[DarylB]

http://members1.chello.nl/~n.tiemessen/jp/amps.htm

[Dream_Theater]

Actually DarylB he doesn't use any of those amps anymore ... here's his current rig ...

3-Mesa Boogie Roadkings
2-Mesa Boogie Lonestars
2 2x12 Mesa cabinets
2 4x12 Mesa cabinet

Thats Mark his amp tech.

As for the rest of the stuff ...

1-DMC System Mix
2-TC Electronic 2290
2-TC Electronic M3000
1-TC Electronic G Force
1-Eventide DSP7000
1-DBX 266XL
1-Mesa High Gain Amp Switcher
1-Dunlop Cry Baby Custom Shop Rack Wah (newer version)
1-Custom Mark Snyder interface
1-Furman AR Pro power regulator

[thesteve]

wow...going all heads again...no pre-amp/power-amp setups.

[lespaul59]

I know I'm coming in late on this thread but I'll try to catch up. FIrst if tube amps are all bad then why does most ss amps have some sort of tube emulation? I like a few ss amps but for the most part I can't stand them any more since I got my tube amp. And the main thing I don't like is how they try to emulate a tube amp, I'm not to up on Line 6 but from what I've seen most of their amp models are based on tube amps. I've heard both good and bad arguements on tube vs ss. I would have to say the worst arguement I've ever seen was a guy saying that ss was better for playing stuff like Metallica and Megadeth when James, Kirk and Dave(Megadeth) all use tube amps. But to me when it comes down to it no ss amp can give you the warmth and organic feel of a tube amp. And the clean amp arguement doesn't fly with me beacuse of Fender tube amps. I mean you can get a little distortion from a Fender but if you want clean buy Fender. And I hate when people talk about getting a bunch of tones from one amp because I think you should be able to pick a song and play it with just a guitar to amp rather is a tube or ss amp. Unless your a session guy who has to play different styles of music. I know your not gonna get a metal tone out of a amp set up for country with out adjusting. But I still think that can be done with one amp. I don't think price can be figured in any more because of amps like the Peavey Classic 30 and Epiphone Galaxie. And I can get some great tone out of my Marshall at lower volumes, I might have to use a dist pedal for some distortion but it still has good tone none the less. I think chesh has got it right when it comes to dispelling myths because I believe that when think of tube amps they think of Marshall, Mesa or some other amp thats in the $1k range. But I got a used vintage Marshall for less than $1k that I would put up against any new Marshall. And well as far as tube amps being hard to work with, my Marshall has all the knobs that I've seen on a ss amp. And believe it or not I use the same settings on my tube aamp that I used on my ss amp. There might be a little more work with setting a tube amp but not nothing that can't be figured out in one night. And well lkets face it no great tone can be found in one night unless God just happens to let you find it. And amps like Line 6 I believe they give some people a reason not to work to find a good or great tone. And I'm gonna stop there because I feel that I'm starting to ramble.

[Demon_Hunter]

someone may ahve already adressed this, i dont know, and im not gonna read 8 pages of this thread to find out.

but when someone ask about 2 solid state amps, as to which is better, it really is stupid to say "neither, get a tube". you have neither adressed his original question. but in the end you have only provided him with more questions. which later on s/he may get more stupid answers, and then have more questions. [gasp]

let me catch my breath before i go on.


why dont we just adress the question as is, instead of trying mold the answer to a question that was never asked in the first place?

when someone says "neither, get a tube" the question they are adressing is this. Q: is this tube amp, better then that ss amp?
when you should adress this question Q: is this ss amp, better then that ss amp?

the only reason i posted this is cause i know if i asked a question i wouldnt want someone to give me an answer that had nothing to do with my question, i would want a direct, simple answer, with no beating around the bush.

[PianoMan]

I partially disagree with you. I agree that if someone asks that question, then it should be answered. However, I think we will all agree that when we look for a new amp, we are 99% of the time looking for better tone. If someone posts a question about two solid state amps that cost around the same amount as a decent tube amp, I say let them know, because in the end when it comes down to overall tone, that tube amp is going to completely blow away the ss amps. In the end it is their choice, but I would hope that they could at least become more educated before buying.

[Dave H]

Originally Posted by demon_hunter

someone may ahve already adressed this, i dont know, and im not gonna read 8 pages of this thread to find out.

but when someone ask about 2 solid state amps, as to which is better, it really is stupid to say "neither, get a tube". you have neither adressed his original question. but in the end you have only provided him with more questions. which later on s/he may get more stupid answers, and then have more questions. [gasp]

let me catch my breath before i go on.


why dont we just adress the question as is, instead of trying mold the answer to a question that was never asked in the first place?

when someone says "neither, get a tube" the question they are adressing is this. Q: is this tube amp, better then that ss amp?
when you should adress this question Q: is this ss amp, better then that ss amp?

the only reason i posted this is cause i know if i asked a question i wouldnt want someone to give me an answer that had nothing to do with my question, i would want a direct, simple answer, with no beating around the bush.

If someone asked you which is the better way to kill someone, shooting them, or stabbing them? How would you answer?

No one wants anyone to kill someone (at least I hope not here) So I assume the answer is neither, it is a heinous crime and a terrible sin.

I think that many of us who frequent these boards feel sort of the same way about tubes vs. ss amps. When someone asks which solid state amp to get, my natural reaction is to share with them how great a tube amp is, and probably how much happier they would be with a tube. In the end, it is certainly their choice to get whatever amp they want, but obviously (at least to me) people around care enough to let their brethren know just how great a tube amp is

[tht00]

well said, dave

[everyman]

Is it me?

Seems like an awful lot of questions about non-tube amps get answered with 'buy a tube amp.'

ex:
Q: I've narrowed my choices down to these two solid state amps, should I get A or B and why?
A: Neither, for the same money you can buy a tube amp.

Q: Which of these two stomp boxes gives the best distortion?
A: Neither, use the drive channel of a tube amp.

Here another example:

Q: I have a budget of $200. Can someone recommend a good SS amp I can get for that price?
A: Get a used tube amp.

[thesteve]

i have an acoustic 150 head...it's wonderful. it has alot of applications. i'd really like to run it side by side with my fender hr deluxe...i don't know that it will "out-tube" a tube amp, but i think for some purposes it will do better.

ss definitely has it's purposes, but i would also go to say that most people who say, "recommend me a good ss amp" want ss because they have misconceptions about tube, not because they need an ss amp for the things that ss is good for.

[Demon_Hunter]

Originally Posted by everyman

Here another example:

Q: I have a budget of $200. Can someone recommend a good SS amp I can get for that price?
A: Get a used tube amp.

ive seen that one alot in the guitar forum. i havnt been around in this forum long enough to see it in here tho. but if thats the standard answer to an amp question, why should i stay here?

i mean, answers like that dont get me anywhere, but possible more confused. as i personaly have no clue the difference between ss, or tube.

[ApparentlyNothing]

Originally Posted by demon_hunter

ive seen that one alot in the guitar forum. i havnt been around in this forum long enough to see it in here tho. but if thats the standard answer to an amp question, why should i stay here?

i mean, answers like that dont get me anywhere, but possible more confused. as i personaly have no clue the difference between ss, or tube.

Just because you are ignorant of the better option, it does not mean the better option does not exist.

You should stay here so that you can learn from those who do know the difference.

[Rainer.]

I posted this in 2 other threads, but I figure it'll have a better home here...

I posted this last month...
________________________

My honest, frank, advice for this matter. Forget about Solid State. Forget about modeling amps. Forget about digital amps. Forget about hybrid amps. Tube is the only way to go. Period.

[that's my tube snobbishness talking. SS has some good qualities, but tubes generally murder them in overall tone and such]

A couple amp terms you should be familiar with. First, the guitar goes to the amp thru the input. Then it goes to the preamp section. There, the tone is shaped by the EQ, gain, and most other tone shaping controls. Then the signal goes into the power amp section. There, any effects are added, and the sound is amplified to drive the speaker. The overall power of the amp is determined by the power section of the amp. The gain levels of the amp are determined by the preamp section. The signal from the power amp is then led to the speakers, where it is then heard by your ears.

The real differences? Easy. One uses transistors to amplify the sound. The other uses tubes. Plain and simple. What difference does that make? In theory, pretty much nothing. Either one will amplify the sound. However, tubes are old technology, and the sound they make is very impure. Now why the heck do you want an impure sound? Well, guitar amps are never meant to amplify a plain signal. A guitar amp will always voice the guitar a certain way, which is why most amps sound different. Now, an impure signal in the case of guitar amps is either good or bad. In the case of tubes, it's a good thing. THe sound is much warmer, harmonically rich, and just better. (if you wanna get into the whole guitar=food thing, the sound is richer, creamier, sweeter, and overall droolworthy).

Now for some reason, the two types of amps go into distortion differently. For reasons not yet understood. Transistor/Solid State amps tend to go into distortion very suddenly. This makes sense, because they are a very hi-fidelity sound reproduction system. As soon as the circuit is overloaded, it clips. Easy stuff to understand. However, tubes are wierd. When you crank a tube amp, the power tube section especially, the tubes behave in such a way that it does into distortion very smoothly. The sound's wave form doesn't uniformly clip into distoriton, like solid state amps. It slowly goes into clipping, and it gives a lovely, creamy, semi-distorted, smooth compression goodness. You might not even be able to tell if it's clean or distorted. It just sounds awesomely awesome.

Another characteristic of tube amps is that because they smoothly go into clipping and their circuits behave differently, they, for some reason, get a ton louder then a solid state amp of equal wattage. That's always good, but that means the volume can get a bit out of control. The answer? Attentuators. Attentuators are a device that reduces the loudness of the amp, by going in between the amp and the speakers. It allows you to distort the all the tubes of the amp, both power tubes and preamp tubes, to get the sweetest distortion and overdrive tones ever heard.

And that's just the "brief" overview.

[lespaul59]

If you just have a $200 I wouldn't suggest getting any tube amp for that much because 1. If it's $200(unless a person doesn't know what they have) I'm not even gonna look at it my self and 2. It's probly gonna be a Epiphone Galaxy which I've only heard good things about(the reveb problem is supposed to be fixed) but haven't played thru one. And well your prob not gonna have much of a selection to chose from either, unless it's a Peavey or Crate(I do like Peavey though). And recommending a tube amp when some one is asking about two ss amps I think if it's said right your doing nothing more than givine your opinion which is what people are asking. I mean a person saying don't get a ss amp get tube that does't even touch an opinion in my book. But if someone is like , well I don't like either of those ssamps but I think the Peavey Classic 30 is a much better amp for the same price. I don't think there is nothing wrong with that becasue it's a truthful opinion. I haven't looked back since switching to tube and I think that a lot of which ss amp is better comes from the misunderstanding that all good tube amps are costly or that they are hard to work with. When in fact that you can get good cheap(not cheap in quality) tube amps(Peavey Classic 30, many used tube amps), and well I use the same settings on my tube amp that I do on my ss amp and they sound better on the tube amp. My opinion on SS amps is that some are good but overall I'm not a fan, digital amps suck and I think tube amps are and will stay at the top of the food chain as far as amps go.

[Demon_Hunter]

if tube techknoledgy (i murdered that word) is so good, and so popular why dont companies put more time into producing tubes, and tube amps? and just faze out the ss amps?

i mean, if its a good product, and the next best thing is so obviously crappy, why even bother with it?