Tube vs. Solid State

Well, what do you think?

I'm fortunate in that my amp has both tube and solid state, so I have options. If I had to choose one, though, I'd go with tube. It's got a much warmer sound, and it's what I use probably 85 percent of the time.

Tube wins hands down. Solid state can be good too, as can modellers etc but there is nothing like playing through a cranked tube amp. My tube rig has a Mesa Boogie Triaxis and a Mesa Simul-class 2:90 power amp through a Marshall 4x12 1960 cab - it is insanely powerful - too much so for playing anywhere but a big gig or isolation box in studio. At home I swap out th ecab and run this bad boy through a Palmer PDI-03 speaker simulator so the cops won't come calling - excellent tone. My Rocktron Prophesy preamp also has a tube in it which cooks the tone - adds the missing ingredient to the digital sound. To really 'feel' tube sound though, you have to play loud as hell through a good tube amp. Beats the hell out of solid state IMO.

I agree with Superhuman, they both have their uses, i have a Vox AC30 valve amp which sounds awesome when cranked, but for practice around the house i use either a Vox Pathfinder or a Orange Crush, both are very warm sounding and tonefull little solid state practice amps.

I have to agree with a tube amp. The only thing I would suggest is getting a low wattage tube amp if you are going to be playing in small rooms. I made the mistake of getting a 100 watt Triple XXX and Now I cannot turn it up past 2 or it makes me go deaf. I use my GNX4 to get the overdriven sound that I am not able to obtain by overdriving the tubes. The other option is a PowerBrake. These let you drive the tubes while keeping the volume low without damaging the amp. I am looking into some 10 to 50 watt tube amps right now to solve my problem. I am going to go and test drive a 50 watt Marshall Vintage Modern here soon. I had almost decided on a Randal when I saw that Paul Gilbert has switched to the Marshall Vintage Modern because of its tone. Anybody have one of these or has anybody played through one? Would be interested on some feedback.

Originally Posted by: FingerSpasm I made the mistake of getting a 100 watt Triple XXX and Now I cannot turn it up past 2 or it makes me go deaf.

:eek: 100 watts of tube is impossible for house use, I remember plugging into a 200 watt Fender amp in a studio and at 1 on the dial it nearly damaged my ears. Power breaks are the way to go allright, the new Marhsall TSL series have one built in which is pretty cool.

I have an old Ampeg G-18 transistor amp that sounds very, very good.

I have a half-dozen old Ampeg tube amps that sound better! :D

Originally Posted by: Superhuman:eek: 100 watts of tube is impossible for house use, I remember plugging into a 200 watt Fender amp in a studio and at 1 on the dial it nearly damaged my ears. Power breaks are the way to go allright, the new Marhsall TSL series have one built in which is pretty cool.

Ya it pretty much sucks I totally did not know what I was doing 2 years ago when I bought it all I knew was it was a tube amp and my friends sounded really cool. And today it started to make a squealing noise! But today I read about a new amp out called The Blackheart its made by Boutique Amp builder Pyotr Belov. He went over to China and is making these things. Supposedly he is overseeing the quality control situation since he is putting his name on it. He is working with Crate and has created a new division called Blackheart engineering. The Amp is going to have a Celestion speaker that was designed for the amp. They retail for $300.00 and are 3 and 5 watt switchable. Guitar World just gave them the Platinum Award last Month. So I am checking them out now. It seems to good to be true at this point.

u cant really say tube verses solid state really because it depends on what you use them for. valve will give u the warmth when playing and a really wide feel. which most players will use for really warm loud sounds. the disadvantage to valves are that there very tempermental and need to be serviced quite frequentley to maintain a decent sound. also the quality of tubes give different sounds to. as for solid state there used for quick response and high trebley sounds. and u get a certain amount of cut from the speakers because they dont react as well as tube amps do. as i said there built for a different purpose. metal players maybe more interested in solid state amps due to the quick repsonse when chugging and riffing.

At home I use my Fender Junior Amp tube with my Gibson and fender Guitars and the sound is really good.

I can add flavors to the sound by controlling the amp valve saturation and by using some good pedals such as the Sansamp GT2 (can emulate Marshalls, Mesa Boggies and Fenders in different configurations) and by using Chorus, Delay, Fuzz and Tube Screamer, each at the right time. It is very good.

I have the same problem with the volume though since it is at home I have to work with very low volumes but the pedals help to add the warm thick sound.

BTW, I just signed for the site today (March 6, 2008), I live in Belo Horizonte Brazil and look forward to exchanging ideas and guitar information with you all. Cheers! Beck.

Nothing will beat a tube amp, i have Rev Jr at home its loud with lots of distortion so you get tube tone and the solid state brutality depending on how its set.

I think for a modern heavy metal sound, you would have to go with solid state.. and for modern sound in general go with solid state that has amp modelling built in.. for everything else.. tube amps are the go.. they give a "truer" sound with more resonance than the solid state amps.

Originally Posted by: Superhuman:eek: 100 watts of tube is impossible for house use, I remember plugging into a 200 watt Fender amp in a studio and at 1 on the dial it nearly damaged my ears. Power breaks are the way to go allright, the new Marhsall TSL series have one built in which is pretty cool.

i wouldnt agree with u about power breaks power beaks add extra stress on the amp and cause the amp to over heat because it acts as another speaker to send more power to this is why u might have to change ur vavles more often or why ur amp is over heating.

Just for info, I used to use a Marshall PowerBrake, but have recently gone for a THD Hotplate, which is much better... :)

For anyone in search of tones that stir the soul and release the imagination of the player...you've GOT to go Tubes!

As for the powerbrake comment Lao_Tzu... those are not just a metal case and a potentiometer. A powerbrake (by any name) is a power soak, something like a sponge and it is built to put the EXACT SAME load on your amp as a given speaker would. It works in combination with the connected cabinet(s) to provide a constant and even load on the amp head. Therefore your amp should never be heating up simply because you've got a powerbreak hooked up providing a heavier load. However...you ARE cranking your amp up and a tube is no different than a motor...the faster you run it...the quicker you're going to have to go to your mechanic!

I have a Dr. Z Stangray running through a Dr. Z Airbrake to a 2x12" open back cabinet (with celestion alnico blues). The amp is rated at a conservative 30 watts and I still use the Airbrake even on-stage at small to medium sized venues.