Power Amps

[AngelVivaldi]

My name is Angel... breathes deeply

I'm a n00b

[all: hi Angel!] LOL jk
Ok- quick question.

I use a solid state head Marshall AVT150H. I was wondering what types of different power amps existed. I've heard of all tube power amps, but nothing else. Additionally, what kinds of power amps do solid states heads have; is there one type in particular that they use?

 

[Metal Ken]

I use a solid state head Marshall AVT150H. I was wondering what types of different power amps existed. I've heard of all tube power amps, but nothing else. Additionally, what kinds of power amps do solid states heads have; is there one type in particular that they use?

To my knowledge, just solid state and tube. Pretty much every solid state head i've seen uses solid state power. I know that there's some small combo amps like some of the tiny Vox's that use a tube pre and solid state power..

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

if your going tube, get a peavey 50/50 or a mesa , if your going solid state, go mackie or crown

 

[Leon]

solid state? dude, this is your tone we're talking about here

as far as Mesa power amps, there's the 20/20, 50/50, the 2:90 and 2:95, and the Strategy 500 .

i guess i should ask, are you going to use a power amp to boost your Marshall, or are you thinking about getting a separate pre-amp as well?

 

[Stitch]

solid state? dude, this is your tone we're talking about here

as far as Mesa power amps, there's the 20/20, 50/50, the 2:90 and 2:95, and the Strategy 500 .

i guess i should ask, are you going to use a power amp to boost your Marshall, or are you thinking about getting a separate pre-amp as well?

What about the 2:100?

I hate Mesas.

 

[Leon]

ahh yeah, the recto power amp. eh, there's a lot

there's also a VHT 2/90/2 for sale on the site here. i've heard good things.

but in general, if tone is a big thing for you, go tube. if you were just a bedroom shredder, i'd suggest a solid state power amp. the volume response of SS gear is a lot more controllable, whereas tubes get LOUD . but, since you gig out, i'd go with the tubes.

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

see, thats one of the reasons i didnt go tube, i didnt want to bust a tube moving the fucker or have to retube all the time, i get a fuckin killer sound with my solid state, but i was never a big tube head guy anyway, so i guess its personal preferance

 

[Metal Ken]

see, thats one of the reasons i didnt go tube, i didnt want to bust a tube moving the fucker or have to retube all the time, i get a fuckin killer sound with my solid state, but i was never a big tube head guy anyway, so i guess its personal preferance

You dont have to retube them 'all the time' though. If you play at lower volumes, you'll be fine for over a year. If you crank the fuck out of that shit, every 6mo-1yr is a good cycle for power tubes.

I used to use that same argument when i was a solid state player, but thats because all the tube amps i had played up till that point were fenders and Voxes.

 

[AngelVivaldi]

Thanks so much for helping me out guys!

I've tried tube, (Mesa MkIII Blue Stripe, Mesa Triple/Dual Recs etc) many many times. Honestly, I can't stand them haha. I like thick saturated tone on every and any string I play on. Tube is GREAT for rhythm, but when it comes to leads they dont give me the sustain I need. Maybe that will change one day, who knows. I've been using my Jake Skylar's rig for a while, which is the MK III... as my main amp is currently getting repaired, (WHOOLLLE OTHER STORY LOL)

Essentially what I am doing is running the preamp of my Marshall to a nice tube power amp. The thing about tube I dont like is that in order to get great tone, you really need to crank it. At performances, they mic me either way, so I dont need my amp at a crazy volume level. With solid state, the tone is great at ANY level. The only drawback is that when you REALLY crank a solid state amp, the feedback is atrocious. So my verdict is to run it through a tube power amp so that it cuts through.

The only thing I was unsure about was the different types of power amps available. =)

Again, much thanks to you all!

 

[Leon]

hmm... let's try this. your Marshall versus Jake's MkIII. what do you like about each, what do you dislike, what would you change, etc?

 

[AngelVivaldi]

Ok here we go!

Tube Cons:
- Doesn't 'Feel' strong under my fingers, very thin (i'm sure you know what i mean)
- Only sounds great at high volumes
- Not exactly all that forgiving

Tube Pros:
- Tone cuts through
- Great when playing rhythm//chords

Solid State Cons:
- Feedback at high volume
- Doesn't 'cut through'
- can be slightly muddy at high volumes

Solid State Pros:
- Thick, sustaining tone
- Feels great under my fingers
- Sounds great at any volume
- no tubes to replace
- very forgiving

Solid State stuff seems to help me express my voice a lot better. I feel a lot more confident through a solid state rig. I was a bit tempted to go out and purchase a Mark IV, but when I got my hands on a solid state head again I decided not to. Could change one day in the future, who knows!

 

[Nick]

wouldnt 'forgiving' be another term for doesnt show the mistakes i make? and therefor isnt really all that clear?

 

[AngelVivaldi]

wouldnt 'forgiving' be another term for doesnt show the mistakes i make? and therefor isnt really all that clear?

Yuppers! lol Delay also helps as well hahaha

I'm not a sloppy player, however when I am on stage I'm a nutcase lol. So sometimes I tend to fuck up very difficult passages from time to time, but who doesnt.

 

[Leon]

it definitely sounds like you could benefit from a tube power amp and a small 1x12 cabinet. mic'd, your tone will be good, and if you aim the 1x12 at your head, you'll be able to hear it great over the rest of the band.

as far as a tube pre, i think if you could find one with enough gain to help compress those higher tones (to fatten them up a bit), then you may swing to the tube side. you could try a compressor pedal. i've never tried one myself, but it could be fun!

 

[AngelVivaldi]

Hmm this is true. But i have like zero patience when it comes to fiddling with pedals and rack processors etc. I like a simple rig. Now, with a 1x12 would that compress the tone more? im guessing the smaller the cab the tighter the tone?

 

[Leon]

if it has a quality speaker, then i think it would. it'll also bring your volume down, so you can give the tube poweramp a bit more juice if you need to. if you can find a local shop that has available 1x12's and 4x12's, see if you can have them set them up for an A/B test with the same amp.

i like simple rigs, myself, but to have a versatile AND simple rig, it takes some fiddling . with my Nomad/G-Major, if i want a clean sound with some reverb, i hit #6 on my floorboard. dry channel 3? #3. boosted lead with reverb and some delay? #5.

 

[AngelVivaldi]

i heard great things bout that nomad that you brought to jemfest in 05.. or was it 06? i cant remember diddly squat.

I will admit, the VHT Deliverance is the only all tube head that I adore. Unfortunately, it's all one channel with ZERO effects loops. How gay is that?

 

[Leon]

very

though, i sorta have a soft spot for one channel amps. they generally do one tone great, and all you need to do to clean them up is to roll back the guitar volume. but, no FX loop on a modern amp?


and, it was probably ME pimping my own amp

...in '06