Does everyone arrive at tube amps, eventually?

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Wow, that is really bad luck. Good thing there are a lot of choices now!

The number of occurences is so high, and across various makes and models, it makes me wonder if you were connecting each of these amps up to a speaker cabinet whose impedance rating was too low?

Did you ever look into that, or any of the techs that worked on your amps, have you check into that?

[PFDarkside]

To answer the original question, “only those with good tone.”




Usually I don’t try to push people’s buttons.

[LesStrat]

I haven’t plugged in my tube amp in 3 1/2 years.

[devastone]

I will say to the OP that giving up modeling based on Line 6 Spiders is kind of like giving up driving because of a bad experience in a Civic because a Ferrari beat you off the light. A Civic is good basic transportation, but hardly represents the state of the art in automotive technology (although they have come a long way from my old 80's hatchback).

[Mincer]

Depends.. I have what I would call *extremely* bad luck with tube amps. every single one I have has let me down in a big way. I'm tired of it. My first tube amp Ashdown peacemaker 60 blew up during a practice. Paid to have it fixed , took months and thankfully it was my friend's father, so it didn't cost much, but it worked for about 10 minutes before quitting again. It's a rare discontinued amp made in england and nobody wants to work on it. My second tube amp a marshall JCM900 worked great for about 3 months and blew up during a practice. Paid to have that fixed, it took *many* months and cost me about $200 bucks because the guy said he had to re-wire the entire board. He would've charged me more but he felt bad. Got it back and it sounded great, took it to a gig and it lasted about 3 songs before it blew up and left me stranded. had to plug into a crappy bass amp for the rest of the night. My peavey valve king actually lasted for years, but blew up during a gig and doesn't work. I took a risk and bought a whole new set of tubes and that didn't fix it. It's not worth enough to pay someone hundreds of dollars to fix it so I'm not sure what to do. My marshall JVM210H was $2000 and it worked great for about a year before it blew up during a gig. I hadn't even finished paying off the loan yet. This is the one I will probably pay to have fixed eventually and either keep or sell, but right now I just can't afford to.

funny story about my newest tube amp, a traynor YCS, I was looking at financing a new one from my music store as I needed a smaller combo that would fit in my car. The salesman mentioned there was a used one over in the corner for less , so I went to try it out and I loved it. but it blew up, right there in the store as I was playing. They said if I bought it anyway, they would give me a loaner and have it fixed and get it to me as soon as possible. The price was good so I agreed. They fixed it and I got it back, it worked for maybe 5 minutes and quit again. Brought it back, they fixed it again, got it back, worked for 5 minutes again and quit again. Thank god I tested it before bringing it to a gig. WHen I finally got it back this time, they assured me they had bench tested it for hours and it's definitely good to go now, but I haven't really played it a lot yet cause apparently I'm cursed. It's still working now, and I've played a couple of gigs with it but it was scary.



Did I forget one? well the point is, it's happened so many times I'm terrified to place my trust in a tube amp ever again. I think solid state and modelers are what I'm going to have to stick with from now on, especially considering how good they sound now. think i have tube amp PTSD at this point.

Wow, that is really bad luck. Good thing there are a lot of choices now!

[BeKindRewind]

Depends.. I have what I would call *extremely* bad luck with tube amps. every single one I have has let me down in a big way. I'm tired of it. My first tube amp Ashdown peacemaker 60 blew up during a practice. Paid to have it fixed , took months and thankfully it was my friend's father, so it didn't cost much, but it worked for about 10 minutes before quitting again. It's a rare discontinued amp made in england and nobody wants to work on it. My second tube amp a marshall JCM900 worked great for about 3 months and blew up during a practice. Paid to have that fixed, it took *many* months and cost me about $200 bucks because the guy said he had to re-wire the entire board. He would've charged me more but he felt bad. Got it back and it sounded great, took it to a gig and it lasted about 3 songs before it blew up and left me stranded. had to plug into a crappy bass amp for the rest of the night. My peavey valve king actually lasted for years, but blew up during a gig and doesn't work. I took a risk and bought a whole new set of tubes and that didn't fix it. It's not worth enough to pay someone hundreds of dollars to fix it so I'm not sure what to do. My marshall JVM210H was $2000 and it worked great for about a year before it blew up during a gig. I hadn't even finished paying off the loan yet. This is the one I will probably pay to have fixed eventually and either keep or sell, but right now I just can't afford to.

funny story about my newest tube amp, a traynor YCS, I was looking at financing a new one from my music store as I needed a smaller combo that would fit in my car. The salesman mentioned there was a used one over in the corner for less , so I went to try it out and I loved it. but it blew up, right there in the store as I was playing. They said if I bought it anyway, they would give me a loaner and have it fixed and get it to me as soon as possible. The price was good so I agreed. They fixed it and I got it back, it worked for maybe 5 minutes and quit again. Brought it back, they fixed it again, got it back, worked for 5 minutes again and quit again. Thank god I tested it before bringing it to a gig. WHen I finally got it back this time, they assured me they had bench tested it for hours and it's definitely good to go now, but I haven't really played it a lot yet cause apparently I'm cursed. It's still working now, and I've played a couple of gigs with it but it was scary.



Did I forget one? well the point is, it's happened so many times I'm terrified to place my trust in a tube amp ever again. I think solid state and modelers are what I'm going to have to stick with from now on, especially considering how good they sound now. think i have tube amp PTSD at this point.

[Ascension]

We are all direct now, I was using a tube amp years ago, but then I have to trust the sound guys to know what they are doing to mic and mix, and well, that's best left to pros. I can put the mic on the cab, but with IEMs I have no what it sounds like through the mains, or even what the mix is, which I still struggle with when I'm trying to fade in and out, whatever. With my GT I get to program it and tell them to leave the signal alone and just set the level. No, not as satisfying as a tube head into a cab, but it works for best for me. And, I have a guitar in a gig bag in one hand, and the GT in a gig bag in the other, and that's all I need.

Feel you absolutely as my cab here is way off stage in the back so stage is silent. What is in the mix for the stage system (I run closed back phones) is not what it really sounds like out front. Still with my Tube rigs I have super easy quick set up and the feel of a real tube amp. I use few to no effects so it just works for me. I also have a little Ax track iso cab with a built in mic. With a small board mt PRS MT 15 and the AX track its small light easy to carry and set up silent on stage and has the real tube tone and feel I want.
Here is the MT 15 from last Sunday with a miced cab off stage.

[devastone]

We are all direct now, I was using a tube amp years ago, but then I have to trust the sound guys to know what they are doing to mic and mix, and well, that's best left to pros. I can put the mic on the cab, but with IEMs I have no what it sounds like through the mains, or even what the mix is, which I still struggle with when I'm trying to fade in and out, whatever. With my GT I get to program it and tell them to leave the signal alone and just set the level. No, not as satisfying as a tube head into a cab, but it works for best for me. And, I have a guitar in a gig bag in one hand, and the GT in a gig bag in the other, and that's all I need.

[Ascension]

I'm old and decrepit, and the churches I play in only go direct for now...

I'm a Church player also over 60 and can easily go silent stage with a pure tube rig.
This is with a tiny little Mesa 1/10 Subway Rocket at such low stage volume you would know it was there sitting in the front row. Super light quick to set up easy to tweak ect. The amp looking from the camera here is on the floor to my left can you even see it? Playing my KOA Carvin DC 127 with a Alt8 and Sentient only a little Verb and Delay running in the loop here.

[Demanic]

Tube is nice, but so isn't SS or high end digital.
It's like choosing between smoked, grilled or rotisserie.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: "does everyone arrive at tube amps eventually?" In my experience, my tone chase started at a tube amp into a 4x12 cabinet, eventually to a floor-based pedalboard into a PA.

[esandes]

No. Dimebag, Kim Thayil, Prong...

[jeremy]

fair enough the last time i was playing in church frequently i was using an evil twin, on 25w power mode though. still heavy as hell

[devastone]

I'm old and decrepit, and the churches I play in only go direct for now...

[jeremy]

ive played some friends quilters and they are nice, but they dont feel like my old fenders. the tone i can live with but the feel is too different for me to be happy. the flyrigs ive tried left me wanting, though i havent spent a ton of time with them in live situations. if i had mark knopflers kemper maybe that would work for me, until then or i am too decrepit to haul my amps, ill stick with what i have