• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Solid States More Popular Now

#61
My 2 cents...

Not all the tube amps are equal... but when I played thru my SVT2 (non pro) I noticed in a heartbeat that:

1) The sound was "tridimensional" and not "flat" like thru SS power amps;

2) Dynamic range was huge... again, never experienced that... not even using a huge QSC + Demeter preamp;

It wasn't extra-loud per se and was heaviest... but man, it was the best sounding amp I've ever tried.
I also owned a Marshall VBA400 but it wasn't even close to the Ampeg magic. Really: pure magic. I miss that beast. :crying:
 
#62
mech said:
When stereos, tvs, radios and organs changed from tube technology in the 1970s, the need for vacuum tubes diminished greatly. For bass/guitar amps, solid state offered more power in lighter and less expensive packages.Domestic tube manf sold their equipment overseas where there was still a demand and that equipment eventually wore out. Tube manufacturing has only recently been revived with new plants opening or being refurbished in Russia and China. Guitar amps were and still are about the last holdout. Audiophile audio equipment is a small demand but is a drop in the bucket.

mech
Click to expand...

Tubes are used in radio and television broadcasting because of their ability to generate immense amounts of power. Im talking like a half megawatt (one tube). They are used with radar as well, including the radar fuse of some types of nuclear weapons.
 
#63
ch willie said:
Thanks for the replies. I think the ss amps have improved. I had an ss Peavey stack in the early 80s. It was a Mark IV and it was reliable, but it sounded terrible. This Rumble 350 I have now sounds pretty good in comparison to my dusty old memory.

The greatest bass experience I ever had was playing through an old Ampeg SVT stack--it was a religious experience. The Rumble 350 can't serve up those bowel-rumbling SVT tones, but it sounds good to my ears.
Click to expand...


The old Peavey Mark IV does NOT sound terrible. The second channel had a para-mid setup plus a seven band EQ. Had good specs. It was a good design. I still have mine for backup and I'd still use it if I hadn't built a rack system. You should hear one through modern day speakers.
 
#65
ChuckTrucks said:
Tubes are used in radio and television broadcasting because of their ability to generate immense amounts of power. Im talking like a half megawatt (one tube). They are used with radar as well, including the radar fuse of some types of nuclear weapons.
Click to expand...

Humming birds and ostridges are both birds. I did realize that ostridges could beat their wings so fast that they hum, and didn't realize humming birds could lay such big eggs.

You're talking entirely different things. And has been pointed out many times here the worlds most power radio transmitters are now solid-state devices. But not humming bird like the transistors in your computer.
 
#66
Jazz Ad said:
Solid state has dominated the bass amp market for well over 25 years.
Tubes aren't about to make a come back.
Click to expand...
Not to the level of SS, but most definitely they've made a comeback. Fender and Mesa both have new tube amps, the SVT sells so well they can't keep up with demand, and there are butt-tons of indie builders making them now. Maybe in France it's a different story, but over here, definitely a comeback.
 
#68
JimmyM said:
Not to the level of SS, but most definitely they've made a comeback. Fender and Mesa both have new tube amps, the SVT sells so well they can't keep up with demand, and there are butt-tons of indie builders making them now. Maybe in France it's a different story, but over here, definitely a comeback.
Click to expand...
These same 3 brands always did tubes and keep doing it.
As for France, I don't think I ever saw a tube amp in a bar or rehearsal room in 25 years of playing.
There are SVTs on large stages, that's it.
 
#69
Well... the fact that Ashdown has many different all tubes in the catalog says it all: Little Bastard 30 (combo and head), the 200w model (forgot the name) and the two BTAs (300 and 400w?)... Orange ADs are also good sellers as far as I know.
 
#70
I love the sound of tubes, so don't get me wrong. I prefer solid state.
The tube sound is nice, but you're gonna have to be mic'ed into the PA to get the sound out there.
I like a nice solid sound on stage. I like clean (for bass). Don't like the price of replacement tubes, either. Weight is another factor. I'll keep my SS.
Like I said, thumbs up to you tube guys.
 
#72
Honestly, some of the latest amps - Orange BT500, Markbass TTE800, Genz Streamliners, etc - make me really doubt whether tube amps are ever going to be big again. The emulation is just getting closer and closer.

The Orange BT500 FEELS like a tube amp to me.

That said, I'm still playing a Trace Hexavalve for now ;)
 
#74
I started off being anti tube. My first amp was tube and it literally blew up. My second amp was tueb and it sounded awful. I spent the next 10-15 years playing solidstate heads until I got around to trying tube again. Basically because my friends bass sounded AMAZING through a YBA1a into a PA mid bass horn.
Since then I am a total tube convert. Not only my bass, but my synth rig goes to a tube amp as well. I also use tube mic preamps, DIs and tube limiters for recording.


Solid state is great for PA or studio monitors. Burt when I want euphonic sound not clinical flat sound, I pick tubes.
 
#75
Digital distortion results in a squared off sinewave which sounds unpleasant.

If I played my guitar totally clean then I would play a SS amp or DI like Chet Atkins did.

Tube amps are highly inefficient therefor they make awesome guitar amps.

For bass I prefer SS. I hate distorted bass.
 
#76
ChuckTrucks said:
Tubes are used in radio and television broadcasting because of their ability to generate immense amounts of power. Im talking like a half megawatt (one tube). They are used with radar as well, including the radar fuse of some types of nuclear weapons.
Click to expand...

Hold on a second, you are comparing apples to elephants here. The large tubes you mention above are used almost exclusively in switching (cutoff or saturation only) and not used or even practical to use in their linear region. Additionally, the big ones that you mention are generally liquid cooled, operate on extremely high voltages and most often are biased in class C operation for use with resonant tank circuits to function as carrier transmitters.

ChuckTrucks said:
Digital distortion results in a squared off sinewave which sounds unpleasant.

If I played my guitar totally clean then I would play a SS amp or DI like Chet Atkins did.

Tube amps are highly inefficient therefor they make awesome guitar amps.

For bass I prefer SS. I hate distorted bass.
Click to expand...

Perhaps I am not following this very well, but how does digital distortion come into this? How does (real) digital distortion result in a squared off sine wave... perhaps you are misunderstanding what happens when a digital signal runs out of bits? Yes, it can sound unpleasant of course but I don't think this is what you mean.

Tube amps do not have to be distorted, and in fact that's only one possible mode of operation. There are plenty of folks out there who play a tube amp in an undistorted manner. They can offer a nice sound, feel and playability that some players really like, and not necessarily distorted.
 
#77
bumperbass said:
I love the sound of tubes, so don't get me wrong. I prefer solid state.
The tube sound is nice, but you're gonna have to be mic'ed into the PA to get the sound out there.
Click to expand...
Not true! Before I got a REDDI, which is the ONLY DI I've played that gives me what I want, I would sometimes take a Countryman and run it through the speaker out of my B-15 or SVT. Sounds awesome and totally gets that tube amp sound out into the PA. The REDDI does that for me now so I don't need to bother with it anymore, but you can totally put the tube amp sound into the PA without a mic.

BTW, if anyone tries this, just remember you still need a cab.

Also BTW, I'm one who plays undistorted tube amps, and I know plenty of others who do, too.
 
#79
agedhorse said:
Also, don't do this on any amp that uses a bridged output stage, including many of the class D hybrids. (Tube amps are not going to have this problem)
Click to expand...
Good call! I was assuming nobody would care about doing that with a hybrid or SS amp, but you know someone will, so good of you to add that. Honestly, though, I don't know that it does much good with a hybrid. You really don't need it unless for some strange reason there's no post EQ mode on their amp.
 
#80
I'm not sure if this is 100% on topic but in context I've owned and used an Ampeg SVT tube head, various solid state (Fender BXR, Peavey Mk III) and various hybrid (Hartke HA and LH, Ashdown ABM) and none of them really had the tone I was looking for.
I always thought the SVT would have it but it didn't.
My current amp has THE tone in my head. It's a Warwick Quad VI. It's a hybrid with 3 (I think!) preamp tubes (12AX7) and an EL84 power tube. 600 watt solid state power amp. While it does get "angry" it doesn't get into rage territory, but the tone for me is perfect, and I have pedals for rage!
I guess my point is maybe it's hybrids that are becoming more popular.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back