Valve Amps Vs Transistor Amps, Which is best to have? |
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Valve Amps Vs Transistor Amps, Which is best to have? |
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Apr 20 2014, 05:03 PM |
I started out in the 70s with all Tube amps.
Switched to Solid State amps with a 4-space rack in the 80s. Switched back to Tube amps and individual pedals in the early 90s and haven't owned* any SS amp since then. For me they just work/sound better for what I do. *I travel to play a fair amount so I do have to use backlined SS amps occasionally and they seem to sound fine to the audience. They sound 95% of the way there for me on stage - ? I know many players who prefer to use and sound great through SS amps, modelers, etc. I guess what I'm saying is that I only have a personal point of view. I am getting sick of lugging around heavy tube amps. I check out any and all SS combos that come out in the hopes that one will suffice for my particular needs. No dice so far but I keep looking. This post has been edited by klasaine: Apr 20 2014, 05:04 PM -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Apr 26 2014, 04:27 PM |
Addendum to my above post ...
Recording is a whole 'nother thing. I've been doing sessions with SS gear since the mid 80s (started with an ADA MP-1) then went Line 6 in 1999. Most studios here have either 11 Rack, Axefx, software/plug-ins, a kemper and usually a combination of both. Many also have one or two good tube amps mic'd up. I prefer tube amps live primarily because if it doesn't sound the way I want it to (I'm talking about my personal amps) - 99% of the time a simple knob twist (w/in the space of 3 beats) can fix it. Also solid state amps and SS gear in general, though usually very reliable, when they do go down are not easily fixed. With a good tube amp - everything is fixable. The most common problem is a bad tube ... which can be trouble shot and changed on a gig. Tube gear, unlike most ss gear, tends to fail slowly. Something starts to sound/feel 'different'. The impetus is of course on the owner to recognize and pay attention to this stuff. Keep it maintained and carry one extra pre-amp and one extra pwr amp tube and a couple of fuses. There are a ton of guitar amps from the 40s thru early 70s still in CONSTANT use. The most reliable amp I have is a 1964 Fender Bassman. Of course it's been worked on. But only maintenance. It's never stopped on a gig. -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Apr 27 2014, 01:46 AM |
Ken, I know that you have said you have played them but I thought for sure that you would at least have a Jazz Chorus in your corral. I never owned a JC120 but for clean, funky, late 70s and 80s rhythm, especially with a Strat and decent compressor, you can't beat 'em. They def have a thing. *The only solid state gear I have is a bass amp in my little practice studio and Crate 'mini' amp head I keep in my car in case my main amp goes down. This post has been edited by klasaine: Apr 27 2014, 01:47 AM -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Apr 30 2014, 06:41 PM |
I never owned a JC120 but for clean, funky, late 70s and 80s rhythm, especially with a Strat and decent compressor, you can't beat 'em. They def have a thing. ... Indeed. First two amps I had were a HH 50 soon followed by a JC120 (still have the JC). Got the HH when I was 15 years old solely because most of the bands I liked at the time used them. I actually turned down a Vox AC30 and an Marshall to get the HH. With the JC it was a choice between it and a used Fender Twin - the JC just did a nice almost glacial clean sound that I liked then and still do. This was all in the late 70s, early 80s and a lot of what I played was new wave and funk a la Pigbag etc. Much later I got a Matchless tube amp, which I again still have. The JC is great for clean rhythm and finger style jazz whilst the Matchless is great for blues etc. In my experience modelling has gotten a lot better but to be contraversial it isn't there yet... I think it was Bernie Grundman - but it may have been someone else - who recently said that he still preferred analgue to digital modelling. His argument was that there are still some low level complicated sonic issues that isn't modelled often in the low/mid mid range where there is a lot of sonic inforation. In much the same way I still find that digital ITB recordings sound like digital ITB recordings. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Apr 30 2014, 06:55 PM |
Wow, HH amps.
I knew one guy here in L.A. that had one. Great amps! I believe Bill Nelson used them Been listening to 'Modern Music' for the past week. Extraordinary! Does anybody put that time in anymore? This post has been edited by klasaine: May 1 2014, 07:32 AM -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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