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Why aren't you using tube amps?

#541
Mvilmany said:
If you find a piece of gear that you absolutely love, that you’d own for life, and you have the money, get it.
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There are three basses in my living room proving I will. :)

That Eden was lovely, but it wasn't something I'd 'have to have', therefor I don't. I've been playing
through a Carvin BX250 with a Carvin 2x10 cab for several months now, and I really like it. It's no
where near top of the list, but then again neither is my playing (yet!). I can still go full stack on that
tiny little amp... so there's room to grow there..... I'm pretty happy with that!

When bumming around smaller shops 'spontaneously', I rarely can find a LH bass to plug in to an amp
iffin' I want to try it out. When I'm ready to upgrade (which WILL happen... it's my nature) I'll
have to throw my bass in the back of the car, and have it ready to 'test'... It would be the only
way to know what my guitar would sound like through it anyway. Probably the only way I'd consider
spending the money...

Every bass I had to have, I do. I even have one I don't want (oops). When I find that Amp, I'll have it.
I've slept on the couch before... it's in the same room as the basses, so it's not so bad!
 
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#542
For me the biggest issue is predictability. I find I like my tube amps best when they're pushed a certain way - I guess I want the power section to be breaking up a certain amount but not too much. With the right speaker cabinet in the right room with the right group at the right volume level, there's nothing better. But if one of those factors is off, it can be a drag.
My gigs can be a real mixed bag - when the setting is not entirely familiar, these days I am more inclined to grab my Quilter Bass Block 800 because I know how it's going to respond in any setting from cocktail Jazz to outdoor Reggae.
Portability also comes up, of course.
 
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#543
Just so you understand how huge this is:

My father's apartment cost R$120,000.00 downtown in a city with 600,000 people.

(to be fair he got pretty lucky with the apartment. It was really cheap.)

Screenshot_2018-05-03-02-47-18.png
 
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#545
Another reason why is because with some of the bands I play with the all tube amp seems to be a little slow. As in the sound develops a little later in the initial strike of a note.

The solid state amps I use seem very quick on the notes.

I'm not sure why this happens and do not really care but it does happen.
 
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#546
10cc said:
Another reason why is because with some of the bands I play with the all tube amp seems to be a little slow. As in the sound develops a little later in the initial strike of a note.

The solid state amps I use seem very quick on the notes.

I'm not sure why this happens and do not really care but it does happen.
Click to expand...

I've never understood this nor noticed it. Maybe I'm a little slow.
 
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#549
10cc said:
Another reason why is because with some of the bands I play with the all tube amp seems to be a little slow. As in the sound develops a little later in the initial strike of a note.

The solid state amps I use seem very quick on the notes.

I'm not sure why this happens and do not really care but it does happen.
Click to expand...
Tube amps are the same speed as any other amps. You might have a bum tube giving it a little too much sag, though.
 
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#550
JimmyM said:
Tube amps are the same speed as any other amps. You might have a bum tube giving it a little too much sag, though.
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I would agree that the speed of the electrical signal given the dimensions involved/distances traveled here are a total non-issue. However, I would not discount differences in damping factors between SS and tube designs as something that can certainly be noticeable and even contribute to what many players describe as a "difference in feel" when playing.

From purely a design attribute perspective, I believe there are a some characteristics that are associated with tube and solid state bass amps that are detectable. I also think a good designer can either mask or mimic those in some cases, but the underlying technology characteristics are often still there to some degree.
 
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#551
To me, "slow" seems more of a speaker box issue than an amp issue. Of course there can differences. One where one head works better with a certain box than another. But to me, that's a whole different argument than tubes/transistors.
 
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#553
I did not play all-tube amps for 25 years mainly because when I was young I couldn't afford them. Then I transitioned from pure ss to hybrids with the peavey 500 pro, Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, Mesa m6 because I wanted tube grind, but feared "the costs". Wanted more tubey creaminess so came the Genz Benz stm600 and a lucky chance on an rather beaten but nicely working SVT 3 pro, just to find out that for me, toneswise it doesn't get any better than the Ampe v4b or my SVT 2 pro.

That said, I wasted a lot of time not to go for a big tube head earlier. The money In spent on other amps easily ate what the maintainance of a good tubehead would have taken over the years.

So besides weight, there is absolutely no reason for me not to play tubeamps. And this is only an issue with the big heads (the new v4b is not that heavy, neither are the new Mesas) and if you play out a lot without help.
 
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#554
I was pretty happy with my swr 2x10c I bought about 11 years ago. Also I am very cheap and spent my money growing my bass collection which I think is rounded nicely (fender, warwick, mm, schecter). I never focused on amps much because I didn't think I could afford the coveted svt-4 pro that Ryan Martinie used in his early days (namely ld50). Now I'm 30, I found an svt-4 for very cheap and I really like it. In fact I was going to sell my swr 1x15 but the svt pushes it so hard and it sounds so good, I've never played a rig with headroom like that.

My point is I just never thought about my amp that much, but now I am older, more established, and want to go on an adventure in amps and cabs. So maybe I will find a tube amp I like, or maybe I will stick to solid state.
 
#557
The first time I played a solid state amplifier I knew I was through with tubes. The sound was bright and clear, more than that it sounded raw. The sound was quicker, as if it came out of the speaker faster. In my minds eye I could see a signal running through a tube amp like molasses. I came to hate tubes because they're hot and fragile, need to be replaced and are expensive. Tube amps are heavy and unreliable. Mainly though they represent an antiquated technology that has gone well beyond it's sell by date. And that tube sound that everybody calls warm, just sounds muddy to me. Solid State is the future.
 
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#558
laughing house said:
The first time I played a solid state amplifier I knew I was through with tubes. The sound was bright and clear, more than that it sounded raw. The sound was quicker, as if it came out of the speaker faster. In my minds eye I could see a signal running through a tube amp like molasses. I came to hate tubes because they're hot and fragile, need to be replaced and are expensive. Tube amps are heavy and unreliable. Mainly though they represent an antiquated technology that has gone well beyond it's sell by date. And that tube sound that everybody calls warm, just sounds muddy to me. Solid State is the future.
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Yep, lots of laughter in this house!
 
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#560
My prior favorite is a Sunn 2000S. Because of it’s size (not weight), and it’s age, it gave way to a GK800RB & ABM500. I have tried a 400+ that’s perfect size but couldn’t love it. Same with a PV VB-2. I finally ended up with a Reeves C225 (#60) and that is my main gigging amp. My GK800RB is a backup.
Mainly, I like a tube amp that has clean headroom- almost SS like.
 

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