R.I.P Tube Amps.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by redir

Hmmm. My band released an album on vinyl last year. Which brings up an incredibly good point... Nothing sounds better then vinyl




I hear ya, mums the word.

Re: vinyl. Yup, my local cd buy-sell shop has boxes of cds, still unsorted, dropped off by customers unloading unwanted bulk, and as for compressed mp3 type files, good for pop singles, but if you want to go deep into music listening, see the vinyl revival.

Re: Steve Vai (reference above) I saw him not too long ago on stage, and he’s using boutique tube amplification (loud but softer on the ear).

[rwmct]

Originally Posted by redir

Why not just have the real deal?

I have no idea. The modeling stuff has zero appeal to me.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by redir

Why not just have the real deal?

I'm new to this electric guitar stuff, and I mostly play "clean," with a little added reverb, through my Bugera V22.

One thing about a modeling amp, however, is that it lets you try out different sounds without having to buy a gazillion amps. Of course, another way to do that is with a multi-effects pedal. I just picked up an ancient, used Zoom 505 pedal just for this purpose. So far I've mostly used the tuner function.

[redir]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

I'm new to this electric guitar stuff, and I mostly play "clean," with a little added reverb, through my Bugera V22.

One thing about a modeling amp, however, is that it lets you try out different sounds without having to buy a gazillion amps. Of course, another way to do that is with a multi-effects pedal. I just picked up an ancient, used Zoom 505 pedal just for this purpose. So far I've mostly used the tuner function.

I was joking about the Zoom 505 earlier but in and around 1995 I bought that pedal and had a lot of fun with it. They claim it's the first multi effect modeling compact pedal ever, who knows. I still have it. I may even fire up this weekend just for the hell of it. You can always find something in these devices that sounds cool. The 505 has a canned sound but then maybe one day they will actually model it

My guess is the debate between real tubes and insilico will go on for the foreseeable future.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by redir

My guess is the debate between real tubes and insilico will go on for the foreseeable future.

Yes, until vacuum tubes are no longer made, then we'll be arguing about the relative merits of solid-state vs quantum amps!

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

Yes, until vacuum tubes are no longer made, then we'll be arguing about the relative merits of solid-state vs quantum amps!

Quantum amps ... if someone from Google is reading this thread then it may come sooner than we all realize.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

...One thing about a modeling amp, however, is that it lets you try out different sounds without having to buy a gazillion amps. Of course, another way to do that is with a multi-effects pedal...

A third way to do that is to haul yourself down to the local big-box store and plug into anything that piques your curiosity - saved myself a lot of grief (and found myself a couple must-haves) that way...

[M Hayden]

I love standing in front of a hot, hard-working tube amp that’s overdriven and glassy. But if the recipe calls for quiet dinner jazz, the DR will sound great but it’s an extra trip at load in and load out and maybe more depending on whether or not there’s a pedalboard involved, versus a tiny SS amp that provides great clean tones for the archtop...and fits in the gig bag. So it’s situational.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Quantum amps ... if someone from Google is reading this thread then it may come sooner than we all realize.

Haha. It'll be a while before it costs less than a Dumble.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by The Growler

Haha. It'll be a while before it costs less than a Dumble...

I've owned cars that cost less than a Dumble...

[Sonics]

Most of you have seen this, but for those who have not...



...the reaction is GENUINE.

[lkingston]

Here's the thing.

My tube amp is 15 watts and sounds great screaming at the top of it's volume range. With solid state amps, the modeling circuits sound wonderful, but then that wonderful sound goes into a regular transister power amp that sounds horrible if it's overdriven even a little.

This you need to have a way more powerful amp (100 watts plus) in order to very cleanly reproduce that modeled tube amp saturated sound. Even at a hundred watts, a rowdy crowd can push that power amp into terribles sounding solid state distortion.

They tend to sound wonderful at home or when you are demoing them at a music store though where the power amp isn't being pushed..

I haven't heard these new Fender amps, and I would love it if they've overcome this, but that has been my experience this far.

[rockabilly69]

The other day I bought this little 14 Watt Fender 5E3 style amp made by Michael Clark called the "Beauford". Earlier I posted a picture of it in this thread, but I've never heard a modeler gives up the vintage guitar tones like this little tweed. So here's a little demo I made in about 10 minutes just so you guys can hear what I'm talking about...



And with it's pine cabinet it weighs next to nothing.

[robj144]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

The other day I bought this little 14 Watt Fender 5E3 style amp made by Michael Clark called the "Beaumont". Earlier I posted a picture of it in this thread, but I've never heard a modeler gives up the vintage guitar tones like this little tweed. So here's a little demo I made in about 10 minutes just so you guys can hear what I'm talking about...



And with it's pine cabinet it weighs next to nothing.

Sounds awesome man and awesome vocals too!

I mostly agree. Tube amps just sound better and probably always will. But, I mentioned it a few times in this thread already... the Yamaha THR amps with some pedals in front sound very, very good and can sound vintage sounding. I'm not saying it'll replace a tube rig, but it's great for just playing wherever... at a park, beach, any room of the house. It runs on batteries and weighs under 10 lbs.

I sound like a total Yamaha THR fan boy, but I'm amazed every time I play it still.

Here's the latest version which is about to be released next week. Just listen to the first few minutes:

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by lkingston

Here's the thing...you need to have a way more powerful amp (100 watts plus) in order to very cleanly reproduce that modeled tube amp saturated sound. Even at a hundred watts, a rowdy crowd can push that power amp into terrible sounding solid state distortion.

They tend to sound wonderful at home or when you are demoing them at a music store though where the power amp isn't being pushed..

I haven't heard these new Fender amps, and I would love it if they've overcome this, but that has been my experience this far.

Even Fender realizes this: the TM Deluxe Reverb is packing a 100W SS amp, the Twin a 200-watter - both in the interest of, according to their own literature, duplicating the dynamic range and "feel" of a tube amp...

To me, the only advantage is weight - a 30-pound Twin Reverb is an answered prayer for roadies, as well as older players doing large gigs - but when it comes to the Deluxe Reverb 40 pounds is not unmanageable, for 95% of us an amp in that power range is adequate for our needs, and of course there's that all-tube bloom-&-swirl of shifting harmonics/dynamics that I've yet to hear from any SS amp...