10 Reasons why SS is better than tubes!
The Tone King | Oct 09, 2011 | Comments 9
Disclaimer : this post is meant to be fun (and semi-factual). I know this is a life-long debate between tube & SS lovers, so please consider this post as entertainment (with a hint of fact)! And, to be clear … as for my own opinion (on which amps I like best) … Truth is … I love em all, both SS & Tube … but for you SS lovers … here is something to back it up!
10) Solid State (SS) requires less maintenance than tubes.
9) Less maintenance = less $$ spent repairing them = more $$ in your pocket … perfect for the starving musician!
8 – SS amps spend less time @ the repair shop which means more time is spent playing!
7) SS amps provides consistent sound ALL of the time, unlike tubes!
6) No need to crank a SS amp for a good tone. It sounds the same at all volumes!
5) SS is Plug-n-Play – No warm-up, No failures! Speaking of Warm-Up – SS is Safe! No heat, No toaster ovens, No arcing, No biasing, No fires!
4) Tone wise; SS is heavy hitting! Heavy chugging is easily accomplished with SS. Perfect for Metal!
3) Tone wise; SS is perfect for playing clean. The Roland Jazz Chorus is a testament to this, and is probably one of the most widely used amps both in & out of the studio for consistently warm, clean tones!
2) Like the Roland Jazz Chorus – A SS amp can make itself useful as a blank canvas for pedals. Because SS is consistent, with maximum headroom, you can use it with your favorite pedal; whether it’s an analog one (like most distortion pedals), digital (like your favorite modeling : Line 6, Axe-FX, GSP1101, or an Eleven Rack), or anything in between!
And finally … the #1 reason why SS amps are better than tube amps :
1) If it’s good enough for Dime, it’s good enough for me! Remember, Dime played the fully SS Randall Warhead, then was turned onto the SST by Krank; which boasted a SS power section, and now, while everyone is racing to make the best tube amp – Dime Amplification is marching to its own double bass drum beat, by resurrecting a fully SS amp – reminiscent of the old Dime tones!
With that said, enjoy this video review of the DIME D100C 2×12 Combo Amp :
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Filed Under: Amps • Commentary / Editorials • Reference
as a lover of both SS and Tube I have my favorites. to say that SS will never sound as good as tubes is ridiculous. the best tube setup I ever played was a 6505+ with ruby power tubes sitting on a mesa recto cab. at over $2000 it still doesnt sound as good as my Ampeg VH140C which is almost 30 years old.
Even Dime switched to tubes eventually. Not sure if the Rev he used was a hybrid or not, but he designed the all-tube Krankenstein. There’s one thing a tube amp has that beats out any SS, and that’s tone. No SS will ever sound as good. Don’t get me wrong, solid states do have their uses, but my main rig will always be tubed.
I will also add that my dream rig is a combo amp on top of a cab… Checked the specs and that Dime amp fits my bill with tone and set up.
I dig it. I rock my Crate Powerblock with pride! Tubes are warm and fuzzy… I WANT COLD AND DESOLATE!
I have tried ‘em all, and I do mean ALL, and tubes don’t have ANY advantage over SS. None whatsoever. And the prices are so much lower on the SS side as well. Now, that being said, there are exceptions to every rule. When the SS amps start using inferior parts, i.e. speakers, then you end up with junk. But that’s true for all, even tubes. Best bet? What sounds good to you, what you can afford, and what do you really need. For bedroom practice, you don’t need a 100w half-stack. A cheap little Marshall MG 20 will do just fine.
I have to agree with MucicMan about the “Dime” amps, guitar lines, etc.
I find all of it sickining. Darrell was a little more importaint to Metal than some swag and cheap electronics!
As for the Dime amp, I played a 120w “Dime” half stack recently, and it is a very flat, lower gain sound. No screaming harmonics, no diabolical crunch. I have a Randall RH100 that WLL do that sound some justice, but I think that your mike is actually augmenting the sound of that P.O.S.!!!
Anyway, on the tube Vs. SS amp issue, with all of the availible sound plugins for recording, and the fact that some careful tweaking on a good peddleboard will yeild both sounds very closely, I am looking to digital to be the next thing…the progress is stunningly quick, and it is still improving, but I think that like recorded sound, which is didgitalized anyways now, Tube Vs. SS is quickly becoming a revival argument…in 20 years, we may have a true revival, but untill then, it is becoming a dead subject.
Every SS or Hybrid I have bought both new and used, no matter the brand, has either blown up or developed a bad cutting in and out problem (ie.Peavey, Crate, Marshall, Fender, all except the belt clip-on mini amps). Every tube amp I have purchased have all been other than tubes replacement, maintainence free. Plus most tube amps have much better tone and SS are trying to emulate a tube sound any way in most cases. As far as “Dime Amplification” I consider it a complete and utter money grab to cash in on Dimebags’ good name and reputation. Plus he was using the KranK Krankenstien which is all tube and endorsed by him before his unfortunate passing. He didn’t endorse “Dime Amplification” or the “SST” amps. He endorsed the all-tube “Krankenstien”. Just facts and my opinions as far as Tube and Solid State are concerened. And if you have had the opposite happen (it happens) then “You” know how it feels. Hope all who reads this gets a laugh or info out of it. Peace out!
I don’t know, man…
Either way…Basically, you play what suits and inspires you, and what you can afford to own…y’know?
I began with little Fender Solid State combos, and they were so thrilling to operate, just because they were my first amplifiers…I had no idea what I was doing and tonally, my ear was very unsophisticated. I just loved that disgusting clipped completely square, buzz-saw, diodes chopping, non-dynamic sound…Now, those amps are still useful to me…I just set them totally differently, because I developed into a different guitar player. I don’t play CroMags and Agnostic Front songs in a bedroom at my Folks’ house…ha ha…well, maybe once in a while, for nostalgia’s sake.
Bottom line is, neither is better. Both mediums are tools to get the job done. If it works for you, ride it until it doesn’t.
Remember too, kids…It’s the Indian…Not the arrows.
Your equipment does have something to do with your sound, certainly…However, you are the pilot. What YOU do makes the sound.
Gotta collect’em all, if you ask me.
each amp is great for so many things.
and a great amp will make the goofiest guitar sound awesome…
Peace.
Rock on, an on, and on….
I wish I did like and wanted a solid state type of sound ,
but I dont , I like the big fat growl of an marshall amp ,
but I have tryed to get that from the digital world ,
( have an pod x3 PRO that Im trying to get my sound out of )
but it´s soo easy to plug in too an marshall , and youre home .
but I wish I did care less about the tone , but If I did not care of tone , I would not watch all youre vids !
regards !