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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:01 pm
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Yeah but this twins 10 years old and the GTs in it are still stock so you can imagine how much it needs some new ones....

Maybe some winged =c=s would go nicely in it (When i get the cash)

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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 12:24 pm
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Always test things in store before buying but...
in a store you are listening in less than good conditions, and along with 100 others also trying out their latest shread attempt with everything set at # 11.

In the shop it sounded OK, once home and compared with a silverface opinion on its sound began to change.

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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:30 pm
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GT has been known for their rigorous and sophisticated tube testing from the late 80's to the early 2000's. Aside from Mesa Engineering and a few small highly committed folks like, Upscale and Hi Test, there was only the basic old Hickock testing available to the public. Somehow the quality of testing declined. Recently, I had to reject two pairs of 6L6GE's for a '65 Band Master retube due to a shorted tube in one set and an unacceptable disparity in matching in the other set(opted for winged C's Svets). Don't know what happened to their quality control. I have a set of 6L6GE's purchased from the California shop in 2002, that have drifted only 0.4ma apart after well over 1000hrs. Their tone quality is very close to my low hour NOS GE's. Also have a pair of '02 6L6S tubes( JJ built) that have only drifted 1ma apart(1500hrs). Guess a company might have dropped the torch when Mr. Pittman passed it off. ART

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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:05 pm
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Talked to the guys at Triode Electronics, they seem to think the latest batch of GT tubes are working out fine. So, maybe the company has turned the corner on quality control. The more options for tested tubes will help what's become a crapshoot for us. Had a guy bring a new matched set of 6L6GC's from a flashy vendor that claimed matching to the "nth" degree. BS, they were 5ma-6ma apart(it wasn't due to imbalance in the amp). That's not even within 10%. I reject that kind of bogus business mission. ART

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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:06 pm
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Tubes are part of the cost equation for Fender, Marshall, etc. when building their amps - especially amps trying to hit a certain price point. In some cases, they may use less expensive tubes, speakers, components than some would like because a majority of people are only willing to pay a certain amount for a Hot Rod Deluxe or a Blues Jr. So saying they suck isn't fair - they're a good tube at that price point. And people buying amps at a price point are generally less picky about a GT 6L6 vs. a blackplate RCA NOS version and the difference in sound.

There are folks on these boards who are fully competent amp techs that can gut a 59 Bassman Reissue and put in a tag board with all discrete components. Many can't. But just about everyone can change out the preamp tubes and speakers easily, which lets you customize your sound to the way you like it. Rock has always been about finding your own sound (at least used to be) so if you don't like GT, then try something else! Try different tubes. Talk to thetubestore.com or Mike K at KCA NOS Tubes. Depending on your amp, they may make big differences, or it may be subtle.


Fender has only owned Groove Tubes since June of last year, yet thought enough of them to use their tubes before them. Hopefully, being part of Fender will mean that GT may have even better tubes at their price points.

For me, I do know the next pair of 6L6's I'll try in my Bandmaster are the Groove Tube 6L6 GE's after a recommendation from a guitar guy I respect.

Just my $0.02.


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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:28 pm
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nedorama wrote:
For me, I do know the next pair of 6L6's I'll try in my Bandmaster are the Groove Tube 6L6 GE's after a recommendation from a guitar guy I respect.

Just my $0.02.


Let me know how that works out for you. Do you know if the guitar guy you speak of has compared them to say the SED Winged C's. I have heard great things about both the GT GE's and the SED's. Would love to know if anyone on this forum has had the opportunity to benchmark the two.

Where about's in the southbay are you. I am about 8 miles east of downtown l.a.

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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:37 pm
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He's been playing blackface Bassmans and Bandmasters since they came out, and has tried all the 6L6 tubes - these are the ones he likes for tone and gigging.

Redondo Beach. We play out at Stick & Stein, Suzy's, Upper Manhattan Club, etc as a band called The Toys or the Petty Gripes.


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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:26 pm
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My experience with St Petersburg manufactured Svetlana 6L6& EL34 tubes goes back as far as '89 and up to the present. They are akin to Sylvania 7581 tubes IMHO, solid and powerful, but not quite of STR stature. I especially liked them in my early '68 Twin Reverb(AB763) and '67 Band Master for rhythm work in the blues band. Retubed a '65 Band Master with the newer iteration(Winged-C),lately, for a young heavy rock player. He really likes the power section. My experience with GT tubes is in my previous posts in this thread. This is as close as I can get to an A-B tube test. ART PS. Neo I think we called that jetty "The Wall", does that sound right?

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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:34 pm
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IFor what it's worth.......I'm an old guy (63) I've been playing since I was just a kid, and I've had tube amps since then as well as some really decent sounding ss amps. both have their advantages. To be really honest, I really haven't been completely happy with tubes since RCA's
are no longer readily available. I'm sure there are some other senior citizens out there that will agree. That said, I'll also have to say that the quality of tubes recently on the market really don't seem to be that different from one another (don't get mad, it's just my opinion) Groove tubes are supposed to be "Matched" sets. That may be, but once they've been heated up once or twice, I have to wonder just how matched they stay. Trying out an amp is good - to make sure it works- but it's gonna sound a lot different when competing with drums, keys. and bass, than it does in the store or your bedroom.I believe that a lot of good tubes are probably replaced unnecessarily. I own one amp that has ALL the original tubes after being worked hard for twelve years.(gotta admit even I'm surprised) And finally, what I like in the way of tone others may not, and the other way 'round. The retailers are glad to sell you anything you want. Tubes may or may not be the answer to your quest for tone. I have my doubts. We're all looking for that illusive golden tone, and it's probably been there all along, we're just looking in the wrong place.....just
do what works for you.


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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:59 pm
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I will be honest..I have GT 6V6s in my Super Champ XD and I have absolutely fantastic tone. I am quite pleased with them so far. I have heard nightmares about them so I was really concerned when I got my amp...but I have really pushed this amp and I have found that the more I push it and the longer that this amp is played the better the sound...that said..I am happy with my GTs.


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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:01 am
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Yeah Wolfman, I'm with you on the RCA's. I've got two from '65&'66, they're only 3ma apart(one is a little noisy) but man are they great, talk about depth and demension, just plug 'em in every once and awhile. The newer tubes, if they're reasonably matched, are fine for amplifying the pre amp, but fall short in longevity and character. I'm 60 and been pickin' since 9yrs old. ART

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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:00 pm
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Actually, if you hit the Groove Tubes web site, you'll read that the GT 6L6GE is almost entirely made in Sylmar, CA. Never been there to witness it though.


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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:36 pm
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rjake wrote:
Actually, if you hit the Groove Tubes web site, you'll read that the GT 6L6GE is almost entirely made in Sylmar, CA. Never been there to witness it though.


A lot of the US tube manufacturing left because of EPA regulations, there's some nasty stuff in there, plus, tubes are still pretty much assembled by hand. That's why they make them in Russia and Czechoslovakia. I think if they were manufactured in Ca. the environmentalists and labor costs would make the tubes about a zillion bucks a piece.

Notice at the bottom of the page it mentions GT is owned by Fender, and look where Fender makes lots of their stuff, Mexico and China. Seems a little fishy to me.


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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 11:06 pm
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It's my understanding that GT tried to produce the 6L6 & EL34 in California during the early '90s, but soon moved the production operation to China. That does not imply the product is inferior, especially if the production managers are doing a good job. The information I read in the history section seems to be from 1992. Didn't find where it said the tubes were built in California in recent years, but my computer skills are very limited. ART

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