It's time to buy amp

Jovan

Jovan

New member
Here is the deal. Which brands are using mosfet for ss amps (poweramp) today and which models are that? I want some good hard rock sound without tubes in poweramp section, tube preamp is ok and if you know some good hybrid or 100% SS amp shoot, also i am considering to get good poweramp (mosfet) and use it with some good tube preamp. Name only products that are still in production. I want as much as good sound to get from this configuration. Thanks and start posting you opinions :bigok:
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

I don't want tube poweramp because it needs quite maintaince and its expensive, ss needs less care and they are quite more durable and easier to carry. I need good amount of power for gigs and if it can be good for recording then even better
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

Fender made a really nice little jazz amp last year (I think) that was solid state . . .
fender_jazzmaster_ultralight_amp2.jpg


And there's always the trusty Roland JC-120 . . .

The Crate Powerblock has some decent sounding distortion for a cheap solid state head.

I bet any of those amps could be coaxed into a hard rock sound with some pedals . . .
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

I have tried Marshall AVT and Laney TFX and LV series and they are not quite good IMO. Distortion (overdrive) is just too much sterile, like there is no tube at all in preamp (i know that they have tube). I need good distortion from my future head/combo (i will also buy 4x12 cab or if it is 2x12 combo an 2x12 cabinet) clean sounds are not much important (i don't need tons of gain just for good old hard rock 70's 80's sound) and amp to be as much noise free as it can be
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

You're wasting your time carrying on about a tube preamp. I've tried to preach on here over and over again that a little 12ax7 running in starved plate configuration in the preamp isn't going to sound any smoother, more natural, or organic than a totally SS design.

It's marketing hype to make people think they're getting "tube tone" out of a cheap amplifier. It's an inexpensive way to do it because the tube being used costs the manufacturer about $2.00 a piece, and runs so cold that it will likely never burn out, let alone ever get hot enough to naturally distort.

"Tube" tone comes from a tube poweramp, and a tube poweramp alone. While various tube-based preamps will have inherent tones all their own based on design, they're not doing anything special or "extra tubey" just because there's some glass in there.

A more successful "tube-sound" kind of hybrid rig would be one with a SS preamp and a tube poweramp - hence the concept behind the Atomic Amps products designed for use with modelling technology.
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

sosomething said:
You're wasting your time carrying on about a tube preamp. I've tried to preach on here over and over again that a little 12ax7 running in starved plate configuration in the preamp isn't going to sound any smoother, more natural, or organic than a totally SS design.

It's marketing hype to make people think they're getting "tube tone" out of a cheap amplifier. It's an inexpensive way to do it because the tube being used costs the manufacturer about $2.00 a piece, and runs so cold that it will likely never burn out, let alone ever get hot enough to naturally distort.

"Tube" tone comes from a tube poweramp, and a tube poweramp alone. While various tube-based preamps will have inherent tones all their own based on design, they're not doing anything special or "extra tubey" just because there's some glass in there.

A more successful "tube-sound" kind of hybrid rig would be one with a SS preamp and a tube poweramp - hence the concept behind the Atomic Amps products designed for use with modelling technology.
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+1 The single tube might add some tube-factor to a pedal but it doesn't do anything great on a full amp imo.
Hardrock is classic overdriven tube tone and imo that excludes SS amps. If you really want to go SS then at least get sime kind of tube based overdrive(Vox colltron big ben for example) and run it into the clean channel of the SS. That way you'll be closer to what you want than with a full SS setup.
What kind of budget are we talking here?
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

If your gonna get a Solid state Amp for playing rock music, Then get a Randall RG100H. If your gonna be playing Cleans alot Get a Roland JC-120.

But for what its worth, I've had MORE reliablity issues with SS amps than I ever had with Tube amps.
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

Loserchief said:
+1 The single tube might add some tube-factor to a pedal but it doesn't do anything great on a full amp imo.
Hardrock is classic overdriven tube tone and imo that excludes SS amps. If you really want to go SS then at least get sime kind of tube based overdrive(Vox colltron big ben for example) and run it into the clean channel of the SS. That way you'll be closer to what you want than with a full SS setup.
What kind of budget are we talking here?
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Actually, FWIW, a tube in a pedal doesn't do anything more tubey than one in a preamp. In fact, an OD pedal basically is a preamp, albeit usually a more limited, less sophisticated one compared to what's found in most modern amp designs.

If it's running hot and being pushed into OD, that's one thing, but in most applications... no. Not really any advantage. That said, there are a number of pedals that encorporate a tube in them that DO have a pretty organic-sounding response, but I'm not even going to pretend to be versed in their designs or know more about them besides where to plug stuff in. :)

My point is: just arbitrarily saying "I want a tube this and a SS that" without being able to reference specific pieces of gear and based on little-to-no understanding of how an amplifier circuit works is only going to yield disappointment and wasted money.
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

All that i was saying is that i know what sound i want to get and i have asked which pieces of gear in fashon that i have said can get me closest to that. As i said, i don't have money to maintain tube amp + at lower volumes tube amps just don't have "right" sound. I live in Serbia (former Yugoslavia) and from 1991 year till now we don't have much options (by options i mean we are poor financial and don't have a big "choice" in equipment, it's mainly Marshall, Laney, Fender etc.)
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

One of the new randall hybrids would be my pick.

Almost got one instead of my 6505. (Not the RG100G3s either, the expensive ones, I froget the name but they have like 400watts.)
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

sosomething said:
Actually, FWIW, a tube in a pedal doesn't do anything more tubey than one in a preamp. In fact, an OD pedal basically is a preamp, albeit usually a more limited, less sophisticated one compared to what's found in most modern amp designs.

If it's running hot and being pushed into OD, that's one thing, but in most applications... no. Not really any advantage. That said, there are a number of pedals that encorporate a tube in them that DO have a pretty organic-sounding response, but I'm not even going to pretend to be versed in their designs or know more about them besides where to plug stuff in. :)
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There are definitely pedals where you'll here the tubey feel. The rocktron silver dragon8after you put a good tube in there) or the big ben are imo both pedals that fall into that category.
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

for the cabinet i would get marshall 1936 2x12 or 1960 4x12, it depends if i would have amp combo 2x12 then i would get a marshall 1936 2x12 to put it on the other side of the stage, if i get head then i will get halfstack, but i don't know which head to get or combo... i was thinking about Laney vc30 combo 2x12 or Marshall DSL401 but i have heard many bad experience with dsl, so i am looking vc30 but i think that i will must boost it a bit with a pedal to get a bit more gain for hard rock sound
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

but it is a class a combo 30w and it is hell loud and almost impossible for any kind of practice
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

Jovan said:
but it is a class a combo 30w and it is hell loud and almost impossible for any kind of practice
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You need to brush up on some amp knowledge before you spend any money.

Read, read, and read some more.
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

I am practical guy and i spend time on playing and hearing rather then reading. I have tried to play straight to that amp and if you don't crank it to some point it doesn't have the sound that i want, it is a little better if i put some overdrive pedal in front of it but it is still pretty damn loud to play in my room. I want some amp that has usable sounds at bedroom level and can blast loud for gigs. I know for hotplate etc. but i don't want to use that kind of stuff
 
Re: It's time to buy amp

Roland Cube 60.

There you go.

You can put a lamp on top of it or something if you need a piece of glowing glass to feel good about it. ;)
 
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