[thesteve]

Originally Posted by seventoglory

Whether its the capacitors or not im not sure how much that plays into it. I do know tube amps put power to the speakers in the way ive described. Ive noticed it when testing powerloads from amps. Theres nothing wrong with that. Alot of tube players prefer tubes for this reason it just gives tubes that signature dynamic. However its not as immediate as an SS amp.

I agree there are great tube amps and bad ones. The same for SS. However if your looking for super-tight bass sound . Well built SS amps do it quite well because of the way they release their powerload. Thats not to say tube amps cant get close enough to compete. Believe me ive been tempted to the other side by the uberschall a great many times.

It's the caps. Both my Acoustic 150 and my Polytone 101 exhibit the same effect.

I understand what you're saying about compression though.

[Visirale]

Can I join this fruity little club ?

Here's my first venture into the tube world.

Yes. Bass players do use tube amps.

Yes, they sound amazing.

Will I ever go back to SS?

Probably not.



Old amp, current bass.



New head, new cab. Head still in the rack case.



Here she is uncovered .



Tubezzzz.

Amazing. Right now it has 6 6L6 power tubes in it. That's around 150 watts... but this thing is the loudest amp I've ever played out of. A lot of people put KT-88's (6550) tubes in it and that puts it up to 300 watts. I can't imagine how loud that would be. I can't put the master past 2 without causing the whole house to rattle.

[Sinker]

I just want to thank you for allowing me to have this little claim to fame. My question has garnered 280 replies over two years.

I'm honored!

[mattbatt]

Originally Posted by rainer123

I'm guessing that's describing someone like me...

Plain and simple, the advice I give is simply that tubes sound better. The questions I usually try to answer is "Does (X) SS amp sound like a tube amp?", and generally the answer is no, it doesn't, but it can get pretty close. Matching, no. Now I play a Valvestate II, and I see a few people around asking about these very amps. The only reason I got it was because I got a really good deal out of it. But people ask about them, and I say that a tube amp sounds much, much then this amp, and there are several in that same price range.

So yeah, I guess I'm a tone-freak tube snob, but it's what I like.

Rainer, since I've only posted like a few posts and been here a few months, don't know anyone really here yet, has your opinion changed since you wrote this? I'm just curious, I like looking at large discussions!

[pillarocks]

My dad owns 2 solid state amps (peavey bandit and marshall mg 15) and I own 3 (beginner yamaha 10w, line 6 spider, and roland micro cube). None of them even come close to a tube amp. Although, I love my micro cube. The sound is pretty nice for ss, but the best thing is, it runs on batteries. After playing these for a few years I grew some sense and wanted some tone. I checked out this thread and decided to get a tube amp. As soon as I have the money Im getting a peavey valveking 112 with swithable class a to a/b power. The reason i got the line 6 was all the different tone I could get out of it but when Itried this tube amp Igot all those sounds (metal to jazz) but with some feeling behind the sounds. Thanks for the help!

Ponchoman

[Rainer.]

Out of curiosity, how do you define "feeling"?

Does a Line 6 Vetta have as much "feeling" as a Mesa Dual Rec stack? hmm...

Originally Posted by mattbatt

Rainer, since I've only posted like a few posts and been here a few months, don't know anyone really here yet, has your opinion changed since you wrote this? I'm just curious, I like looking at large discussions!

Well, considering that opinion was from back in 2004, I can say that my opinion has changed in many respects, but still is the same in some as well.

For example, I've discovered how good modeling really sounds, but I also still believe that a guitar sounds best through a real amp. Modeling is a solution to many issues. But tone-for-price still belongs to the tube amps. Check out the prices on the Peavey Valveking, The used price on a decent modeler is still $300 on average. The used market teems with tube amps that can be had for $300-400, and if you're craving tube amp tone, you might as well get the tube amp, if cash allows. The lower end modelers like the Roland Cubes, Vox Valvetronix, or Line 6 Spiders aren't as good as the high end ones, and once you pay for a higher end modeler, you could've gotten a tube amp. Now, I do now see that higher end modelers do indeed sound like tube amps. Which is an interesting technological development. However, these modelers are in fact in the price range of the lower end tube amps, and for the practical guitarist, the amp would probably act as the better first choice since modeling units are still not amps. The amp's flexibility can then later be augmented by a modeler once the guitarist is looking at the possibility of a $600+ rig, but the guitarist needs a power amp and speakers to be heard before modeling tone, IMO, I couldn't live always practicing on headphones and plugging direct into a board. My gear philosophy revolves mainly around what price things are at and what I can get for the price. Modelers sound great, tube amps sound great, but if there was a first choice, I think it should be a tube amp.

[mr_strat]

If it ain't got tubes, it ain't worth playin' through.
I've played through Mesa Boogie for 25 years and have yet to see a solid-state amp that's worth anything. Line 6 products are a disgrace to real guitar players. Whether it's a Strat or a Paul, tubes are the only way to go. And yeah, they do let the Boogie in church, although considerably tamed down from it's capabilities.

[nbfan]

Originally Posted by mr_strat

If it ain't got tubes, it ain't worth playin' through.
I've played through Mesa Boogie for 25 years and have yet to see a solid-state amp that's worth anything. Line 6 products are a disgrace to real guitar players. Whether it's a Strat or a Paul, tubes are the only way to go. And yeah, they do let the Boogie in church, although considerably tamed down from it's capabilities.

Tube amps are great and all, but many SS amps are nothing to sneeze at. I love Mesa amps, truely. And I'm no fan of Line6 amps either. But I think you are exagerating.

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by mr_strat

If it ain't got tubes, it ain't worth playin' through.
I've played through Mesa Boogie for 25 years and have yet to see a solid-state amp that's worth anything. Line 6 products are a disgrace to real guitar players. Whether it's a Strat or a Paul, tubes are the only way to go. And yeah, they do let the Boogie in church, although considerably tamed down from it's capabilities.

Though, I can totally see that there are people with tonal preferences that can really only be satisfied by a tube amp.

As for me, I'm not that picky.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Though, I can totally see that there are people with tonal preferences that can really only be satisfied by a tube amp.

As for me, I'm not that picky.

I have gotten that picky...

But part of it I think has to do with the fact that I am playing mostly stripped down rock and roll p&w right now. A light drive, maybe a touch of reverb and maybe some delay.

It means all my nuances come from the amp pretty much... I don't know. It probably is the case in my guess that us guys who like to go guitar=>amp will be more demanding of a tube amp. Personally, I don't even like distortion pedals... I am a sick man.

[mr_strat]

Oh, I've got what would probably be considered ancient floor toys...flanger, chorus, Cry Baby. But I rarely use them, especially in church. Just give me a guitar, a wire, and an amp...with nothing in the middle to mess up the signal.

(Note: I say this tongue-in-cheek as I'm using a GR-20 in church these days.)

[†never†alone†]

Originally Posted by Major Tom

\

You are probably more likely to get killed on the way to where you were going to use it by a drunk driver in a dark green '78 Buick Riviera, ramming the back end of your vehicle, shoving the neck of your guitar (stored in the back) thru the back of your seat, right thru your spleen and 8 other assorted organs, right thru your rib cage, snap, and hitting the #4 preset button on your in-dash radio (which survived the crash), set the day before by your Dad to a creepy oldies station, and the song "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters is the last sound you hear on this earth....

HAHAHAHAHAHA

[Psalt12]

You know, it's a blessing and a curse to have tube amps. It's crazy how good they (quality amps) sound cranked, but the problem for a lot of people like us (assuming a lot of us play in church, etc.) is where can you crank them!!! We practiced today and it was the first time I got to crank my new Single Rectifier. It's only 50w but holy cow. It sounds good but we sure didn't run it through the system.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by Psalt12

You know, it's a blessing and a curse to have tube amps. It's crazy how good they (quality amps) sound cranked, but the problem for a lot of people like us (assuming a lot of us play in church, etc.) is where can you crank them!!! We practiced today and it was the first time I got to crank my new Single Rectifier. It's only 50w but holy cow. It sounds good but we sure didn't run it through the system.

At church, at home... My neighbors like it when I crank it...

[lespaul59]

I know man, my Marshall is only 50w and this thing is loud. My 100w Peavey SS can't even touch this thing at half volume. I played my Marshall at full power at church and I had to have my guitar on like 1 or 2 because at thing else was loud.