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Monkubus325
New member
What is everyone's thought on this? Are tube amps really worth the extra bucks, or are non tube amps the way to go?
cstockdale
supafly killa homey
do some searching. You will find that most people favour tube amps, but hey, it depends on the style of music you play. Some SS amps have great sounds (like a Trace Elliot SUpertramp , or a Roland JC120), but ESPECIALLY for recording, a small all tube amp is a godsend in the studio.
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Phyl
Guest
Ditto.
For stage work it's hard to beat a digital system because of all the tonal colors you can instantly call up. Do they perfectly imitate a tube amp? No, but then it's the rare bar patron who will complain.
If you are looking for that classic tube sound - an amp set up so that the amount of distortion is closely related to how hard you play the strings - then tubes are the way to go.
The distortion produced by tube amps is (to me) also a lot more pleasing to the ear. Digital systems that model tube amps are just that, models. You can usually tell the difference between tube and digital amps by listening to how clearly each note of a chord is articulated, and how the sound of a distorted note decays.
Having said all that, I can't afford a good tube amp so I settle for the digital thing. I've tried all the modellers out there - POD, JStation, GT-6, etc - and have always liked my Roland GP-100 the best.
For stage work it's hard to beat a digital system because of all the tonal colors you can instantly call up. Do they perfectly imitate a tube amp? No, but then it's the rare bar patron who will complain.
If you are looking for that classic tube sound - an amp set up so that the amount of distortion is closely related to how hard you play the strings - then tubes are the way to go.
The distortion produced by tube amps is (to me) also a lot more pleasing to the ear. Digital systems that model tube amps are just that, models. You can usually tell the difference between tube and digital amps by listening to how clearly each note of a chord is articulated, and how the sound of a distorted note decays.
Having said all that, I can't afford a good tube amp so I settle for the digital thing. I've tried all the modellers out there - POD, JStation, GT-6, etc - and have always liked my Roland GP-100 the best.
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NuTT98
New member
I sure hope you're not referring to powering speakers with those. I'm assuming you're not 
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SmattyG
New member
Tooooob, all the way! To me, it's irreplacable. There are some decent solid state amps, but one thing that they just cannot do, is emulate the way a tube amp gives you gain control. On my Fender Deluxe, you can set the gain at like 2, and softly strumming or picking, it will sound pretty darn clean. Hit some notes harder, or play a powerchord, and all of the sudden this nice smooth overdrive comes in, and the amp gets a nice growl. Let's you do a lot of really cool accenting, etc. that you just can't do with a solid state. I suppose it depends on what you want to do with the sound though... to some people, I'm sure that this would seem like a really minor feature. To me, this is a big f@#$ing deal 
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chris-from-ky
New member
I bought a Fender Blues Jr. a few weeks back and I LOVE it! It's just 15 all-tube watts. when overdriven, it doesn't get harder than a bluesy kind of distortion but, I added a Boss Metal Zone to it and it made all the difference. I love this little combo and it's going to be great when I get to recording with it. My suggestion is to go to a music store and just fiddle around with them till you find one you like in your budget. I'd spring for a low end tube amp before buying a solid state amp of equal value. Whatever works for you.
TUBE ALL THE WAY!!!!!
Chris
TUBE ALL THE WAY!!!!!
Chris