Groove Tubes

About Groove Tubes

Groove Tubes started back in the late 1970’s when Aspen Pittman, founder and visionary, hired some technical folks to explore why tubes performed and sounded so different. Aspen has always had a great fascination with tubes, tone and amps and his personal collection of vintage amps and tube recording mics hovers around 250+ pieces! Driven by curiosity, as much as an itch to start a new business, Aspen and these engineers discovered entirely new tube operating characteristics to measure and new ways of interpreting these test data results. This research became the foundation for the Groove Tubes performance testing and matching process we still use today.

Over the last 20 years, Groove Tubes has grown from a modest garage workshop to an international business with over 1,200 U.S. retail outlets and distributors in more than 40 countries worldwide. The company is run by guitar amp tone lovers, and while the organization has long since moved out of the garage, that tinkering workshop vibe has never left their day-to-day operations.

Now as the established guru for tube tone, it was natural for Aspen to expand his product line to include tube gear. His first breakthrough invention, the Speaker Emulator, allows the output of a tube guitar amp to directly interface with a recording console or a PA mixer. Based on this patent, Aspen formed GT Electronics, which eventually developed into a wide range of tube guitar preamps, tube amps and guitar speaker systems. Aspen also branched into tube based recording audio gear with the development of the GT tube microphones, tube compressors, mic preamps, and EQ’s. Perhaps Aspen Pittman is best known for writing The Tube Amp Book, the bible of all tube knowledge and coolness. Now in it’s 5th reprinting, The Tube Amp Book has sold over 75,000 copies, and has awakened (and educated) a modern guitar generation to everything great about tubes. Aspen’s products and his book have helped fuel the current tube mania that is sublimely afflicting all guitar players!

Groove Tubes was recently acquired by Fender Musical Instruments and is distributed throughout the FMIC dealer network.

Visit their website for a full product listing and more information or contact us directly.