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Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

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  • #16
    Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

    I play a lot of the same music as you and just prefer tube amps. As others have said, there are great solid state options these days. One tube amp you can't go wrong with for that stuff is the 5150 III 50 watt. Combo or head, just perfect for metal. (And hard rock)

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    • #17
      Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

      Originally posted by Owwwccchhh View Post
      What about a used 6505 or 5150?

      . . . the original 60watt 5150 2x12 cmbo is a GREAT amp.

      The much newer MIC 1X12 . . . NOT SO MUCH !
      Tele, SG, LP Jr, '76 Ibanez Artist & Tokai LS92 + FUZZ boxes into a '66 AB165 Bassman & 2X12 (55Hz Greenbacks) / '73 Orange OR120 & 2X12 (V30 & SwampThang) / Orange Thunderverb 50 & PPC212 / Marshall Vintage Modern 50 & 2X12 Genz Benz g-Flex / Laney Klipp / Laney AOR Pro Tube 100


      "...it's a tree with a microphone" - Leslie West

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      • #18
        Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

        Oh. Okay. Thank you for that. I'll look more into those Randalls.

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        • #19
          Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

          Check out the AMT Stonehead too (mini 50 watt 4 channel SS head) if you can. Killer high gain tones/great medium gain/both Fender-like & Metallica-ish/middy-type cleans..it's all there. Very "tubey" SS amp (both sound & response) that goes from ultra-brutz/hairy Recto tones to Orange-y sludge to ultra-tight Metallica/Pantera thrash. They're $700-ish new but often pop up for 400 or so on ebay (open-box/mint).


          A couple of jams/demo's I did with mine..

          All dry tracks. No effects/reverb/delay/NR. Not exactly pro recording's lol (Direct out [first vid]/AMT chameleon cab sim pedal [second vid]... both recorded into my digital handheld recorder's line input). Just to give you some basic idea of the versatility/sounds..

          Brutez:






          80's-ish/bluesy/shred..

          "Less is less, more is more...how can less be more?" ~Yngwie J Malmsteen

          I did it my way ~ Frank Sinatra

          Originally posted by Rodney Gene
          If you let your tone speak for itself you'll find alot less people join the conversation.


          Youtube

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          • #20
            Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

            Whether an amp is solid state or tube doesn't dictate it's quality for high gain. It's more to do with the components and voicing. I can get great metal tones out of either but if you can afford a quality tube amp it's pretty much a no brainer.
            The opinions expressed above do not necessarily represent those of the poster and are to be considered suspect at best.

            Lead guitarist and vocalist of...



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            • #21
              Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

              I prefer tube amps because it feels like they seem to get fatter as they get louder where lower wattage solid state amps get thinner. Someone once told me the secret to a really heavy sound was get an amp with a really good clean channel and drive it with a pedal. Hetfield used to use a Roland Jazz Chorus, not a very metal amp on its own but the whole is the sum of the parts and a good dirt pedal on top of a nice clean channel goes a long way
              Go Home and Practice

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              • #22
                Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                Originally posted by KCRevel View Post
                I prefer tube amps because it feels like they seem to get fatter as they get louder where lower wattage solid state amps get thinner. Someone once told me the secret to a really heavy sound was get an amp with a really good clean channel and drive it with a pedal. Hetfield used to use a Roland Jazz Chorus, not a very metal amp on its own but the whole is the sum of the parts and a good dirt pedal on top of a nice clean channel goes a long way
                Hetfield used the Roland for his cleans. He always used Mesa gear for his distortion excluding their first two albums. He has the opposite philosophy.

                "Distortion always starts with the amp. Pedals just site on top of the sound. They don't feel like a full part of it, just some fuzz on top. You can fiddle with parametric EQs and all that **** for days, but it still won't have the smooth distortion of an amp. The last time I used a distortion [overdrive] pedal was on Ride the Lightning, and it was hell. It was an Ibanez Tube Screamer like Kirk uses. It really helps his solos cut through, but it puts a ****ty coating on smooth rhythm tones, and it was hard to make it not sound like a pedal. You can recognize Marshall distortion in an instant; that's why I shied away from that and went with MESA/Boogies. I basically use the Boogie's distortion with a non-programmable studio-quality Aphex parametric EQ to fine-tune certain frequencies, dipping out some of the midrange. All my speakers are Celestion Vintage 30s."
                The opinions expressed above do not necessarily represent those of the poster and are to be considered suspect at best.

                Lead guitarist and vocalist of...



                Keep up to date on our Facebook

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                • #23
                  Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                  Originally posted by KCRevel View Post
                  I prefer tube amps because it feels like they seem to get fatter as they get louder where lower wattage solid state amps get thinner.
                  Someone once told me the secret to a really heavy sound was get an amp with a really good clean channel and drive it with a pedal.
                  Hetfield used to use a Roland Jazz Chorus, not a very metal amp on its own but the whole is the sum of the parts and a good dirt pedal on top of a nice clean channel goes a long way

                  Hell, Parkway Drive is now using those Kemper Profilers thingys !



                  Tele, SG, LP Jr, '76 Ibanez Artist & Tokai LS92 + FUZZ boxes into a '66 AB165 Bassman & 2X12 (55Hz Greenbacks) / '73 Orange OR120 & 2X12 (V30 & SwampThang) / Orange Thunderverb 50 & PPC212 / Marshall Vintage Modern 50 & 2X12 Genz Benz g-Flex / Laney Klipp / Laney AOR Pro Tube 100


                  "...it's a tree with a microphone" - Leslie West

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                  • #24
                    Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                    Sorry dude. I'm not a fan of that amt. It just didn't sound right to me. Thanks for the suggestion though!

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                    • #25
                      Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                      get the mini 6505 or the Randall but more than thte 5watt cuz the 5 watt sounds weak. then get a nice cab. you have to.
                      Crash49 - my music on amazon and itunes
                      http://a.co/8ht5Qes

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                      • #26
                        Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                        I think I'm going to get the mini 6505 then just save up for a nice cab.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                          Hi Owwwccchhh!
                          You could probably do worse than finding a used Gallien-Kreuger 250ml solid state. The thing has a pair of tiny speakers built in but is capable of driving 2 4x12s. It has an fx loop, 4 way eq, an overdive channel and a clean channel. They run around $250 on Reverb.com
                          The gain on these amps is legendary. Ask Alex Lifeson from Rush or Billy Gibbons who used it to record Afterburner. IMHO it is the eq stage that makes this amp shine for any style player.

                          Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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                          • #28
                            Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                            Originally posted by johnthomas View Post
                            Hi Owwwccchhh!
                            You could probably do worse than finding a used Gallien-Kreuger 250ml solid state. The thing has a pair of tiny speakers built in but is capable of driving 2 4x12s. It has an fx loop, 4 way eq, an overdive channel and a clean channel. They run around $250 on Reverb.com
                            The gain on these amps is legendary. Ask Alex Lifeson from Rush or Billy Gibbons who used it to record Afterburner. IMHO it is the eq stage that makes this amp shine for any style player.

                            Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




                            . . . + yup, just add a few 4X12's
                            Tele, SG, LP Jr, '76 Ibanez Artist & Tokai LS92 + FUZZ boxes into a '66 AB165 Bassman & 2X12 (55Hz Greenbacks) / '73 Orange OR120 & 2X12 (V30 & SwampThang) / Orange Thunderverb 50 & PPC212 / Marshall Vintage Modern 50 & 2X12 Genz Benz g-Flex / Laney Klipp / Laney AOR Pro Tube 100


                            "...it's a tree with a microphone" - Leslie West

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                            • #29
                              Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                              Honestly, unless I could get a Mesa dual recto type amp for about $500 I think I'll just stick with the 6505 mini.

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                              • #30
                                Re: Solid state vs. Tube amps for metal.

                                Originally posted by Owwwccchhh View Post
                                Honestly, unless I could get a Mesa dual recto type amp for about $500 I think I'll just stick with the 6505 mini.
                                Are you looking for huge gain or tightness? If you're playing thrash you'll really need to tweak a recto.

                                Try to find a Peavey XXL combo. It'll have more than enough gain for thrash (I use it for death metal) and you should be able to find one in the $250 range. Don't worry about going 100W on a solid state amp. The volume knob on a solid state amp is strictly for volume, and solid state amps will sound pretty much the same from the lowest to the highest range of volume.

                                Director of Arizona Young Voters Initiative

                                https://www.azyoungvoters.org


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