Are There Any REALLY Good Solid-State Amps (Don't Pass Over Just b/c of the "SS"!)

[Cleeve]

Gibson Lab Series.

[franchelB]

Originally Posted by tiktok

I don't consider myself "Gear Vain", but if that amp was the best sounding thing I'd ever plugged into, I'd still look into replacing the cab with something else. Anything else. Yech.

Personally, I was still into Metal (love the snakeskin carpet covering!) when I bought mine in '89...and "green" when it came to choosing amps. I didn't understand why ANYBODY would want to spend at least twice as much for a tube amp that had lower "wattage" than a solid-state amp...at least that was my thinking back then.
Not to mention the fear of being extra careful with a tube amp when a solid-state amp is practically indestructible. But the choices in MY price range were:

1. Peavey Bandit 80
2. Crate G-65
3. Fender M-80

I didn't care for Peavey at the time because, well, it's a Peavey. It didn't have the "sound" I was looking for. Crates were just UGGLLLYYYY, and the Fender M-80 was louder than either one of them. Plus you could've hook it up to an extension cab, which would've made the amp louder. And it IS a Fender...

[bosstone]

Originally Posted by petebradt

in my opinion, for anything but Jazz or Pedal Steel, there are no good solid state amps. And even Jazz and Steel sound better through the right tube amp.

Have you ever heard a Marshall Artist cranked up on the distortion channel? I don't think that when used through the same cabinets, most people couldn't tell the difference between it and a early JCM 800 50 watter. I have had the two side by side.

[jefrs]

Once you get away from the bedroom-blaster and modelling practice amps there are a number of practical ss amps out there. I got rid of my easy to carry with one hand PV Valvestate only because it was too loud. The sadly discontinued but not left-pond Sessionette is even better (try JD-10). I recently tried out the huge-like-a-sideboard JC120 and the Cube60, both good but all the Cubes do rather buzz. I once came across a Peterson jazz amp - nice, pretty wooden box the size of a Cube30 but 100 watts. You do need more watts in an ss. Unlike a valve amp they can be turned down without loosing quality. If I needed a lightweight stage amp again, would get another cheap s/h Bandit and immediately change its usually appalling speaker.

[rbrienzo]

I have always liked the Peavey Bandit.

[shinigami747]

vox pathfinder 15r for me.
but what the heck do i know.

[62Caster]

Line 6 Floor pod...or an Orange Crush 30r

[Joe-Bob]

There are actually alot of good SS amps out there; many are only available used.

The Roland JC-120 was a good amp. Don't know about recent production, though...they went cheap on some components.

BTW--the JC-120 is a very bright amp. I've actually used one with the treble all the way down.

[notyalcer]

I have never owned but always really impressed by the Tech 21 SS amps that I've demoed. Very juicy, dynamic tone.

I owned (and wish I still had) an Yamaha DG-80 amp. That thing sounded great and FELT great, but I wasn't playing out when I had it so I can't say how it really performed. Alan Holdsworth has used them so that says something. Amps that sound great at home may not pull through in a loud band.

I currently have as a back up a Crate Powerblock, which is small and light and great to bring in case of tube amp failure. That happened to me two gigs ago, my 35 watt tube amp had no sound (later found out a loose power tube was the problem), so the Crate did the job. It sounds pretty good, but lacks the punchy feel and sense of power of the tuber amp. Hard to explain, but I think tubes just have more oomph to them that translates to what you feel back at the guitar.

[Jakedog]

Peavey trans-tube amps. Especially the Delta Series (red stripe). I went to jam with some new players Friday night, we're putting a new band together for some extra work. The guy putting the whole thing together is 30+ year pro, and absolute tube amp junkie. He was down on my Bandit 112 from the minute I walked in the door. Had nothing nice to say about it, and wanted me to commit to buying a "real" amp for gigging before we even started jamming and trying out tunes.

After the first song, I had to get him a dust pan to sweep his jaw up off the floor.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I've owned just about everything. I'd put my Trans-tube amps up against anything, anywhere.

They are like any other amp, you don't just plug in and get everything you've always dreamed of like magic. But if you take a few minutes to learn how it works, it will absolutely do everything a good tube amp will do. And I can buy TT Bandits used all day long for $100-$150. For what it costs to have one decent tube gig amp these days, you could buy a house full of these, and just leave one everywhere you play.

If you want a ridiculously reliable, low to no maintenence amp, that sounds like a million bucks, and has more than enough clean headroom and power to gig in any situation, and can also break up the clean very nicely at low to moderate volumes for small rooms, plus be touch sensitive and really dynamic, the TT Bandit is your ticket to financial freedom. Sit with one and learn how to use it. Between the amp voicing switch, the T-Dynamics knob, and the resonance switch, it's like having a whole room full of different tube and SS amps at your fingertips. And that's just the clean channel. And it does it all with plain jane analog circuitry, no digital modeling.

Show me your favorite amp, and I will get the Bandit to do a startling impression of it. I will not sit here and say that no one could possibly tell the difference, but it will get you so close you'll be astounded. And I will say with confidence, that without seeing the amp, no one would ever say it's solid state.

[Goluphi]

I think it's possible to get a great sound out of a solid state amp, by all means. I've heard some great sounding solid state amps. Can you replicate the tube amp sound? Potentially. Although, solid state amps have their own strengths (clean headroom), and replicating the tube sound might not be the best direction for SS amp manfs. One way or another, even if a SS amp sounds identical to a tube amp (to a listener), from a player's perspective, there's a lot more to the equation.

One thing that Solid State may never be able to replicate is the FEEL of a good tube amp. A tube amp responds to playing style and picking dynamics like nothing else. The way a tube amp breaks up is more than just sound. It seems a nearly impossible task to replicate digitally all the tiny factors that go into the tube amp playing experience.

[rbrienzo]

Originally Posted by Jakedog

Show me your favorite amp, and I will get the Bandit to do a startling impression of it. I will not sit here and say that no one could possibly tell the difference, but it will get you so close you'll be astounded.

Funny you say that. Me and my tube amp shopping buddy had the run of a guitar store for an afternoon and I noticed the same thing. It was a slow day and we know the guys working at the shop so we tried every amp in the sore. The Bandit seems to cover a lot of ground tonally. It dose a lot of sounds really well. I would love to own one....... and I have a basement full of tube amps.

[chromaken]

I have a Roland Cube 60. I love it. I have an older Fender Champion 30 that I am fond of as well... at low volumes of course.

[jefrs]

The PV Valvestates, Bandit et al can be transformed by changing the speaker, it doesn't have to be the most expensive and it is a 12-in so there's plenty of choice. The 60W one I had, had the world's worst Sheffield in it, I swapped it out for an 80W G12, and it got a Marshall's roar on that previously unusable 2nd channel. The experience put me off the Sheffield but when I sold it the purchaser wanted the Sheffield back in, so.

I traded it for a Vox AD30VT, also ss and more suited to my current needs. I like the amp modelling in it (but ignore the primitive fx and that 'orrible noise gate), the Valvestate could cover most of what the Valvetronix can do - without 'modelling' on a computer chip. The Cubes also sound nice and responsive, if you can stand their mains hum, and do check that it is earthed (mine was not).

[Jack Knife]

Originally Posted by Jakedog

Peavey trans-tube amps. Especially the Delta Series (red stripe)...

I'll back you on that! I was a confirmed tube amp purist until I went to a jam at my brother-in-law's house one night and played through a red stripe Studio Pro. Just a crying good amp! I was using a Jimmie Vaughan Strat and that thing never sounded so sweet in all its life. Seemed like I couldn't put a tone wrong with that setup.

[ScatMan]

Originally Posted by castpolymer

I have a Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. It is a nice little amp that allows me to practice with earphones on.

I use a Vox AD120VTX, it's a hybrid: SS pre-amp and effects--->12AX7 tube--->SS power output.

You can drive that 12AX7 like it's a power tube, then the SS amplifies the signal to an adjustable 2, 30, 60 or 120 Watts.

[Jakedog]

Originally Posted by Jack Knife

I'll back you on that! I was a confirmed tube amp purist until I went to a jam at my brother-in-law's house one night and played through a red stripe Studio Pro. Just a crying good amp! I was using a Jimmie Vaughan Strat and that thing never sounded so sweet in all its life. Seemed like I couldn't put a tone wrong with that setup.

I have a Studio Pro as well. My favorite small gig/jam amp. I hope the purists stay away from these, keep poo-pooing them, and saying silly things like "Well, my ears can tell a huge difference."

This way, the prices will stay down on them, and I'll be able to continue to buy them for $100. I'd like to get up to about fifteen or sixteen of them. At that point, with Peavey's reliability taken onto consideration, I figure I ought to have enough amps to last me about 300 years. Or, for the same price, I could buy a single one-trick-pony vintage or boutique amp. And then get job mowing lawns whenever it needs tubes, a cap job, or a new tranny...

[jwj4856]

I know of several guys around here that use the Fender FM 212 and seem to love it, I just got one a coupkle days ago and it seems really good sounding to me but I need to play on it a little more to really decide, but so far, so good.

[golfnut]

Originally Posted by Jakedog

I'd like to get up to about fifteen or sixteen of them. At that point, with Peavey's reliability taken onto consideration, I figure I ought to have enough amps to last me about 300 years. Or, for the same price, I could buy a single one-trick-pony vintage or boutique amp. And then get job mowing lawns whenever it needs tubes, a cap job, or a new tranny...

They're all yours. Knock your self out.

[CDKopf]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I remember in the late 80s/early 90s seeing those things everywhere!

But now I can't remember the last time I saw one!

Tim

If you read that statement a couple times , you will see how funny it really is...

"But you just said......."

[Mike Bruce]

My personal amps are Traynor tube amps (YCV50 and YCV20), but right now there's a SS Traynor DG15 in my lesson studio. Before that there was a SS Laney, and before that a SS Princeton 112. For what it is, the SS Traynor's not bad, but it's still just a small room low volume amp. I wish they'd make a high end hybrid.

For a gig ready SS amp, I'd likely go with a Jazz Chorus as in days of old, but use a pedal for dirt. Roland just can't do dirt for my ears.

Mike Bruce

[Steve G]

TECH 21!

if you don't like how their amps sound and you are into good tele tones then you are probably lying to yourself.

There, I said it..

[gitold]

I have a Traynor YGM 3 and a Gretsch 6170 bass amp that I use in tandem.They sound great together and I'm not in the market for a new amp.Last year I saw that G.C. was selling Crate Powerblocks ( a 150 watt 7 lb head) for $79 so I bought one.I've used it for a guitar amp ,a bass amp,even a makeshift P.A.It's a great piece of kit to have with you at all times.Even comes with a groovy little bag to carry it.As a guitar amp it's ok nothing to write home about..But here's where the story gets thick.I bought a Korg AX3G a few months later because I thought it might sound good with the power block .My pedal board does'nt sound all that great with it.It sounded like the typical digital hunk o junk on all the presets but after going into the Korg and experimenting with different amp heads and cabs in the settings I found that the"68 Marshall" sound with the cabs turned off and the amp line on 3 sounded amazing.I took it to a jam a few days later with people I play with all the time and they just loved my new sound.I nailed Claptons tone on the live Crossroads with this setting.It cleans up real nice when you back off the volume on your guitar too.After much research I found that this stupid little pedal has the same engine as their $399 AX3000G.I looked at it closer and it was made in Japan!I did'nt think anything was made in Japan that got over to the states.I'm not selling my tube gear and I still like it better but this is by far the best S.S. sound I've ever heard and I'm a old fart.The other amps in this pedal pretty much sound like crap.For $110 it's a fun little rig and it weighs nothing.Now I just need a light cab,my 2 +12 cab kind of defeats the whole purpose.

[Jahmbie]

Most people are surprised how good my 1985 SS Fender Montreaux (Rivera) sounds. The clean channel is amazing, the "drive" channel needs some coaxing, but has a pretty intensive eq section. Reverb is nice, and can be adjusted on each channel, along with an assignable effects loop.

A buddy gave it too me because he was moving his shop and the amp had been sitting in his inventory for about 3 years. I gave him $50 just for his trouble, and it's about the best money I've ever spent.

YMMV.

[drail]

In 94 i bought a new Peavey special 112 ( 160 RMS) with a scorpion speaker, i still use it every week. I run a hardwire dl-8 in the effects loop and use the clean channel only, i play this amp very loud ( un- miked in a 200 seat church ) and it still sounds great. The speaker is yet to blow...I have used fender tube amps that i loved the tone, but they could not put out the volume that the special does.

[scooteraz]

A friend of mine got a Prichard amp and he can't say enough good things about it. But I haven't heard it yet.

http://www.pritchardamps.com/pritchardamps.cfm

There is nothing that says that we can't make fairly simple single ended FET amps that would sound similar to (but not exactly like) the tube amps we love. There is an entire single-ended triode FET subculture out there in the stereo world. See here:
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Solid/ZCA/ZCA.htm or here:
http://www.passdiy.com/default.html
With a little work, this could be used for guitar.

More likely in the future is modeling with class D output sections.

[Jack Knife]

If you want all the FET fun you can handle, check out www.runoffgroove.com

FET versions of amp circuits like crazy!

[Wally]

Teh day that a reasonably priced SS amp creates tube sonics is the day that tube amps will die a quick death. It hasn't happened yet. Cleve hit the nail on the head, imho. The Lab SEries amps came closer than anything else has. IN today's dollars, the one I bought in '75 would cost $2500 or more today. IT came close, but there was no cigar for all that. Sit it next to a TR, and the difference will be heard.
Someone mentioned Evans amps. They are in that high-altitude price range where you can get an exquisitely built tube amp and not have any doubt that you are getting those wonderfully musical tube harmonics.
Can someone make music on a SS amp? Sure. Can someone enjoy playing on a tube amp? SUre. Can you sit a SS next to a decent tube amp and hear the difference? Sure!

[strat a various]

Wally
"Can you sit a SS next to a decent tube amp and hear the difference? Sure!"

Don't mean to argue, Wally, but having fooled numerous players and amp techs with nifty SS amps, I'll politely suggest that I'd have to see the blindfold test- tube vs. SS, to agree with that. Most of the time, you're right, but watch out for those Bandits, Dean Markleys, Polytones, etc.
2500.00 isn't all that much for a good work amp.

[golfnut]

Originally Posted by strat a various

Wally
"Can you sit a SS next to a decent tube amp and hear the difference? Sure!"

Don't mean to argue, Wally, but having fooled numerous players and amp techs with nifty SS amps, I'll politely suggest that I'd have to see the blindfold test- tube vs. SS, to agree with that. Most of the time, you're right, but watch out for those Bandits, Dean Markleys, Polytones, etc.
2500.00 isn't all that much for a good work amp.

I have a bandit that sits next to my chair infront of the TV. I would never gig with this amp. I have to say though that I'll noodle around on my CS Nocaster while watching the hockey game and it sounds awesome. But could I get it confused with my Dr Z stangray or Victorilux? Not a chance in hell.

[JG806]

There are definately some really good sounding SS amps out there that could fool alot of us listeners, but to me its the feel of tube as a player that you can't replace with SS.

[mr natural]

Best solid state amp I ever played through was an old Roland keyboard amp. Don't know the model, I just really liked the tone.

When I visit my parents, I pull out dad's ES-345 and put it through his Polytone Mini-Brut IV. Jazz tone of the gods.

JC 120s are way cool for what they do, but I agree, they sound a little sterile without pedals.

Never even seen a Lab series, but it seems like people either really love them or really hate them. I'm curious to try one.

For hybrids, I really like old Music Mans (Music Men?)

I've got a Legend Super lead 50. Sounds like crap until you turn it up to about 7. Then it sounds like warmer, harmonically richer crap. By then someone has called the police. Man, is that thing loud. 3-4 is sufficient for any club gig I can imagine. It actually sounds OK in a mix. It is very dependable, too. Great for huge outdoor shows.
-Mr. N.

[Wally]

Roland JC-120....they miss the mark for me. I sold one for $125 to a fellow just to get it gone and to make him happy. Sterile, harsh, flat(non-dimensional).....all of this comes from the particular harmonic structure that most SS amps create...tires my ears and in non-musical to my ear. The Lab Series' multifilter section enriches those amps' harmonic structure, to my ear.

[chabby]

I love my little Marshall MG15CDR and I keep trying to find something wrong with it.
But it's just got these gorgeous punchy cleans that work great with my compressor pedal. I could live the rest of my life with the little thing if I wasn't such a tube snob.
Its even touch sensitive like I'm used to with the Lil Dawg D'Luxe. And it was only like 130 bucks or so, thing is loud too. I haven't played through it with people yet and a drummer, but I am tonight so we'll see. I never hear anything about these little amps on this site, but I think if folks would give them a run through they'd really be impressed. Of course it has a distortion channel which is fine and all, but not what I love about it, it's the cleans - they can almost be chewed on.

[bosstone]

Originally Posted by chabby

I love my little Marshall MG15CDR and I keep trying to find something wrong with it.
But it's just got these gorgeous punchy cleans that work great with my compressor pedal. I could live the rest of my life with the little thing if I wasn't such a tube snob.
Its even touch sensitive like I'm used to with the Lil Dawg D'Luxe. And it was only like 130 bucks or so, thing is loud too. I haven't played through it with people yet and a drummer, but I am tonight so we'll see. I never hear anything about these little amps on this site, but I think if folks would give them a run through they'd really be impressed. Of course it has a distortion channel which is fine and all, but not what I love about it, it's the cleans - they can almost be chewed on.

I think that is a later version of my G15R CD, which is a little mind blower.

[Dave_O]

I got a 15watt Peavey Rage practice amp. I bought 2 from a hockshop for $175ishAUD, one for me and one for my son. Blew up the POS speaker, replaced it with a 10" Eminence out of some sort of Fender and it works great for small gigs.
It has "clean" and "drive" channels, switchable at the front. Drive has gain and master controls. I set the gain at 2-4, and crank the master flat out when I'm playing with a drummer- otherwise in duo mode it's at about 4-5.
Great value, lightweight and reliable.

[91xlntS-3]

Just pulled the trigger on a Made in USA model Fender Stage 112SE. Had one of these years ago and always got more than expected from a SS amp. Mint condition w/footswitch and manual.

I've had just about every SS amp out there over the past 40 years. Fender and Peavey are always at the top of my list. Had a JC-120 and talk about CLEAN! It was really too clean for my taste. Only amp I was disappointed in was a Fender Roc Pro 1000 combo. The clean channel was just "lacking" and never really sounded good to me.

Otherwise, I've had really good experiences with SS amps, and always try to have at least one really nice one on hand at all times.

[Pvee]

I think it was a Fender Deluxe 90 that I used a few times that I liked.

I know several Thumbpickers that use Peavey and Roland JC amps.

[thegreatwent]

I've always thought old Sunn gear was kinda cool.
I heard a band (heavy rock, mind you) that used Sunn Beta Leads for the guitars and some Sunn amp for bass and they sounded really, really good.
They are solid state, but they sounded very tube like which is impressive when you consider how old they are and the state of tube emulation at that time.
Found this link - http://sunn.ampage.org/site/museum/betalead/
Some good info on that model.

If you can find Sunn gear, it's usually pretty reasonably priced.

[Mojohand40]

Lots of good choices in this thread..I'll add mine..

the old oop Princeton 650..very versatile amp. Good cleans. I use it for fingerpicking my archtops, twanging with a tele and works good with a lap steel. Doesn't have amp modeling, instead it has eq presets as diff settings. Does do dirt well, but shines with clean tones, both dark and smokey or bright and cutting with a twist of a knob. Decent built in tuner, effects are useable (not great, though). I run straight into it a lot using it's built in verbs and delays.
Carried it to a small gathering again this past weekend (played a bunch of Travis picking and Piedmont blues, then switched to steel guitar). Does everything I need with out having to lug a bunch of other stuff. 65 watts with a 12" Celestian is loud enough for me.