are you a valve snob?

[zinzin]

i own the vox pathfinder 15R ministack -> 2x10 celestion cab, SS through and through.

saturday i played the orange AD15/12 in a shop and couldn't tell any particular difference when i set the AD in overdrive mode (easy, with only one channel)! the orange costs twice as much as my vox and is all tube, but overdriven does sound the same as my SS vox! i could hear only really minor differences: maybe a little little bit more sparkle in the orange and definition, but i couldnt barely tell. they sounded really really very similar. and i brought my vox to the store for an A/B test.

the cleans very a bit warmer on the orange but not BETTER.

 

so i said to myself: only a valve snob would buy the orange over the vox!

 

now, two solutions:

- i have bad ears

- SS amps can sound really good

[cobrahead1030]

what were you expecting to be different about the orange v.s. your vox?

 

when i first got into trying out tube amps, i didn't really notice a difference either...with time tho i started to notice a good tube amp reacted to my playing and technique in ways that i never quite heard with SS amps

 

if you're used to playing with a good SS sound, it's not terribly likely that you'll be blown away by playing a good tube amp...IMO it's little things about the tone that are a big deal to some guys, and not to others

[jds22]

Snob? No.

 

I've had all types of amps. Solid state, modeling, hybrid, tube. I've had some good sounding ss amps and some poor sounding tube amps. That being said for me a good tube amp still beats the best ss/modeling amp currently available. I say currently because I do think that as technology improves the gap will narrow, especially in the modeling realm.

 

Maybe you should spend some time with a Vox tube amp and see if you can tell the difference.

 

One other thing to think about. If you play out, 95% of the audience can't tell the difference anyways. We spend all of this money on gear for our own ears and pride, not for the listeners.

[zinzin]

 

Originally posted by jds22 One other thing to think about. If you play out, 95% of the audience can't tell the difference anyways. We spend all of this money on gear for our own ears and pride, not for the listeners.

 

 

word.

[cobrahead1030]

 

Originally posted by jds22 One other thing to think about. If you play out, 95% of the audience can't tell the difference anyways. We spend all of this money on gear for our own ears and pride, not for the listeners.

 

 

they may not know the difference...but they do notice when one guy's tone has that 'something' about it, and another guy does not

 

i'm not saying that you have to spend big $$$ to achieve that...but i think it's very much the way an audience can't tell you that someone is off time and dragging behind a little; but they know the difference between a player who can make things sound good and one who just makes them sound decent

[IKilledSifoDyas]

Originally posted by jds22 One other thing to think about. If you play out, 95% of the audience can't tell the difference anyways.

 

 

Sometimes even when the audience is made up of valve purist (I won't use the term "snob" here) themselves:

 

 

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1405374

 

 

 

http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5602

 

 

[cobrahead1030]

 

Originally posted by IKilledSifoDyas Sometimes even when the audience is made up of valve purist (I won't use the term "snob" here) themselves:

 

 

interesting

 

apparently folks think you're getting a pretty good sound from your rig, but if your sound quality is similar to that of a camcorder mic i don't think it would be too hard to fool most people (i wish i had sound, i'd check out the video myself)

[GuitarHitman]

I don't have a great deal of experience with valve amps but I do with solid state and hybrids. In my experience, I usually find a tone I like with whatever type of amp it is. I 've used Marshall valve half stacks to play gigs before and I'd say the tone was good.... but nothing that stood out as significantly better than a good solid state amp. I do much rather the dynamic response from valve amps though.

 

When I tried out a Fender valve amp though for the first time, I think I creamed myself So maybe I just haven't tried out enough valve amps to base my opinion on. For valves to be hanging on after transistors killed them off in the majority of applications, I think, says it all.

 

The only type of amp I'm not so hyped on are modelling amps. I do use modellers, but more often than not, I can't find a tone I like.

[clay_finley]

Valve amps dynamic response really comes into play when they are turned up really loud.

[simbasa]

Well many jazz players use solid state for cleans. It really depends on the application but for rock and metal and blues I have heard line 6 guys followed by even the cheapest tube amps and the difference is obvious. I think that solid state and modelers have no place on stage but are great in studios.

[simbasa]

Originally posted by clay_finley Valve amps dynamic response really comes into play when they are turned up really loud.

+1 absolutely

[oryan]

 

Originally posted by zinzin i own the vox pathfinder 15R ministack -> 2x10 celestion cab, SS through and through. saturday i played the orange AD15/12 in a shop and couldn't tell any particular difference now, two solutions: - i have bad ears - SS amps can sound really good

 

 

I'll go with bad ears. SS amps are good for playing alone in a bedroom. They sound really good at first, but in a live situation with a band they're not as good as an overdriven tube amp. SS amps become harsh at loud levels while tube amps only get better.

 

[/thread]

[danbronson]

Snob would be a good word to describe me. I also really like the way tube amps sound and react.