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with all the new tube amps and the tube tone craze, dont you guys think that tubes are making a considerable comeback? Could it be that GE and RCA will start making 6l6's again in the near future?

My question is-are we, as the guitarist population, making a dent in the market for outdated technology? LOL

comeback??? they never went away.

US companies stopped manufacturing them here, maybe they'll come back some time.

Most of the tubes that were still around in the early 80s were only still around because the military still used tubes....After that,countries like Russia, and China were the main countries continuing the manufacture of tubes,plus Russia still needed tubes for their military radio etc..

I'm pretty sure that the recent Groove Tubes 6L6 is being made in the original GE Factory and with the original tooling? This is a very cool step in getting great tubes here in the US like we had..

There were also environmental issues that helped those companies make the decision to pull the plug.

Even with the current renaissance in tube guitar amps, the quantities we consume pale by comparison to what was used in the 50's when every radio, airplane, radar, TV, oscilloscope, even computers had tubes in them.

I believe Groove Tubes obtained the guts of the GE 6L6 factory, but relocated them to a new building.

In this market, it's still easier to make a buttload of tubes in foreign countries where: 1) the factories are still standing, 2) labor's cheaper, and 3) environmental regs aren't as stiff. Of course, you then have to quot;inspect quality inquot;. Most quality gurus will tell you that's a no-no, but it's the only viable solution in this limited market place.

I just wish some one would start making new ECL86's, I'm tired of stockpiling the few I find on eBay. (See why on the quot;Workshopquot; page at the link in my signature.)


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97I'm pretty sure that the recent Groove Tubes 6L6 is being made in the original GE Factory and with the original tooling? This is a very cool step in getting great tubes here in the US like we had..

IIRC, GT actually ships the US 6L6 guts to China for bottling.
As for the environmental thing, it's an oft-cited factor but I have it on pretty good authority (a guitar-playing EPA employee) that tube manufacturing isn't so quot;dirtyquot; that it's problematic from an environmental standpoint. I'm inclined to believe that since GT's factory is in California: one of the tougher states from an environmental protection standpoint.
Finally, I'm inclined to agree with Rich that there are never going to be enough guitar amps to make it worth the historic big boys' time to retool for tube manufacturing. Speaking of retoolling, the manufacturing equipment was long since sold off and all their real tube experts have probably retired. On the off chance that they were inclined to re-enter the business, I suspect they'd do what GT does and relabel tubes made by offshore manufacturers.

even as large as the guitar amp market is these days, I don't think that alone has accounted for the comeback of tube manufacturing. There has also been a comeback in the highend audio market, which has helped the tube manufacturers.

the Russian companies were some of the first with newer tubes for guitar amps because they never stopped production. The Russian Govt. believed that tubes would survive the electomagnetic waves of a nuclear war, so long after US electronic companies switched to transistors, the Russians were still using tubes in quot;state of the artquot; military equipment.