MCChris Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I've owned a few SS amps over the years (Fender London Reverb, Fender Roc Pro, Line6 Duoverb) and heard many more. Nothing delivers the dynamic testicular fortitude of a tube amplifier.Who else will plug into a tray of glowing glass until they die?
harry65 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 count me in , little glass bottles or bust.................
psc3251 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Oh yeh- tubes all the way... Gigged for a long time using an ADA MP1 into a Marshall solid state power amp- sounded ace but I was never 100% happy live. Then one day the other guitarist walked in with a Marshall SL-X head- plugged it into his 4x10- took my LP and blew the shit out of everyone. I vowed that day it was tubes from then...... 2 x 12ax7's in a pre-amp just doesn't cut it live! Tube power amp needed !!!! Had a Jcm2000, a Marshall Anniversary head- now it's my Mesa Boogie Mark III- never a sold state amp again...... Cheers, Dave
harry65 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Oh yeh- tubes all the way... Gigged for a long time using an ADA MP1 into a Marshall solid state power amp- sounded ace but I was never 100% happy live. Then one day the other guitarist walked in with a Marshall SL-X head- plugged it into his 4x10- took my LP and blew the shit out of everyone. I vowed that day it was tubes from then...... 2 x 12ax7's in a pre-amp just doesn't cut it live! Tube power amp needed !!!! Had a Jcm2000, a Marshall Anniversary head- now it's my Mesa Boogie Mark III- never a sold state amp again...... Cheers, Dave great point, to me the key is a tube power section, i can live with a solid state preamp into an alltube power section, not vice versa however.................
psc3251 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Yeh- I agree with that! I did change the Marshall SS amp for a Marshall 9000 valve power amp for about a month- definately did the trick! Another little story........ A guy I know was playing a Schecter through a Line 6- 2x12 combo- sounded fantastic- if you imagined how a rock tone should be- he had it! The other guitarist had a Boss pre-amp (i think) into a valve power amp and into a 4 x 10. Sounded good too..... The gig that night, the Boss / Valve Power amp sounded really good- a bit processed, but clear and 'rounded'- the Line 6 sounded like a Mosquito in a beer bottle- just didn't cut through the rest of the band- and he spent all night fiddling with it because he was pissed that the other guy got the plaudits even though he wasn't the lead guitarist. The moral of this story is.....think 'tube'...........
zorrow Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Oh yeh- tubes all the way... Gigged for a long time using an ADA MP1 into a Marshall solid state power amp- sounded ace but I was never 100% happy live. Then one day the other guitarist walked in with a Marshall SL-X head- plugged it into his 4x10- took my LP and blew the shit out of everyone. I vowed that day it was tubes from then...... 2 x 12ax7's in a pre-amp just doesn't cut it live! Tube power amp needed !!!! Had a Jcm2000, a Marshall Anniversary head- now it's my Mesa Boogie Mark III- never a sold state amp again...... Cheers, Dave great point, to me the key is a tube power section, i can live with a solid state preamp into an alltube power section, not vice versa however................. That's my conclusion too. I still gig with an overdrive plugged into a Peavey Classic 50, as simple as it gets. However, I plan to definitively move to my Tech 21 Power Engine 60 using two solid-state/digital preamps: the Pignose Piggy-in-a-box (my rawk tone) and the Digitech RP-250 (for everything else, from chimey to spacey to funky). This way I'll preserve the "natural punch and dynamics" I get from a tubes-based power section, while at the same time I'll take advantage of the versatility of my digital equipment, as well as the amazing tone I get from my solid-state preamp.
blackfbiv Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Some bass players love glass too... I am one. Can't deny the enormity of wattage that the SS sytems deliver, but they simply sound flat to me. Something inherently 'musical' in using tubes for both pre-amp-age and amp-age. IMHO Maybe it's my sloppy style?... nah...
pi_hole Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Yay, tubes!I think I am in the minority, but I have ONE sound, so I have no need for this "versatility" business. I think when you try to incorporate too many different guitar sounds into your music (which modelers are undoubtedly good at) you give up the chance of developing a signature sound for yourself and a consistent, unified sound for your band (if that's what you're after... which I am).
BubbaVO Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Just bought a Mesa Maverick last night. I love them tubes! The TM60 is now relegated to back up/son's practice amp status. No hesitation about the decision whatsoever. Then again, I mostly play in the bedroom. I don't have to schlep that beast around.The TM60 is good. But the Maverick is great.
MCChris Posted January 8, 2010 Author Posted January 8, 2010 great point, to me the key is a tube power section, i can live with a solid state preamp into an alltube power section, not vice versa however.................I'm down with that. My Marshall Artist 3203 is a SS pre/tube power hybrid. A poor man's JCM800 for sure.Yay, tubes!I think I am in the minority, but I have ONE sound, so I have no need for this "versatility" business. I think when you try to incorporate too many different guitar sounds into your music (which modelers are undoubtedly good at) you give up the chance of developing a signature sound for yourself and a consistent, unified sound for your band (if that's what you're after... which I am).I think what we're gonna see is mostly original band guys in this thread and cover band guys in the SS thread.
harry65 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 great point, to me the key is a tube power section, i can live with a solid state preamp into an alltube power section, not vice versa however.................I'm down with that. My Marshall Artist 3203 is a SS pre/tube power hybrid. A poor man's JCM800 for sure.Yay, tubes!I think I am in the minority, but I have ONE sound, so I have no need for this "versatility" business. I think when you try to incorporate too many different guitar sounds into your music (which modelers are undoubtedly good at) you give up the chance of developing a signature sound for yourself and a consistent, unified sound for your band (if that's what you're after... which I am).I think what we're gonna see is mostly original band guys in this thread and cover band guys in the SS thread.peeps rave about those artists , gotta try one someday..............
Jimbilly Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 feel the warmth! This thing will toast marshmallows.
tbonesullivan Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I like tubes, though I'm not against a good tube/solid state hybrid. Tube driven solid state power sections seem to do well, and the marshall Jubilee amps I believe had solid state preamps, and many say they are some of the best sounding marshalls, ever.All of my guitar amps have tubes. One has tube everything, one has Tube everything with clipping diodes, and two have tube preamps, tube power amps, and a solid state EQ section with reverb and effects loops driven by solid state.
Steve Haynie Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 The only SS guitar amp that I just gotta have is a Roland Jazz Chorus. There is a vibe to that amp that is unique. I will echo zorrow on the Pignose tone. It is a solid rock tone, but there are youtube videos showcasing the amp for other types of music and even harmonicas. All of my guitar amps (other than the Piggy-In-A-Box which technically a head) are tube amps. There is no need to even try something else. I am happy with what I have. Like pi_hole I have one sound. Something to point out about tube amps is that friends have replaced rectifier tubes with SS units that plug into the tube socket. It changes the kind of crunch that comes out of the amp. So, the entire path of the tone circuit does not have to rely totally on tubes to get a good tone. When Peavey introduced their Transtube technology amps they were impressive. For most purposes they are just fine. I am more forgiving about bass amps. The Ampeg V-4B and SVT Classic heads that I had were really good sounding amps. The combo amps I have owned have been SS and worked well for their size. When I played bass I would go for a less distinct tone and go for the thud. Clarity was not that important as long as the sound was not muddy. If I have my preference, yeah, I will take a tube head. At the same time, SS bass amps often sound good. In a side by side comparison for the tonal range I want it really does not matter that much.
sonic1974 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I hunted down my amp: Ampeg Reverberocket re-issue. All tubes, two channels. For me, it feels like home. I used to have one back in the day, sold it, and now back to using it. It feels and sounds like me. I can see using some digital effects here and there, but the basis of my sound will always be tubes. I agree with McChris's comments above, guys doing originals will probably tend towards tubes.
JohnnyB Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I've owned a few SS amps over the years (Fender London Reverb, Fender Roc Pro, Line6 Duoverb) and heard many more. Nothing delivers the dynamic testicular fortitude of a tube amplifier.Who else will plug into a tray of glowing glass until they die?Me. Although I traded in a Mesa DC-10 for a SS bass amp, it was only because I still have my truly all-tube Top Hat combo with 3 JAN Philips 12AX7WA's, two RCA Greyglass 6V6GTs, and an RCA NOS MIJ 5AR4 rectifier tube.Clean, dirty, or in-between, tubes just sound so natural and expressive.
Bloozguy Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Who else will plug into a tray of glowing glass until they die? Yep...there's nothing quite like a good piece of glass Just bought a Mesa Maverick last night. I don't have to schlep that beast around. But the Maverick is great. Welcome to the Maverick fold. I love mine. I used to think hauling it around was a pain. Then I got a Thiele cab with an EVM. Now I'd like a fork lift The only SS guitar amp that I just gotta have is a Roland Jazz Chorus. There is a vibe to that amp that is unique. +1 If you need to do crisp and clean, that's the amp.
burningyen Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I think what we're gonna see is mostly original band guys in this thread and cover band guys in the SS thread.You're probably right, but I do both.
BlueRedWhite Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Nothing delivers the dynamic testicular fortitude of a tube amplifier. And MCChris says it better... man, can i quote you??? that is beautiful Glass+ Balls = Delivers!!!
MCChris Posted January 8, 2010 Author Posted January 8, 2010 man, can i quote you??? that is beautiful Yes you can. And I am a professional.
LostArt Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I keep changing amps but always go back to vintage fenders. everytime I plug into one with a few quick twists of the dials I can find a useable tone. tubes baby tubes!!!!!
yup Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 I love them so much, I used to work in a electronic surplus store which had millions of tubes for parts. I learned how to mod, build tube amps from all the guys around the shop and the broken tube amps in the shop, even useing tv tubes for guitar amps, talking about cheap NOS tubes.Yup
proxmax Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 as you can see in my signature i even like many tubes in my amp
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