Tube amps that don't sound good cranked?

[Justinvs]

I love the sound of a warmed up tube amp, and as much as I've used SS amps to gig with, there really is nothing quite like real tube overdrive. But, there must be a lot of tube amps out there that don't sound good when they're pushed over the top. I've never personally found one, but would be interested in hearing if any of you have.

Justin

[ehren]

DRRI *ducks for cover*

[RockerDuck]

All Deluxe Reverbs are known for their famous overdrive and there isn't a bad tube overdriven sound out there.

[jjkrause84]

I think most amps sound awful on '10'. Generally you don't want to go too far north of 7-8, in my opinion, so....does that mean my answer is "all of them"?

[Riffraff12571]

SF Champs and Vibro Champs....................with their stock Oxford speaker.

Once you change out that flubberator it's all good.

[jh45gun]

Originally Posted by jjkrause84

I think most amps sound awful on '10'. Generally you don't want to go too far north of 7-8, in my opinion, so....does that mean my answer is "all of them"?

I was always told that past 7 most amps loose being perfectly clean from a guy who was quite the audiophile. I am sure there are exceptions where some amps sound great dimed. Most of my amps have been big enough I never had to go there.

[twangjeff]

I have found that most amps have a sweet spot to me a Super Reverb sounds best around 6, a Bassman between 7-8, a Deluxe around 4-6, it is just a preference. The Dr. Z and Matchless type amps sound really great around 6-8. These are just my preferences, but I think that most amps are not designed to sound really good on 10. I find that they can end up sounding fizzy and overly compressed.

I think that probably every tube amp will sound pretty good "cranked," but probably none of them will sound good, "dimed."

Just my two cents.

[Riffraff12571]

Originally Posted by twangjeff

I have found that most amps have a sweet spot to me a Super Reverb sounds best around 6, a Bassman between 7-8, a Deluxe around 4-6, it is just a preference. The Dr. Z and Matchless type amps sound really great around 6-8. These are just my preferences, but I think that most amps are not designed to sound really good on 10. I find that they can end up sounding fizzy and overly compressed.

I think that probably every tube amp will sound pretty good "cranked," but probably none of them will sound good, "dimed."

Just my two cents.

I generally agree with this if you are a guitar volume from 5 to 10 player. I typically don't run my amps at full tilt either.

[Del Pickup]

I like the sound of my stock Champion 600 with the knob all the way up as far as it can go!! (Steps sideways to avoid all the flak from the modders who argue that these amps only sound good once every component has been swapped for something different!!!!)

However, I have always avoided turning any amp all the way up as I dislike the inherent hum that comes with that volume. All the amps I ever had have seldom had to go past 6 or 7 even on the biggest outdoor stages - and then I've usually been asked to turn them down!!

[Middleman]

Princeton Reverb past 7 on the dial gets ugly on the bottom string. The rest of the notes sound sweet but if you venture onto the E string, the speaker just goes splat.

[ac15]

Most amps sound best at about halfway up or a little higher. Not a big fan of 100% cranked up sounds on most amps.

[pjholland]

Way too much noise when cranked all the way. Crank it all the way and then dial it back until it sounds right.

[Lazer]

Originally Posted by Del Pickup

I like the sound of my stock Champion 600 with the knob all the way up as far as it can go!! (Steps sideways to avoid all the flak from the modders who argue that these amps only sound good once every component has been swapped for something different!!!!)

However, I have always avoided turning any amp all the way up as I dislike the inherent hum that comes with that volume. All the amps I ever had have seldom had to go past 6 or 7 even on the biggest outdoor stages - and then I've usually been asked to turn them down!!

I have 2 of of them and as much as I love the sweet spot, I must disagree.
I think they sound absolutely horrable fully open.

Cheers
L-zr

[RockerDuck]

Back to the original question. Tube amps have a sweet spot for distortion and they all sound good. The op didn't asked if you don't turn up your amp or don't like overdriven tubes.

[63dot]

Originally Posted by jjkrause84

I think most amps sound awful on '10'. Generally you don't want to go too far north of 7-8, in my opinion, so....does that mean my answer is "all of them"?

+1

[AndrewG]

I've never come across any of the generic Chinese 5-watters that sound anything other than lousy, cranked. I've tried Gretsch, Fender, Epiphone, Peavey and something else, and all sounded universally fizzy and farty with a Telecaster. Clean they generally sounded pretty ok.

[63dot]

Originally Posted by Middleman

Princeton Reverb past 7 on the dial gets ugly on the bottom string. The rest of the notes sound sweet but if you venture onto the E string, the speaker just goes splat.

The Champ and Deluxe also can't handle that low E, thus the popularity with the Twin for some users.

[fezz parka]

I floor it. I like things that are on the verge of being uncontrollable, then I just dial it back on the guitar.

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by ehren

DRRI *ducks for cover*

Originally Posted by jjkrause84

I think most amps sound awful on '10'. Generally you don't want to go too far north of 7-8, in my opinion, so....does that mean my answer is "all of them"?

Originally Posted by Riffraff12571

SF Champs and Vibro Champs....................with their stock Oxford speaker.

Once you change out that flubberator it's all good.

We have a common denominator here: '60s -'70s Fenders. They were designed to play clean pre- Beatles, pre- Stones, pre- Cream, Zeppelin, Hendrix etc.. I kinda chuckle when musicians get all misty eyed about "warm tube overdrive" from Fender of that era.

Tweeds... that's another story. The tweed Bassman in particular. It's the basis for most Marshalls that came after it. Modded Marshall becomes Soldano...


It's not a simple matter of pinning the volume and hangin' on for dear life. If your attack gets mushy, you bass gets flubby or the amp gets noisy and uncontrollable you're out of the sweet spot.

Just about anything can be modded to play wide open. It's a matter of understanding what falls apart then fixing it.

My two favorite tones are clean all the way up and dirty 'n' tight all the way up. It's almost a practical joke when someone cranks the volume all the way and the amp is still clean and punchy.

Originally Posted by Riffraff12571

SF Champs and Vibro Champs....................with their stock Oxford speaker.

Once you change out that flubberator it's all good.

Champ specific: The speaker is only part of the problem. Add more gain, the overdrive gets smoother and those old Oxfords sound just fine.

[Justinvs]

Originally Posted by muchxs

My two favorite tones are clean all the way up and dirty 'n' tight all the way up. It's almost a practical joke when someone cranks the volume all the way and the amp is still clean and punchy.


.

Oh, you mean like on a Super or Twin Reverb?
My SR does overdrive, but it's not a distorted sound, more of a compressed clean with lots of sustain. I love the sound of it, especially for playing lead but a Marshall it will ever be.