What are some iconic solid state amps?

Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

Diego said:
Lab Series L5.

BB King. Ty Tabor. Both used the same amp. Crazy!
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I was trying to think of the amp Ty Tabor used and I couldn’t come up with it. Very unique tone that worked perfectly in that context.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

Mincer said:
This is pretty much it. Polytones got known as the go-to jazz amp for carrying on the subway, not because of the tone. My Tech 21 Trademark 60 deserves to be on the list, because as a SS amp it sounds really great, and is the first real 'analog modeling' amp.
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those tech21 amps were really nice. oddly i loved the little 10 the best of all of em but they were all pretty sweet
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

jeremy said:
those tech21 amps were really nice. oddly i loved the little 10 the best of all of em but they were all pretty sweet
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I still use my 10 every day. It has been on the radio, TV, and in the studio with me.
BTW, any jazz player that uses a PolyTone, even the big icons of jazz, would have their tone improved 1000% by plugging into a Vibroverb. Most of them didn't care (I've talked to many big time jazz players). They aren't gear heads, generally, and used what was small and light.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

Mincer said:
I still use my 10 every day. It has been on the radio, TV, and in the studio with me.
BTW, any jazz player that uses a PolyTone, even the big icons of jazz, would have their tone improved 1000% by plugging into a Vibroverb. Most of them didn't care (I've talked to many big time jazz players). They aren't gear heads, generally, and used what was small and light.
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Makes sense. It's not like they're playing to crowds of people. :P
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

In no particular order...

Standel
Vox Super Beatle, et.al.
Kustom 100/200/400
Acoustic 150 (and 360/370 for bass)
Sunn Concert/Beta/Coliseum
Pignose
Peavey Solo Series
Polytone
Heathkit
Gibson LAB
Fender's first SS amps, the vertical cabs (if only for there failure in the marketplace.)
Roland Jazz Chorus
GMT/Gallien-Krueger

This would be my Top ICONS. But, I'd give honorable mention to Ampeg, the E-H Mike Matthews Freedom Amp, and the original PRS amp.

Bill
 
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Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

John Fogerty rocked my world with these tuck-n-roll beasts way back when.

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I still use my Tech 21 Trademark 60 on a regular basis. At one time, I traded one off to a friend but found out I missed it and had to buy another one. And I still have one of the original Pignose amps in my guitar room.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

So few hit the "Iconic" level IMO....yeah, we are throwing out a bunch of names.

1. Poltone Brute
2. Lab Series L5
3. Pignose
4. Peavey Bandit ~ 81-87
5. Roland Jazz Chorus 120
6. Scholz Rockman

Everything else is interesting/nice/cool, but those are the ICONIC things that are not modelers, and have NO tubes. IMO...
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

ArtieToo said:
I've never even heard of these before, and it's name keeps popping up. I may need to snag one of these just to see what it's all about. ;)
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I played through one in the late 1980s, wasn't impressed enough to buy it. Don't really remember it but I think it sounded a lot like the solid state Sunn 2x12 I had at the time.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

Sunn is another one of those names I've heard a million times, but have never had the opportunity to play. I don't really know what their characteristic tone is.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

My first guitar amp was an 80 watt Ross combo with a 12" speaker. Before that I had been playing through the auxiliary input in my parents Pioneer stereo.
To my 16 year old ears, that Ross sounded like a full stack in comparison.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

I didn't include Polytone in my original list because 1) very few people had them 2)those people played Jazz in coffee shops and academic settings 3) in my experience there wasnt anything that great about the amp as much as the voicing of the speaker.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

Surprisingly good when plugged into a decent cab ≠ Iconic


But yes, they are indeed cool.
 
Re: What are some iconic solid state amps?

Aceman said:
Surprisingly good when plugged into a decent cab ≠ Iconic


But yes, they are indeed cool.
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I thought those Marshall solid state Mini stacks were a dumb gimmick back in the day -i personally never heard one I liked -but then again I never plugged it in to another cab.

Also, the early and mid 90s Valvestates are terrible. don't know about later ones

I think I prefer the Marshall beer refrigerator tones from that era.
 
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