Is There A Future For Tube Amps?

[BassShark]

I have noticed, both in myself and others that I am seeing less and less Tube amps around and particularly in stores.

I find that the compromising middle ground of using a Tube-like Preamp/Pedal/Hybrid and a lightweight cabinet is getting closer and closer to a Tube tone and much more acceptable for gigging bassists.

I have been gigging a Fender Stack with a Vintage Microtubes Deluxe over the weekend. Is it Tube-Like? Yes it is. Does it sound the same as a Tube Amp? Hell No it doesn't, not even close.

My current rehearsal and small gig amp weighs 20kg all up, fits in the back of the car and I can carry my bass, cabinet and a back-pack with my Bass head, pedals and cables in 1 trip and my previous rig weighed 70kg or 150 lbs and needed a Wagon to put it in without scratching the car.

It's a pretty easy decision.

Whilst there are a huge number of Bassists that will never go Solid State, which is completely understandable. It seems that the demand for Tubes is dwindling each year.

A Solid State with a Tube Pre-amp or a Tube Emulation Pedal/Overdrive is now cheaper, lighter and also cheaper to maintain than the 300w Monsters.

Is there a future for Tube Amps? How far are we from replicating the Tube amp sound flawlessly? Will it ever happen?

Discuss!

As long as tubes continue to be manufactured and there continues to be demand, there will be tube amps. The tube amp sound is really about the power tubes and output transformer, hybrids with a solid state power amp do not really sound like a tube amp. I'm more of a solid state guy, but I had a Traynor YBA200 for a while that surprised me with it's excellent tone and light weight (toriodal transformers).

 

[Jeff Scott]

I can only imagine how a pair would sound in a bass amp with a super efficient speaker cab. Might take a B15 to the next level.

That would be pretty cool. Maybe JGR could work on this as a new project?

 

[DavC]

short answer ... YES ... will folks in the audience know ... ?? NO

I would think if we can kinda fool ourselves a little bit with a 'fake tube-like sound' , ... that would surely fool the audience ... !!!

 

[FFTT]

As long as musicians seek an authentic vintage legacy sound there will be tubes and tube amps.
Remember, tube bass amps use the same tubes as tube guitar amps.

Just a few tube amp builders
As you can plainly see there's a big world outside of big box retail.

Divided By 13
Matchless
Bad Cat
Carr
Dr. Z
65 Amps
Jule
Tone King
Top Hat
Kendrick
Allen
Clark
Quinn
PWE
Supro R/I
Splawn
Soldano
Verellan
Victoria
Port City
Carol-Ann
Two Rock
Bludotone
Allesandro
Mojave
Winfield
Weber Mywatt
Hi-Tone
Reeves Amps
Friedman Amps
Gries Amps
Magic Amps
Red Plate Amps
Viking Amps
Blankenship Amps
Suhr Amps & Custom Audio
Komet Amps
3P 3rd Power Amps
3 Monkeys Amps
Hendy Amps
Bruno Amps
Mad Professor Amps
Metropoulos Amps aka Metro
Germino Amps
Vintage Sound Amps
Louis Electric Amps
Magnatone USA
Jackson Ampworks
Fargen aka Exclusive Amps
Ceriatone
Morgan
Cornford
BC Audio
Wizard
Science
Swart

I'm sure I've forgotten some

 

[Just George]

I see more tube bass amps these days on stages than I have in probably any other time in history.

I went back to an Ampeg V4-B all-tube head because although I got pretty good sound out of SS I just never could find a non tube head that would give me the tone I've loved for so many years. I think they will always be around more or less for those players who will not compromise. Having said that, I think the majority of the amp sales will continue to go to SS type heads due to their lower cost and lower weight.

 

[Roland GR 88]

To all the class D mini amp queens.....
Are we all getting that lazy that lugging a heavy amp a few feet from the van to the venue and back to the van is an issue?

I laugh at The Li'l tiny overtone free and harmonically lacking class D's. They are just toys!

:***: go fix yer amp.....

 

[waltdogg]

As long as musicians seek an authentic vintage legacy sound there will be tubes and tube amps.
Remember, tube bass amps use the same tubes as tube guitar amps.

Just a few tube amp builders
As you can plainly see there's a big world outside of big box retail.

Divided By 13
Matchless
Bad Cat
Carr
Dr. Z
65 Amps
Tone King
Top Hat
Kendrick
Allen
Clark
Quinn
PWE
Supro R/I
Splawn
Soldano
Verellan
Victoria
Port City
Carol-Ann
Two Rock
Bludotone
Allesandro
Mojave
Winfield
Weber Mywatt
Hi-Tone
Reeves Amps
Friedman Amps
Gries Amps
Magic Amps
Red Plate Amps
Viking Amps
Blankenship Amps
Suhr Amps & Custom Audio
Komet Amps
3P 3rd Power Amps
3 Monkeys Amps
Hendy Amps
Bruno Amps
Mad Professor Amps
Metropoulos Amps aka Metro
Germino Amps
Vintage Sound Amps
Louis Electric Amps
Magnatone USA
Jackson Ampworks
Fargen aka Exclusive Amps
Ceriatone
Morgan
Cornford
BC Audio
Wizard

I'm sure I've forgotten some

Science!

OP, I have to think it has something to do with your global location. It costs a lot of money to get big heavy and already expensive tube amp overseas just for retail. Read: cost prohibitive.

 

[FFTT]

For EU, AU and elsewhere, have the amp shipped to a freight forwarding company.
Considerably cheaper.

Science!

OP, I have to think it has something to do with your global location. It costs a lot of money to get big heavy and already expensive tube amp overseas just for retail. Read: cost prohibitive.

 

[waltdogg]

For EU, AU and elsewhere, have the amp shipped to a freight forwarding company.
Considerably cheaper.

I'm talking about the local music shops. Due to import duties they can't afford to get an Orange or Ampeg tube head in. Let alone get one that would survive the journey there

 

[beans-on-toast]

That would be pretty cool.

I've put off building one because of the cost of the tube. Just a few years ago Western Electric was producing them and the real deal was expensive but affordable, about $600 per tube. I recently saw a NOS pair going for $6500. But JJ and EH ones go for around $130 each. Still more expensive than most would be willing to put into a bass amp. It would be interesting to experiment with them though.

​

 

[FFTT]

The majority of custom builders listed above stay plenty busy builder direct or through a few select retail outlets.
Most will ship outside US on special order.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I hope that Weber Mywatt 400 is a bass amp!

 

[Quilbert]

I just love the sound, feel and even 'smell' of tube amps but I think they're probably not the most practical for small venues and pubs. Ashdown make low power tube amps 15-30w that sound like nothing else. The simplicity of tube amps is a big plus.

 

[FFTT]

I hope that Weber Mywatt 400 is a bass amp!

Yes Indeed!

 

[FFTT]

Some simply find the aroma of dust mites cooking curiously irresistible.

 

[FFTT]

I just love the sound, feel and even 'smell' of tube amps but I think they're probably not the most practical for small venues and pubs. Ashdown make low power tube amps 15-30w that sound like nothing else. The simplicity of tube amps is a big plus.

Remember that power is needed for reserve clean headroom more that sheer volume.
You don't have to play them loud.

 

[REMBO]

i hope tube amps never leave us!! they are the best!

 

[Sixgunn]

I'm a total tube snob when it comes to guitar amps but for bass, I like my sound TOTALLY clean and have been loving SS for decades.

 

[ThisBass]

IMO emulation of tube amps will replace real tube amps somewhere in the future.

Most emulations are based on time invariant systems. However there are many time dependent paramters like the sag of the supply which are not well adressed in present modulations. Never the less I'm pretty sure that design engineers all around the world are seeking for improved understanding what an all tube head makes an all tube head so awfull unique in it's musical sounding.
Performance of microprocessors raises on year after year, and therfore make way for more complex modelings beyond time invariant systems.

By the way I'm pretty happy with my 70's magnavox svt, by the other hand I'm happy with any gear when it sounds pretty good to me.

 

[Gougedeye]

I've been playing bass for 40 years. I used solid state amps up until 3 years ago. SWR to be exact. I've always liked the way tube amps sound, but never wanted to deal with the "issues" that seem to accompany them. at the NAMM show I played through a Fender Super Bassman and that was it! The coolest amp I've ever played through! I bought one and haven't looked back. As long as I can lug it, its going to be used. The Class D and Hybrids are cool, but there is nothing like the sound of a 300 watt all tube amp!