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Are Tube Amps Overrated?


VanHalen

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It's TRUE, just because they say Marshall on them, doesn't mean they're all equal and up to the task of achieving a given result. Using the right tool/tools for the job is KEY to achieving success. The 2nd key is knowing what to do with the "Right" tools.



I guess I found out the hard way bro. My bad. Next time I will come here first before I buy! This is the place to get a diversity of opinions and advice, that's for sure.

:thu:

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In my experience, having previously owned a Line6 HD147, it does sound pretty decent at low volumes but absolutely WILL NOT cut through like a tube amp. There's also something to be said about how a tube amp will sag, and how you can go from clean to crunch with just your pick attack.

I also have owned the TSL60, and actually found it to have pretty nice tone when boosted, but the loop sucked balls....

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Got it...
:thu:
My friend who has a Line6 rig, played through my rig and said, "All that my Line6 wants to be, this rig is. My rig will never sound the same to me again. Now I know what good sounds like."



I concur completely. I had a Vetta II, and decided I was going to splurge on the actual amp of the model I used the most - The Bogner Uberschall.

I immediately traded the Vetta II for a Powerball to a forumite.

The Vetta II is a pretty cool piece of kit, and very versatile. As far as swiss army knives go, it's {censored}ing sweet. But sometimes you just need a good hatchet.

To the OP: As your experience grows, your tastes will grow as well, I think. One day, you will look back on this thread and realize why people have reacted the way they have. :thu:

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I know what you mean. Seeing the title of this thread and then looking at the author's name does seem somewhat blasphemous, doesn't it? Fact is, I love Edward's tone. I saw him a few months back in Saint Louis (after the show getting cancelled twice), and he sounded great! However, I did what I thought I should do to get his "brown sound" and bought a Marshall JCM series tube amp. What I got with that and the Boss GT-8 was mud and a digital sound. The Line 6 HD150 sounds much better to me than that. Plus, I have several Van Halen presets on the Line 6 that sound friggin phenomenal!




I guess I found out the hard way bro. My bad. Next time I will come here first before I buy! This is
the
place to get a diversity of opinions and advice, that's for sure.


:thu:



The positive thing about the experience is that you get to keep what you learn and as you go forward, you'll be the wiser. It all counts somewhere down the road. ;)

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I concur completely. I had a Vetta II, and decided I was going to splurge on the actual amp of the model I used the most - The Bogner Uberschall.


I immediately traded the Vetta II for a Powerball to a forumite.


The Vetta II is a pretty cool piece of kit, and very versatile. As far as swiss army knives go, it's {censored}ing sweet. But sometimes you just need a good hatchet.


To the OP: As your experience grows, your tastes will grow as well, I think. One day, you will look back on this thread and realize why people have reacted the way they have.
:thu:



or in the case of the UBER a TEN TON DOUBLE BLADED AXE

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I concur completely. I had a Vetta II, and decided I was going to splurge on the actual amp of the model I used the most - The Bogner Uberschall.


I immediately traded the Vetta II for a Powerball to a forumite.


The Vetta II is a pretty cool piece of kit, and very versatile. As far as swiss army knives go, it's {censored}ing sweet. But sometimes you just need a good hatchet.


To the OP: As your experience grows, your tastes will grow as well, I think. One day, you will look back on this thread and realize why people have reacted the way they have.
:thu:



A L O H A-- DM

Keep Rockin... I KNOW you WILL. :thu:

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For several years I owned a Marshall JCM2000 TSL60 tube head with a Marshall 1960A speaker cabinet. For effects I used a Boss GT-8. Numerous times I had friends tell me that it sounded too "digital". I pretty much agreed with them. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to find a good warm sound out of the setup.


When the Marshall head finally developed a problem that my local repair guy couldn't fix, I traded the whole rig even-money for a new Line 6 Spider III 150-watt head and a Line 6 cabinet with four 12" Celestions. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am with the trade!


I don't care if the Line 6 is not a tube amp - it sounds better than any tube amp I have ever heard or played on. The cool thing is that all the effects are built into the amp. I have never heard any amp that was using outboard effects that sounded this good. It seems like no matter what, plugging the preamp of an outboard effects unit into the preamp of a guitar amplifier always ends up causing there to be extra distortion and hiss of some kind - even when the amp has a good effects loop.


Now I have to admit, when I hear a tube amp that doesn't have any effects plugged into it, it does sound warm and clean. But who plays without effects anymore? The moment you add some effects to the mix, you have degraded the sound of the tube effect IMO. In addition, who's to say that your favorite effect unit is even compatible with the brand of amp you are using? Did the two different manufacturers get together and calibrate their gear in order to make sure they work well together? I doubt it.


After this experience, I am beginning to believe that the idea of having to have a tube amp to qualify as a high-end amp owner is way overrated. I am having more fun playing my $750.00 Line 6 rig than I ever did playing my $2,500.00 Marshall/Boss rig. It sounds cleaner, the effects sound better, and everyone in my band who has heard it is totally blown away.


What's your opinion or experience on this topic?


:wave:

 

 

my opinion is that you fail hard.

you are a complete noob.:thu:

 

 

 

 

 

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:

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Who cares? IMO opinion this thread is a complete success, and so is my amp choice. I was out listening to a band the other night and the guy had a similar setup to my old rig (Marshall JCM2000 and Boss multi-effects). His rig sounded digital like my old one did. I asked the guy to come over and hear my amp, and he agreed that it sounded much better than his. He is now looking to buy one like mine.


Have any of you actually played on the new Line 6 Spider III 150-watt stereo head?


:confused:

 

I didnt think you were to start with , but yep... you are one aren't you..

 

:facepalm:

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I love Edward's tone. I saw him a few months back in Saint Louis (after the show getting cancelled twice), and he sounded great! However, I did what I thought I should do to get his "brown sound" and bought a Marshall JCM series tube amp. What I got with that and the Boss GT-8 was mud and a digital sound.

You didn't by chance also purchase a variac like Ed did to go with the JCM so you could lower the incoming voltage to the amp to the 85-90 volt ac range from the 120 volt supplied from the wall socket did you?
Just asking.
Eric
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so a while back i was introduced to tube by the valve junior (thanks little guy!) then later, after having moved up the ladder, i finally settled on my Orange. well i had to send it in for repairs, so im stuck with the VJ. and i never really realized how bad it sounds for s tube amp until i had gotten used to the orange. and to put it all in perspective, the VJ STILL kills anything i have ever played that wasnt tube. so....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/thread?

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