Why should I play a tube amp if I use pedals for my dirt sounds?

[bluesfralins]

I can't believe you are actually 40. Grow the {censored} up.

i was actually implying that he was 40 asking about ss amps

i hope that when im 40 i have things to do like take care of my kids and have a real job instead of on here bitching about some drunk guy having fun with a bunch of over serious mediocre (at best) guitarist

[AnderMocs]

i was actually implying that he was 40 asking about ss amps i hope that when im 40 i have things to do like take care of my kids and have a real job instead of on here bitching about some drunk guy having fun with a bunch of over serious mediocre (at best) guitarist

What are you then, 12?

[Wood Chuck]

17 posts in, and I already hate you more than any other poster on HCFX. Congrats. I'll throw a party when you get banned in 20 mins.

[Wood Chuck]

Will TGIH come to my party for his bannination? thefragile too???

It would be an honor!

[Wood Chuck]

aww {censored}, i leave to ACTUALLY play guitar, and i cum back and every bodies telling me im going to get banned again maybe i get some sd invaders and run a couple delay pedals and only play guitar for a couple minutes a week and get into all the harmony central fads to make some new friends its just a bit of sarcasm boys

Banned again? No surprise. You can add to the situation or be a goo gobbler. Your choice but you will not be here long.

[WWW]

Ahhh, good old HCFX drama. Responding to guys like that is the first mistake.

I do somewhat agree with his first post though, but his delivery needs some work. Alchemist's post is also in the right direction, save for inadvertently saying that all SS amps suck.

I've played SS for ~18 years and tube for
Bottom line is if YOU like the sound of YOUR amp, then WGAF?

[Turd Furgison]

solid state tone ftl

[bluesfralins]

Ahhh, good old HCFX drama. Responding to guys like that is the first mistake. I do somewhat agree with his first post though, but his delivery needs some work. Alchemist's post is also in the right direction, save for inadvertently saying that all SS amps suck. I've played SS for ~18 years and tube for Bottom line is if YOU like the sound of YOUR amp, then WGAF?

 

 

+1

 

if you like your 5150, then thats your head

[bluesfralins]

What are you then, 12?

 

 

yep:facepalm:

[Noise...]

solid state tone ftl

Um...Both of those are awesome SS amps. Mainly for cleans, but so what?

Even some really biased tube players wouldn't mind using a Jazz Chorus for cleans.

[Saturnine10]

Ive always wanted to play through/own a JC-120.. Drooool!!

 

I love tubes though, i cant get enough of that warmth

[AnderMocs]

Um...Both of those are awesome SS amps. Mainly for cleans, but so what? Even some really biased tube players wouldn't mind using a Jazz Chorus for cleans.

I thought the JC was WAY to bright when i tried it. But i guess i tend to be into dark amps.

[anglerfish]

Um...Both of those are awesome SS amps. Mainly for cleans, but so what? Even some really biased tube players wouldn't mind using a Jazz Chorus for cleans.

I love JC cleans!

[Noise...]

I thought the JC was WAY to bright when i tried it. But i guess i tend to be into dark amps.

I noticed the same when I got my Princeton. Super bright compared to my Marshall, and even Champ 600's and Hot Rods. It's weird how you get accustomed to a certain sound, and then something different is just so far out there to you all of a sudden.

Not that different is bad, mind you. Fender sparkle>>>>Marshall Cleans.

I'd still love to get a JC120 as well. Maybe a Fender Stage with red knobs as well!

[drasp]

Thanks for your input but "crappy" amps and "good" pedals are very subjective. My favorite overdrive is the Dano Pastrami (and no not because it is red, that is just a bonus) and most people don't like it. My $300 Randall SS head thru my Vox 4x12 sounds better to me than my Valve Jr stack or my Blackheart I recently traded. Different strokes.

 

 

There are great SS amps and great tube amps and if you've found one of either that suits your playing, good on you! I think there tend to be more great tube amps b/c that's what guitarists want. Probably based more on mythology & blind devotion to one's heroes, but hey, who am I to rock the boat? I personally own 3 tube amps & don't think I'd seek out an amp that wasn't. I like those little glowing bottles! There are some Lab Series & JC amps I'd totally hit, maybe even a red-knob Fender.

 

The two tube amps you mentioned above shouldn't be your basis for comparison. They're great, for the price, but neither is what I'd consider 'a killer amp.' My band mate has a modded Valve Jr. that does alright, but it's not very warm or dynamic compared to any of the other amps we use. Have you tried a Tiny Terror? I freakin' love mine for band practice OR quiet jams. . .

[echodeluxe]

the jc-120 here at the wattson shop sounds amazing! distortion my not be its strong suit, but it is loud!

 

i think in my opinion, transistors dont distort well or take a distorted signal well.

 

for example, i feel like a drive pedal like the od3 sounds better going into my bassman than the jc-120, simply because i think the tubes sound better with the distorted signal. the transistors do great with a clean signal.

 

but to each their own. i wouldnt mind having the jc-120 as my main amp.

[gschmittling]

I really hate to be 'that guy' who does this, but it's not often that I have a video for the occastion. Here's a Keeley modded BD-2 into a Roland Cube 30x. It's one of my favorite tones.

[YOUTUBE]O7XdDS5VAGo[/YOUTUBE]


I'd 8 times out of 10 bring my tube amp over my SS, but some gigs are just small (like the one I'm playing up there) or at home practice (I use my boutique pedals into that Cube) where a SS is just easier. They both have a different sounds too, where you'd have to decide what you'd like more. I find the SS has more of a concentrated sound (overdrive) while a tube amp has more character. Let your ear decide. If you try out a solid state and tube amp, choose which one you like the sound of. I find both have their pro's and con's you just need to see which one fits your criteria.



Oh, and...
Stevie Ray's a dick.

[echodeluxe]

hahaha covering beyonce!!

 

"to the left to the left,

everything you own in a box to the left..."

[MojoFilter]

The answer to the OP's question is pretty easy to answer:

 

Sterility and lack of harmonic overtones.

 

For an open jam that I used to co-host, I brought a Solid State amplifier with a few good overdrive pedals. I could get a decent sound out of it, but it was always a little flat, and one-dimensional.

 

I've since upgraded to a moderately decent tube amp, and the difference is substantial, both in the "3-D" aspect of the sound, but also in the FEEL of how the amp responds to you.

 

A good overdrive pedal should meld with your amp...drive it somewhat, while also lending a little bit of it's own character to create harmonics and overtones that Solid State amplifiers simply can't produce.

[Agreed]

Sterility and lack of harmonic overtones are symptoms of a poorly designed solid state amp, not solid state amps in general.

 

That said, the reason that you should play a tube amp if you use pedals for your dirt sounds is because you can get some amazing price-to-performance tube amps right now, and a good tube clean channel flatters pedals really well. I can make anything sound good through my THD Univalve, and it isn't because everything has magical good sounds inside just waiting to come out, it's because that amp is beyond responsive, beyond harmonically rich; it exists in the perfect symbiosis with whatever is input that can only come from a well-engineered, class A, non-master-volume tube amplifier.

 

I say this as a great fan of solid state gear and as someone who has insisted in many a Tube Vs. SS thread that solid state amps can, in fact, hold their own quite well against tube amps, and even have advantages in some situations.

 

Mind you, though, that all tube amps aren't created equal. A simple circuit tends to be more responsive, though a well designed circuit can be quite complex without sacrificing your perception of touch sensitivity and vivid dynamics. Your best bet if you're wanting to stay cheap is to go with something pretty simple.

 

One surprisingly decent, inexpensive, high wattage tube amp for use with dirt pedals is the Peavey Windsor. Pretty straightforward amp, not a channel switcher; roll the pre gain back to around 1-2 to get a mostly clean sound, and use the master volume to bring it to level. This may seem like it would greatly reduce your overall volume, but that's not the case. EL34 power sections don't just get louder and louder the more you push them - they reach a point after which they just distort and compress more. When you've got your preamp dialed in hot, you're already driving the power section harder, so you reach that volume headroom threshold sooner and get more distortion overall as you crank it up. However, when you've got a reasonably clean sound (as I suggested earlier) nearly the whole master volume knob has available volume, but the end result is that the output is very nearly as loud as if you were just using it in a guitar->amp configuration.

[Johnonon]

Sterility and lack of harmonic overtones. .

 

 

Those are just buzz words. There are some SS amps that sound great, and if its for practice, a SS amp will certainly suffice. To be honest, I hate when people ask about a 5w tube combo fo cheap that does metal. A SS amp will be their best option

[OldCrankyDouche]

I play at home. no band. In an apartment. Can only raise volume during the day, and I cant rip it to ear-bashing volumes.

 

Had a Classic 30. Sold it to get a JC. Got a 77. Sold that to get $$. Then I bought a JC-120. Great cleans. Takes pedals well. But unless you have a use for bleeding eardrums, the JC-120 DOES NOT belong in a low volume practice setting.

 

I got rid of the JC-120 last week. Murch has it now. Ive got his Classic 30. I couldnt be happier with the trade. The c30 sounds GORGEOUS with a TS and Boost in front of it. Pretty much at any knob setting. Punchy, snappy, chunky, crunchy. MMM.

 

I really had to mess with dirt pedals to get a not-too-bright sound out of the JC.

 

I like low-medium volume clean tube tone. My p90 sounds {censored}ing delicious straight clean into the c30.

 

That thing is just SO friggin loud. Seriously, even if you play small gigs and want a JC, just get a 77 or 90. 65 lbs is a lot.

[GreaserMatt]

I am the first to agree that cranking a tube amp is great. But when can I really do that? Basically never. I leave my overdrive pedal always on for that slight breakup and have 2 other dirts for different levels of fuzz. I'm starting to think it is silly to start up a tube amp for 30-45 minutes of playing at home when I am not really reaping the benefits. I was just curious if anyone else feels the same way.

 

 

Sounds like you need to pick up an Epiphone valve jr. to me...

[DanJep]

^^^^ he has one

 

 

I haven't found a solid state amp that I've liked yet. I also love the way that clean boosts interact with tube amps.

[Josh S]

I never thought I'd hear so many people on this board singing the praises of SS. I guess it's different strokes for different folks... But I always assumed pretty much all guitarists had determined that tube amps = win.

Personally, I cannot get a sound I like out of solid state amp, no matter what. Even ones that are supposedly great like the JC120.