Solid State Head!!!!

[The Yngster]

I have played 3 solid states, Line 6 Flextone II, Line 6 Spider II half stack, and Crate 3500H half stack. I've liked all three, especially the 2 half stacks. the crate gets a great stock distortion but gets very stale at high volumes. the line 6 doesnt have as much power but is much more versatile

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I was playing on a Flextone III yesterday and it was by far the worst, most stale sounding amp I have ever heard in my life, and I did play around with the settings (I own a POD so i know my way around the contols) My POD sounds like 100000x better thru my power amp, EQ and a BBE and legacy 2x12, and all of that cost less than that flexIII..Its funny too cause my buddy owns the origional Flextone II 2x12 combo and it rips, and even has enough bottom end for his 7 string..

I was (sort of still am) a die hard tube freak since I started playing at 16.
Before the bottom fell out on me financially, I sold ALL my gear, including the BEST tube head I ever owned, a Mesa Boogie MK IV. Plugged straight in, it was like a souped up Marshall. You DID have to do a lot of tweaking to get your sounds, but they were godly.

Fast forward a year & a half, and it was time to rebuild the music side of me.
I was strictly on a budget, but I had enough to by a cheap Ibanez RG (whose only problem is the SHITTY new trem!) and a Line 6 Flextone II 1x12 with the XLR outs. I was skeptical on owning solid state, but I've really grown to love this thing. It's a rack in a box, and is just a wonderful tool chest of sounds. The guitar, floorboard, and amp cost me just over $500 used. While my financial situation is much better, I'm still loving the Flextone II, and see no need to replace it at this time.

J-Dubya

 

[The Yngster]

Honestly I thought the distortion on my Crate was better than a lot of tube amp that cost twice as much. the only problem comes when you pump the volume, then theres no question as to which sound is cleaner

 

[Horus]

What he said. I'd still be playing Crates, but my last one had so many problems, and I heard and seen so many stories that I just can't trust Crate anymore. But the Crate Blue Voodoo tube head is one hell of a BAMF.

 

[War_Blade]

i really hope you're joking. not that you don't know a famous artist who uses them, but that you actually care to form your opinion around it.

no i form my opinion from my own
personal experances, i was just wondering who played them.

 

[Bryant]

Well, I've been thinking about upgrading out of my old SS amp to a better one, and desert the idea of tube because they are more expensive and MJR doesn't use them, and he has great tone.

I am looking at either Crate or Randall heads. If anyone has had experience with either of these brands for SS heads then please reply.

Unless I am seriously mistaken Romeo uses tube heads, though his tone is not one of my faves (love his playing or I wouldn't be here in the first place though.) In the late 80's - early 90's I actually tri-amped (our soundman absolutely hated my guts j/k about the last bit) when I was playing in bands and used a modified A/B box to go back in forth. Without getting into technical specs (unless someone is interested then I will elaborate,) I used a Crate G60 head for thrash style rythms. I still own the damned thing and it is great for that, but only that. The SS head just didn't "cut through" on the leads and it sounded like shit for clean stuff without using uber effects. If you can afford a tube amp I would go that route, even a combo. As far as the Crate brand, though I like mine for what it was, I typically didn't care for them, but supposedly they have come a long way.


Bryant

 

[Bryant]

wow. no comment.

Crate makes fairly decent solid state stuff for the price, so does Peavy. If you want tube, I'd go Marshall. These are of course just my preferences, and I also think tube is better, but not because someone famous uses it

As for Line6, I've always felt they sounded too digital.

Peavey makes pretty rocking stuff from lower-end stuff up through lower-high end stuff. You see a hell of a lot more Peavey stuff these days used by metal guitarists than ever before.


Bryant

 

[RobbM]

you mean like the all-tube Peavey 50/50 that bands like Evergrey use?

 

[Bryant]

you mean like the all-tube Peavey 50/50 that bands like Evergrey use?

I don't know. I am not big into Evergrey. I don't know what they use. I am also not crazy about their guitar tone, though settings could be some of that.


Bryant

 

[RobbM]

they use Triaxis + Peavey 50/50's + Caparisons.....

 

[76Strat]

i dislike tube too SS is better not so much hiss u just need one w/ the transtube wiring its much superior like FDD on marshalls and u need like 500 watts to be as loud as a 120 tube... i use marshall all the way MGDFX100 for now w/ a cab of 4 celestions

 

[Horus]

Tubes sound too gritty and dirty, like the tone itself is rusting and wearing away. The Marshall distortions are too.... Rough. I like the nice sharp, smooth, clear, bright sound I get out of my Spider 2 (HD75). Even though Solid States may not be nearly as loud as Tubes, they're so much more flexible.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Tubes sound too gritty and dirty, like the tone itself is rusting and wearing away. The Marshall distortions are too.... Rough. I like the nice sharp, smooth, clear, bright sound I get out of my Spider 2 (HD75). Even though Solid States may not be nearly as loud as Tubes, they're so much more flexible.

what...the..heck...?

• Tube dynamics are smoother. Don't try to debate me on this, I will bust out the electrical engineering mojo on you.
• Because tubes break up (aka distort) smoother, many players favor them and thus the high demand
• The cost is due to the circuitry itself, as well as the prestige 'tubes' now maintain in the industry.
• Solid State (aka transistor based) amps are more consistent model to model, circuit to circuit. This is because unlike tubes, they don't have rapidly degenerative parts (the tubes themselves, which ideally should be replaced at intervals) and so without this analog element, they are more consistent.
• The tube circuit and solid state circuits amplify different harmonics from the input signal in general, although many of them are common to both. This also affects the tone. I believe tubes favor even harmonics while s.s. favor odd ones
• As for flexibility, well you can go with a modelling digital amp for maximum flexibility, but at the cost of quality (yes, they are improving this, but it is still a major factor). Just like a cellphone with a camera and the internet and games and whatnot, anything designed to be 'multipurpose' tends to focus less on each 'purpose' at hand. This is, as yet, true for amp models aside from very-high end plugins, which still cannot precisely respond as well as the real deal.

 

[76Strat]

i dunno but my marshall solid states have beautiful distortion marshall in my opinion is th ebest distortion you can buy and they ar eloud enough...

 

[Horus]

what...the..heck...?

• Tube dynamics are smoother. Don't try to debate me on this, I will bust out the electrical engineering mojo on you.
• Because tubes break up (aka distort) smoother, many players favor them and thus the high demand
• The cost is due to the circuitry itself, as well as the prestige 'tubes' now maintain in the industry.
• Solid State (aka transistor based) amps are more consistent model to model, circuit to circuit. This is because unlike tubes, they don't have rapidly degenerative parts (the tubes themselves, which ideally should be replaced at intervals) and so without this analog element, they are more consistent.
• The tube circuit and solid state circuits amplify different harmonics from the input signal in general, although many of them are common to both. This also affects the tone. I believe tubes favor even harmonics while s.s. favor odd ones
• As for flexibility, well you can go with a modelling digital amp for maximum flexibility, but at the cost of quality (yes, they are improving this, but it is still a major factor). Just like a cellphone with a camera and the internet and games and whatnot, anything designed to be 'multipurpose' tends to focus less on each 'purpose' at hand. This is, as yet, true for amp models aside from very-high end plugins, which still cannot precisely respond as well as the real deal.

When I said Smooth, I meant that it sounds less gritty. Every single tube amp I've ever played sounds, like I said, that the sound itself is rusty. Whereas Solid state heads sound clear and easier to hear what you're playing. note for note. Not just a blurr of distortion, which is what Ii hear whenever I try to shredd on a tube head.

Considering the aspect of expenses, tube amps are good, but I personally don't think they're worth all the extra money for the head itself, and then also, for the replacement tubes themselves. I'd just rather get the cheaper solid state, and spend the saved money on something like MORE GUITARS!!

And about flexibility, I really can't give 2 shits if my amp sounds exactly like a really famous amp, or a person's sound. The only thing that I care about is if my amp sounds GOOD. Which it does.

 

[Kenneth R.]

oh, I'm not out to copy anyone's sound. I just want my own tone to sound *that* good, and I broach no compromises

As for the 'blur of distortion' I find that issue much more common on solid state heads. Perhaps it was the settings?

The biggest of all differences between the two styles is that a tube amp distorts a bit before the threshold, and continues to distort further until it gets fully distorted. By comparison, SS amps have a much more binary status- it's clear, and then bam it distorts completely all at once when you hit the threshold. I suppose if you are playing above this input level then the sound would remain more linearly distorted than that of a tube amp. Personally again, I think the tube decay is much sweeter, for lack of a better word.

There is also now the market for amps that intentionally exaggerate the features of a solid state circuit and many modern bands are going for this sound because it is sharper, more cutting, and rougher.

 

[Horus]

Yeah, that Tube Decay is pretty sweet. That is something I give to Tube amps. I don't like the "sudden distortion explosion" in SS amps, because it does kinda explode in your face. But noone's to say that that decay can't be replicated digitally.

 

[RobbM]

I'd bet $100 that if anyone on this thread who doesn't like tubes, plugged into a Mesa Mark II C+ that their views would be reversed instantly..

 

[Kenneth R.]

Yeah, that Tube Decay is pretty sweet. That is something I give to Tube amps. I don't like the "sudden distortion explosion" in SS amps, because it does kinda explode in your face. But noone's to say that that decay can't be replicated digitally.

you do that. you'll be a millionaire, because companies like Line6 etc have been *trying* to pull it off. trying.

 

[Horus]

I'd bet $100 that if anyone on this thread who doesn't like tubes, plugged into a Mesa Mark II C+ that their views would be reversed instantly..

That's a sexy amp. Played it multiple times, and I like it alot more than alot of tube amps I've played.

you do that. you'll be a millionaire, because companies like Line6 etc have been *trying* to pull it off. trying.

Oh.... Dammit. I guess I lost that part of the debate. At least I went down in a blaze of glory. It might not be a matter of programming, so much as a matter of finding a way to make a cross-fader or something inside of the amp to fade between channels. I can assume it's alot asier said than done though.