Think of it like this:
Tube Rectifier = Classic Marshall/Fender style classic rock style tones, there's a bit of sag and bloom - a microsecond or two of delay between the time that you hit the strings and the time that the note comes out of the speaker.
Solid State Rectifier was invented by Mesa to satisfy the thrash metal guys that needed a tighter, quicker response so that they could play fast without it sounding like a wall of mush.
That's how it was explained to me anyway.
This. Also you can use more than 1 tube rectifier to tighten things up, hene dual rectifiers and triple rectifiers.
Bass amps generally use ss rectifier except for older low wattage tube amps.