500 in savings. Plus they may save another $.25 per tube in bulk purchases. The bottom line is always important to any company of course......



I agree, it is money because people look first how much a amp cost than how it sound :(


+2

Bean-counters now drive the bus instead of production engineers and the bottom line is always the bottom line.

Arjay

+3
They pass their savings on to...nobody!
The customer ends up having to upgrade to better tubes/speakers,etc., or "dealing with" the lesser components.

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Post subject: Re: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:30 am
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Fender now owns Groove Tubes. Even so, how dare they not use premium NOS tubes! What's another $500 added to the price of that DRRI?
By the way, this does not mean that Fender now makes tubes.
Neither does Groove Tubes make tubes. There are only a few actual tube manufacturers, and everybody buys from them and re-labels these tubes with their own brand. They all get their stuff from the same few places.


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Post subject: Re: Question About Factory Fitted Tubes
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 9:46 am
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evets618 wrote:
There are only a few actual tube manufacturers, and everybody buys from them and re-labels these tubes with their own brand. They all get their stuff from the same few places.


Correct.

All vacuum tubes manufactured today are of Czech, Russian, or chicom origin.

Arjay

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