Groove Tubes R.I.P.

@?,*???&? · Post by **@?,*???&?** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:29 am

And their GT66 mic was always pretty decent too.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-t ... 7574.story

JohnDavisNYC · Post by **JohnDavisNYC** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:39 am

that sucks.

i guess fender will be selling it's own brand of tubes now.

john

Sean Sullivan · Post by **Sean Sullivan** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:05 am

So...it sounds like they are still going to be selling their microphones, no? I mean, they were at AES in early october.

If not, hopefully everything gets liquidated and I can score some of their microphones for cheap.

GooberNumber9 · Post by **GooberNumber9** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:09 am

Sad and strange a bit, also. I guess Fender didn't think the brand was performing like they wanted or something.

Veej007 · Post by **Veej007** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 10:08 am

Shit. The GT-66 was on my short list.

darjama · Post by **darjama** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 11:10 am

I've got 5 GT mics of different eras.I guess I better hurry up and pick up the omni capsules for my gt44 mics that I've been stalling on.

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 11:51 am

From what I can surmise (checked out groovetubes.com, read the LAX article, etc.) the GT name and products will continue to exist, but the operations are being dragged over to the Fender corporate monolith.

In other words, this news is kind of like when Budweiser bought Rolling Rock and fired all the employees closed the historic Latrobe brewery and started brewing it themselves in some other state. I might be wrong, but I don't think anybody needs to rush out and buy 69 Bricks before they're gone forever. Of course the folksy small company vibe - I have read the Pittman interview in the Tape Op magazine - is gone forever.

BOWIE · Post by **BOWIE** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:21 pm

toaster3000 wrote:that sucks.

i guess fender will be selling it's own brand of tubes now.

john

They'll probably just buy Sovteks, Shuguang, etc and stick their name on them which is all that Groove Tubes was doing anyway.

Nate Dort · Post by **Nate Dort** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:36 pm

They've been liquidating their warehouse in L.A. over the past few days. A few thousand square feet of tubes, speakers, slightly broken gear, test equipment, etc.

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 3:00 pm

nate wrote:They've been liquidating their warehouse in L.A. over the past few days. A few thousand square feet of tubes, speakers, slightly broken gear, test equipment, etc.

That sale sounds like good fun. I never tire of browsing through old organs with stuck keys and so forth.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:25 pm

damn I need to get a supre before fender wrecks that piece.
Anyone remember SWR before fender?

lancebug · Post by **lancebug** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:44 pm

Veej007 wrote:Shit. The GT-66 was on my short list.

So buy one. Most of the gear I've aquired this year has been out of production anywhere from 5-15 years. I still think the ATM25 is the best kick mic for the money and I don't think its price has changed since they stopped making it.

percussion boy · Post by **percussion boy** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 11:06 pm

It's a little cloudy so far what Fender's thinking, but they're not necessarily chucking the GT brand and/or all its products.

What they're doing now -- which sucks for the people involved -- is letting GT's employees go and moving all the GT-related work to other locations in the US and Mexico. Fender also had no use for GT's pile of tubes from other manufacturers, hence those got unloaded.

One ominous thing: a GT Vipre owner on another forum had trouble getting service from Fender, for a unit still under warranty. The dealer stepped in and bailed the customer out . . . but not a good sign.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:03 am

"crosses fingers and hopes to see GT gear unloaded through online retailers."
I have always wanted one of those md1b's

GooberNumber9 · Post by **GooberNumber9** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:26 am

calaverasgrandes wrote:Anyone remember SWR before fender?

Yes. Speak not of this again, it is a tragedy too terrible to contemplate.

Seriously, comparing the US-made pre-Fender Mini-Mo preamp to the MIM Post-Fender Mini-Mo was pretty suprising -- in terms of how bad the Fender version of the same product was.

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