Do You Gig With Solid State Amps?

[markw51]

For you guys who gig and play professionally, how many of you gig with solid state amps because of reliability issues and record with tube amps?

For playing live, I'd think the typical audience would have no idea whether an amp is tube or SS.

Or perhaps if you can't stand the sound of SS, you always gig with tubes just for your own satisfaction.

[bumper]

No!


But If I'm only using one amp I carry a Crate Powerblock with me. It's gotta be better than taping an SM57 to your pickguard if your real amp explodes.

[Jakedog]

I usually would not gig a solid state amp. Not that I think they can't handle it, I just prefer tube tone, and like the way a tube amp reacts to dynamics far better. I have an old SS Marshall head from the 80's, and a late 60's Kustom 200 head (in gold sparkle tuck and roll! Yee-Haw!) that I pull out from time to time to get unique sounds for recording projects, but they don't get gigged.

I just dig the sound of tubes. As far as the audience goes, you are spot on. Unless they are guitar players (and even the majority of US don't have the ears we THINK we do), 99% of them will not know the difference. They will form opinions as to whether you sound good, or bad, but won't know why, and truthfully, I have heard plenty of good players sound good with SS amps, and plenty of not so good players sound terrible with some pretty expensive tube amps.

I have not personally found a solid state amp that I would be happy with the sound from if I had to gig with it full time, but I don't knock anybody who digs 'em. Different strokes you know... Who knows, I may stumble onto one someday that I just go nuts over, but for now, I'll gig tubes.


Jake

[Tony474]

I gig with solid state amps almost exclusively. I'm a bit pushed for time right now but I'll provide more detail later in case anyone's interested.

[nosuch]

I use a Polytone mini brute if i have to bring an amp, sounds good to me. most of the time I use what is provided by the club, fenders, boogies, things like that.
I like tube amps, too. sometimes I borrow the blues junior from my bassplayer.
saturday i played a blues session and used a vox valvetronic. sounds nice, most of the time i used a 410 something (?) model and switched to a 80s british, when the band played a hendrix tune. both sounds were very good in my ears. contemplating to buy one for home use.

[Paul in Colorado]

At one time I ran a Deluxe Reverb and a Peavey Bandit (?) that belonged to someone in the other band that rehearsed where I did. I used a Delay and ran the delayed signal to the Peavey. That's the only time I did that and it worked OK.

The last time I brought a solid state amp to rehearsal at the end of the night the rest of my band asked, "Uh, you're not going to use that at the gig are you?" I guess I'm just a tube-head.

[bo]

Back in the '80s I gigged regularly with a Peavey Renown. Not the best sounding amp, but useable and loud as a bomb and VERY reliable (kinda dusty nowadays but I still have it and it still works). After switching to tube amps in the late '80s I can honestly say it hasn't been much of a hassle (except for a certain Vox AC30 I had to troubleshoot/retube at a gig-but that's the only exception).

[RCinMempho]

I used a Yamaha DG80FX112 for a couple years in a variety/party band. For that particular band it was just fine, but it wasn't a guitar band.

[petebradt]

Not on a bet.

[Andy Summers]

I use niether. I just use one of these and mic it....

[giogolf]

The singer in my band plays through a 90's Fender Deluxe 85. One of the loudest and best sounding SS amps I have ever heard. As for myself, I play Fender tube amps

[Wardpike]

I would sooner be caught dancing in the rain at woodstock with a battered tele plugged into an ungrounded Fender Twin whilst holding onto a metal shaft SM57, dressed in pink and green polka-dot pants and a 46A bra...and 12" platform Gene Simmons boots...

No, never. Not even under threat.

[nic'o'caster]

The only SS amp I liked playing with at a gig was a Roland Jazz chorus 4x10''. I once used my practice Roland Cube 60 and it was ... well ... never again ! :(

[3 Chord]

In the past when I used to gig every weekend I used a Peavey Stereo Chours 212 (130WX2) with built in effects. It was bullet proof, even when we showed up to play and it had an inch of snow on top of the amp (where the cooling vents were).

We used to get many compliments on the sound of this amp (amp+Boss ME5+76 Tele). My playing sucks so it must have been the amp. Miking it thru the board it sounded huge for the country rock thing we were doing.

So yes I would used a SS again. Right now if I gig I use a Peavey C30 but that is only because that is all I have that is gig worthy.

And I agree most in the crowd don't know or care. All the band is for is to sell beer and keep the dance floor full.

[bradpdx]

In the past I have gigged with Peavey Renown, Peavey Bandit and Dean Markley SS amps. I have also had to do short sets with whatever was provided, which sometimes meant a SS amp of some kind - Fender, Marshall, Peavey, etc.

While the Peaveys work and certainly produce volume, I had real trouble getting any sense of presence out of them. Hard to define, but here's an anecdote:

I had the Peavey Renown (210 watts!) in a rockabilly-country band in the 1980s. I really liked the sound of the Renown, it was big and warm. But the band felt that my sound wasn't "big enough" (whatever that meant) and so I added an additional 2-10 Peavey powered cabinet for a total of 420 watts. I am sure that rig could crush concrete, but still something was missing.

One night, on a whim, I dusted off my BF Fender Vibrolux Reverb, 35 watts. I brought it to the gig, fired it up and by the end of the second tune the band was saying "That's it! Now we can hear you." It sounded great to me, too.

I was packing less than 1/10th the power, but the tonality and behavior of the Vibrolux made the difference. Shortly afterwards I sold the Peaveys and stuck with tubes.

Perhaps there are some newer SS amps I'd genuinely like. But I haven't played one yet. I use tubes for purely practical reasons.

[bowlfreshener]

Yes. For the metal thing I am in, I use a Keeley modded Boss MT-2 into a 120 watt 2x12, and I actually sound more louder and tubular than the other guitarists 150watt Randall halfstack with a tube in the power section...But then again, since the other guitarists EQ has all bass and treble and NO MIDS, all that comes out of his amp are speaker farts, but he seems to think that sounds good lol , but he's the only one that can hear himself since he stands in front of his cab doing Dimebag Darrell and Zakk Wylde poses...

OH WAIT, I just noticed it said for those who play and gig professionally...there is nothing professional about us, so take my reply with a grain of salt...

[voided3]

I've played some house parties and medium/large venues with a Line 6 Spider 2x12" and later a 60's Kustom K200 head running either one or two 2x15"s. The Spider, while loud, sounded bad at high volume, but decent at low volume. The Kustom rig, however, has proven itself over and over again to me as a great live setup. Loud and very toneful! It even gets natural break up when you push it.

[Murphy Slaw]

Tubes amps only since the early eighties. I've forund them to be far more reliable than solid state amps.

And I don't change tubes very often, actually my 2000 Mesa Blue Angel has all stock tubes, rectifier and all and gigs nearly every weekend.

I do have spares though. Always.....

Murph.

[Gunny]

I'm primarily a bass player and yes I use ss (and I have owned tube rigs). If I were back to my guitar (Tele) playing days, it would be my Super Reverb and I don't care how heavy it is, that's the amp that gives me my desired sound.

[CatfishStudios]

I have a VOX ac series hybrid..(solid state) that I bring along as a backup

[markinlondon]

I've used SS Fenders, Peaveys and Marshalls in the past. My TM60 works just fine for me but it works better using a pedal into the "clean" channel rather than the amp's overdrive.

[garytelecastor]

I alternate between a Fender Twin, Peavey Classic 50, and a Cube 60.

[Dacious]

Yes, we have Mackie powered speakers and a QSC M900 monitor amp. Oh, you mean with guitar? No. Unless you count amping the acoustic through the PA.

[IceGator8]

For a long time I ran a Fender Ultimate Chorus as the wet part of a stereo rig. The other amp varied between a Ampeg Reverberocket and a Matchless DC30. I would run into a wah, compressor, and tube screamer then split the signal. The dry end would go straight to the tube amp and the other would go into a couple of delays, a volume pedal (used for bringing up the wet up to taste), and then into the Ultimate Chorus. The Ultimate Chorus was always run clean. The Tube Screamer would dirt it up a bit for leads.

Let me tell you, it was one lush sounding rig.

I also played through a Jazz Chorus during my high school band years. A couple of DOD and BOSS distortion boxes and effects was the sound of many eighties bands.

I thought the Peavey Studio Chorus and Stereo Chorus 400 were incredible sounding clean amps as well.

[Tremo]

SS? Never.

[Steve G]

Yes!
I make a point of using every bit of gear Ive got live! Ive even used my two watt microcube, 1980's 5 watt torque practise amp and Champion 110 Fender practise amp in gigs, the latter very often.
Now its Vox Pathfinder 15r and Roland Cube 60.
OP said it right, your audience doesnt care. I have no budget and SS does the trick for me. Maybe one day!