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Nothing is keeping me from using a tube amp.
I will ONLY use a tube amp.... i couldn't care less about the cost or the weight....i LOVE the tone 
Never had the cash for one. Now I do, but my SVT 6-PRO is just too damn good to replace.
I would like to have one before my playing days are done. Then again, I'd also like a tiny little amp and 212 that a actually met my needs. It would be really cool to have a tiny little rig.
I would like to have one before my playing days are done. Then again, I'd also like a tiny little amp and 212 that a actually met my needs. It would be really cool to have a tiny little rig.
What keeps me from using tube amps? Size, weight, cost, and the cost of maintenance (new tubes, biasing, etc.).
Bc I'm old and my 100lb SVT wants to hurt me everytime I move it.
I need to man up and put on some bulk.
I need to man up and put on some bulk.
For guitar I only use small tube amps - just no substitute for me. For bass, there’s plenty of good light weight and dependable options.
Honestly it's the price for damn sure. I've always wanted an older Ampeg SVT-CL, I always got "THE" tone I always wanted with those. Even used the cheapest I can find them they're usually $800-$1,000. I can manage the weight since I'm still a young lad but I don't got the funds.
It's a multiple choice answer for me. 1.) Weight. 2.) Reliability. 3.) Cost. I use an old solid state head and a tube preamp. This setup gives me the flexibility to sound like a tube amp or a clean solid state, regardless of volume. At home I use a like new Fender Rumble 75 that I got last week for $100.
Someday I’ll have an SVT. It will sit in my rehearsal space where I will enjoy the hell out of that glorious, unmatched tone. Until that day, I will play 4-5 gigs per month with my GK Class D gear. Weight, maintenance. Yep. Someday, I will blast myself right out of my housev with it. Not now though.
I particularly hate the running costs involved. Tubes aint what they used to be. Take a tester with you, the next time you buy any tubes, and see how many new tubes fail. People blindly accept new tubes as being up to par. Why is it that the shop doesn't have a tester for you to check their tubes with? Hmmmm.
For me it's simple - too expen$ive. I'm no expert, but I can't imagine the parts/components cost so much more as to warrant the high price (even if parts are more expensive, the final price is disproportionately high). I think the manufacturers are charging more simply because people are willing to pay more. But I could be wrong.
I had one of the Ampeg V4B reissues and I gigged with it for about two years. The sweet tone of the amp didn't outweigh (no pun intended) the hassle of lugging around 41 lbs every weekend along with a 60+ lb cabinet. I couldn't imagine doing it with an 80 lb SVT!
I have a wonderful SVT CL that sits mostly in storage these days. The tone is God like, but it's just too much for clubs or indoor venues that don't have deep or big stages. It and it's road case are not light, and the current bands I work with do not have trailers or roadies, so I have to load it in my vehicle which means I have to lift it by myself. Because of that, it's sitting in storage.
I promised myself I'd pull it out for a few outdoor gigs this summer, and I'll have a stupid grin on my face the entire set....
In all honesty, my micro heads get pretty close to the sound, at least close enough to get a good bass tone through the medium to larger foh systems I run through.
I promised myself I'd pull it out for a few outdoor gigs this summer, and I'll have a stupid grin on my face the entire set....
In all honesty, my micro heads get pretty close to the sound, at least close enough to get a good bass tone through the medium to larger foh systems I run through.
I have 2 tube amps and a solid state amp.
Guess who gets used the most??
TUBE!
Guess who gets used the most??
TUBE!
I would love a tube amp (PF-50 anyone?) but my band of 30 years has disbanded, and I only play at church where amps are banished behind a wood slat barracade. PITA to turn on, much less load in and out. I could just use the DI, but monitors are weak, and I have a VTDI that gets me close enough. And yet I still want one! 
