whats with the solid state hate?

ive used many o amp in store and while completely different beasts i cant figure out why (other than tradition) people prefer tube to solid state. i love them . a wee bit sturdier to me. like my fav amp is a tiny 20w danville that has literally been thrown across the yard and still plays fine an has needed no matenince.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Before discussion I would ask you to rate the frequency that you use the following basic tones.

1)Ultra crystal clean
2)Still clean but with just a touch of distortion
3)Kinda distorted
4)Really distorted
5)Beyond brutal distorted
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Well, it's the dynamic and the tone surely, which is different in many ways. If you don't hear or feel any difference, than you can go with the ss :-) Me? I never leave my tube amp because of the warmth I get :-)


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Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Before discussion I would ask you to rate the frequency that you use the following basic tones.

1)Ultra crystal clean
2)Still clean but with just a touch of distortion
3)Kinda distorted
4)Really distorted
5)Beyond brutal distorted

...2-5 i have 3 dif distortion pedals in my pedal board i use frequently... so i guess yes? lol
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Well, it's the dynamic and the tone surely, which is different in many ways. If you don't hear or feel any difference, than you can go with the ss :-) Me? I never leave my tube amp because of the warmth I get :-)


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i hear the warmth thing alot but surely an eq tweak can fix that up right? i mean we have pedals that make guitars sound like organs i feel my amp should be able to sound good no matter the temp or if i dropped it cuz i am traveling

EDIT: not hatin on tube amps they play great and sound amazing i understand the fasination an love they deserably get but aside i stay the hell away from the fragile little buggers
 
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Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Well, there's the odd v's even harmonic emphasis, which can be heard, but probably more than anything ... the responsivess to touch, which is felt when playing.

If you can't hear it or feel it, you'll be happy with solid state. Same goes for those who prefer to throw their amps across the yard.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

ive used many o amp in store and while completely different beasts i cant figure out why (other than tradition) people prefer tube to solid state. i love them . a wee bit sturdier to me. like my fav amp is a tiny 20w danville that has literally been thrown across the yard and still plays fine an has needed no matenince.

I have so much GAS at the moment for a Quilter amp. Definitely not a solid state hater.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Well, there's the odd v's even harmonic emphasis, which can be heard, but probably more than anything ... the responsivess to touch, which is felt when playing.

If you can't hear it or feel it, you'll be happy with solid state. Same goes for those who prefer to throw their amps across the yard.

....to be honest it was an accident long story lol i am perfectly happy with solid state even though i can hear difference i just don think differences in sound are good or bad i think i just personally like solid state better
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Cool, enjoy! Too many times, the art of music is turned into a debate on this vs. that from a gear standpoint. If it inspires you to play and you love your tones, that's all that matters.

:)
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

I don't think there is any solid state hate just difference of opinion, no different than Coke vs. Pepsi. I have played solid state Randells for years for everything from blues to metal. I love those amps. I am also a huge JC120 and VS100 fan. It is just different strokes for different folks people play what they are comfortable with. That being said my main amps are both tube amps.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

well as far as coke vs pepsi i say screw it buy rc lol. but yeah solid state just does what i needs but i mean alot of the time the guitar community shuns solid state as if not using tubes in rock music is a cardinal sin. at least from what ive seen. if u like tubs good on you. i just dont as much
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

ive used many o amp in store and while completely different beasts i cant figure out why (other than tradition) people prefer tube to solid state. .

That's the answer right there...because you tried them in a store. Go into a rehearsal room and dime an old Marshall and you'll see what the fuss is all about.

I don't hate on SS, they have their place, for home use and reliability they are no brainers. But for the times where air just needs to get pushed, there is no better feeling. I also like how tube amps seem to be less forgiving overall, making you having to show it who's boss rather than carrying you out on a horse an carriage...if that makes sense (more for modelling vs SS but whatever).

EDIT: I agree with your internet statement, gets overblown a bit, especially by people who don't even own tube amps but just regurgitate what they read.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

....to be honest it was an accident long story lol i am perfectly happy with solid state even though i can hear difference i just don think differences in sound are good or bad i think i just personally like solid state better

well.. there is good SS and then there is WTF bad SS

you cant expect a cheap 200 or 300 dollar SS amp to compare with.. lets say a randall RG 100es...,JC 120 .. ect.. lol...i admit it.. always been a rg 100 fanboi
hell.. ill put my rg 100 up against most tube amps at moderately loud volumes..
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

But for the times where air just needs to get pushed, there is no better feeling.

But isn't this more about speaker efficiency and cabinet design than the tubes?

I also like how tube amps seem to be less forgiving overall, making you having to show it who's boss

And this right here is the singularity: similar to when car nerds start talking about gear ratios and spend their weekends under the hood screwing up a perfectly good engine revving it over and over because they hear something, and they prefer a stick and clutch because they are technical drivers who think a car should do more than get you from point A to point B.
You have to fight, struggle, tweak for the room and the environment, and basically put up with the inherent instability of the design because tubes fluctuate so much over such minor changes. This is equated with some level of skill, and so by default tubes are mysteriously "better".

The simple fact is that most people who slobber over tube amps grew up with music played through tube amps. It's the sound they're trying to cop, and they're convinced that's the only way to get the same tone.


$300-$500 for a ss amp is not cheap, and I would expect top-quality at that price simply because the components are cheaper and more reliable than tubes.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

But isn't this more about speaker efficiency and cabinet design than the tubes?

Nope! I'm not talking measurable air molecules here, I'm talking about the feel of the amp. I'm not saying SS can't move air, but they certainly feel different when you stand infront of them. Of course, some of this is attributed to the fact that 100 tube watts is way louder than 100 SS watts.

And this right here is the singularity: similar to when car nerds start talking about gear ratios and spend their weekends under the hood screwing up a perfectly good engine revving it over and over because they hear something, and they prefer a stick and clutch because they are technical drivers who think a car should do more than get you from point A to point B.
You have to fight, struggle, tweak for the room and the environment, and basically put up with the inherent instability of the design because tubes fluctuate so much over such minor changes. This is equated with some level of skill, and so by default tubes are mysteriously "better".

The simple fact is that most people who slobber over tube amps grew up with music played through tube amps. It's the sound they're trying to cop, and they're convinced that's the only way to get the same tone.

$300-$500 for a ss amp is not cheap, and I would expect top-quality at that price simply because the components are cheaper and more reliable than tubes.

I see your point here, and I'm not saying it's BETTER because you have to fight it a bit, but I PREFER that, as well as (most importantly) the end resulting tone. I'm talking the last 10-20% here. It has made me a better player and it lets me know when I'm being a lazy pussy, because it needs push from me in order to push back...make sense? It's very hard to describe without having you over haha
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

...2-5 i have 3 dif distortion pedals in my pedal board i use frequently... so i guess yes? lol

And there is why you like solid state; you like the OD/dist tone you get from pedals. That's fine; dozens of very famous guitarists get their tone from a pedal running into a basically clean amp.

Other players prefer to drive the amp itself into breakup, and in that situation tube wins over SS every time. You can try to simulate tube breakup with solid-state transistors, you can model it digitally, but the only way you're really going to nail that tube-breakup tone is to have a tube running at breakup gain. There are pedals that do exactly that as well, but again there's a limit, because the output of the pedal must still be line level, so you're basically simulating breakup in the preamp stage. If you want to hear the sound of the power amp tubes distorting, you simply have to distort power amp tubes, requiring a tube-powered amplifier.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

That's the answer right there...because you tried them in a store. Go into a rehearsal room and dime an old Marshall and you'll see what the fuss is all about.

... Just bring some hearing protection, and don't expect to get the same tone from a Marshall at anything less than 11.
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

I've heard plenty of tube hate as well, not a one sided street here. Both have their pros and cons and some prefer one to the other.

While I own both, 100% of my gigging is through my tube amps–they have a warmth and response that I've not been able to hear and feel with any SS amp. Just a preference thing for me (but one of my favorite drive sounds came out of an old Gallien-Krueger 250ml.)

They definitely are some cork sniffers out there who use only vintage Fender tube amps and won't even try anything new because of the vintage only stuff–funny thing is one of the ones I know personally sounds like crap when he plays...but he's got the expensive vintage gear alright and he ain't gonna try no new thing because Leo is dead and Leo knew best when he was at Fender (no G&L for this dude.)
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

I must not be lookin in the right place cuz i cant find any tube hate other than marshall guy dislikes fender, fender dislikes marshall, mesa dislikes revv, and meanwhile jet city wants salando to have theyre babies. (hypothetical senario but you get the point) but yeah the guitar community is an odd place like we can rock a stadium through a laptop while playing a vintage les paul from 64 but some ppl use only era correct gear.... idk i generally opperate on a ''you do you'' mentality for example my drummer loves heavy-grind-post-punk-death-jazz-core and wants a 7 or 8 string. i personally would rather down tune and use somthing that isnt a log in my hands but as i said ''you do you'' no good or bad just what does and doesnt work for you. although on an on topic note i think jet city amps are the only tube amps i like but im thinkin bout gettin a yamaha thr100 cuz its ss but models tubes ok so like middle ground? idk i mean i like pedal distortion so i think it would be pointless waste of money. ill probably stick to my 10w 4ohm danville
 
Re: whats with the solid state hate?

Before discussion I would ask you to rate the frequency that you use the following basic tones.

1)Ultra crystal clean
2)Still clean but with just a touch of distortion
3)Kinda distorted
4)Really distorted
5)Beyond brutal distorted

This is actually a good chart to use, as Solid State is best for 1 and 5. It's where people are wanting to do 2-4 that it becomes a preference for people.
 
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