RudyH Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I tried a few tube amps and now I'm a believer. They really do sound better. At least the ones I tried do. I think they sound a lot better. My solid state amps are good ones: Line 6 Spider Jam and Roland Cube 30x. I had also read that clean sounds from tube amps and from solid state amps sound about the same. Yes, that's true, but the tube amps still sound better clean. Again, at least the ones I tried. I was looking at amps for use in the home and found that some low-wattage tube amps sound plenty good at low volumes. I like the Mesa 5:25 best. One that got my attention but couldn't find an example of to try was the Egnater 20 watt, which has two interesting variables: Can be adjusted from 1 to 20 watts, and has two different kinds of tubes and you can use all of one type, all of the other type, or a blend of the two types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 +1 Welcome to the tone nirvana side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Oh yes they do... really. But that is more noticeable at higher levels... at lower levels I have to admit I couldnt care less. It also deppends on what tube amp you are comparing to what solid state amp... my JC120 is a monster and with pedals it becomes a dist. monster. AXE swears by tech 21 amps, and that should be enough... and I have tried some and they are great (not as cheap as other SS amps tho). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshole Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I have a tubed bass amp, SS amps cant compare. You can push a tube amp, you try to push a transister it clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djroge1 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'd have to agree in general. Possibly the only exception would be in special situations. For example I bought a SS fender M-80 about 15 years ago - I only had need for clean sounds for the music I was playing and I was tired of lugging my tube amp around. the M-80 was 1/2 the weight at least so it was so much easier to carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovegibsons Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Tube Amps (and vox hybrids) FTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Tari Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Peavey brought a solid state head that sounds like a tube amp. I use one for my guitar. Its Peavey's Trans Tube Head. I've had one Now since they came out. I play it out of a 4-12 cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 OK, this is coming from someone who who loved tube amps all his life. I did change my mind though. I do agree that I can hear a difference between a tube amp and solid state one, especially at high volumes. But my Line 6 Vetta II comes pretty darn close to reproducing the sound of a tube amp. They actually did a great job making it sound different at various volumes too. But there's something that's more important to me. I can get 1,000 different types of sounds out on my modeling amp (not to mention every effect in the world), which just can't be done with a tube amp in general. So for me I'll take the versatility of the modeling amp over the genuine tube amp, but that's just my choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_randy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Oh yea,tube is the way to go for ultimate tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV-Zeppelin Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Re: thread title Duh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbomb76 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 As a rule, yes, but I think if someone knows how to set their amp (just like if someone's willing to get familiar with the tremelo on their guitar) you can get close enough not to care. I use my Marshall AVT 50-watt head alongside the "leader" of one of my bands' all-tube Marshalls, and it's hard to tell the difference. Of course, I also play with cranked mids, half-cocked bass/treble, the gain at 9 'oclock instead of full-blast and the volume at noon, and I just use my Blues Driver for solos. Show up at one of our shows and you won't know who has the real tubes. Most full-solid-state amps are not so hot in the overdrive department, and I used to swear by my old silverface Twin (THE best ear-shattering clean EVER...not that I ever play clean though), but now I like the lack of maintenance and consistency of my hybrid head. I just upgraded to a nice TungSol 12ax7 in the preamp and it's a much nicer beast. It's all in the wrist, boys. H-Bomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 There is only one thing I hate about tube amps......the price of the tubes. Way too much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homz Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 yep much better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynadude Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 The nice thing about SS amps is the used prices. I picked up a Peavey Studio Pro 112 for $20 a few weeks ago. I removed the chassis and made it into a remote cabinet for my Champion 600. I use it when I play lap steel, as the 12 inch speaker handles the low end better. Now I can use the amp and reverb tank for another project. Sweet. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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