Well, I am sorry to say I don't know much about amps. I can tell you just about anything regarding guitars, but amplification is a subject I've sorely neglected. I know a little, but not enough.
Anyway, my dilemma is this; I can't seem to find an OBJECTIVE comparison between tube amps and solid state. What are the biggest differences as far as sound goes? Also, why are they so different?
Yes, I am amp retarded. Please save me!!!!
I have like 5 amps. Two are tube, two are solid state, and one is tube modeling. My two MAIN amps are:
1. Crate GFX212T... solid state Flexwave 5 tube sim. I get a great rock lead sound out of it, but the clean channel sucks. I've learned to live with it, because for everything else, it gets the job done very efficiently. This is my main live amp.
2. Kustom 50... the old school rolled leather kind. It's tube, and when I crank it up all the way, I get a great overdrive. The clean is also really nice and warm, but the amp isn't too diverse overall. Also, it says 25 watts RMS, but it sounds WAY louder than any 25 watt solid state amp I've ever heard. What's the deal?
I guess I'd like to know the primary differences between these two and why they "behave" and sound so different. If anyone knows a thing or two and wants to help out, I would appreciate it a ton. Thanks.
Jasyn
bhuether
Post subject:Posted: Nov 21, 2003 - 09:54 AM
Joined: Mar 09, 2003
Posts: 228
Status: Offline
Well, I am no expert, but after switching from solid state to tube recently, I have noticed things.
First, the biggest difference is the way they distort a signal. With solid state, picture a sine wave going into the amp. If you crank the gain, the peaks and troughs of that wave will get closer and closer to the level that the amp can handle. Once the gain reaches a certain point, the tops and bottoms of that sine wave will be chopped off in essence. I guess you can call it clipping. People often feel that results in a harsher distortion. With a tube amp, the waves don't get aggressively clipped like that. It is a smoother effect. Less harsh sounding. My ears do in fact feel the tube stuff is smoother.
As far as loudness, etc, I am not sure. A friend of mine known tons about this stuff and he said something about the output section of tube amps being current based whereas solid state is voltage based. perhaps current-based output sections reult in more loudness for a given wattage? I have no clue - just guessing!
later,
brian
stjohn1299
Post subject:Posted: Oct 15, 2004 - 11:20 PM
Joined: Oct 01, 2004
Posts: 21
Location: Choudrant, LA
Status: Offline
I just recently (and finally) got a 60 watt all tube Peavey, and I can really tell a difference in the tone, in that it seems I can get a good distorted tone, but that it is still clear...with solid state amps I've had, when I get a distorted tone, it was very muddy. I think the biggest difference though is the clean channel. The SS amp' clean was just there, didn't really do anything for me. But the tube amp's clean is extremely warm and has character.....as for the other stuff, I have no idea, but there is definitely a tone difference.
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