Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

[fingerace]

I keep reading that tube rectifiers make the amp sound compressed where as solid state rectifiers are more aggressive?!?!... What does that that actually mean?

I haven't been lucky enough to play through a plexi and a jtm45 dimmed and A/B them...

what are the tonal differences between the two rectifiers? can you give me songs for examples?

Educate me please...

Thanks
Andreas

 

[joeydude]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

my amps got a switch that lets you choose tube or solid state rectification. i like the sound of the tube rectification, even though they say solid state is better for loud, high gain **** and i mostly play metal.

The actual sonic diference though....its something i cant quite put my finger on...it just sounds better, more organic with tube rectification IMO

 

[baritone]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

My amp has a 5U4 rectifier in it, and I'm not exactly sure either. But it seems like the full tone of a note takes a fraction of a second to come through, as if it is breathing. The sound of it kind of reminds me of the movie Backdraft.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

basically a tube rectifier takes longer to get your amp power so you get sag and usually runs a lower maximum voltage . when you first strike a note it takes longer for the amp to react so there isnt as sharp an attack. the tone may also be browner due to the lower voltages. different tube rectifiers have different properties so some may sag more than others.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

basically a tube rectifier takes longer to get your amp power so you get sag and usually runs a lower maximum voltage . when you first strike a note it takes longer for the amp to react so there isnt as sharp an attack. the tone may also be browner due to the lower voltages. different tube rectifiers have different properties so some may sag more than others.

Thanks

A forum member (don't remember who) told me that it is possible to replace the tube rectifier with a solid state recrtifier... Or at least that's what I understood.

Is that correct?

Edit: answered my own question: http://www.tubestore.com/wb-wz34.html

 

[RiffRaff]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

yes, you can get a solid state rectifier "tube" to replace most tube rectifiers.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

basically a tube rectifier takes longer to get your amp power so you get sag and usually runs a lower maximum voltage . when you first strike a note it takes longer for the amp to react so there isnt as sharp an attack. the tone may also be browner due to the lower voltages. different tube rectifiers have different properties so some may sag more than others.

Does it take too long that it's annoying?

Is this a matter of personal preference or can you just say this is better than that?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

there is such a wide variety of tubes that you can pick the one thatll suit you best. my favorites are 5ar4/gz34, 5v4, and 5y3.
the 5y3 is low voltage and lots of sag, the 5v4 is more voltage and less sag, the gz34 is even higher voltage and even less sag, if i need more attack than that then its ss time.

you have to be a little careful about substituting one tube recto for another since they consume different heater currents and if the recto that you are using cant keep up with the amps demands youll kill it pretty quick. i used a 5y3 in my bassman ltd for a little while to get more breakup and less volume and it worked great but the tubes lasted half as long as the 5ar4 that was supposed to be in there since the amp was really working the tube hard

 

[fingerace]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

there is such a wide variety of tubes that you can pick the one thatll suit you best. my favorites are 5ar4/gz34, 5v4, and 5y3.
the 5y3 is low voltage and lots of sag, the 5v4 is more voltage and less sag, the gz34 is even higher voltage and even less sag, if i need more attack than that then its ss time.

you have to be a little careful about substituting one tube recto for another since they consume different heater currents and if the recto that you are using cant keep up with the amps demands youll kill it pretty quick. i used a 5y3 in my bassman ltd for a little while to get more breakup and less volume and it worked great but the tubes lasted half as long as the 5ar4 that was supposed to be in there since the amp was really working the tube hard

Thanks jeremy, I think I understand. Your reply covered everything I needed...

Just a question, when you change to a rectifier or lower voltage, like you did, all the tubes last for less time, or just the rectifier tube?

 

[DankStar]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

when I got the chance to play a mesa stiletto head in a store, I was goofing with the tube/ss rectifier switch - as I understood it, it switches between tube and solid state rectifiers.

I didn't notice a difference.

I was using a hacker store guitar and only messed with if for a few minutes though. But that's what I remember.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

Thanks jeremy, I think I understand. Your reply covered everything I needed...

Just a question, when you change to a rectifier or lower voltage, like you did, all the tubes last for less time, or just the rectifier tube?

if your power tubes are running at lower voltages they should last longer. preamp tubes will last a long time either way.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

ok, thanks, I asked because you said: i used a 5y3 in my bassman ltd for a little while to get more breakup and less volume and it worked great but the TUBES lasted half as long as the 5ar4.

so that "S" made me worder about the other tubes...

 

[baritone]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

My amp has a 5U4 rectifier tube. It is said to produce a lot less sag than a 5AR4, for example. I asked the guy who built my amp about replacing rectfiers, but he said that other rectifier tube designs would not be compatible.

 

[fingerace]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

My amp has a 5U4 rectifier tube. It is said to produce a lot less sag than a 5AR4, for example. I asked the guy who built my amp about replacing rectfiers, but he said that other rectifier tube designs would not be compatible.

Well I don't know.. jeremy's rect was a GZ34... maybe 5U4s don't heve a substitute while the other 3 have...

forgive my ignorance and my questions but if I don't ask I ll never learn these things! or maybe learn them the hard way!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

to my knowledge a 5u4 has more sag than a 5ar4, but it does have different heater current demands

 

[some_dude]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

Does it take too long that it's annoying?

Is this a matter of personal preference or can you just say this is better than that?

1) It depends on your tastes and style.

2) Personal preference.

As mentioned, solid state offers the fastest reaction time to a pick attack, which in turn makes it harder and more aggressive sounding.

Tubes give a looser feel, particularily on the bottom end. They sag when you first hit a note, so it takes milliseconds for your note to 'blossom' to full strength. This is good and bad depending on how much sag the tube has and how loose or tight you want your amp to sound.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

when I got the chance to play a mesa stiletto head in a store, I was goofing with the tube/ss rectifier switch - as I understood it, it switches between tube and solid state rectifiers.

I didn't notice a difference.

I was using a hacker store guitar and only messed with if for a few minutes though. But that's what I remember.

Sag doesn't come into effect until you're pushing the amp hard enough to pull on the rectifier harder than it can provide. If you're playing at relatively low volumes a tube rectifier will have no problems keeping up and thus will have very little effect on tone.

 

[noth]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

there is such a wide variety of tubes that you can pick the one thatll suit you best. my favorites are 5ar4/gz34, 5v4, and 5y3.
the 5y3 is low voltage and lots of sag, the 5v4 is more voltage and less sag, the gz34 is even higher voltage and even less sag, if i need more attack than that then its ss time.

you have to be a little careful about substituting one tube recto for another since they consume different heater currents and if the recto that you are using cant keep up with the amps demands youll kill it pretty quick. i used a 5y3 in my bassman ltd for a little while to get more breakup and less volume and it worked great but the tubes lasted half as long as the 5ar4 that was supposed to be in there since the amp was really working the tube hard

Jeremy you ignorant slut! (Just kidding - You may be too young to know where that comes from). Imagine some guy knowing exactly how different rectifier tubes sound! I'm green with envy. Continue to teach us all, oh great one!!

Noth

 

[jeremy]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

my name aint jane

 

[noth]

Re: Solid state and tube rectifiers. Educate me please!

my name aint jane

You got it!! More power to ya'.

Noth