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

[DamnYankee]

I had a red knob Fender Stage 185. Great amp for cleans. Nice reverb. Dirty channel was not so good though. I wish I never sold it.

[IronStomach]

Just thought I'd throw another opinion into the mix here - a local music store has a used Cube-30 on sale for $150 (CAD). I figured I'd try it out since I've been looking for a mid-size amp to use for practice and some gigging, and I'm probably going back today to buy it. The main thing I was looking for was a clean tone that stays clean when you crank it up - and of course the volume to be able to crank it in the first place - and it's really quite nice.

[lamotta77]

Marshall Lead 12 is a good one...suprisingly good, actually. You can routinely find these on eBay for around $100, too.



(not my amp....nor my dog. )

[His Majesty]

I love my Vox Supreme!

www.myspace.com/voxsupreme

[holgaguy]

Originally Posted by His Majesty

I love my Vox Supreme!

www.myspace.com/voxsupreme

... Now that's a cool looking amp. Retro and vintage.

[holgaguy]

www.myspace.com/voxsupreme

Holy Transistors Batman, I love these mySpace clips. Wonderful 60's sound!

Nicely done.

[telepicker52]

Originally Posted by franchelB

I've always liked my Fender M-80. I just regretted selling it a few years ago...

Bought my M-80 new back in 1990 and its still goin' strong!

[hou35male]

Okay let's see..... 1. Marshall Lead 12 Stack (2 cabs with a 10 in each cab)
2. Marshall MG30 DFX, 3. KMD SG-SRX60, and the main baby 4. Fender Frontman 212DSP. How that for a collection. As you can see, that's all I use is SS amps.

RJ

[mrpicki]

I've used an early 90's Fender Power Chorus for years for about 50% of my gigs, sounds great to me and always get compliments.
I think the mistake people make is comparing tube to ss or trying to achieve a tube sound from a solid state amp. Solid state is what it is, it doesn't make it bad, just different.
I prefer a good tube amp like most guitarists but I do like ss for certain applications.

[mattio]

Originally Posted by 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.
dt

Yes, I just got my ´84 Master Lead Combo 5010 (no reverb though) up from the basement, I think it sounds great. It seems to be very responsive to what pickups I use. It sounds really good with my Jerry Donahue tele through a HolyGrail. Nice and cruchy blues sound. Mos def a good SS amp in my opinion.

Mattio

[jwj4856]

I have a line 6 Spyder 2 - 50 watt with a 12" speaker and it sounds great, I actually play at home with it more than any other amp I have.

[bruce123]

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.

Check out Redd & His Peavey LTD?
That's some mighty good tone to be had.

[chisa]

i had a vox valvetronix and it sounded pretty good for bedroom practice.

[rangercaster]

i like the Crate DX series from the first generation of digital modellers ... i have a 30 watt DXB-112 ...tweeds, blackfaces, Marshalls, Mesas ... digital EFX, MIDI interface ...

[trag-o-caster]

Originally Posted by mattio

Yes, I just got my ´84 Master Lead Combo 5010 (no reverb though) up from the basement, I think it sounds great. It seems to be very responsive to what pickups I use. It sounds really good with my Jerry Donahue tele through a HolyGrail. Nice and cruchy blues sound. Mos def a good SS amp in my opinion.

Mattio

There was a particular SS Marshall that I played through back in the mid-80's that sounded really good. I was plugged into this guys pedal board, which I turned completely off, and the amp by itself sounded great. It was small, 1x12, I don't remember it having reverb, and when I turned it around to see what was in it, I was shocked to see NO TUBES! It was an outdoor show, and it cut through just great.

[dusty tolex]

A few weeks ago I played an early 70s Standel 2 x 12 SS amp w/reverb and tremelo. One of the best amps I've ever played, period. The reverb and trem were THE best I've ever heard in an amp. If only the designer hadn't hidden all the components in resin (which means it's very hard to service).

[caliban335]

Originally Posted by Skrik

+1.

But my experience is not so broad.

+1 as well. I just got my Pathfinder 15R and it seems to fit the bill really well for me.

[f13ndus]

For a unique sound - I had an early 70s Baldwin Deluxe amplifier for a few days. Yes, the organ maker Baldwin. Got it for $40, it needed repair - cleaned the pots and that was it. Took it back because it was a bit heavy and I think only about 30w output - not really enough for me. Wish I'd kept it, it was gone within a day after I took it back to Music Go Round.

Had two channels with decent trem and reverb on one, and it had a LOT of tone options - it had some crazy 5-switch tone option section with pull stops (yep, like an organ!) for 5 preset options, must've been a network of switchable filters or something. You could use the "normal" tone controls, the crazy switching system, or a blend of both. There were a TON of sounds in it, and it looked amazingly awesome in that kitschy, diner kinda way (blue side panels, colored tone pull stops, lots of aluminum trim, etc. )

But my favourite feature - the output transistors were germanium! When you cranked the amp and they started clipping it sounded AMAZING. absolutely AMAZING! I haven't gotten that sound from another SS amp, ever. If you ever see one of these - crank it up to 10 and slam some chords out, if you can. Unfortunately, being germanium transistors, after a few minutes they'd get too hot and start to sound really buzzy and bad, and you'd have to leave the amp alone for a while to cool down. But man... that would've been great for recording if I'd kept it.

[pacAir]

Tech 21 has some great amps. They can be a little on the spendy side but are well built and have great tone with no digital modeling involved (all-Analog emulation). I have used mine (Trademark 60) for plenty of recording projects and it never has disappointed (and it is very quiet too). It is a little anemic playing live with a full band (60 watts s/s through a single 12" speaker really isn't loud enough in most five piece rock bands IMHO) but I add a matching Tech 21 Power Engine 60 (powered extension speaker) and the "stack" can keep up that way (as well as run in true stereo if I want). This is the amp Les Paul has been playing through for years so you know its got something going on!

For lower-volume gigs and jams I also like my 90's vintage 2x12 Fender Ultra Chorus (also known later as the "Ultimate Chorus" after they got sued for using the trademarked name "Ultra Chorus"... so I guess I have a "lawsuit" amp). This is not a Red Knob, but a later black knob model and resembles a Fender Twin Reverb in shape, size and looks. When played with a Tele or Strat, this amp has a full-bodied clean channel to die for and a very usable distortion channel with built-in stereo chorus and reverb. Since the amp itself is a true stereo amp (two 65 watt s/s amplifiers each driving it's own 12 inch speaker) the built-in stereo analog chorus is lush and addictive and the reverb is better than many tube amps come with now days! The amp is also lightweight (as most s/s amps are) so it is easy to travel with this 2x12 combo. I really like this amp too!

Even though I own dozens of amplifiers (most of them containing tubes), these two models are my only solid-state combos. I find that when I thin the herd these two always pass muster and I cannot see myself parting with them. They are built well, easily transported, sound great and have proven to be reliable tools.

In the case of the Tech 21, it is the best recording amp I own and I can record silently at any time without annoying anyone. It is more "organic" than recording through my Line 6 Pod XT Live (which is also a pretty damn good recording device) for uneffected tones.


Steve

[chezdeluxe]

I own and use
63 brown deluxe
65 deluxe reverb reissue
Yamaha G100 head into 2 JBL MI-12s
Henriksen SS Jazzamp Head into JBL K120 or Eminence Beta 10a
Each amp sounds perfect for certain syles with certain guitars.
Each amp sounds below par for certain styles .
Identify your styles and find the tools that allow you to best express yourself.

[jh45gun]

Originally Posted by dusty tolex

A few weeks ago I played an early 70s Standel 2 x 12 SS amp w/reverb and tremelo. One of the best amps I've ever played, period. The reverb and trem were THE best I've ever heard in an amp. If only the designer hadn't hidden all the components in resin (which means it's very hard to service).

I found one of those Standel Heads a few years ago at a rummage sale for 5 bucks your right they sound great but I dumped it even though it was cool and vintage. I just knew if it was going to fail it would when I owned it. LOL Not only very hard to service I would suspect next to impossible which is why Standel went under in the first place. He got a bad shipment of boards and all the amps he sold had to come back and it banqrupt him or so the story goes and that comes right from the (NEW) Standel website

[suave eddie]

Several comments here about the Randall RG-80. I'll have to add my voice to those also.
The best solid state amp in my opinion.....played one for years and always got positive comments about my tone.

[Carzee]

This week I got a eighteen year old SS Fender. In very good condition. This thing was loved. Its a Deluxe 85 (1x12 fender special speaker unknown maker).

LOUD & lightweight.

Wish I could find online instruction book -it has FX loop and 2 channels and...

[chief ten beers]

So i've had an old 80's dean markley amp that has been sitting my basement for years collecting dust .I moved on to tube amps long ago but kept this amp for the hell of it,largely forgotten.the last time i plugged it in it made a loud buzzing noise and i figured it was cooked.so yesterday i had to sell one of my tube amps and was bummed that i didn't have a backup amp.this morning i went down to the basement and spotted the dean markley and thought i'd see if I could get it to work again.I took out the chassis and sprayed it with electronic cleaner and plugged it in.Well to my surprise it not only worked but it sounds pretty damn awesome for solid state.I remember it was a very good sounding amp but I'm definitely surprised at how good.i could gig with this amp if i had too and it would do a decent job tonewise.here's to good sounding solid state amps

[Telesavalis]

My main gigging amp is a Mesa Lonestar with an ext cab but I still have my old Lab Series L7 that I bought back around 1984. I keep it in the studio fo recording. It's great for a very clean amp sound. Last time we recorded with it we used it for a pedal steel and it sounded great.

[cmm71]

At bedroom levels I've not found a tube amp that can touch a solid state amp. It's really kind of a shame, when I was a teenager playing in a band I could only afford solid state. When I started working for a living and stopped playing in bands I could finally afford a tube amp. The DRRI was incredible but it's also incredibly loud for playing alone in my front room at 10:00 at night. I've owned Fender Champs and now an Epiphone Pacemaker that I'm trying to make sound good but they fall short. I think the Blues Jr sounds about as toneful as a dishwasher and the Pro Jr can't sound good under 3. I spent $200 on a cheap Fender FM model and felt it was the nicest, roundest, fullest tone I've heard in years. I want to be able to agree with the tube nuts but I don't get anything but thin and weak when the dial's set on 2 or 3 onany tube amp.

[woody961]

I am a BIG believer in mid 80's yamaha g100 series amps----as well as the (believe it or not..) the old tuck and rll Kustom amps----especially the plexi face amps.....awesome! Older Randall commander (orange stripe) SS amps are great too!!

[Tele-Champ]

Originally Posted by hou35male

Okay let's see..... 1. Marshall Lead 12 Stack (2 cabs with a 10 in each cab)
2. Marshall MG30 DFX, 3. KMD SG-SRX60, and the main baby 4. Fender Frontman 212DSP. How that for a collection. As you can see, that's all I use is SS amps.

RJ

Had a Marshall Lead 12 microstack - loved it. Have regretted selling it every day since.. The new MG microstack series can't hold a candle to it..

I also have a Marshall Valvestate 100 which is a good amp for my Les Paul - can give that great Marshall crunch at low volumes for practicing... I don't jam with it, tho - - Gets farty at loud volumes..

I also have a Vox Pathfinder 15R - GREAT SS practice amp.

[dconeill]

+1 for the Peavey Bandit. I have the Redstripe version, very controllable. I don't like the distortion all that much, but I've got a DGTM and a Boss DS-1 for that. I also have an Evans 80, which doesn't do distortion so well.

[nicolasrivera]

Best solid state amp i have ever tried.



Even use it in my live rig.



Nico.

[valiant]

This has been an interesting discussion and it seems the best quotes are as ever on the first page.
"....Great music has been made with all sorts of instruments.The same as great art has been created with hundreds of different materials."
There seems to be a majority movement towards a consensus that solid state can't sound like valve without a valve and therefore any attempt of a solid state amp to model a valve amp will fall short.
However some expensive high end valve amps will have a solid state rectifier while
the solid state Vox Cambridge had a valve.
Also with many thanks to the new and wonderfull section on guitar and amps clubs it does seem that the solid state examples from big names do however still have the signature voice and tone of that brand somewhat.
It does also seem that while different British or American voiced amps will use different valves and have a different sound and tone as valve amps that ceramic
or alnico speakers also colour the picture.
There have been individual artists and records that have used solid state amps simply
because of how they sound.
Many original Punk bands used solid state not simply because they were around and cheap or in revolt against the ancien regime of the old guard muso but because they sounded brutal and cold with perhaps a hint of alienation.
Then again as with solid state high end quality audio equipment there is a certain measured control and clarity that has a clean modernity that can go down well with
the somewhat new age ambient artists of electronica.
Then it has long been considered that solid state is the amp of choice for the jazz guitarist and many bass players use solid state amps.
When all said and done the Vox Pathfinder 15R is £89 and the Vox Pathfinder 10 is
£49.99 which is less than many pedals and as said the Vox Pathfinder is a very good amp in its own right and remember the equipment is simply the means of production
and some work with oil paint others watercolours but if you are in a cover band then I guess your painting by numbers.

[Chito]

Has anyone tried this? I'm really intrigued by this SS amp. It's called The Lunchbox by ZT Amplifiers. Billy Gibbons is one of the main users of this amp.



Features:

200W of output capability
Custom ultra-power 6.5" speaker in fully sealed enclosure
Pure analog front end, linear supply and Class A/B output stage
Very low latency circuit for player responsiveness
Vintage-style tone stack response
Volume, gain, tone and reverb controls
Aux in; Line/Phone and External Cabinet out connections
Independent internal speaker mute switch
7.3" x 9.8" x 4.4" / 185mm x 250mm x 112mm

[telechaser]

Originally Posted by chromaken

I have a Roland Cube 60. I love it.

+1. Best out of the SS I've tried or owned. I normally just use the blackface model though with pedals at the front.

You might want to join the club at the amp owners section.

[Mutato]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

+1 for Roland Jazz Chorus

A lot of jazz players swear by the Polytone Mini-Brute but I've never played through one.

+1 for the Polytone MiniBrute.

It was the first amp I ever owned (bought used in '86) and still have it today. I think the secret to it is the very wide EQ sweep of the Treble and Bass controls, enabling you to taylor your sound to your tastes. It also has great power in a tiny package.

I tend to use my '77 Princeton Reverb, but the Polytone is always used for someone who comes over, throw a Bass on it for small room Bass. Versatile velvet covered bugger!

[fordfanjpn]

The club where I play once a month has two Roland BC 60's, both driving 4x12 cabs. They sound great and are plenty loud.

Several years ago I had the first Line6 Flextone amp. I used it a few times live and it sounded really good and was very versatile. I regret selling that one.

However, if I have a choice, I'll use my own Dumble clones. As one person said, the feel of tubes is different and to me that makes a real difference in my playing.

Bill

[Chito]

Originally Posted by Mutato

+1 for the Polytone MiniBrute.

It was the first amp I ever owned (bought used in '86) and still have it today. I think the secret to it is the very wide EQ sweep of the Treble and Bass controls, enabling you to taylor your sound to your tastes. It also has great power in a tiny package.

I tend to use my '77 Princeton Reverb, but the Polytone is always used for someone who comes over, throw a Bass on it for small room Bass. Versatile velvet covered bugger!

+1 I also have a 1978 Mini Brute IV. Sounds great using archtops and hollowbodies as well as upright basses.

[Apok]

I've played through a Lab Series L5 a couple of times and that is my pick for the best solid state amp. Excellent cleans and very responsive to pick dynamics. I regret not buying one a couple of years ago but I was low on cash and needed a bass amp.

The Johnson Millennium amps are also excellent, definitely one of the better modeling amps to be released and still head and shoulders above most of the Line 6 products.

[play_loud]

Of course there frikken is.

They still exist and continue to be sold by the millions dont they.


I tend to levitate to tube hybrids for the best of both worlds and the practical benefits associated

a) more clean headroom
b) less costly to purchase
c) low maintanece
d) tube like gain/ warmth

etc

[Flashback]

JC120s have never let me down if they are the backline.

I just usually have some kind of touch sensative dirt pedal to help me out with the dirties. But that clean tone and stereo chorus effect are AMAZING.

[Stewart Ward]

Originally Posted by markesquire

I started on a low-end solid state amp modeled on a blackface sound. When I played my first tube amp, I was an immediate convert; it sounded so much more warm and REAL.

Although there's something great about traditional tube circuits, I see no reason why someone couldn't create a REALLY good solid state amp that replicates the tube warmth. Although it seems like every SS amp CLAIMS to sound the same, most don't.

Is it even possible? 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.

It's good to see that SS amps are better regarded than I thought! I design SS amps and would not go back to valves, so I find it comforting.

Modern tranny amps are NOTHING like the ones from the eighties. Many are still not quite right, especially the big name ones. Most have not yet learned how to get that warm top end performance. But it is very simple to do.... they just have to learn that... or pay me to teach them! Ha, ha!

Why do I design tranny amps? Well reliability mainly, but I enjoy the challenge. Frankly, anyone can make a tube amp... that's why there's zillions of 'tooooob' nurds out there. None making much of a living if they're really honest. There's just toooooo many.

Designing with SS can be very rewarding. But it's like being a female working at what is traditionally a mans job. You have to work harder and be that much better before you get any credit.

I have designed amps and players say... "Man, that's f*****g brilliant sound! What tubes are you using in that amp? "None" I reply. Then the blank disbelieving stare comes back at you. The guy is thinking "Is this guy taking the p**s or what?" Then the player accepts what you've said and says "You know, I thought there was something not quite right about the tone." At which point, I roll around the floor laughing!!

Eric Clapton has used my amps (August album & tour). But now many will have a listen to the album and say...." I never did like that era of Clapton!

Most 1980s valve Marshalls have SS distortion... but when you tell anyone they'll say they don't like Marshall anyway!

At one NAMM, a player asked if my amps were SS or valve. I was truthful and admitted it was SS. He totally refused to plug and try it. He would not be seen playing through an SS amp!! After that, I would lie to players! I would say "they're tube." Then they'd play through them and rave over the tone. When they'd finished the glowing comments I'd tell them the truth. One guy accused me of insulting his intelligence and threatend to punch my lights out!!

Hey... it's not easy being an SS amp maker. I've heard all the excuses, but at the end of the day I have an amp that I love to play through and others enjoy listening to as well. I have an individual amp and an individual playing style. I don't like copyists. So why does it matter what technology is making my sound? Like any amp... you like it or you don't!

No one can please all of the people all of the time... that's why there's STILL more amp makers than just Fender and Marshall... and always will be!

I played through a Fender Blues Jnr last night at a jam with my '63 Tele. I hated it. IMO, it has an 'ice-picky' top end that I would have called 'tranny treble' and was boxy too. Turning the treble to zero helped, but then it had no bight! I cannot understand why players rave over them. Same for Fender HotRods and Deluxes too.

Viva la tranny amp!!