3 ms·

Thanks to guitar players, lots of tubes are being manufactured new these days for old amps. There may even be new tube amps being made.

by RajT88 3y ago

janeway 3y ago
Right, super popular for death metal guitarists, for some reason.
- nicolaslem 3y ago
  Tube amps are really the default type of guitar amp for every genre. I can name hundreds of guitar players famous for playing tube amps, I don't think I can name a single one known to play solid state amps.
  - yodsanklai 3y ago
    With digital simulation, things are slowly changing and a lot of players now use digital amps on tour as a matter of convenience, even big names. This has been debated to death on guitar forums, but some would argue that digital is now undistinguishable from the tubes.
    - throwaway1004 3y ago
      >This has been debated to death on guitar forums, but some would argue that digital is now undistinguishable from the tubes. I find that it's impossible for the average listener to identify the difference in recorded music, especially if there's a lot of distortion in play, but I can entertain the idea that it's a detectable difference. As someone who moved from solid-state and digital amps to tube amps I find there to be a huge difference in terms of dynamics and response, which massively influences the way I and others play. I can't imagine Jeff Beck or Gary Moore getting the same results with non-tube amps, since their playing relies so much on dynamics and physically feeling and moving air in the room. edit: for live touring, though, it's so much more efficient to use digital or solid-state options for size, weight and reliability, if it doesn't directly impact the artist's ability to perform
      - jimnotgym 3y ago
        I have never used a top line modelling amp, like kemper or whatever...but I immediately play better through my tube amps than lower end digitals (Katana or whatever). It is dynamics as you say. Anyone would prefer to hear me play (as if) through a valve amp (vacuum tubes are called valves in Britain). Valve amps are still the default option for higher end enthusiast amps, although modeling is taking over with pros for convenience
    - ddingus 3y ago
      As compute power continues to improve, so does simulation. Yeah, I would expect modern software able to do the job for all but extreme cases. Basically, custom Amp mods.
  - throwaway1004 3y ago
    >I don't think I can name a single one known to play solid state amps. Dimebag Darrell and Buckethead are two names who come to mind, favouring the even response of solid state over the more-dynamic valve amps. If we include pre-amplification such as guitar pedals, solid state is everywhere - a DS1 or a Rat gives that even response for big gnarly cold distortions. Then there's the Boss HM pedal which spawned a whole genre of it's own when players used it as a pre-amp for that unique "chainsaw" sound. So, you're right that most players opt for valves at the amplification stage, but solid state is all over guitar music.
- RajT88 3y ago
  I don't want to be that guy but I think you are thinking of Doom Metal / Black Metal.
buescher 3y ago
Amplifier tubes have only a little overlap, if any, with the tubes you will find in a typical AM radio like the one described. Maybe the rectifier or the output tube. There is still (!) plenty of old stock of radio and television tubes out there, however.
- hilbert42 3y ago
  Yeah, see my comment re the 6J8G.
Kon-Peki 3y ago
> There may even be new tube amps being made. There are. I had the resident guitar expert at work pick me out a cheap-but-decent guitar+amp combo for my son, and the amp ended up being a 1-watt tube amp
hilbert42 3y ago
Right, but I'm not so sure about superhetrodyne-specific tubes such as pentagrid and triode-heptode converters like the 6J8G (perhaps I'm wrong, I've not followed the matter that carefully lately). Reckon the demand wouldn't warrant tooling up (and they're messy complex tubes to make).

Thanks to guitar players, lots of tubes are being manufactured new these days for old amps. There may even be new tube amps being made.

by RajT88 3y ago

Thanks to guitar players, lots of tubes are being manufactured new these days for old amps. There may even be new tube amps being made.

janeway 3y ago

Right, super popular for death metal guitarists, for some reason.

nicolaslem 3y ago
Tube amps are really the default type of guitar amp for every genre. I can name hundreds of guitar players famous for playing tube amps, I don't think I can name a single one known to play solid state amps.
- yodsanklai 3y ago
  With digital simulation, things are slowly changing and a lot of players now use digital amps on tour as a matter of convenience, even big names. This has been debated to death on guitar forums, but some would argue that digital is now undistinguishable from the tubes.
  - throwaway1004 3y ago
    >This has been debated to death on guitar forums, but some would argue that digital is now undistinguishable from the tubes. I find that it's impossible for the average listener to identify the difference in recorded music, especially if there's a lot of distortion in play, but I can entertain the idea that it's a detectable difference. As someone who moved from solid-state and digital amps to tube amps I find there to be a huge difference in terms of dynamics and response, which massively influences the way I and others play. I can't imagine Jeff Beck or Gary Moore getting the same results with non-tube amps, since their playing relies so much on dynamics and physically feeling and moving air in the room. edit: for live touring, though, it's so much more efficient to use digital or solid-state options for size, weight and reliability, if it doesn't directly impact the artist's ability to perform
    - jimnotgym 3y ago
      I have never used a top line modelling amp, like kemper or whatever...but I immediately play better through my tube amps than lower end digitals (Katana or whatever). It is dynamics as you say. Anyone would prefer to hear me play (as if) through a valve amp (vacuum tubes are called valves in Britain). Valve amps are still the default option for higher end enthusiast amps, although modeling is taking over with pros for convenience
  - ddingus 3y ago
    As compute power continues to improve, so does simulation. Yeah, I would expect modern software able to do the job for all but extreme cases. Basically, custom Amp mods.
- throwaway1004 3y ago
  >I don't think I can name a single one known to play solid state amps. Dimebag Darrell and Buckethead are two names who come to mind, favouring the even response of solid state over the more-dynamic valve amps. If we include pre-amplification such as guitar pedals, solid state is everywhere - a DS1 or a Rat gives that even response for big gnarly cold distortions. Then there's the Boss HM pedal which spawned a whole genre of it's own when players used it as a pre-amp for that unique "chainsaw" sound. So, you're right that most players opt for valves at the amplification stage, but solid state is all over guitar music.
RajT88 3y ago
I don't want to be that guy but I think you are thinking of Doom Metal / Black Metal.

buescher 3y ago

Amplifier tubes have only a little overlap, if any, with the tubes you will find in a typical AM radio like the one described. Maybe the rectifier or the output tube. There is still (!) plenty of old stock of radio and television tubes out there, however.

hilbert42 3y ago
Yeah, see my comment re the 6J8G.

Kon-Peki 3y ago

> There may even be new tube amps being made. There are. I had the resident guitar expert at work pick me out a cheap-but-decent guitar+amp combo for my son, and the amp ended up being a 1-watt tube amp

hilbert42 3y ago

Right, but I'm not so sure about superhetrodyne-specific tubes such as pentagrid and triode-heptode converters like the 6J8G (perhaps I'm wrong, I've not followed the matter that carefully lately). Reckon the demand wouldn't warrant tooling up (and they're messy complex tubes to make).