I honestly can't hear a difference between tube and solid state amps.

[PhoenixBill]

I don't have a lot of experience with solid state past my first Laney amp back in high school.

I recently tried an emulator pedal through a 500 watt powered QSC K series speaker. Sounded like 5 watts when in the practice space with the band.

The challenge with solid state is getting a good loud sound.

You would probably need 2000 Watts for useful emulation with a loud band.

Then you are doing something wrong with that powered speaker...a 65 watt Peavey Bandit can keep up with all but the loudest metal bands.

 

[loudboy]

My JC77 is 40-50 years old. My whole playing style relies on true dynamics (not the fake, squashed, cooking tube kind). But real dynamics: clean-to-distorted AND quiet to loud. The JCs smaller than the 120 do it all. For me, the dynamics chain is guitar volume/right hand, amp, and one OD. Our songs range from clean to distorted. I only use the OD for lead/lift. All other dynamics and shades of dirt come from my hands, guitar volume and the amp. I also use delay and chorus. I'm not some sort of purist.

I think there is a lot of truth to the post that said you can either dial gear in or you can't. And if you can most gear works honestly. A quality SS amp with a quality MV works better for me than tube because I don't want squash. I want dynamics. Good SS gets in the way less for me and is less "goldilocks" to sizing the amp to the venue.

I had one of those for quite a while.

They were introduced in 1984, so it can't be more than 38 YO.

Are you using the built-in distortion? Because that thing won't break up in clean mode, no matter how hard you pick.

Also, no MV on that amp.

 

[Chipss36]

Please send all pre cbs old crusty tube amps my way,
ya that solid state stuff is way more better.
I will dispose of that old tube crap properly in an environmentally safe manner, and you will have done your part for saving the world….
what a deal, need my address?

 

[ce24]

The audience doesn't know or care.... In my band I only used tubes.... In my duo mullti fx ME80 goes straight to the PA.

 

[NoTeleBob]

Tube Amp Players: "I only like tube amp sound; no solid state for me".
Also Tube Amp Players: "Have you seen my six [solid state] overdrive/boost/distortion pedals?".
--

It's worth observing that most "great" guitarists in the last few decades have used [solid state] pedals with their tube amps. Hendrix, SRV, Trower, Gilmour, etc, etc, etc. The dumping on how terrible SS distortion and breakup sounds is really not a solid hill to make an argument on.

 

[Ringo]

I've found as others have mentioned, crappy sounding tube amps, great sounding SS amps, and everything in between. A good player can sound great no matter what he is using IMO.
Tube amps and SS can certainly respond differently and "feel" different but again IMO the newer modeling stuff is getting really close if not there.

 

[Milspec]

I am late to this dance, but without reading all replies wanted to add that it isn't so much what you hear, but what you feel. I can't always hear the difference, but usually can feel the difference when playing.

 

[Chipss36]

Tube Amp Players: "I only like tube amp sound; no solid state for me".
Also Tube Amp Players: "Have you seen my six [solid state] overdrive/boost/distortion pedals?".
--

It's worth observing that most "great" guitarists in the last few decades have used [solid state] pedals with their tube amps. Hendrix, SRV, Trower, Gilmour, etc, etc, etc. The dumping on how terrible SS distortion and breakup sounds is really not a solid hill to make an argument on.

This ASSumes, a tube amp owner, is not hip to digital, I have helix, I have kemper,and a large collection of blackfaces, I know how to bias an output tube, and put an IR into digital gear…….
its not this or that, it never has been, but people tend to think that way.

I find it comical.
I am not dragging tube amps to the bar, and I am not taking helix and a power cab to a recording session, all tools have a place.

 

[msalama]

I'm not including digital

Well to be clear, I was specifically talking about modellers up there myself, not analogue SS. Just so y'all know...

 

[msalama]

That’s incorrect

Thought so, but couldn't get arsed to dig up the info. Thanks mate.

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

Well to be clear, I was specifically talking about modellers up there myself, not analogue SS. Just so y'all know...

Yeah, I caught that - I should probably have clarified that in the OP.

 

[MilwMark]

I had one of those for quite a while.

They were introduced in 1984, so it can't be more than 38 YO.

Are you using the built-in distortion? Because that thing won't break up in clean mode, no matter how hard you pick.

Also, no MV on that amp.

Ok. 38 years old then?

Distortion knob + volume knob = MV amp near as I can tell.

 

[Rocky058]

There is a "thing" called double blind testing.

It'll never happen.

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

I believe, the original Chandler Tube Driver (the one without the wall wart). As well, it's diode clipping in the ADA that is then run through a tube if my memory is correct.

Okay, I wasn't familiar with how the MP-1 achieved the overdrive, I just remember seeing two tubes in it. I had a Chandler Tube Driver in a rack unit, there was one 12AX7 in that. I don't remember that sounding anything like what I perceived to be tube-like through my Peavey Bandit. Or really, any different than normal overdrive pedals I had at the time.

 

[JDB2]

The challenge with solid state is getting a good loud sound.

Try a 200 watt Quilter head.

 

[Nick Fanis]

That’s incorrect….on Fender’s web site it’s listed at 26 lbs.

Still WAY lighter than the Roland cube I am comparing it too.

 

[Nick Fanis]

that almost twice as much as my Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb at 23 lbs.

Yes but unfortunately your modeling amp leaves a lot to be desired when compared to the real thing.
But that's life ,you can't have your cake and eat it too

 

[Nick Fanis]

Not sure how you’re figuring that as your 1974X weighs 42 lbs…..that almost twice as much as my Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb at 23 lbs.

And the average Tweed Deluxe, regardless of heritage, is in the 30 lb. range.

But thanks for stopping by.

I was not comparing my amps with your TDR but with the Roland cube.And sad fact of life is that one of my amps is way lighter and the other one marginally heavier.

But thanks for stopping by

 

[msalama]

leaves a lot to be desired when compared to the real thing

Ah, and there you go touting your blinkered opinions and prejudices as a universal truth, and that's just baloney. Because all that is a matter of taste, and thus 100% personal and subjective, and modern modellers DO produce good and usable sounds if you know how to use them.

 

[johnny k]

me neither. It doesn't prevent me from playing though. It reminds me of a friend, if he spent that sort of time tuning his sound playing guitar, he would be awesome.