Tube vs Solid State

[Andre S]

Last Battle of the Bands' date=' I was the only amp that could be heard about 150 feet back, everyone else had so much distortion and a solid state amp to be heard, it all got washed out[/quote']

 

hmm.

 

I'm glad that my hybrid and tube amp don't distort even with the volume cranked....Nice loud, clean sound to build on, if I need to; So pedals can be used for any overdrive...

[duane v]

Would love to have a Vox AC30 to do a sound clip comparison with the crate v30. I bet you might have a harder time telling the difference than you would think. Check one out sometime...the american made ones from St Louis Music Co.' date=' Not the Vietnam made ones...yuck! Run's hot with the same preamp and output tubes as the vox.

 

 

J[/quote']

 

To me my Asian made AC50CP sounds pretty wicked, especially with the Celestion 30's

[mcmurray]

Way too much emphasis is given to Tubes vs Solid State. There's so much more to an Amplifier than just it's tubes. Personally I think Speakers have more to do with an Amps tone. Then' date=' of course, Quality of components and craftsmanship.

[/quote']

 

imho the amplifiers design is the most important aspect, more important than tubes/solid state, component selection, and speaker.

[djroge1]

imho the amplifiers design is the most important aspect' date=' more important than tubes/solid state, component selection, and speaker.

[/quote']

 

You make a great point. But I would say it's the combination of everything that makes a great amp. Obviously it begins with amp design but the signal passes thru ss components or tubes and eventually speakers.

 

It's no big secret that some brands of tubes sound good in one amp but not in another and the same goes with speakers. Some speakers sound better with certain amps. When you are searching for tone it's about finding what works with your amp... but it all begins with amp design and even the internal layout of the parts and wires can play a role in the sound.

[FirstMeasure]

Reading back it sounds like I'm saying they're no difference between SS and Tube. There's a difference, I just personally don't think it's the most important trait in an Amplifier.

[milod]

I'd agree with firstmeasure too...

 

A lot, though, may depend on your overall attitude of what you want vs what you need vs what's practical in terms both of cost and travel.

 

Sometimes I think nowadays that a medium-size PA and going in direct from a good multi-effect processor with the guitar and a mike for vocals and/or announcing would be the better idea for me if I were to start from scratch again and were to be doing mostly solo stuff and/or a duo or trio sorta thing.

 

But if I were to join a rock or country band that already had a PA, I'd make decisions of what to use based on what the band was doing.

 

If I hadda pull the old tube monster out of retirement, I'd definitely get a full set of replacement tubes and another fuse or two. There are so many variables, though, of "needs" vs "wants."

 

Frankly I kinda like the idea of not being in fear that guitar amp or pa will go down because of a bad tube broken in transport for whatever reason.

 

m

[charlie brown]

I use tube amps, at gigs...exclusively. BUT...I use a little Fender (early '80's Japanese) Sidekick 35R,

12" speaker, for practicing...and as a "back up" for bar or small club gigs.

 

It sounds decent, alone..but with a bit of EQ (Boss pedal version), and some light compression/sustain...

it sounds Great! And, in all honesty, that little amp has saved my bacon, more than once, when tubes

blew, or a socket shorted out, etc. I've never had to do ANYthing, to the Sidekick amp, except plug it

in, and turn it on.

 

CB