Choosing Solid State Over Tube Amps? | Master Your Tone - #8 | Thomann

In this episode of Master Your Tone Kris gives you 5 +1 reasons to choose solid state over a tube amp.
Enjoy the video and leave a comment below!
Gear used: tho.mn/j2xkh
Recorded in Presonus Studio One: bit.ly/S1Pro6
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
We use Cordial cables exclusively: www.thomann.de/intl/cat_brand...
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Introduction
0:35 1. reason to go with solid state amps
0:51 2. reason
1:35 Playing at a low volume
2:40 3. reason
2:58 4. reason
3:10 5. reason
3:37 And a +1
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[@bluzmansix]

You hit the nail on the head Chris. I use valve and ss amps and they all sound good when they are reasonable quality and set up up well.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks! Yeah that's it. One shouldn't judge solid state after playing one or two entry level transistor amps. //Kris

[@Frommel2000]

I like the clean headroom and tight low end of solid state amps.

[@MAX96MENDES]

Great review as always. 👍 Thank you Kris and Thomann Music!

[@PooNinja]

Reason 5 , lighter and safer to travel. And im a exf guy so having an amp that doesn’t break up when driven hard. Headroom headroom headroom! That all said there is something almost unexplainable in human language that tubes add that gives that special something maybe it the harmonics maybe it’s subtle clipping idk but tube amps are wonderful i just prefer solid state for personal taste reasons.

[@MrPoilleke]

I have a 100W valvestate (Marshall) weighs around 30kg...😅

[@PooNinja]

@@MrPoilleke I have a fender super twin reverb 212 tube combo it weighs about 35kg . It stays at home 🤣

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@MrPoillekeI bought a vs100 combo for cheap at a flea market and cut it down into a head, it's easier to transport now, and it's a great pedal platform amp through a 2x12

[@MrPoilleke]

@@PooNinja haha, i took it twice to rehearsal and back, knowing i livrd at a 3rd floor and no elevator and small stairs, ouch 😆 Moved him once since lol

[@MrPoilleke]

@@jasondorsey7110 great!! Haven't thought about that 😁 anyway living in an appartement the vs 100 is way too loud 😜 But i miss that full sound compared to my 40w Blackstar v2...

[@TheConspiracytheory1]

Well Kris you are rapidly becoming one of my go to reviewers i've checked out quite a few pieces of gear with you now as you always have really great demos and this is no exception

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Oh man, I really appreciate that! 🙌 I just try to cover subjects in a way that I'd enjoy watching myself. And I'm really picky with everything, which might be useful after all, haha! Cheers buddy! //Kris

[@RonnyBGoode]

I love my Orange Crush 60. Put a TS9 infront and it sounds killer!!!

[@betoalvarez1248]

I own both! JC40, Katana 100 mk2, and Hot rod Deluxe, and Deluxe R. I'm a high headroom clean guitar player, some venues have horrible electrical supply and tube amps are very sensitive to that, on those cases y bring my solid state.

[@baileywatts1304]

Dealing with weather and temperature changes is another huge bonus of solid state. If I were playing clubs every weekend I'd probably want a tube amp, but for playing a party in someone's yard, a solid state amp is going to be my first choice.

[@orryfishburne5326]

The Jazz Chorus is one of my favorite clean amps of all time

[@Spidouz]

to each his own... I'm happy with my tube amps. I got a Two-Rock for my cleans, a Dr Z EMS for my Marshally crunch tones, and I plan to add a Diezel VHX for my high-gain. Sure, it takes me way more time to save money to afford them, but I know they will work great and will be serviceable 50 years from now when I will be long gone... I don't hate SS, nor even Digital, it just depends what you're looking for. I only play in my (home) studio. If I would be playing on stage or touring, I would probably use a Diezel VHX and a Fractal FM9 for a fancy setup, or maybe just the fractal for a more simple setup. So yeah, I get it, I can understand why someone wouldn't want to deal with tube amps in 2024... lot of potentially good alternatives. I just prefer tube amps because I'm a traditionalist... but to each his own.

[@GuitarDocAndMore]

There are a lot of SS amps to like. Marshalls early Valvestates 8xxx (Preamp Tubes), LabSeries L5 L7 L9, Yamaha G50 and G100 (2nd series), Peavey Bandit Red Stripe... I like them.

[@Dantespeako]

Roland JC is my favourite, even over a big portion of tube amps :)

[@FaberGT86]

DV Mark (Mark Bass) best in class ss heads. Ask to Eric Gales and Greg Howe.

[@jordimateubartroli951]

To use at home you don't even need 1W, half a watt is enough. I built an amp with a TDA7052 chip (barely 1W not heatsinked) and is incredibly loud. And incredibly similar to my tube Blackstar HT1: it has that kick when starts to compress.

[@joermnyc]

My first amp was a little Crate 15 watt solid state amp, my second amp was a Marshall 60 watt hybrid (tubes in the pre-amp, solid state the rest of the way). I honestly like both, though the “lottery win” dream is to get a pair of all tube combos from the golden age of amps (hopefully still working well, or at least restored).

[@MrJingles021]

I prefer solid state because I live in a country where buying gear and tubes isn't as easy as other countries. I use a Crazy Tube Circuits Crossfire as my main preamp. I can go ampless or into a poweramp. It's great.

[@J_Braz_]

I have a 03 single rectifier and a newer Marshall dsl20 head. Both sound good but not at low volume. I still use my old line 6 spider series 3, 75 watt combo. The insane channel is perfect for low volume.

[@michalkysel4351]

Regarding balanced tone on low volumes - not every tube amp has problem with this. I bought Marshall JVM 215C, and this 50W all tube combo has great tone, drive and sustain even on “almost bedroom” volumes. No power brake is needed. I never heard solid state amp with this sound quality on full range of volumes, from relatively quiet to full blast. I enjoy this little sweet british beauty!

[@JoeBaermann]

Reason 2 depends on cab and speakers too though. I run an Orange Pedal Baby 100 into two 2x12 16ohm cabs with Neo V-Types, to get the wanted low end responce (oomph) I have to set it to 10-11 o’clock, that is with a driven sound, clean might differ, but can’t really care about clean when with drive is the main sound.

[@Akasha92]

I play solid state! I use the wonderful Roland Blues Cube Artist. I also use a Blackstar HT-Dual Drive pedal. it has a tube inside, so I get the real tube overdrive at a low master volume. Veeeeery happy with that! Before that, I had a Marshall Origin 20 head and an attenuator. Still was too lound and sounded like s*hit!

[@NickP333]

Eh…I dunno, man. I was a touring musician in the late 90’s up to the early 2010’s, and heard plenty of ok sounding SS amps, but I wouldn’t use one live. When we’d do fly in gigs, I always asked for a jcm 800 or 900. SS amps just don’t react to a guitar the way tubes do or break up as naturally That said, as long as people are playing and enjoying playing, then it doesn’t matter their amp. My first one was a Gorilla amp, and it sounded awful, but I absolutely loved it.

[@matzer8846]

... just a hint 4 us low volume JC clean addicts: there is a JC-22 and it is full stereo, has THE chorus and all the I/O you need and it does give us the change of having our beloved amp - in a shrunk version - @home ... me loves it

[@matzer8846]

Quilter seems to become one of the big contenders for excellent tone. There is another component i would mention to achieve a top notch clean tone: the speaker ... once tested a bunch of ProJuniors an BluesJuniors and the best sounding one was the one with a highly reactive high efficiency speaker. this one just "breathed" ... Maybe you could do a test replacing the speakers in your trusty HB cabinet with a EVM and a "swamp thang" or like ... and give it a go Anyway ... thanks a lot for sharing

[@revalone3944]

idc about tubes or solid state i just want something reliable that i can buy good speakers for, any recomendations?

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

The problem is gain/dirt. I definitely agree that solid states pretty much rule clean sounds. Gainy/dirty sounds.....I always go with Tube versions. There have been some really nice solid state amps where the gain sounds nice but they are few and far in between. There's just nothing like having a tube amp turned up and then boosted with a pedal up front. It's even more difficult if you are looking for a very niche sound that you can only get with a tube amp.

[@mylogify]

Many SS would sound decent with TS Mini. It’s something… Prs high gain also sounds great their tube amps…

[@baileywatts1304]

I can get some really great dirt sounds from a Sunn Beta Lead, the only problem comes from using the volume knob to clean it up as you back off like you can with a tube amp. It just growls softer instead of cleaning up real nice.

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

@@baileywatts1304 growls softer lol. So esentially it goes from Distortion to overdrive?

[@baileywatts1304]

@@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV It goes from distortion to quieter but same distortion to too quiet and overdrive. If it went from distorted to overdriven but maintained volume that would be great.

[@HansNederland]

In an ideal world I have muliple tube amps with attenuators. Why multiple? Because I play many different music styles. I don't have a house that is big enough for that, so in an ideal world (for me), I have a bigger house with a (or multiple) music room(s). Unfortunately I don't have the money for all that (starts with the house). Thus, I use a solid state amp with (almost) no sound from its own and I add pedals to create my sound.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

And that's exactly how real life compares to an ideal world, haha. I feel you. I'm doing something similar at home with the one difference. I use a tube amp with a load box. That way I have zero volume issues, I can crank the tube amp and use whichever pedal (pedals) I want to. So the only proper low volume alternative to a nice solid state amp is a nice tube amp with a nice attenuator. Which is just instantly much much more expensive. 🤷‍♂️ //Kris

[@HansNederland]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Just tested my 3 new pedals that came in this week (from Thomann). TC Magus Pro and TC Honey Pot to create sounds that I was not able to create first (I did not have a Rat and/or a Muff). The Honey Pot is a 1 trick pony, but I love the trick. The Magus Pro, wow, I have already found 4 different sounds in that pedal (3-way switch + cranking the Classis setting gives fuzz). And the TC Spark, I see that as a utility pedal, works fine.

[@nekkon1989]

A Telecaster doesn't have such ear piercing high end through a tube amp though. It sounds fuller

[@JPC-do8xi]

It’s in the fingers when it comes down to it🤘

[@jeffrowlette]

THANK YOU!!!!!! SRV would STILL sound amazing using a solid state amp...same for all the greats. It's not your equipment - It's your talent.

[@metalzonemt-2]

What's in the fingers?

[@mylogify]

⁠@@metalzonemt-2The ringz. I have seen many people with rings playing that guitar… They all smashed it, a lot of players back in the day, and currently(modern metal) use their rings and don’t hesitate to wear in the stages. It’s on your hand.

[@scamp7887]

It really isn't. Technique makes a big difference, but it doesn't affect the tone of an amp and speaker.

[@heavytrip7062]

The Super Crush 100 Head is a great example, great tones and very good price

[@brucesantana9128]

As much as I try to make my katana 100 head to sound like my engl fireball 100, it just doesn't happen. SS wins at bedroom levels, but rehersing and live (even when miced) the fireball anihilates anything SS. You just feel its brutality. Best regards

[@brucesantana9128]

I'm talking death and thrash metal, maybe with other styles you dont notice it as much!

[@Da_Publick]

_"YOU'RE LATE!"_ ~ Country, Blues, Jazz, Folk, and every Ambient guitar player I've ever met

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

I use both 🤷‍♂️😂

[@jimmcdougall9973]

The downside to SS amps is a drive pedal doesn’t push the front end the same as a tube amp. Most SS amps don’t take any pedals well.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

For the most part I agree. Solid state amps tend to sound harsh with drive pedals, especially with fuzzes. That's not always the case though, check out the other video we made on this subject (Why choosing a tube amp over solid state) and you'll be shocked at how good that Quilter sounded with both overdrive and fuzz. Also, a lot of tube amps sound meh with pedals too so it's a little tricky. Cheers //Kris

[@gcvrsa]

Can I come up with 5+1 reasons before hearing Kris? 1. cheaper to buy 2. cheaper to operate 3. less fragile 4. can be used without speaker cab 5. smaller 6. lighter

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

👏 A lot of our points were the same, haha! //Kris

[@Reeses0810]

Hmm I thought Metallica Pantera jimmy page rush all sound pretty good .

[@scamp7887]

Iron maiden also used solid state for somewhere in time. I think they know what they're doing

[@merlesson1164]

Tubes.

[@aliengrey6052]

All day every day

[@bassyey]

No. Solid state doesn't have the toan tubes have. Toan is in the tube.

[@777Lateralus]

What is toan?

[@scamp7887]

Hahahaha. Prove it

[@nathanbouton6700]

Reason 6# Deaf or Insane. If your deaf you can't tell the difference. If you're insane you can dilude yourself into thinking SS is just as good. A real test is 2 guitar players with a SS and a tube amp next to each other with a band. You'll never hear the SS amp.

[@marquisdecarabas1312]

Only reason i play SS...my neighbours/the cops 🤷🏻

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha, that's a good enough reason if you ask me. 😅 //Kris

[@aliengrey6052]

Get a small Engl tube amp. 20 watts metal master . Any tone any volume✅

[@MRxr400]

i guess i just feel solid state is 2 dimensional, immediate, and no natural compression/sustain you get from valves. valves often 3 dimensional, like the rev against the quilter. however, valves belong on stages, solid great for home and ok on stage. i personally prefer modelling for home and small gig, break out the valve for bigger more important gigs.

[@HansNederland]

I have the Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes. With my guitar (no-brand Tele) with the gain around 10 - 11, I get nice compression. I use it as a Fender early 1960's brown-face amp emulator (with a lot of reverb before and a soft tremolo after the Hot Tubes (surf music)). The pedal is cheap (I paid around 70 Euro new).

[@scamp7887]

Most of these commenters "tubes are the best and solid state sucks" said commenters then go ahead and run a solid state pedal through a clean tube channel 😂

[@shipsahoy1793]

There's no way Hendrix would've been able to play his feedback induced stuff with a solid state amp😂

[@PaulCooksStuff]

The feedback comes from the pickups, not the amplifier.

[@shipsahoy1793]

@@PaulCooksStuff the feedback comes from the whole system, not just the pick ups ..the speaker/amp system is part of the feedback loop and the feedback's "character."

[@PaulCooksStuff]

@@shipsahoy1793 nope. The amplifier amplifies the signal. Unless it's so badly designed that it would be practically useless as an amplifier, it doesn't create any howling swirling feedback all on its own. The cabinet moves air, it doesn't create any howling feedback all on its own. The Hendrix style feedback comes from some kind of microphonic resonances in the pickup itself. Any amplifier whether it's solid state or tube, with enough volume and a guitar put in just the right position, will create feedback in the pickups.

[@nicholasaragon4126]

I play Tube Amps, Solid State Amps, Class D Pedal Amps, Modelers. They're all capable of that.

[@shipsahoy1793]

@@PaulCooksStuff sorry but you have a distorted view of how it works .. I don't know where you get your information from but you're wrong. you describe it in the way that suggests that the pickup is the only thing that matters, and that's definitely misinformation. .

[@aliengrey6052]

1 reason to hate solid state amps…………….. unless you’re deaf they sound fake tonally dead. How’s that for an answer. Plastic can look like wood but it’s a million miles away from it in texture, feel and smell. Synthetic.

[@shipsahoy1793]

you're right solid state amps don't do it tone wise and only having a tube preamp doesn't cut it; and if you do have an all tube amp, it really needs to have a tube rectifier as well also, because the solid state rectifier makes it sound more harsh on initial attack.

[@aliengrey6052]

@@shipsahoy1793 top of the class.

[@derekclacton]

BB King 🎸🤔

[@scamp7887]

This is pretty short sighted. There are quality solid state amps and crappy tube amps. It's a spectrum and you need to just play them all to know. I personally love certain solid state amps and I've hated some tube amps that I've owned.

[@shipsahoy1793]

@@scamp7887 Some of us that have owned both know this; just because you have your preferences, it's not shortsighted if somebody else's preferences are just different than yours.

[@bille77]

I've come from Palmer DREI down to TONEX pedal + Harley Benton SS Amp pedal into 1×12 Eminence Swamp Thang. It's all good.

[@marceli155]

valve amps are the best . Never buy this shit