Tube Amps_Class A or A/B

[HereIGoAgain]

Originally Posted by lalowdwn1

Sorry - did not mean to come off as a hard*&#$. My bad. Yes, and millions they have made - Clapton with many (like the Bluesbreaker) and Vai's 'new' Carvin signature....

MESA is just excellent. I think they canned the Maverick, but if you can find one, it will be WELL worth the dual-rectifier pleasure!!

No problem at all. You should see some of the fights over on the Gear Page over this stuff. Some Boogies I just adore, some I can't stand. I'm actually liking the Stiletto Deuce, but I don't think I need an amp that big.

[beach bob]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

It really pays to use your ears.

You heretic.

[Laird_Williams]

I'm with Bob ... if you like the sound, who give a poop whether an amp is class A, class A/B, or whatever.

Frankly, the distinction between A and A/B has been so muddied by misconception and marketing "redefinition" that it is hard to tell what operating class an amp REALLY is unless you plug it in and take measurements all over the place. Some amps will even do both classes, depending on the situation.

If you are building amps, then fine - learn the difference and listen for it so you can design and build amps that sound good to you.

If you don't build amps - just listen to the stupid thing before you buy it.
If you like it and it sounds good to you:
- Who cares what class it is?
- Who cares if it even has tubes?
- Who cares who made it?
- Who cares what the pundits on all the semi-religious threads here think?

[Hotraman]

Lots of great comments.
I was going to switch to Class A amp a few years ago, with the Genz Benz Black Pearl. But decided to go with a Atomic Reactor 112-50.
One of the best explanations of the differences between class A and A/B is at Mesa Boogie's website.

[mlanden]

Thanks to all for the great comments, and mini debates ( ) ... The real question "What's the difference", was probably explained most clearly in the first couple post. The rest of the thread is great food for thought, and is greatly appreciated.

To those interested parties, I am down to three choices. I own an A/B Epiphone Blues Custom 30, and have a Carvin Vintage 16/5 (pentode/triode) with upgrade to Celestion V30 speaker on it's way. I also borrowed a Fender Blues Jr. to put to the test...I intend to end up with one amp at the end, and the others will be in the classifieds. Hope it's that easy.

Thanks again...

[Gone_Acoustic]

i am curious about the Epi Blues Custom. I wonder not only about the tone, but also whether or not it's also a good price for it. Is it as good a value as Valve Jr?

[HereIGoAgain]

Originally Posted by Gone_Acoustic

i am curious about the Epi Blues Custom. I wonder not only about the tone, but also whether or not it's also a good price for it. Is it as good a value as Valve Jr?

The Vavle Jr., to me, is more of a novelty than something I could get mileage out of. My local amp dealer received one as a gift - plugged it in to a decent cab and used whatever guitar he grabbed. The Valve Jr. was dead on arrival - sent it back for a replacement. They are the rage on the Gear Page - after $400-$700 worth of mods. (Only on TGP would you see guys buying $100 amps and spending $700 modding them.)

The Blues Custom seems like a real amp from the specs. If you find one (this is problematic as it seems that no one has them in stock), give it a go and see if it's what you want.

MLanden may find that the Carvin is the best value - American made, lowest cost (new), switchable power settings, and may be the most mechanically reliable.

[franchelB]

TDPRI.com:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-centr...s-class-b.html

Off topic: personally, just play as many amps as you please. You might be surprised to find out that most people play through an "A/B" tube amp.

[Taylorplayer]

Originally Posted by Laird_Williams

I'm with Bob ... if you like the sound, who give a poop whether an amp is class A, class A/B, or whatever.

Frankly, the distinction between A and A/B has been so muddied by misconception and marketing "redefinition" that it is hard to tell what operating class an amp REALLY is unless you plug it in and take measurements all over the place. Some amps will even do both classes, depending on the situation.

If you are building amps, then fine - learn the difference and listen for it so you can design and build amps that sound good to you.

If you don't build amps - just listen to the stupid thing before you buy it.
If you like it and it sounds good to you:
- Who cares what class it is?
- Who cares if it even has tubes?
- Who cares who made it?
- Who cares what the pundits on all the semi-religious threads here think?

Laird:

So, what you're basically saying is -- "who cares". Have I got that right? (he replies tongue-in-cheek)...

[Sir Tune-a-Lot]

From what I have read, the pure Class A concept is highly debatable. According to George Alessandro, who makes those really high-end and really expensive Alessandro Amps (he also makes a scaled-down component, less expansive series called the Working Dogs) the true pure class A is only achieved at tiny wattages, using heavy-duty components. That's why, he claims, his amps only produce 10-15 tubes watts at best, but the tones are otherworldly. Now, I have never even heard one of his amps played, so I cannot say. And I don't understand the electronics of it. Anyway, that's one side of the argument.

But many of the small custom amp makers claim pure Class A tone. Maybe it's a situation where both are correct, to a degree. I have a feeling that this is a pretty esoteric argument to most of us, but I guess engineers, sound techs and pro players can tell the difference.

But as far as hands-on experience, I have had two tube amps made by Michael Swart, who calls his amps pure Class A. Both I bought used on FleaBay. One I have regretably just sold (to fund a Charis custom guitar) was the 5-watt Space Tone 6V6se. It was the loudest 5 watts I've ever heard, and Elevened out (his dials go to 11) was a roaring organic beast. The other is an Atomic Space Tone, 6V6, 20-watt amp with tube reverb and vibrato, plus 12-inch speaker, that I have kept. Twenty tube watts is more than I need, and can set my ears to ringing, but the loud clean tones are so cool.

At any rate, I can really recommend either of these two amps. I have even played some pretty good acoustic guitars through the Atomic Space Tone at low volume, and they sounded very nice indeed. They also look very cool, with a retro tweed design.

I'm not related to the guy, so I'm just sharing my experiences here, although I guess it is a shameless plug. Oops.

www.swartsamps.com

[Sir Tune-a-Lot]

Sorry, the correct url listed below is actually:

www.swartamps.com

I tried to edit the previous post but was unable to.

[Lewguitar]

Again, in my opinion, the real advantage to class A tube guitar amps is that they are cathode biased and they are more touch sensitive and feel looser and more responsive to your picking attack compared to class A/B amps. Class A/Cathode biased amps compress a little when you pick hard and this allows you to shape the note with your touch more easily than with class A/B amps. You can "squeeze" the note out and get it to sustain in a really cool way. I like 'em...especially for overdriven and slightly distorted blues and rock tones.

But if you're looking for pristine clean jazz or acoustic guitar tones, especially at fairly loud volume, class A/B would usually be a better choice.

Lew

[Laird_Williams]

Originally Posted by Taylorplayer

Laird:

So, what you're basically saying is -- "who cares". Have I got that right? (he replies tongue-in-cheek)...

Yeah- pretty much. I build amps so I do care sometimes - but not when I am playing.