I'm really interested in learning more about this beast called the "tube amplifier" -- perhaps some of you have heard of or even seen one -- so somebody recommended a book to me: "A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps" by Gerald Weber.
The introduction itself was eye-opening but then got me thinking in a different direction. In this introduction Weber writes, "Have you ever wondered why a vintage amp sounds the way it sounds? Or why modern amplifiers don't get the raw tone a vintage amp used to get?" He goes on to say that "in a modern style tube amplifier...the signal (guitar sound) goes through the first gain stage, then is sent to a gain control. From there it goes to the next gain stage, then to the volume control, then to an effects loop send stage, then to a return gain stage, then to an E.Q. stage..." You get the idea. Weber ends by asking "How do these modern 'Swiss Army knife' amps exact these tonal losses?"
Here's my question: If, as I'm inferring from the introduction, modern amps lack quality tone, why are there so many modern professional guitarists out there who use modern amps? This is not a rhetorical question; I'm truly wondering, assuming Weber's assertion is true, why any professional musician -- or any musician, for that matter -- who has the financial means would choose modern over vintage. I understand the allure of vintage equipment and vintage tone, and I fully realize that "they don't make 'em like they used to," but nonetheless reputable musicians are using them quite regularly. Are they highly modified to compensate? Do any of the great sounds we hear today come from stock or only slightly modified amplifiers?
Help me out here, people.
- Keith
The introduction itself was eye-opening but then got me thinking in a different direction. In this introduction Weber writes, "Have you ever wondered why a vintage amp sounds the way it sounds? Or why modern amplifiers don't get the raw tone a vintage amp used to get?" He goes on to say that "in a modern style tube amplifier...the signal (guitar sound) goes through the first gain stage, then is sent to a gain control. From there it goes to the next gain stage, then to the volume control, then to an effects loop send stage, then to a return gain stage, then to an E.Q. stage..." You get the idea. Weber ends by asking "How do these modern 'Swiss Army knife' amps exact these tonal losses?"
Here's my question: If, as I'm inferring from the introduction, modern amps lack quality tone, why are there so many modern professional guitarists out there who use modern amps? This is not a rhetorical question; I'm truly wondering, assuming Weber's assertion is true, why any professional musician -- or any musician, for that matter -- who has the financial means would choose modern over vintage. I understand the allure of vintage equipment and vintage tone, and I fully realize that "they don't make 'em like they used to," but nonetheless reputable musicians are using them quite regularly. Are they highly modified to compensate? Do any of the great sounds we hear today come from stock or only slightly modified amplifiers?
Help me out here, people.
- Keith
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