5 Solid-state Amps With Tons of Tube-like Vibes

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Many of today‘s most reputable amp manufacturers are pumping out solid-state models to rival their tube-equipped siblings at wallet-friendly prices. In this video, Sweetwater‘s Mitch Gallagher takes a selection of these solid-state amps for a spin, with incredible offerings from Fender, BOSS, Quilter Labs, Orange, and Blackstar to deliver any sonic flavor imaginable.
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#Sweetwater

[@sweetwater]

Can modern solid-state amps capture the vibe of classic tube amp designs? We think so, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments and shop the video's amps at Sweetwater. 👉 imp.i114863.net/ZdDJmW

[@simply3141592654]

Ahem. You forgot a biggie. The Boss Nextone. But I like the inclusion of Quilter.

[@richardnagamitsu1582]

IMO, no, but they get real close and are great pedal platforms. Plus to own every flavor of tube amp isn’t possible for most people. I like to have a handful of my favorite tube amps, but also keep a couple solid state amps around to find tones I don’t use a lot, but at times they provide what I’m looking for.

[@jeddak]

The Quilter amps always seem like the most toneful choice in the world of solid-state. And the straight-ahead (no digital emulation) is very appealing to the purist in me, who values simplicity and maintainability.

[@Vegitobluuuuu]

Blackstar Silverline is great too

[@TwistedIdentity]

Wow that Quilter amp sounds fantastic. Never heard of them but now I want to try one.

[@charliewelch328]

I have Quilter 101reverb 50 watt. Single channel clean channel great with pedals and small enough to put on your pedal board.

[@bryanherward4679]

Had my Micropro Mach 2 HD for like 5 years now...does everything a Deluxe Reverb can do except with a master volume and 200 watts...At 19 lbs, it'll do edge of breakup tones at any volume from bedroom to stage, takes pedals like a champ...live I've never really had yup past half way to play over a drummer. Planning on getting an Aviator Cub US for the dry side of a wet dry rig.

[@steelysam7189]

I own an aviator cub and gigged with it. I was going to get a tone master deluxe reverb but the aviator cub changed my mind. I highly recommended it!

[@travislecount3003]

Wow. All of those amps sound really fantastic.

[@themomentkiller9167]

Gigged with my Roland jc40 last night. So loud it can peel the paint off the wall (I was on 4 and it’s loud!) and takes overdrive and any other type of pedal like a champ!

[@homeworldmusic]

That really has remained a go-to classic amp over the decades, thank you for reminding us!

[@dunbarcustomsound]

Exactly. I’ve got my full tone FD3 and my Robin Trower overdrive going into the front of a JC 40. Just a touch drive in each of those pedals makes that amp sing. It’s a pedal machine.

[@davidgood6744]

I have a JC22 that I love playing around the house. As soon as I need more power, I will write the check for the JC40, but I will keep the JC22 for playing in the retirement home. Great amps!

[@kenminerva]

Couldn't agree more!! The Roland JC is a great amp!!

[@michaelmattson3515]

I’ve been looking at the JC 40 for awhile now. Thanks for letting us know how it held up. I have the Boss GT 100 multi FX unit & the Boss RC 300 looper. I bet that amp could handle the load.

[@ronpatterson5483]

Sounds like great choices!! Thanks.

[@Herfinnur]

Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:51 Fender Tonemaster Twin Reverb 2:13 Boss Katana 3:14 Blackstar 4:20 Orange Crush 5:10 Quilter Aviator Cub 6:03 Conclusion

[@josed2828]

Thanks

[@correametal]

Like I always say "When Mitch speaks, we listen". Wow Mitch that is some great riffing right there!!! I am going to be honest, I am a Solid State amp freak. I have never been a fan of tube amps. I think it's just a matter of taste. Great video like always...Sweetwater rules!!!

[@ryanturner2466]

That quilter amp sounded amazing

[@bear5141]

I have that boss and it's awesome sounds great

[@mr.d.572]

I've always had Solid State amps. Finally wanted to try a tube amp and the tube crisis hit 😕. But that Quilter sounds like a good substitute. 👍

[@blazeofglory1982]

Love my Quilter Aviator Cub. Can’t wait to get the UK version.

[@trentc7329]

I bought a Katana 100 Mark 2 back in the fall. I was planning to trade in my Mark 1 soon, but then the tube situation came up and I figured I'd better keep it just in case.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

The orange amp is tube like. I've tried them. Very cool .

[@TheRosswise]

I would also recommend the Peavey Transtube and Marshall Valvestate amps. They used to be dirt cheap, but the cat has been let out of the bag and the prices have climbed quite a bit. Good deals may still be out there. But these amps sound amazing.

[@TheSavagederek]

The Marshall MG 50 and 100 are great amps . The 30 is great as well for lower volume bedroom levels .

[@mykneeshurt8393]

great demo.

[@richfiryn]

This past New Years Eve i had my BOSS Katana MK II Head parked on top of a 2x12 with V30's in it and went full blast out the front door to say hi to the neighborhood. Nobody was bitching about solid state amp tone you can bet that.

[@TheToneLounge]

I grew up hearing how solid state amps were inferior to their tube counterparts. I had very little experience with them and always believed what I heard was true. When I tried a Randall head back in the early 90's, I was floored. What were all these guitar players talking about? This amp head sounded fantastic. From that day forward I made it a goal to test gear and forge my own opinion. Solid state has it's place, and it isn't a lesser product.

[@DanielC__]

Agreed. I hit into the Line 6 stuff in the early 00's and was stunned at how good they were. I had Marshall's, Mesa's, Fenders and a host of other combos and heads. Yes there was a difference but it was minor at best when I would A/B and test in front of musicians. Line 6 and Boss have taken it even further. They have a place in your studio.

[@zeusapollo8688]

Randall. Sounds like ratt

[@ParaBellum2024]

In the early 80s I had an excellent 50W Marshall valve head with 4 x 12" cab, that I lugged around in my car with the rear seats folded down. I sold it in 1985 and bought a 1 x 12" Sessionette 75 solid state combo, which I took home on the passenger seat of my car. That amp was used at hundreds of gigs over the following decades. I do now have a valve amp (a Fender BDR), but wouldn't hesitate to use a decent solid state amp for gigging.

[@Anshul1614]

Damn that quilter.

[@lowercase3635]

My favorite all time solid state is a Fender Champion 100. Simple to use and a HUGE sound. So sad I got rid of it. But hey they only go for about $250-$300 so you’re not breaking the bank.

[@DoomKid]

Agree, it's a kick ass amp.

[@markstrain4429]

How do you decide what pedals to use I’m wondering if I put mine through one those kemper like things how it would sound I replaced my speakers in my champion 100 to dv-77 and a patriot speaker and sounds so much better but i still don’t know how to get killer lead tone yet

[@jamesmarciniec4787]

Great video, would have been cool if you also played a Roland Blues Cube. They are also great.

[@Ufozoo1]

I have the orange pro crush 120. The louder it gets the better it sounds. If you’re into playing Jimi Hendrix or Robin Trower that is a great amplifier

[@sonijam]

That Quilter sounds great.

[@michaelschiessl8357]

Nice PRS guitar also!!

[@acook213]

The Katana and Quilter were my favorites.

[@miguela.migallon5055]

I recently discover quilter and i want a tomeblock 202 because i live in a remote place and repair my tube amp cost me a litlle fortune...

[@precbsfender]

The 1980s solid state Peavey Bandit 65 has the epitome of tube like tone.. it nails the JCM 800 to a T.

[@ErrorlVlacro]

I loved a small peavey bandit I played. It sounded so good and unique.

[@glinteastwood]

shhhhhhh….

[@d3w4yn3]

When you flipped on the orange crush and started playing, I was expecting you to rip out of your shirt and start tossing a giant mane to and fro!!! These amps all sounded tubesque, and I really wasn't expecting it! Good picks!!!

[@MicahRocksOfficial]

Don't have a need for a new amp. Just here to hear Mitch play. 🤘🤘

[@phillippitts6294]

Boss katana. every time I think about getting something else , I think why bother!

[@tommanseau6277]

For me it's the Boss Nextone Special. Give the speaker time to break in and you'll be rewarded. It has a feel that is very reminiscent of tube amps. It's not exactly the same thing as a great tube amp, but it is its own thing in a really good way. It's dynamic, breaks up nicely, has some sponge, and all of that is far more tweakable than I had any right to expect with the editor. I've played and owned many tube amps that don't sound nearly this good. Sounds good? What's the catch? It's an amp that will take some tinkering to get just right. You will need the editor to make the most of it. The optional footswitch is really a must have item. You can get the amp to have chorus, but it's a manual process when tweaking the delay and Boss doesn't explain it at all. And it is not a modern sounding amp, at all. But if you love the classic tube amp sounds, this will be more your kind of amp.

[@mrredritehand]

Love my Nextone stage and I've been using it for almost 5yrs now. Great tones all around!

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I am tube-amp guy, but for SS Amp's I love: Quilter, and also the Yamaha THR30II - both are very Impressive. Nice overdrive and also pristine cleans.

[@thomastucker5686]

My tube rig sounds amazing but I can't lug it any longer. I am searching for the best light weight setup that I can DI to FOH. The Yamaha looks like a toy to this end versus a Quilter cub. I am just getting back to guitar after many years of doing nothing with it. I am a drummer who used to play guitar for many hours as a child, so it is coming back like it was yesterday, 40 years later. Longer than that I think. I always had a couple guitars laying around for when I got the itch. Lately, I have been drawn to guitar again and sort of accepted a job as a co-lead guitar player vocalist. I can't use my A rig and the last gig I did with a 57 in front of a Line 6 spider III that I only purchased to practice with so I wasn't burning tubes just to work on stuff. I have an 80s Peavey bandit 112 that doesn't sound great, but it got me by for a couple years back then. The Helix would be a great solution with a wedge monitor, but the cost makes it a difficult solution and I don't think a pod go would hold up for me. I am a drummer and my foot switching is with bass drum authority. I have been down so many rabbit holes. I think from all the videos, the katana doesn't sound better than the spider, by a significant margin and truth to be known, I was complemented on my guitar tone with the spider, which is pretty funny really.

[@rort1371]

VOX Pathfinder 15R from the earlier 2000s is the best SS amp. Real spring reverb too.

[@flogginga_dead_horse4022]

wow you stole my look lol

[@nickafflitto7519]

Have one and agree

[@vincentl.9469]

the blackstar silver line sounded good

[@cincinnatipedalsteel4347]

I ordered a tonemaster twin and returned it within 3 days. For me it is not even close to a tube amp sound or feel. It’s not a bad sounding amp but it is not even close to the real thing. Nothing feels like a tube amp imho but the closest I’ve found is either a quilter tone block 202 paired with a Goodrich baby bloomer pedal,‘which has a n FET circut in it, and Evans amps.y Evans is an older one. It’s a 1995 FET 500 Custom LV.

[@richardnagamitsu1582]

I would have liked to hear the clean channel of the Orange. I think they have some of the best clean tone out there.

[@josemaali1285]

I already try that amp and 300% honest. The clean it's like a tube amp. The sound, the frecuency of that amp it's just insane

[@Freddekaddeth]

red stripe Peavey series is awesome and loud

[@Harokdguylol2]

I have tubes and solid states. I love my oranges grit and soldanos heavy gain, but I’m always recording with my boss katana and it’s dumb. The amp is everything I’ve ever wanted.

[@homeworldmusic]

When I think tube amp I think ridiculous 60 cycle hum and buzz. By the way, that Katana sounded super-fine.

[@LivingstonWard]

For decades, I was a serious tube snob. I have owned Mesa Boogie, Marshall, Fender, Matchless, Bad Cat, Ampeg and others. I spent many hours discussing the virtues of EL34 vs 6L6. These days, I don’t even own a tube amp. My main gigging amp is Fender Deluxe Tonemaster, and I love it.

[@grantfalconer]

And volume for bedroom playing?

[@josemaali1285]

One of the most incredible amp i ever played it's de ( laney tf 200) not the lv line the ( tf) all England Made . What a Great amp It's a forget gear but belive me it's a real deal

[@97warlock]

Ive learned....after 35ish years....... That killer amp you bought that USE to impress you, just doesnt quite do it anymore... Ive done that many times thru the years. - Never really got into replacing speakers. whatever speakers came in whatever cabinet- I used. Now........ I have a Crate GT1200h of all things, after using Marshalls, Peaveys, Randalls & laneys .... I end up with a Crate. I had a Seismic 4x12 cabinet with shite speakers cheapos.......... and yet this Crate sounded pretty damn good, not great but Good, the 3rd channel gave me the option of an additional Mid scoop, or Mid boost basically, the Clean channel flawless, the Gain channels impressed me. - Bought a DV77 & a Swamp Thang ,already had a Manowar & Shefield speaker............so I put all 4 in the seismic cabinet, the second I turned the Crate on, I was Impressed, Again. - No I aint makin no damn video, cuz the phone wont pick up the quality. - But literally I have never heard an amp sound like a High Gain Marshall Plexi before ......using a Fkn Crate amp. - Moral of the story is......... Sometimes its not a different amp you need. Sometimes the right speakers will bring your amp to life & give it what its lacking. - Ps,New Fav speaker is Dv77 followed by Swamp Thang - I currently have THE best tone Ive had in 35 years & love it. Its made playing funner.

[@jimmyraconteur2522]

Katanas are excellent for hard rock. Mine hung with a half stack at a few gigs

[@TheSavagederek]

I like the Orange .

[@sircharles7323]

Sorry, but you could not convince me about solid state amps. Tubes are the King!

[@andrewbecker3700]

The Fender will always sound brittle with Jensens in them. The katana is a Roland with Boss fx and we know that works for metal. To my ears the rest sound flat and fake souding.

[@blakerunyon8523]

Love my Tone Master. Sounds like the real thing and half the weight.

[@Evexio]

Is it worth it for grunge and hard rock? Idk if it has enough gain

[@blakerunyon8523]

I use mine for Ska punk, rock. It’s def the type of amp that plays well with pedals. DS1 alone with it sounds beastly. Add a blues driver or fuzz pedal and it’s grunge/hard rock heaven. Def. not what you’re looking for if you want something straight out of the amp.

[@QuickSiR]

Im confused as to why he didn't go with the current Super Crush 100?!?!?

[@ToonDeWachter]

IMHO you forgot about the best one: the Bluguitar Amp 1. Okay, it's not a combo and it does have a tube in it, but in the end it's class D. Did an AB test with real amps and it is really impossible to distinguish them at equal volume.

[@jeddak]

Agree. BluGuitar is at the top of the heap. Miles ahead (though Quilter is very appealing).

[@jakep8484]

I have heard plenty of both and can always tell the difference between tube or solid state amps.

[@tjmckenna6029]

I can not understand why everyone dismisses the Blackstar?!?!?! It's absolutely brutal ~ ive heard it live about 20x, & i can't believe how great it is. Guessing the price point isn't helping, but it's surpasses the Katana by a lot. The Boss is soooooo overrated ~ it's still just Boss pedals in a combo.

[@mr.d.572]

I totally agree that the Boss is very overrated. But I don't care for the tones of the Blackstars. I had 2 of their smaller amps and I sold them. Just weren't working for blues or warm tones in general.

[@Prajnana]

I plugged a Strat into a Blackstar Silverline in perhaps the worst possible environment to check out equipment - GC, and was floored by it's beautiful, Fender like cleans. Another customer even walked over and commented how great the combo sounded. I should have bought it on the spot.

[@estwrios3983]

the boss is better once you get to use the tone studio

[@jconner3891]

I didn’t like the katana. Had two of them. Changed speaker too v30. Sounded better with the speaker change.

[@tommanseau6277]

While I agree with you on general principle, the 2x12 version Mitch played is to my ears the best of the Katana series. The single speaker versions sound dead by comparison.

[@jconner3891]

@@tommanseau6277 never had the 2/12. Bet it sounds very good. Less boxy. Only thing I can say is a good 2/12 will do more than a amp By far 🤘🤘🤘🤘💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

I just can get into the Katanas they have a shrill sound on the dirt channels that I cant explain, and effects are subpar to me. I had v1 and the current version had to sell both.

[@mr.d.572]

I tried one (Mkii) in a store and thought it sounded horrible.

[@MackTheKnifeSlowly]

I prefer the "crunch" channel .. I just roll the gain down. The clean is too sterile. Idk about "shrill" .. maybe your pickups through a flatter response speaker than you're used to? They def don't sound shrill - see Line6 Spider, Marshall MG, Peavey Vyper etc. for shrill!

[@JInfinity7]

Quilter is the best of the bunch

[@Cultofpersonality09129]

To me the boss is the clear winner, but I’ve had bad luck with boss gear in the past.

[@jcm_9994]

just get a bugera if you want to pay a solid state price

[@brucestrauss]

Line 6 Catalyst is the best of 2022 bruv.

[@markkosa1]

I have a room full of tube amps Marshall DSL, Fender Bassbreaker, Blackstar HT20 MKII and Studio 10 El34 all get an edge of breakup tone I could never get from a SS amp. My Boss Katana is great for practice and sounds amazing on heavy OD tones but not the punchy slight breakup I play most of the time.

[@DanielC__]

What PRS guitar is that with the trem?

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for watching! The guitar I’m playing is a stock PRS Custom 24 in Fire Red Burst, with a 10 top: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CU410FRPTV7--prs-custom-24-10-top-fire-red-burst-with-pattern-thin-neck Fantastic guitar! Hope this helps, Mitch

[@jazminromero7658]

Hi I have a question I recently found an old amp but I cant find any info on it at all it's a solid state gtc 30 made in japan anyone got I fo on it? ...sorry I didnt know where to ask people who might know about

[@slashtum3143]

Boss Kanata mk2 is digital amp?

[@matthewsheffield2874]

Only it's effects are digital, preamp & power amp are class a/b solid state

[@docdaytona108]

“Doc, we both know this is really a stealth ad for this Fire Red Burst 10-Top. Why keep resisting?” I SWEAR I saw him say it! Anyone else hear it?? They must have edited and reposted the video!

[@ronj9448]

Fender sounded great. The Katana sounds too harsh.

[@andrewbecker3700]

Surprised the Catylist wasn't mentioned.

[@mr.d.572]

I suppose he could have made it a Top 10 and then included that and some of the other modeling amps.

[@andrewbecker3700]

@@mr.d.572 Or just eliminated the little single 12 one that I can't even remember the name of. I have the katana 212s and am curious to hear a Catylist 212 direct comparison.

[@Lance37a]

The tube amp sound without the tube amp price.

[@shane011471]

Not really in the case of the Fender and Blackstar as I believe the Fender sits around 1k and the Blackstar is not far behind it BUT I have not looked recently and I could be wrong. I am sure you can pick up a Marshall DSL 40 for the same price OR even less for that matter...

[@minxlabrada]

It figures Mitch would be good on guitar.

[@mr.d.572]

Sing along with Mitch

[@LaMusicade4]

Right, but that axe helps

[@ghs2798]

Blackstar.

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

Yes, tube amps are heavy. They also sound heavy. Solid state is fine but something is missing. Tube amps are also finicky and inconsistent. That’s what makes them cool and why they all sound a bit different.

[@jerryjohnson2421]

the fender is real sounding-close,,,,, no to Orange no to Katana,,,maybe the lst one demo

[@johnmeeks9308]

The only thing I like solid stain amps for is practice and that's because you can just turn them on start jamming right away turn them off and walk away you don't have to heat the tubes and you don't have to wait until they cool down to load it but would I trade a solid state for live performances not a chance none of those sounded good enough but what I would like to hear is that Katana that has the acoustic side not played with an electric but with an acoustic maybe then that would make it worth buying it for electric practice and acoustic practice but nobody plays the acoustic side

[@Stereostupid]

Ouilter mach2 or micropro the steelair is a monster and Roland blues cube artist series and Thomas blug amp1 mercury are much better than these choices but the orange is decent

[@mr.d.572]

Some of those are twice the price though.

[@music-writinglife1813]

I think you should always play the same stuff with each amp..........That is the only way we can tell which one we want....Playing blues with the Fender and Quilter and hard rock with the Boss-BlackStar- and Mega Death Music with the Orange only tells us this is all they are good for...

[@PeterDad60]

Scientists have run many laboratory tests and discovered that it is the natural distortion of tubes that the human ear prefers over a totally clean tone. That's it! That's what all the "hub-bub" is about! If solid state or digital technology can replicate that distortion then the human ear shall not be able to tell the difference in tone that emanates from a tube amp and a Solid State or Digital amp. As Mitch said these amps are doing that and also matching the response and feel of the tube amp. Just remember every amp has it's own tone character, different from all other amps. That means in the end it is the amp that you prefere, all he is saying is that now solid state and digital amps are sounding good enough for some serious consideration. No Tube amp shall sound exactly like a solid state or digital amp and then it follows that no solid state and no digital amp shall sound exactly like a particular tube amp. However they can get a close proximation, and also because every amp has it's own sound and when you like an amp then it is a good fit for you. - Peter age 72

[@Ottophil]

Scientists don’t have my ears.

[@stevegamiello6476]

Why do you always use the heaviest overdrive/distortion I'm demos? How about some clean or edge of break up tones. Most of us have been sold on the pedal deal and have multiple overdrive pedals anyway. I use a Quilter Aviator Cub and a Fender Deluxe Reverb Tone Master (Blonde). They're great sounding and you don't break your back. My Fender Tube amps are just sitting in the garage. I also use a Boss Katana 50w for those funky gigs by the beach or outdoors when its a trio(not talking Cream here) in the summertime(Florida)

[@nekkon1989]

The sound good. But still not as good as tube amps

[@abhiruproy919]

All sound great but somehow still sounds like a solid state amp and misses that roundness and liveliness of a tube amp

[@lyledouglas8324]

Just use pedals that will help

[@bigoldSupaD]

The fender tonemaster series is such a ripoff.

[@startrekmike]

Why? Can you elaborate?

[@bigoldSupaD]

@@startrekmike it offers only a single amp emulation with a class d amplifier; this is a complete ripoff.

[@aeproducedbyequiano2216]

True. And for this I will never buy one. But it sounds good.

[@Gk2003m]

It does sound good. There’s plenty of room in the market for amps that do one thing, and do it really well. I chose a Katana for its relatively simple massive versatility, but all these amps sounded good. Which is what happens when a good player is involved.

[@Hans0622]

I think it sounds good but for the price it’s a rip off

[@bedroomstudios205]

The only people who think solid state sounds like tube are sales people. I recently went into a store to test a Vintera 50s strat and the sales guy plugged it into a fender tonemaster telling me how good it sounds and how it’s just like it’s tube counterpart without the weight etc. bla bla. There was a valve twin reverb right next to it I kid you not so I A B it. Night and day people. After 5 or so minutes of switching between amps the sales guy was telling me how much better the tube amp sounded. Oh really Lo,l.

[@mrredritehand]

I'd almost dare to say solid-state is the superior choice for guitar amplifiers...

[@kierenmoore3236]

😒

[@jeanwagner1977]

FAR

[@justinshaw624]

I think I'd rather play through a laptop and DI than use one of these

[@MELONenSURPRISE]

Any amp with anything diigital in it sucks...cause it kills the True tone

[@tankdarla637]

Randall and Blackstar make good SS amps, the rest are toys or practice amps...

[@lukehelpmetakethisdangmaskoff]

Brand and model # of guitar plaese. Freakin' gorgeous!