Solidstate vs Tube

[cnltb]

Is it because of the tone?

It is partly that.
On gigs I often use ampegs as they are the house amps.
They are sometimes nice but to me usually feel real slow and not as clear,open and responsive as I'd like.

Also, conventional bass-amps with tubes are in my experience often noisier than SS ones and therefore not ideal for some of the kind of recordings I do involving acoustic instruments and room mics. I had the chance of trying a Mcintosh power-amp on a recording once.
That worked well. I still preferred my own power-amp though.

And there is the fact that not all tubes sound the same and one I might like may just not be available when one breaks.
So it is a maintenance issue as well.

 

[jrsmiles]

Through all my years as a guitar player, I sure did get tired of spending money on tubes and repairs, and dealing with weird noise issues. Through MANY different brands and models.

That being said, I would never have trusted my tone to a solid state amp! I put up with the trouble because I loved the tone.

Now, on my new bass adventure, I'm starting out with solid state to see if I'm happy with that. Chances are I won't be, I'm a life long G.A.S.er so we'll see what happens.

 

[BurningSkies]

Through all my years as a guitar player, I sure did get tired of spending money on tubes and repairs, and dealing with weird noise issues. Through MANY different brands and models.

That being said, I would never have trusted my tone to a solid state amp! I put up with the trouble because I loved the tone.

Now, on my new bass adventure, I'm starting out with solid state to see if I'm happy with that. Chances are I won't be, I'm a life long G.A.S.er so we'll see what happens.

Guitar and bass amplification are two different worlds. I only like tube guitar amps, but when it comes to bass, find that both tube and solid state are viable, though I prefer what solid state has to offer.

 

[THE HIPPIE]

It is partly that.
On gigs I often use ampegs as they are the house amps.
They are sometimes nice but to me usually feel real slow and not as clear,open and responsive as I'd like.

Also, conventional bass-amps with tubes are in my experience often noisier than SS ones and therefore not ideal for some of the kind of recordings I do involving acoustic instruments and room mics. I had the chance of trying a Mcintosh power-amp on a recording once.
That worked well. I still preferred my own power-amp though.

And there is the fact that not all tubes sound the same and one I might like may just not be available when one breaks.
So it is a maintenance issue as well.

WHAT amp are you using right now?

 

[Phalex]

I only like tube guitar amps, but when it comes to bass, find that both tube and solid state are viable, though I prefer what solid state has to offer.

^ Right there.

 

[Jim Carr]

I have owned and used tubes and solid state. Both work well. Pick what you like. Go out and hear some bands, and go play through some amps at a variety of dealers.

You could GO read some of the FAQs and links provided above, IMHO they are worth looking into. Look for sound clips.

BTW, BurningSkies has an amazing rig. PERHAPS he will "let" us see a pic?

 

[Marko 1]

If one has to ask this question, I would suggest he’d be better off going solid state.

 

[Marko 1]

I’m solid state for reasons of practicability, and I can get fine-enough tone with ss.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

I prefer steam-powered amps.

True oldschool tone.

 

[BurningSkies]

I have owned and used tubes and solid state. Both work well. Pick what you like. Go out and hear some bands, and go play through some amps at a variety of dealers.

You could GO read some of the FAQs and links provided above, IMHO they are worth looking into. Look for sound clips.

BTW, BurningSkies has an amazing rig. PERHAPS he will "let" us see a pic?

Unfortunately, I don't have a good pic of the entire thing...but I can post a few shots and maybe say how it applies in this discussion.

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The amp setup is a Kern IP-777. Which to me is the BEST parts of what a tube amp provides. Clean, complex, rich in harmonic content that I love in a tube amp. I don't find that solid state amps have the same level of harmonic content as most tube amps, and that's probably due to the harmonic distortion that tubes add to the signal, which we don't hear as distortion. The Kern is a high voltage tube pre, which is different than almost all hybrid amps and is what you'd find in a fully tube amp. The signal path is 100% tube as well. The Kern is also VERY low noise, and has the flexibility to do both 'vintage' sounds and 'modern' full range stuff.

The power amp caters to what I love about solid state. It provides a dook-load of clean power/volume with precise reproduction. It handles transients well with lots of headroom and doesn't get spongy, squishy, or compressed as power tubes can. It doesn't distort at all.


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The cabinets provide the canvas for the amp to paint it's tone onto. They're as close to 'flat' as you're going to find and they go well lower than most any production cabs. They stay CLEAN even down low at extremely loud volumes.

 

[Thor]

Thanks for posting the links on Tube vs Solid State. That having been done, we are done here and the OP, who it seems missed a wealth of information already available on the topic now has plenty of reading material to peruse.

The can, just opened, is now closed.