Does anyone PREFER Solid State over Tube?

MichaelMcKevin

Just wondering...

BinFrog

I use all solid state amps, and have a couple of tube-driven pedals. I get a great tone out of my solid-state half stack.

xtremehardy388

I like tube hyrbid's, does that count?

gimmesometruth27

GivenToCarve wrote:

Just wondering...

no.

i used to use them when i was just starting out because they were cheep and you could throw them down the stairs without damaging it. when we started gigging i switched to all tube heads. imo there is no comparison in the tones you can get out of a vlave head vs a solid state one.

Novawind

A resounding no from me. There's no way I could get a solid state amp to sound as warm as either my Traynor or my Marshall or even my little 5W Epi Valve Jr.

exhausted

the big thing for me and tube amps is the compression. i don't even like amps with solid state rectifiers much though my AC-15 and valve jr. use them.

ianvomsaal

I'll agree, most Solid State amps are fairly lackluster in the "tone" department.
I used a Solid State amp when I first started playing (the majority of them are beginners amps).
I feel that once people really take the time to play out of a good tube amp there's no going back (the tone is far better).

Lee M

The SS amps that I've used (granted, they were Marshall MG's) always had a very sterile sound to them, but I'm really happy with my Peavey Classic 50.

Piper At The Gates

No Way. Tubes are the only way to go for guitar amplification. I owned one solid state amp in my life, a Kustom, in the mid-seventies, and it sucked.

kitfoo

I actually prefer both. Tubes are great and all, but for pure gain, a good solid state works wonders. My Mesa has nothing on my Peavey XXL for certain types of gain.

mccreadyisgod

The best I can say for solid-state amps is that there are a few that don't sound terrible. I've always liked the Roland Jazz Chorus models, especially the 120, and the TransTube Peavey Bandit isn't half-bad. There are some modeling amps that are usable, like the Line 6 stuff and the Fender CyberTwin, although I would never say they are as good as the tube amps they emulate (and the CyberTwin is a tube-hybrid). Lastly, I would say that solid-state amps make better "practice" amps for bedroom noise levels, i.e. the Roland Cube. Tube amps need to work a little before they really sound better than their solid-state counterparts.

There are a few famous players who use, or even prefer, solid-state amps. Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead is often cited for using a Fender Deluxe 85 amp, and there are plenty of people who've used the Roland Jazz Chorus (Albert King, Bo Diddley, Bradley Nowell... hell, even Wes Borland used one for the Bizkit [sp?]). Kurt Cobain was pretty famous for using a Mesa tube preamp with solid-state Crest PA amps. Weezer did a pretty famous tour where all they used were Line 6 Pods (I know, not amps... but still!).

Now, for PA amplifiers, home stereo/home theater, and other full-range audio applications, solid-state is the rule. There are some boutique home stereo tube amps for audiophiles who listen to NOTHING but vinyl, and if you've got the scratch to shell out, they do sound especially warm. But solid-state gives extended frequency range (highs especially, but also lows), extended dynamic range (a lower noise floor, less compression), less distortion, and more efficiency. In fact, it is for these reasons that tubes are more popular for guitar amps: tubes provide natural compression and harmonic distortion and focus the frequency range. But plug a vocal microphone into a tube guitar amp and tell me whether you think it sounds good.

So, to summarize: I'd love to have a JC-120 next to my tube amps, but if I can only have one, it'll be vacuum-tube.

Mike_Muse_Rage

For cleans, solid states can get some nice sounds. When it comes to distortion however, there's no contest. Valve every time.

Anon

For me it's all about the tone and what i want to use to get that tone. Personally i don't think anything can match true tube tone. When i first started playing i used a Solid State amp, and that did me fine back then. Once you play a tube amp though, there is just no comparison. The tone is just out of this world. Tubes make me feel like i am more connected to the music im playing. So much more feeling.

SomethingCreative

Lee M wrote:

but I'm really happy with my Peavey Classic 50.

WORD...I have a Classic 50 4/10 and at this point, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

IDgotI

It's really a matter of right tools for the job. For rock, and anything verging on classic rock... for example pearl jam... there is no choice but to go with tube amps. The third order harmonic distortion tube amps produce isn't generated by a solid state amp... unless its trying to imitate a tube amp... in which case... it just makes more sense to buy a tube amp.

That having been said... if the goal is to get the driest, cleanest most clinically accurate sound from the guitar and pick ups... then the tables are turned. All the warmth and color tubes add... tubes actually <i>add</i>... if you want pristine clean sounds then solid state is the way to go.

Solid state is often the best choice for ska, and very often for jazz. A lot of 80's progressive sounds depend on solid state amps too.

The Roland JC-120 was essential stuff for bands like the Talking Heads and for players like Adrian Belew who played with them and King Crimson.

Again it depends on the sound you are after. If you are looking for distorted classic rock blues tone though... there is simply no question ... without a tube amp... you can't get there from here.

MLC2006

if I played metal and nothing else, yes, I would play ss. solid states get a great metal sound.