Obvoiusly alot of people swear by valve, and it certainly ups the price of the amp, i am a young guitarist and have only played through my own 50 watt solid state, which sounds nice, but am wondering what im missing out on with valves, so are they really THAT much better and worth THAT much more money??
Solidstate or valve?
- Thread starter 570ex
- Start date
McLaughysSN
New member
Re: Solidstate or valve?
he said it.. personally i wouldn't turn back to solid state.. with tube you get great cleans (some solid states have alright cleans) and when you break up into minor distortion or heavy distorion (pending your gain situation) it sounds SOOOOOOOOO much better (to me, solid state overdrive sounds poopy. for lack of a better word)
if you have the money. go valve.
chcjunior said:
he said it.. personally i wouldn't turn back to solid state.. with tube you get great cleans (some solid states have alright cleans) and when you break up into minor distortion or heavy distorion (pending your gain situation) it sounds SOOOOOOOOO much better (to me, solid state overdrive sounds poopy. for lack of a better word)
if you have the money. go valve.
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Solidstate or valve?
Oh man, tube amps, I love 'em. Mmmmmm...
Oh man, tube amps, I love 'em. Mmmmmm...
guymanperson
New member
Re: Solidstate or valve?
i think it depends on what sort of music you play... there are some nice solid state amps out there... tech21 for example and fender make some realy responsive good sounding amps. i use tube amps for thier simplicity and "vintage" sound, softer atack and smooth overdrive
keep in mind that in a blind test only 50% of guitar players vcould tell if they were playing through a tube amp
i think it depends on what sort of music you play... there are some nice solid state amps out there... tech21 for example and fender make some realy responsive good sounding amps. i use tube amps for thier simplicity and "vintage" sound, softer atack and smooth overdrive
keep in mind that in a blind test only 50% of guitar players vcould tell if they were playing through a tube amp
R
RACER X
Guest
Re: Solidstate or valve?
True, tube amps are killer if you can afford one, but a solid state can give you crunch/hi gain at lower volumes (bedroom levels) wheres you have ta crank a Marshall or Mesa to achieve it, plus its cheaper. Consider this, you buy a 120wtt 2x12 combo for your main amp while you save for your dream amp, onece you get it then you still have a bad ass practise amp, win/win sitsuation.
True, tube amps are killer if you can afford one, but a solid state can give you crunch/hi gain at lower volumes (bedroom levels) wheres you have ta crank a Marshall or Mesa to achieve it, plus its cheaper. Consider this, you buy a 120wtt 2x12 combo for your main amp while you save for your dream amp, onece you get it then you still have a bad ass practise amp, win/win sitsuation.
Guitarist
Mesa-ologist
Re: Solidstate or valve?
No doubt. Totally depends on the situation. For bedroom, there's no way around S/S. But as most say, there's nothing comparable to the smooth flavor of tubes. Remember though, if you buy a tube amp - treat it like a boot camp trainee and push it like a motherfukker!
It's sort of like butter, you get a lil taste of it and you just want more!
RACER X said:
No doubt. Totally depends on the situation. For bedroom, there's no way around S/S. But as most say, there's nothing comparable to the smooth flavor of tubes. Remember though, if you buy a tube amp - treat it like a boot camp trainee and push it like a motherfukker!
It's sort of like butter, you get a lil taste of it and you just want more!
RACER X said:
SoCalSteve
New member
Re: Solidstate or valve?
I'll put it this way. A month ago I was using a Toneworks Multi-Effects processor with my solid state amp. Then I bought a valve amp and the Toneworks has been collecting dust ever since. I just love the pure sound of my guitars and amp now.
And by the way, there are some lower priced tube amps out there. I've seen the Crate V58 for around $250.
I'll put it this way. A month ago I was using a Toneworks Multi-Effects processor with my solid state amp. Then I bought a valve amp and the Toneworks has been collecting dust ever since. I just love the pure sound of my guitars and amp now.
And by the way, there are some lower priced tube amps out there. I've seen the Crate V58 for around $250.
Last edited:
Mr Wolf
New member
Re: Solidstate or valve?
i love tube amps! But i have been unlucky at gigs, fuses blowing etc. Theyre also heavier, need to be maintained and the thought of it scares me. Im thinking of going solid state for those reasons, reliable, lighter, good for bedroom levels etc. Just seems like a sensible option to me... but those tubes do sound good! and im sure ive just been very unlucky with tube amps so far.
i love tube amps! But i have been unlucky at gigs, fuses blowing etc. Theyre also heavier, need to be maintained and the thought of it scares me. Im thinking of going solid state for those reasons, reliable, lighter, good for bedroom levels etc. Just seems like a sensible option to me... but those tubes do sound good! and im sure ive just been very unlucky with tube amps so far.
Young Angus
Kometose Tonologist
Re: Solidstate or valve?
Just listen to it for yourself, you will see why everyone raves so much about them
Just listen to it for yourself, you will see why everyone raves so much about them
RiffRaff
New member
Re: Solidstate or valve?
I prefer the sound of tube amps but some situation just make it impossible to haul my tube head and cabinet around - plus with the tube amp goes my effects board. Last month I tried out a Kustom Wav 2x12 combo amp - something I would never have even considered looking just a few years back - the amp has two channels, the overdrive channel gives you a selection of four different types of overdrive with a gain knob to control the amount - plus you get four channels of programmable effects with each channel - also a boost for the lead channel. The front end of the overdrive is tube driven (12AX7) which I promptly replaced with a JJ and it improved and already decent overdrive tone. Now, I'll always keep my tube amp and most likely will add to my collection but for certian types of sitautions having a solid state amp with usable effects features is a defenite plus. I know guys who play nothing but SS (Roland JC120, Polytone) and they have incredible tone - most of which is in their hands - so don't toss the idea of a SS amp until you've had a chance to really go out and try a few and put them through their paces, you might be surprised.
I prefer the sound of tube amps but some situation just make it impossible to haul my tube head and cabinet around - plus with the tube amp goes my effects board. Last month I tried out a Kustom Wav 2x12 combo amp - something I would never have even considered looking just a few years back - the amp has two channels, the overdrive channel gives you a selection of four different types of overdrive with a gain knob to control the amount - plus you get four channels of programmable effects with each channel - also a boost for the lead channel. The front end of the overdrive is tube driven (12AX7) which I promptly replaced with a JJ and it improved and already decent overdrive tone. Now, I'll always keep my tube amp and most likely will add to my collection but for certian types of sitautions having a solid state amp with usable effects features is a defenite plus. I know guys who play nothing but SS (Roland JC120, Polytone) and they have incredible tone - most of which is in their hands - so don't toss the idea of a SS amp until you've had a chance to really go out and try a few and put them through their paces, you might be surprised.
