Crate VC6112 & Groove Tubes

[Gary]

The amp has a 12au7 and 4 12ax7r tubes in the preamp stage, and 2 EL34's in the power stage. All the tubes are labeled as being Groove Tubes, but I've heard that Groove Tubes actually buys other companies tubes, and then relabels them as their own. Seems kind of cheesy....but anyway.

I've heard some good things about Svetlana tubes, and was wondering what you folks think about them. Up until buying this amp, I'd always been a solid state guy, and really have no experience with tube amps. I know what I'm doing electrically, but as far as knowing which tubes to buy as replacements, I have no idea. I'm not planning on switching them out now, but want to go ahead and buy some tubes just in case.

One curious thing I found after looking into the guts of the amplifier, is that for an amp advertised as being "all-tube" there seems to be an inordinate amount of transistors in there.

 

[TedB]

The Svetlana EL34s will work fine in that amp. The 'Groove Tubes' preamp tubes in it now currently are cheap, garden variety Sovtek. Groove Tubes does not make tubes. Replace those tubes with JJ/Tesla or Ei.

 

[Buffaloe]

I recommend JJ tubes, which you can find on the cheap at www.eurotubes.com The VC series is a decent amp for not very much bucks. They aren't built real solidly so you'll want to get the Dumble for the road. Some of the transisters you see inside may have to do with the active EQ Crate puts on this series of amps. I happen to have a 2110R for my office amp, and I've used it at rehearsal. The thing just screams for supposedly being 15 watts class A. I do think it will catch on fire one of these days as I sat on it the other nite while playing and thought my butt had fallen on the stove.