Poll - Solid State vs Tube Amps for Jazz Guitar

[jaymen]

All tubes are non-linear and have much higher total harmonic distortion be they in the pre-amp, phase inverter, reverb/effects loop, or the final power amp stages. They all change and color the sound, and add a richness of tone that everyone loves. So even when you are playing "clean" on a tube amp, your sound is getting colored and tonally modified by the tubes themselves. For sound reproduction (radio, stereo, public s address system) this would be bad, but for musical instrument amplifiers it is a good thing. That is the mojo , explained, albeit a very simplified version, the sound is fabulously complex.

It takes a lot of solid state electronics to emulate/model what tube amps do naturally, and with many fewer components. And tube amps are pure analog, no digital processing, which all modeleing amps have, so they lose fidelity as a result.

[jaymen]

All tubes are non-linear and have much higher total harmonic distortion be they in the pre-amp, phase inverter, reverb/effects loop, or the final power amp stages. They all change and color the sound, and add a richness of tone that everyone loves. So even when you are playing "clean" on a tube amp, your sound is getting colored and tonally modified by the tubes themselves. For sound reproduction (radio, stereo, public s address system) this would be bad, but for musical instrument amplifiers it is a good thing. That is the mojo , explained, albeit a very simplified version, the sound is fabulously complex.

It takes a lot of solid state electronics to emulate/model what tube amps do naturally, and with many fewer components. And tube amps are pure analog, no digital processing, which all modeling amps have, so they lose fidelity as a result.

Then there is Class A single ended tube amps and push pull Class AB amps,, the first produces non symmetrical distortion, the other, crossover distortion, and depending on the tube types, and how they are biased, yields all kinds of wonderful tones. The end result is when you plug in to a good tube amp, you are not just playing the guitar, you are also playing the amp, and you can get it to do many things without a single pedal or effect.