Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

[Jacew]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I don't know...cheap tube amps aren't a great sound. Cheap SS amps aren't either. To me, both are just as bad.

Cheaper Hughes & Kettner amps I've heard have been quite nice. And some Bugeras I've heard have been decent as well. Not to mention many lunchbox models out there. All obtainable under 400€. I paid 260€ for my Tiny Terror. I don't think there's comparable SS amp out there for the same price...

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I don't know...cheap tube amps aren't a great sound. Cheap SS amps aren't either. To me, both are just as bad.

What do we consider cheap tube amps?

I'll be honest, after a tube swap, my Bugera 1960 Infinium head is a beast. It's got that '70s JMP non-master-volume sound in spades.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I like the sound of a Roland Cube and Peavey Bandit too
There are good sounding inexpensive versions of each

Not all tube amps sound good
Not all solid state amps are bad

 

[Mincer]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

What do we consider cheap tube amps?

I'll be honest, after a tube swap, my Bugera 1960 Infinium head is a beast. It's got that '70s JMP non-master-volume sound in spades.

Well, the ones that sound bad, of course!
Some companies have entry-level preamp-based distortion tube amps that are a mushy mess. It is almost like the tubes in there were an afterthought.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

Well, the ones that sound bad, of course!
Some companies have entry-level preamp-based distortion tube amps that are a mushy mess. It is almost like the tubes in there were an afterthought.

The actual tubes that come in a lot of cheap amps ARE indeed garbage.

My 1960 currently has two of the factory Shuguang EL34s in it (I wanted to drop it to 50 watts and the Chinese EL34s are actually really good). V1 and V3 are JJ ECC803S's and V2 is a 9th gen Shuguang 12AX7B.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I believe tube quality would be one of the corners that are cut on inexpensive tube amps. I am sure transformers are another.

 

[LLL]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

The other cheap move they do is bias the power tubes cold so they last longer.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I dunno, most stock tubes are chosen because they are reliable and widely available. Bogner swears by chinese tubes for that exact reason and soldano was talking about how EL84, though unpopulair were just better quality compared to 6v6 for smaller amps.
Most corners are cut on building labour in the far east or mexico and cheaper parts like indeed transformers.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

What do we consider cheap tube amps?

I'll be honest, after a tube swap, my Bugera 1960 Infinium head is a beast. It's got that '70s JMP non-master-volume sound in spades.

Yeah, the Bugera 1960 is actually a really nice sounding amp...did I read somewhere that the earlier models had a reliability issue of some kind?

 

[Gtrjunior]

Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I dunno, most stock tubes are chosen because they are reliable and widely available. Bogner swears by chinese tubes for that exact reason and soldano was talking about how EL84, though unpopulair were just better quality compared to 6v6 for smaller amps.
Most corners are cut on building labour in the far east or mexico and cheaper parts like indeed transformers.

Bogner uses Ruby BSTR tube (Chinese) in some of their designs because they can handle the higher plate voltage. I emailed them a while back and specifically asked them what they were using in their high plate voltage applications. I have a Splawn Quickrod and when not in Drop B+ mode the plate voltage is pretty high. The stock Tubes Scott uses are a Chinese EL34B too ( I forget what they are branded) but they sound and have operated flawlessly for over a year for me.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

Yeah, the Bugera 1960 is actually a really nice sounding amp...did I read somewhere that the earlier models had a reliability issue of some kind?

The early batches of the non-Infinium models had issues with output transformers.

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[Gtrjunior]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

The early batches of the non-Infinium models had issues with output transformers.

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I'm assuming that has been fixed....
At some point I'd love to pick up one of these amps just for the practice space/gig backup.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I'm assuming that has been fixed....
At some point I'd love to pick up one of these amps just for the practice space/gig backup.

They did fix it, but they don't make the non-Infinium amps anymore, either.

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[vinnie1971]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

And some solid state amps really wipe the floor with favoured popular tube amps. It depends on what you play but I can thorough recommend Roland Blues Cube and Roland Jazz Chorus. The Blues Cube in particular sounds and behaves like a tube amp minus the glowing bulbs....


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[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

They did fix it, but they don't make the non-Infinium amps anymore, either.

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That's the spirit. First you fix it, then you really fix it.

 

[Kruspe]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

From my experience, definitely yes. I did have Kemper and sold it cause it was not even close to my Friedman and Mesa TC50, it was good yes, but real amp is just real amp, ideal for touring though .. I would say in studio use real amp, on tour use simulation to save time and money and you back from pain.

 

[Godin15]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

I disagree tube amps are better or better sounding than Solid State. I have owned both, at one time I thought tube amps were better sounding, until I started my own search of an amp. I went through 3 amps then finally started to get to the heart of the matter. I started going around to different stores trying amps. I tried 14 amps before I got one that I liked the tones, the one I finally ended up with is a Solid State. Take your time and go try as many as you can, eventually you will find the one you want. There is many things to consider when buying price, size compare apple to apple. Don't let anyone convince you tubes are better than SS its a matter of preference.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

It also depends on the type of music, too. And how heavy the amp is. I think an SVT sounds great, but I ain't carrying one, or even helping anyone to carry one. So there are other factors for me than just the sound.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Is a tube amp worth the upgrade?

It isn't all sound. Tubes respond to touch better than any emulation I have, whether solid state or software or whatever. They're getting closer, but not indistinguishable yet.