4 ms·

> They’re buying them because they like the sound. You’re giving guitar players too much credit, they are only one step below “audiophiles” in their love for s

> They’re buying them because they like the sound. You’re giving guitar players too much credit, they are only one step below “audiophiles” in their love for snake oil and marketing. Tube amps persist mostly because guitar players instinctively turn their nose up at solid state, due to tubes having been the state of the art when the first generation of world famous electric guitarists was young. Bass players are slightly better, mostly because an SVT head weighs 80 pounds and nobody wants to lug them around.

temporallobe 4y ago
I use both solid state and tube amps, and for vastly different use cases. I use a small 7-watt tube amp for my studio setup, and it does has a much different feel and tone than any of my emulators or solid state amps. Although amp sims and cab IRs are getting incredibly good these days, there’s just that inimitable magical spark that tube amps have. There’s also nothing quite like a maxed tube amp, which has so-called power amp distortion. On the other hand, tube amps are a PIA and are prone to having those delicate tubes shake their innards apart if jostled the wrong way, not to mention their backbreaking heft. Therefore I use a solid state/modeler amp on stage, because of far better reliability, weight reduction, and versatility. Now there are even pedal amps, with class D power amps built in, so guitarists need only bring their pedalboard and maybe a cab. But when it comes to recording, most studios are still gonna prefer genuine, preferably vintage, tube amps. Nobody really gives a shit about your tone on stage anyway.
billjings 4y ago
Guitar tone is built on breakup, and solid state did not break up like tubes. Not for a long time, at least - arguably FET transistors do a good job, but you still don't get the sag that a tube rectified AB amp yields when cranked. The only reason that solid state is now catching up to tube nowadays is that: * Front of house tech and home recording has made riding cranked amp tone live in a live environment a hassle, both technically and in terms of achieving the sounds that are being recorded * Solid state can credibly emulate tube tone now (this has happened on things like tube compressors, too) Having said all that, any time spent in the guitar pedal market (particularly around dirt boxes) will convince anyone that guitarists are indeed, as you say, total suckers for snake oil and marketing. :)
coldpie 4y ago
> You’re giving guitar players too much credit, they are only one step below “audiophiles” in their love for snake oil and marketing. Tube amps persist mostly because guitar players instinctively turn their nose up at solid state I agree with you, but I think solid state amps have only been "good" for the last 5-10 years at most, which is a pretty short time to change everyone's mind, habits, and equipment. So be gentle :)

temporallobe 4y ago

I use both solid state and tube amps, and for vastly different use cases. I use a small 7-watt tube amp for my studio setup, and it does has a much different feel and tone than any of my emulators or solid state amps. Although amp sims and cab IRs are getting incredibly good these days, there’s just that inimitable magical spark that tube amps have. There’s also nothing quite like a maxed tube amp, which has so-called power amp distortion. On the other hand, tube amps are a PIA and are prone to having those delicate tubes shake their innards apart if jostled the wrong way, not to mention their backbreaking heft. Therefore I use a solid state/modeler amp on stage, because of far better reliability, weight reduction, and versatility. Now there are even pedal amps, with class D power amps built in, so guitarists need only bring their pedalboard and maybe a cab. But when it comes to recording, most studios are still gonna prefer genuine, preferably vintage, tube amps. Nobody really gives a shit about your tone on stage anyway.

billjings 4y ago

Guitar tone is built on breakup, and solid state did not break up like tubes. Not for a long time, at least - arguably FET transistors do a good job, but you still don't get the sag that a tube rectified AB amp yields when cranked. The only reason that solid state is now catching up to tube nowadays is that: * Front of house tech and home recording has made riding cranked amp tone live in a live environment a hassle, both technically and in terms of achieving the sounds that are being recorded * Solid state can credibly emulate tube tone now (this has happened on things like tube compressors, too) Having said all that, any time spent in the guitar pedal market (particularly around dirt boxes) will convince anyone that guitarists are indeed, as you say, total suckers for snake oil and marketing. :)

coldpie 4y ago

> You’re giving guitar players too much credit, they are only one step below “audiophiles” in their love for snake oil and marketing. Tube amps persist mostly because guitar players instinctively turn their nose up at solid state I agree with you, but I think solid state amps have only been "good" for the last 5-10 years at most, which is a pretty short time to change everyone's mind, habits, and equipment. So be gentle :)