Anyone use SHUGUANG tubes?

[Alan0354]

They are really cheap, any good?

[J M Fahey]

Well, YOU already do

Although under different "brands" .

[Alan0354]

No, I never did. Only new ones I bought are JJ. Under what brand?

[Resonator Guy]

I have used their 6V6s in a couple of '50s Gibson amps and they work well and sound good. They don't get much heavy playing, though.

[Audiotexan]

Yep. Great tubes for what they are. And they've been steadily improving quality over the last 10-15 years IME. Have been around since at *least* the 80's.

I've seen them commonly relabled as:

Groove Tubes (pre-Fender -haven't looked at GT in years)
Marshall
Mesa
Peavey
Ruby
TAD

Very common OEM tube for amp makers, among countless others...

[km6xz]

Currently the only reliably quiet and low microphonic 12AX7s are from Shuguang. Their power tubes used to be less reliable then they are now so old stock of EL-34's might not be so hot but those made in the last 5 years are really good. Essentially there are 3 factories making all the small tubes like we use in normal guitar amps, although there are many makers of large power tubes (larger than 1kw dissipation)

[Leo_Gnardo]

You'll also find Shuggies sold to the audiophool market under "Gold Aero" brand.

I've been using Shuggies sourced thru Magic Parts / Ruby since late 80's. With a lot of "guidance" from Magic's boss, they've gotten their production lines and quality control vastly improved over the last 25 years. I use their 6L6GC-MSTR, EL34B-STR & EL34BHT. I also get Magic's 5AR4 but not sure that's a Shuguang tube. I've heard there's a separate mini assembly line for those. Stan might you fill us in on that?

I find Shuguang 12AX7's to be excessively bright and "pingy" sounding, some samples almost to the point of oscillation. If you have an amp that sounds flat and tired, maybe that's what you need to perk it up some. OTOH JJ SELECTED, that is SELECTED not just any old JJ 12AX7, to work very well without that annoying zing in the high end. The good ones can be really terrific and "fade to black" as your guitar note decays, not hissing like a steam radiator.

[km6xz]

Which specific amplifier do you note the "pingy" sound? As you know, there is no tube characteristic that is that frequency selective. Inductance is barely measurable, interelectrode capacitance is on the single digit 1x10-6th. 3db points are better than dc to 60mhz or more for these triodes Are you referring to all amps for one specific amps give that characteristic. Did you measure a difference in harmonic content. I am curious because in controlled listening tests many of the common high end hi-fi subjective terms thrown around tend to evaporate.

The Ruby 5AR4/GZ-34 is made in Tom's own factory as a unique part. We modeled it after one example of a new old Mullard tube he had and tried various versions of materials and spacing until it came very close, closer than any other makes of 5AR4 by the other major brands in the 50s and 60s. That Mullard tube really performed differently than others with the same designation, with lower forward drop, higher current etc, the more it was tested the more impressed I was with the original. If you have an amp that uses one, or are designing one, that is the only tube rectifier I would recommend for a guitar amp.. Smaller loose sounding harp or blues amps could use the 5U4 for a looser compression effect that would be nice. The higher impedance of that 5U4 means less voltage regulation so the difference in response and note recovery.

[J M Fahey]

No, I never did. Only new ones I bought are JJ. Under what brand?

I said you used, which includes , of course, OEM tubes factory fit to your amps.

Some brands are mentioned by audiotexan in post #5 .
There certainly are others.

Silkscreening glass is cheap and easy.

Dear leognardo: tubes are incredibly flat, as km6z notes.

But ... but .... I *hear* differences !!!!!

Oh yes you do, I trust your ears, but there´s a direct explanation to that:

1) what does change A LOT between tubes, even from the same batch, is transconductance, which among other things varies gain and internal impedance (Rp).

2) the tube is not alone as in a Lab test fixture , where it will most certainly have flat response, but in a guitar amp, where usually there is a bright cap in the volume control (yes, a fixed one, without a switch to turn it off) so high transconductance=higher gain (all other factors being equal) which either sound louder = "brighter/better" because of Fletcher Munson curves *or* is lowered a little to keep audible volume the same ... which is brighter because the bright cap effect is stronger at lower settings (and none on 10).

So yes, you hear a brighter sound, the higher gain might make the amp more nervous or even closer to oscillation ... but the poor tube by itself is still flat as a ruler .

[Alan0354]

Thanks guys, now I feel a lot better. I ordered this set, it's really good price. Maybe you guys might be interested:Shuguang 12AX7B Set of 10 Guitar Amplifier Tubes | eBay

[Justin Thomas]

So, we're back to "this particular tube sounded this particular way in this particular amp at these particular operating conditions."

This is why I try to keep my tube recommendations limited to mechanical integrity, how many short out early, get microphonic, etc. Tone? Who knows... I find if they're not noisy, the bases aren't loose, and they don't short out, I can get good to superb tone out of just about anything. I'm a pretty small-quantity user, so... I have yet to plug in the only Shuguang yube I bought - a 12AX7. Otherwise I'm JJ, =C=, or S.O.S. (Scavenged Old Stock).

Justin

[big_teee]

With my short tube experience I've wound up Anti JJ, Pro TAD, and had pretty good luck with New Sensor tubes (Sovtek, Tung-Sol).
The TADs are China made, either to their specs, or with lots of TAD testing and Screening.
I've never tried, but always heard good things About Ruby.

[Mick Bailey]

Shuguang tubes are fine if you're buying tested tubes, but I've had variable success with buying tubes that have only undergone a factory test. The 12AX7s can be microphonic or suffer from mechanical noise, have poorly aligned internal construction or poorly-finished pins. My overall pass rate is something around the 70% mark when I also factor in early-life failures. This still represents good value. When you buy tested tubes from a good vendor those poorly-performing tubes are weeded out, hence you pay more, plus an uplift for the branding.

[Alan0354]

10 for $40 plus free shipping. Even if it is 50% good, it's a good deal already!!!!

I just bought this, I offered $30 and they accepted it. So I got 4 6L6GC!!!Four Current Matched Shuguang Chinese 6L6 GC Vacuum Tube 6L6GC | eBay

[big_teee]

Congrats!
Sounds like a hellofa Deal!
Let us know how they turn out.
T