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

[bosstone]

I'm a very big John Fogerty fan. Most of both his recorded and live stuff has been done with Kustom SS amp. Here is some info; "John's amp's is a 1968 Kustom K200A Model 2-15L-4 also known as the K200A-4. It had Reverb, Tremelo/Vibrato, Harmonic Clipper & Boost controls, (the last number in the model designating the effects) -1 having no effects, -2 with Rev. & Trem/Vib., -3 with Rev., Clipper & boost, & -4, John's model with all the above."

[strat a various]

John Fogarty is the hippest.

[91xlntS-3]

Originally Posted by strat a various

John Fogarty is the hippest.

No arguement here! J.F. is the reason I wanted to play guitar! Have almost all his albums/cassettes/CDs.(really miss my 8 tracks!)

Kustom amps rock! (have a '36 Coupe now)

[dusty tolex]

I have a red knob Princeton Chorus, which has a very decent clean sound (and I've had plenty of tube amps, still have a vibro champ).

However, I've heard that the Marshall Master Reverb combo from the 80s is an amazing SS amp. Has anyone played one of those? You don't see them very often.

cheers
dt

[casterway]

Originally Posted by xjazzy

My Tech 21 Trademark 60 is a great SS amp.

My Tech 21 Trademark 10 is a fantastic SS modeling amp. And LOUD!!

[Ringo]

I just picked up an older Carvin SX ss amp, it sounds very warm and tube like, good cleans, the OD is not that great but that's not what you would use this amp for anyway.
Plenty loud and decent reverb.

[Billy B.]

Originally Posted by Cleeve

Gibson Lab Series.

Word !

[Skrik]

Originally Posted by mistermullens

As far as I'm concerned, the best SS amp I've ever played is a Vox Pathfinder 15R. Don't get me started!

+1.

But my experience is not so broad.

[nosuch]

Originally Posted by markesquire

It would be awesome to retain the EXACT sound of my PRRI, but be entirely noiseless AND have the option of Twin Reverb headroom if I needed it.

That won't happen. If you're lucky with an approximation try a Vox or Roland modelling amp.

[ol man]

No.

[premiumplus]

Another +1 for the Roland Blues cubes. I've got a BC30 and a BC60, both 1X12s. Great SS amps.

[mijblonde]

For throwaway cheap, try a Smarvo. They sound better than they look.

[TG]

I had a Session Sessionette 90 amp years ago and it was pretty decent, I recall.

[jh45gun]

I am a tube fan now that I have went back to them but I have SS amps as well one of them being a Peavey 112 Bandit. For about ten years I used a Classic Chorus 212 Peavey on stage. When tube amps took a back seat for a while and before they made the comeback they now enjoy consider the fact a lot of stages was all Peavey gear. The reason was it sounded good to pro and beginner alike. From the local bar band to the pro's on TV lots of stages had Peavey gear. That says a lot about a good product. While I take my Tube amp I built a some what of a 5f4 clone head on my infrequent gigs now as I am semi retired from active gigging though I like to play a few times a year to keep a hand in it I am glad I have that Bandit as I know it will do the job well if I ever need it on stage.

In fact it goes on stage with me now that I think of it I have it rigged along with my Silvertone 1472 (Replaced 8 ohm Emminence Speaker) I use both of these amps as speaker cabinets and use my 5f4 head as the main source. If the Head ever fails at a gig I can run my Silvertone lined out to my Peavey as the Silvertone is set up with a preamp line out done by my tech. With that feeding into the peavey I would still have good stage amplification and the Peavey by its self would do the job as well. I made a box that has two female quarter inch jacks paralleled and clips that go to the peavey speaker. The Silvertone is set up with a jack also going to the speaker along with jacks for the OT so I can switch that from 4 to 8 ohms depending on what speaker or cab I am using with that amp. So all in all I have a very versatile rig two 1x12 speaker cabs both powered if need be, one tube the other SS and a 30 watt tube head using both amps as speaker cabs

[Rena Rune]

Originally Posted by OldManAP

We all love certain sounds, and it just makes things much more interesting that there are so many amplifiers out there for us to make those sounds with. No SS amp is going to sound exactly like a BF DR or a Plexi or whatnot. At the same time, no tube amp is going to do what a JC120 can do. And there's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with that. I still routinely gig with a BOSS GT-6 running amp modeling through an ancient Peavey SS amp. It's not my ideal tone, but it gets the job done, cheaply and efficiently (ie. less worry about theft of high-priced irreplacable gear). Try to get a good tone, but worry far more about what you are saying than the gear you are saying it through. In the end, other guitarists are the only people who give a darn about what equipment you're using. Play great notes through lousy gear, if necessary...and perhaps we'll all be choosing the same lousy gear to try and duplicate YOUR tone...

I kind of agree from the point of audiophiles, who obsess over tone only they can here.

However I would say "quality" of sound is very important in that a song played on guitar through a flanger will sound totally different played on a piano. The actual texture and feel of a sound can affect the song as much as a change in notes, a lot of electronic music for example relies heavily on filters. Daniel Ash played through a "crappy" SS amp but focused on the overall texture and feel to get the sound he wanted.

I get a little tired of Guitar -> Amp guys acting like there way is the best all the time, like they somehow "grew out" of effects and are more mature guitarists for focusing on what they're playing. This is very insulting to textural guitarists and synth players.

[TelZilla]

Originally Posted by JohnS

+1 on the Fender M-80. Light, easy to carry, pretty bullet-proof.

Wow. I had one of those in the late 80s / early 90's. I will say it's a nostalgia trip just to look at it, but I can;t really agree that I liked it that much. Well, I liked it then, but that was before I had any experience with tube amps.

I suppose there are some great SS amps out there, but I don't know of any
(to be fair, I haven;t looked).

It's my understanding that the clipping in an SS amp (which happens kind of "all at once") will never duplicate that in a Tube amp (which happens over a greater sweep of the volume knob). I could be totally wrong though.

Honestly, I think the digital modeling is where it's at in terms of non tube amps. I've heard people play Line 6 Flextones and make them sound outstanding...

[jkingma]

I have a Roland JC-120 and I've played other Roland amps and I would have to put them all in the VERY GOOD S.S. category.

[Rena Rune]

I'm really looking for an SS amp at the moment, but I don't know what. I really love the sound of Daniel Ash's HH Amp but it's impossible to find one and I dunno if I want to copy his tone exactly. As far as I can tell it's pretty versatile though, has a real Fender-like vibe to it. Maybe I need an SS fender?

Basically I need something small(10" and under, though if there's one with a compact 12" I'd consider it, I'd rather something with a 10" speaker, but more compact than my AD30VT which is the size of a 12" amp) with an effects loop and switchable channels(which the Tech21s don't have, plus they're kinda pricey for the larger models), and capable of going up against a drummer if it's 10" or above(I may swap out for a Rajun' Cajun).

Personally I find Solid State vs. Tube can be like Single coil vs. Humbucker, one is warm but the other has more character. There are very few tube amps that to my ear have real character but also some level of versatility, at least within my price range(I would consider the Mark amps, and the bigger Orange amps to have character and versatility).

SS Amps I like but probably wouldn't get use out of:

Jazz Chorus(a little too cold sounding, gain not as useful, probably a litle pricey)
Orange Crush 30(no F/X Loop)
TM series(single channel, no footswitch)

I'd love to hear some of the Sun amplifiers.

[nosuch]

Polytone and Roland JC

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by Rena Rune

I get a little tired of Guitar -> Amp guys acting like there way is the best all the time, like they somehow "grew out" of effects and are more mature guitarists for focusing on what they're playing. This is very insulting to textural guitarists and synth players.

+1. I get a little tired of extremists who seem to think that if you disagree with them about anything you must be deaf, an idiot, some kind of degenerate, a liberal... Or worse!

Yes, there are some wonderful solid state amps out there that have not yet been mentioned in this thread. The ones I'm thinking of have been discontinued, but I'm not going to say what they are. The diehard tube snobs won't believe me, and for you open-minded people, I don't want anyone else hoarding them until I have a few more...

[Chicago Slim]

I've played tube amps for 40 years, but these are the SS amps that I thought sounded good, and that I'll always keep:

Vox Pathfinder 15R
Orange Crush 30R
Peavey Studio Pro
Fender Roc Pro 1000

I find that it's easier to control my volume with a SS amp. You can dial back a master volume tube amp, but you seem to loose more of the tone than you do with a SS amp.

[TelZilla]

Originally Posted by JayFreddy

Yes, there are some wonderful solid state amps out there that have not yet been mentioned in this thread. The ones I'm thinking of have been discontinued, but I'm not going to say what they are. The diehard tube snobs won't believe me, and for you open-minded people, I don't want anyone else hoarding them until I have a few more...

? That is a weird comment (IMO). Give up the goods.

[jh45gun]

I used to have a Kustom roll and tuck PA head I wish I still had it as it made a decent amp too

[Guran]

As many others I say Vox Pathfinder 15R.

Despite the low price I think it's a really good amp. Not just good for the money, but really good.

[Will Chen]

I'm currently working on an article for FrugalGuitarist.com about the prejudice against solid state amps. Back when they were introduced, generally it wasn't the tones people complained about.

Tube amps were generally built upon the tried and true designs used to amplify radios at the time. When solid state technology became available, everyone initially tried to simply modify tube amp circuits rather than build from the ground up. The transistors of the time weren't the mil spec nearly indestructable units we have today and extremely suseptible to failure to to climate and particularly heat from the amp. On top of this, this was new technology which was more expensive than the tube amps of the day. Many were very upset to buy an "inferior" product at a higher cost.

Times have come long way since then, but the prejudice has been handed down between generations.

[emiller45]

+1 on the Tech 21. I have also had good luck with Peavey Trans Tube amps - I have used several.

I have a Carvin SX100 I like, but would not reccommend Carvin because of their repair/replacement policy.

[ZZB3]

Well I picked up a used Carvin SX head and two matching Carvin 412 cabs real cheap a couple months ago. One day I was bored so I set up the SX head and one 412 cab with a Beheringer X-Vamp modeling pedal and proceeded to dial it in to sound like my '59 Tweed Bassman which is my main gigging amp. I had the Bassman setup next to the Carvin/Beheringer combo to help with this process. Yes I know the closed back 412 cabinet is different from the open back 410 of the Bassman. Well after quite a bit of time fiddling with the eq on the Carvin and Beheringer I succeeded. My bandmates were astounded that the Carvin/Beheringer sounded like my '59 Bassman. If a person takes the time with the solid state technology they can mimic the wonderful tube stuff pretty well nowdays. The Carvin is a lot lighter than the tube Bassman and with the wheels on the 412 is actually much easier to move. And I am into it for next to nothing. Have fun, Wayne

[studio1087]

My votes.......

Smaller SS - VOX Pathfinder 15R (I love this amp).......



Bigger SS - Carvin SX 200 (I never should have sold this one)........



The Carvin is on the bottom. The Marshall MG on the top was a mistake...I don't want to talk about it. (-:

John

[tjalla]

+1 on Vox Pathfinder 15R. Toneful, organic, warm.

On the fence about the Trademark 60. Respectable, but there's a certain 'produced' sounding compression that I could never shake. Used it for over a year at a venue that had it as house amp.

-1 on JC120. Played too many at festival/event backlines. Only marginally better than plugging direct to PA. IMHO and YMMV of course.

[moo55]

My amps: SS Fender Ultimate Chorus I love the sound! Installed Eminence M12's.
Fender SS Frontline 25 R Installed 10"" Ragin Cajun Love it!
60th Anniversary Twin ILOVE IT!
VOX AC15 CC With Wharfdale Speaker. I Love it
I use them all depending on the gig. I don't feel like slugging the Twin, I will use the UC.
Regards

[jonkay1]

Ya know, there just isn't any love on this forum for Line 6 amps. The new Spider III 75 watt amps sound killer. Nails that Fender twang very well. But out of 113 posts on this issue, no one mentioned Line 6 amps.

[bosstone]

Most people would never know the difference if you used a good hybrid amp. Some of the Music Man amps, especially the 50 watters and a Marshall Artists would be two examples.

[Zmatko]

I just about got home an 80's Phantom MX-11 made in Korea amplifier, 15w rate, 6" speaker and tweed.
These electronics went under different names like T-Power etc. and the funny thing getting the right one is to choose small, i don't know what they did with these small ones but they're just excellent!

The sound isn't as pure like class a tube but heck do they sizzle!

[markesquire]

Anybody heard of Evans Amps? They're expensive and seem to model fender blackface amps.

http://www.evansamps.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzxYz...e=channel_page

[wilkat1]

My Tech 21 Trademark 10 is killer. People have asked me if it has tubes.
The Peavey Transtubes are good too. And the Vox Valvetronix.

[HalfBlindLefty]

I owned a Peavey Bandit 112 that was great !

After quitting the band I played in, I decided to sell it since it took to much space in the small room my stuff is stashed.

There is one amp I love big time (my main amp in fact) it's not a full SS amp, since it has 2 12ax7's, but still is more then 90% SS.
The fender Cybertwin SE.

I did some a-b tests between the Peavey and the Fender. There is no question about it, the peavey may be a great amp, but it comes nowhere near the Fender Cybertwin.

last week I spent the money I got for the Peavey to order me a Blackheart Little Giant top :)
Lets just say, to play around with

I do have a Peavey soundsample on my soundclick (Need your love jam)

[JG806]

Originally Posted by 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.

Jakedog - in your opinion what are the strengths of the Bandit Transtube? Any Weakness? Can you get a good OD sound w/out a pedal? What guitar(s) do you play through? Which exact model/year(s) are your favorite? Sorry for all the questions. Thinking about getting one & wanted a little more specific information.

[Jakedog]

Originally Posted by JG806

Jakedog - in your opinion what are the strengths of the Bandit Transtube? Any Weakness? Can you get a good OD sound w/out a pedal? What guitar(s) do you play through? Which exact model/year(s) are your favorite? Sorry for all the questions. Thinking about getting one & wanted a little more specific information.

I'll PM you on this. Don't want to hijack the thread too far.

[redstringuitar]

Originally Posted by bosstone

They don't sound sterile at all.

No. they don't (JC120) THE warmest sounding tranny amp I've ever played through..the stereo chorus is as deep as the Pacific!!

[RichardM]

From the 70's