Tube Amplifiers

[Colin Mclean]

As has been mentioned here, there are good and bad tube amps, and good and bad SS...and even "good" and "bad" can be subjective...You could spend your entire life trying them all!

I guess one should just go with what they know sounds good...sounds too simple, but take a look at what the pros are using...and if you generally like their sound, try that amp.

I personally use a 70's Vibrolux; I originally bought it for guitar. But after discovering it sounded better on recordings than the Twin, and could actually hold up on stage with one of the bands I play with, I use it a lot more now. The Twin really needs to be opened wide to do its thing, so if I really need the headroom I use that.

I haven't noticed any kind of distortion when the notes are trailing off, or anything like that on either amp. I always use the #2 input, and on both amps have a 12AT7 (lower gain than 12AX7) in the preamp slots. The only time I hear distortion is if I'm cranked up to 5 or so, and letting her rip, plucking at almost full volume on the pedal.

It's all a matter of personal taste, and there are MULTPLE variables for MILLIONS of variations, from strings to pickups to guitars to the player, effects, amp, speakers, tubes, bias settings, etc...

I like what tubes do to the sound of stringed instruments, but I've heard SS amps I thought sounded good too. It's just a matter of personal taste, and believe me, it's personal.....the average audience doesn't care!

[Dan Tyack]

Dan,
I'm not picking on them either!
"providing components like 'over-engineered' transformers isn't competitive in that marketplace. "
I thought they probably picked those small x-formers for the "old-timey, swampy" sound they were looking for. And those Delta amps have that sound. But they just couldn't keep up with the low voice of the baritone. That big ol' Hammond iron made a huge difference.

John, there's a reason why companies like Mercury are making a business selling transformers that people are putting in their brand new amps. It's really a price thing. That big iron costs more, and when you are shipping products from China, and then trucking them around the country, the weight also makes a difference.

[Bill Duncan]

I have found that if I turn my amplifier up, use picking dynamics and the volume pedal to control volume, and any amp I use, tube or solid state, sounds better! The sustain I get is impressive. I've noted several people saying this many times on here, and it is true.

I think pretty much any quality amp out there is capable of some really good tone if it's used properly.

I've said that I don't care for the sound of tube amps, but the difference I'm talking about is slight, and the tube amps I've tried sounded good, just not what I prefer.

I will venture to say that any difference there is would only be noticed by another picker/musician, and the audience were picking for doesn't know beans about the tonal difference were discussing here.

[Guido Hausmann]

Speaking of Loyd and TUBE tone, I think the reference is "Live at Panther Hall" . Here Loyd had a brand new Twin delivered to the stage with 2x12 JBL's, still had the store tags on it. Loyd didn't own the amp but he did mention once that he wished he bought it after the gig.

t

a fantastic steel through a good tube amp is the nicest piece of sound in the whole world, to my ears!!
i'd love to have a copy of his recording!!
anybody got an idea where to get one?
cheers
guido