Does everyone arrive at tube amps, eventually?

[Securb]

This was how I started. With a cheap solid state amp.

IDK why the face palm.

Sorry man didn't get that you were talking about your experience,. I thought you were calling all SS amps cheap. Solid-state amps are not exclusively cheap. Quilter, Roland, and other SS amps can be pricy.

[donaldr]

i play with a guy who uses a mustang or a katana and he seems to be the loudest on stage but when you hear recordings of our gigs, they dont cut through as well as the other (tube) amps. they do sound good when ive messed around with them at his house. he even had his katana reboxed into a big tweed cab so it doesnt look like hes using what it really is. the bigger box did open up the sound some too.

Funny I did the same with my Katana 50w into a closed 1x12" cab with Eminence GB12 speaker. Now I like it. Good and cheap grab & go amp.

[alex1fly]

The progression: Solid state (cheap) -> tube amps -> modelers -> whatever works

Sounds about right. Using a tube amp is kind of a right of passage for guitarists. But that doesn't mean you have to use them forever and many don't due to the issues that come along with tube amps.

[Top-L]

This was how I started. With a cheap solid state amp.

IDK why the face palm.

[Securb]

Solid state (cheap)

[Top-L]

The progression: Solid state (cheap) -> tube amps -> modelers -> whatever works

Love tube amps, but if you are recording, the sound you hear in room very different than what is recorded. The cabinet has a larger effect on the sound IME, certainly the recorded sound. Having lots of physical cabs not feasible.

I spent a long time learning how to dual mic a cabinet, then mix the mics, eq the sound, etc etc. Then you have to add effects. And if you are recording demos or doing creative stuff, having to deal with all the extra engineering stuff cuts into creativity, and its difficult to get many different kinds of tones.

Modelers will tell you exactly how it sounds recorded, and played through studio monitors or PA, pretty true to what is recorded. All the creative tweaks you do, effects chains, etc, are all saved in the modeler and can be reproduced. That said, all I do anymore is play over backing tracks or noodle.

My understanding is that now there are inexpensive solid state amps / modelers that can keep up with a drummer. That didn't used to be the case 20 years ago. So I say, use whatever works.

[Demanic]

I use the term "sizzle", but then, I like it.

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[misterwhizzy]

Can someone post a video that gives a good example of what they mean by "fizzy"? I see this term written over and over, but I can't think of a tone I think would be accurately described by the word.

[AdrianSD]

Still don't know why "fizz" is necessarily bad.

Don't find it pleasant in any context. When playing in the bedroom it's simply annoying and at higher volume it's completely useless. I love high gain and whenever I play I'm trying to place myself in such a way that I hear little to no fizzy highs. And I've found that, when jamming with a band, that fizz is a massive turnoff for everyone, need to actually back off the presence and gain so we can hear each other. Gain without fizz is where it's at for me
Bear in mind I have tinnitus and that fizz is affecting my ability to fully enjoy what I'm listening to, especially at slightly higher volumes.

[Demanic]

Still don't know why "fizz" is necessarily bad.

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[AdrianSD]

Great thing about tube amps is that you can get proper high gain sounds without the fizz that's a solid state staple. For clean sound it's relatively simple, there's no clipping and this is the challenge the modellers are fighting. For an average solid state amp all that's needed is a good cab/speaker and maybe a good EQ pedal. Distorted signal is where it gets complicated

[jimzucco]

For me, it depends on the amp. Tube is not just always better. I have a vintage japanese made solid state yamaha that's just amazing for anything clean or a little dirty. You could play a Randall with amazing drive. It's not always about pushing tubes. It's more about quality build. My favorite amps that I have played are Peavey 6505+ and a Marshal DSL40cr - both tube amps. But I've also played a ton of tube amps that were crap.

[moshpit817]

I have the newer EVH 15 watt Stealth 15 watt head and the 50 watt version as well..and both sound amazing !

Last night I dug out my Peavey Vypyr 75 watt 1-12" combo,the original version,and wow I forgot how great it sounds,and about to plug in and jam here in about 30 minutes.

I will play it for a few more days and then rotate back to the EVH amps..I was always a SS until many years ago I got a Peavey Mace back in the mid 80's..was awesome,and had many more Paeveys,then I found a Marshall Superlead MK ll head in a pawnshop for $100,and was floored at how loud and mean it sounded,but it had to be cranked and had to run a 4-12" with it or it sounded like s**t..but I sold it and went back to Peavey SS amps,and found a Line 6 Spyder 30 watt combo,then the Flextone ll 100 watt 2-12" combo..

I finally wanted to try tubes again and got the original EVH LBX..then a Randall 45 watt Diavlo head,,then Marshall DSL 100H,and many more and now the new EVH amps.

I will enjoy my Vypyr plenty of times from here on out for simplicity..just plug in and play,but wow I love my tube amps too !

[Top-L]

I depends on what you are doing.... Tube amps are just the easiest way to get a nice tone and nice playing feel without knob turning and planing on a modern amp.

Also, if you are playing fast technical passages -Solid State is likely something you want to mix in.

As for modeling/IR -i've have fun experiences -I'm not an expert but it has so much promise

Agree. They are easy. I can put a Boss SD-1 in front of almost any tube amp, turn the knobs and get my sound. (Some amps dont even need the SD-1).

I play through modelers at home 99% of the time. Ive come to appreciate the "finished" tone as I'm usually playing/practicing against backing tracks playing from my computer. Its nice having everything coming from the studio monitors and finished.

Modelers are here to stay. I think some large% of players in the future will never have owned one.

[Ewizard]

@BeKindRewind

You must be the unluckiest guitarist I have ever heard of! In 27+ years of playing, I have never once even had an amp break down on me. I have had dozens of amps of all different types even. Aside from regular maintenance, not even once, have I had an issue.

While I won't try and bash your decisions too much, I would say that most of the amps you mentioned are not exactly high-end options. This is kind of why I feel Gibson's acquisition of Mesa is going to be a problem. They will make an amp that is impossible to fix when it breaks, even more prone to breaking.

There is nothing inherently wrong with PCB based amplifiers, except that generally once something goes wrong, the PCB can be damaged enough that repair becomes very hard to do. Hand-wired PTP amps are bulletproof in a way, in that if a component burns up, replacing the faulty parts is all that is usually required. This is why I feel Two-Rock and a few other " Boutique " companies are ripping people off. A PCB based amp that is more or less a copy of some other popular option sold at a price that is bonkers. Sure they are well made and there is nothing wrong with PCB, until **** hits the fan!!! Paying that kind of money for something like a Revv Generator makes sense, there are 3-4 channels, midi control, multiple effects loops, a metric crap-ton of knobs and buttons and yet still the amp is priced lower than some of these " boutique " options with single channels, no effects loop, and a borrowed design....

I would say at this point you are beyond the point of diminishing odds you can probably buy a $200 tube amp and it will not only sound great, but possibly even last 100 years with any amount of abuse you can give it.