Poll - Solid State vs Tube Amps for Jazz Guitar

**markb** · 08-21-2023, 11:26 PM

Well I have an early '65 Deluxe Reverb and a '52 Gibson GA 20. Both great amps. Not much headroom with the Gibby at all but for low volume jazz jump/blues very nice.The BFDR is my favorite amp of all time but maybe not the best jazz amp. I have a Henriksen Bud 10 on its way. Pretty sure it will be my grab and go jazz gig amp from here on out.

**JazzNote** · 08-22-2023, 05:26 AM

My main amp has been for quite a while now a Mambo 8", somtimes i use it parallel with a Mambo 10" or AER Compact 60
The Mambos don't really sound solid-state typical, in fact they deliver a liveliness close to a tube amp.
On some gigs i use a Acoustic Image Clarus 2R or SL with a RE Stealth 10 or 10 ER, i might also use this combination in parallel with the Mambo 8"

**user404** · 08-22-2023, 08:02 AM

Both with slave amp

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

**Ed Davis** · 08-23-2023, 06:44 PM

Quilters are awesome. I use a 101 Mini Reverb. If I want to play out of two I will run out of a stereo reverb unit to the quilter & my old AER Compact 60 (2) Both weigh around 20 pounds. :-)

**Litterick** · 08-24-2023, 07:35 PM

Message found on local Facebook group:

"Hi folks, my Line 6 Vetta 2 x 12" 100-Watt Electric Guitar Stereo Modeling Combo Amplifier, blew its chipboard, and it's such a great amp. Does anyone know of anybody who has one and wants to sell it?"

I am glad both my amps are hand-wired.

**jim777** · 09-26-2023, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Litterick

Message found on local Facebook group:

"Hi folks, my Line 6 Vetta 2 x 12" 100-Watt Electric Guitar Stereo Modeling Combo Amplifier, blew its chipboard, and it's such a great amp. Does anyone know of anybody who has one and wants to sell it?"

I am glad both my amps are hand-wired.

I almost bought one of those used back in '03, so I'd say he likely got his money's worth out of it.

**pdfiddler** · 10-04-2023, 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar

I think, but am not entirely sure, that I might be able to identify tube vs solid state in a listening room. Maybe. Basically, I'd pick the tone I liked better and assume it's the tube amp. Might be easier for an overdriven sound, but I'm not sure about that either.

I seriously doubt that I could sit in the audience listening to a quintet or bigger band and be able to tell tubes vs solid state.

On second thought, I don't think I could really tell no matter what the situation. When I tried it at home, Little Jazz vs Vintage Reverberocket, the EQ setting made much more difference than which amp I was using.'

In fact, out of all the gear choices, I think the one I might be mostly likely to identify by sound would be single coil vs humbucker. But, clearly not always. Some players get a darker jazz sound (the one I associate with humbuckers) out of single coils. But, if the guitarist is playing with a certain kind of brightness, I might get that right. I don't think I could do it for amps. I know for a fact I can't reliably do it with archtop vs solid (175 vs. solid), but I do think I can sometimes tell the difference. So much is EQ and touch.

I can hear it ever time and I don't know why others can't hear it. It's in the note decay. After you pluck the string, plain as day.

**Herbie** · 10-09-2023, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by pdfiddler

I can hear it ever time and I don't know why others can't hear it. It's in the note decay. After you pluck the string, plain as day.

Well, You mean that You can hear it when You play? I suppose You can’t hear the decay when someone else is playing, can You?

Now I started wonder about this decay. What is it? How does it sound?

**D.G.** · 01-01-2024, 12:06 AM

I can always hear the difference, though the new generation of modelers - I’m looking at you, Fender Tone Masters - are really close.

While I prefer a good tube amp, I don’t dislike a well tuned solid state jobbie. It’s just another tonal pallet.

**Betz** · 01-12-2024, 11:23 AM

Of everything I have sold over the years, the only piece of kit I really missed was my ‘65 Princeton Reverb Reissue. Recently saw a used mint one at GC and brought it home. For me, there is ‘something’ about plugging straight into the tube amp that I don’t get with solid state. Of course, the first thing I did was replace the modern Jensen speaker with an early ‘70s Oxford 10J4 so we definitely may not be interested in the same experience . . .

**Sleeko** · 01-29-2024, 07:29 PM

I’ve enjoyed my Fender Acoustisonic Junior and JazzKat solid state amps. The Junior has an exceptional warm tone and some nice built in effects in stereo. While it’s voiced for acoustic electric guitars, it works great with electric archtops.

The JazzKat I bought from Bill Fender when he owned his business. He suggested setting everything to neutral for that clean jazz tone. We A/B'd it against an Evans tube amp and we both agreed the JazzKat sounded better to our ears and very tube-like without a tube. It was also about $500.00 cheaper than the Evans.
Both are weighty, though the JazzKat is more portable and has a nifty carry handle on the side for easy transport.

Poll - Solid State vs Tube Amps for Jazz Guitar-img_3944-jpeg

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**Stringswinger** · 02-12-2024, 11:00 AM

I have owned many amps over the years, both tube and solid state. I sold my last two tube amps recently and I have no plans on obtaining any more of them. The technology has progressed to where one can get 95% of the tube amp sound and feel with a lighter and more reliable solid state amp. Furthermore, modern day tubes simply do not have the same sound as vintage tubes.

In my amp journey over the last 51 years (since I bought my first guitar amplifier) I have really liked Fender and Mesa tube amps and Polytone and Acoustic Image solid state amps. I have now moved on to Henriksen for the solid state amp sound and Quilter for the tube amp sound. All four of my amps (three Henriksens and one Quilter) are Class D amps and the heaviest is 21 pounds. I haven't embraced much change in guitars (I still mostly play 175's, L-5's, Super 400's, Les Pauls and Strats), but for me, the newer amps have proven to be a godsend for my 66 year old back.

**Little Jay** · 02-21-2024, 04:42 AM

Still torturing myself lugging tube amps around but I have a couple of lightweight solid state amps as well, for those jams and gigs in the city centre I travel to by bike….

**PB+J** · 02-21-2024, 08:30 AM

Soooo tired of tube amp hoodoo. I have an older model Henricksen jazzamp, head and cab, and it sounds great all the time. If I want a little tube quality I've got a bunch of nice pedals that will add saturation and compression including this one:

Mid-Fi Electronics ::: Magick "i"

And a UA woodrow pedal, which models a tweed deluxe. They get close enough and I'm not lugging a heavy tube amp

**murphybridget837** · 02-22-2024, 07:52 AM

Solid-state amps may not perfectly replicate every aspect of tube amps, modern technology has made significant strides in emulating their characteristics. It's worth experimenting with different models and features to find the tone and feel that best suits your playing style and preferences. I would suggest tube amps for studio/concert hall purpose and solid-state amps for busking.

**PB+J** · 02-22-2024, 08:56 AM

Fender makes a 1000 watt digital amp that comes in 10 and 12 inch speaker versions. It's light and aims for a flat response. It's got a four band active EQ

Tone Master(R) FR-12 | Guitar Amplifiers

Seems like an interesting choice for someone interested in jazz: a loud simple platform for your guitar straight or with pedals/modelers. Basically a PA speaker with volume and EQ controls that looks like an amp. Lists at $549 for the 12 inch, 499 for the ten. That's a lot less than a Henricksen. I'd like to try one.

**jumpnblues** · 03-13-2024, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Solid state for me. Don't even really own a tube amp anymore...even my princeton is living with a friend who will eventually buy it.

My "nice" amp is a Henriksen head with a redstone speaker cab.

I might ditch a bunch of stuff in the next year though and nab one of those Fender tonemasters...

I love my Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. Great tone, light weight, among many other features.

**Rickco** · 03-13-2024, 03:11 PM

I started with a twin in'68 which I reluctantly gave up cause I couldnt lift it anymore, traded for a '65 deluxe but a little to "tubey" (killer with my 175!) got a early Hot Rod Deluxe which has a preamp out. Just for grins I plugged the preamp into a Hafler FET power amp Ive been using for piano and used the 12" Jensen for the speaker. You lose the reverb when you bypass power but my friend modified the amp so reverbs in I also changed some ICs that drive the reverb. Its really best of both worlds. If I want loud and "driven" I can just plug into the power section which is quite good but to noisy for studio stuff. I also got a little Roland AC60 all SS probably class D. just got it cause it was cheap and light perfect for practice but... I find thats the one Im playing through the most, really sounds good on carved archtops. I always play clean no effects and low volume so not best choices for a fat bluesy sound but for clean with some "personality" the HRD into the Hafler and surprisingly the little Roland work pretty nice for chord melody and soft comping.

**Gregc57** · 05-16-2024, 02:30 PM

For me, tube amps for everything. There's a connection/feeling that I just don't get from any SS amp, to date.

**jaymen** · 05-27-2024, 10:15 PM

The jazz sound started with tubes, mainly because they were around for many decades before transistors.
If you want to sound like early jazz players like Charlie Christian, or other 50-60s jazz cats, then tubes are the best to get the same authentic sound, and vibe. Transistors are simply incapable of creating even order harmonic distortion , but are great at producing harsh third order harmonics, if that is what you like. In order to emulate the tube sound, as many solid state "modeling" amps claim to do, it required a lot of extra circuitry and stages, plus signal processing, all of which looses some of the original guitar tone with each stage and processing the signal goes through. Tubes on the other hand run the signal from your guitar through the bare minimum of components and stages, which help keep the loss of tone to a minimum. Solid state is cheaper, and lighter, but not as musical. so of course more players will opt for the less expensive solid state gear, but once you have discovered and mastered the tube sound,there is no going back to solid state.

**Stringswinger** · 05-28-2024, 12:05 PM

I recently added a 5th amp to my toolbox that does use a single 12AX7 tube in the pre-amp stage ( Mikman The Amp 100). Just after I declared that my tube amp journey is over. Ha!

AB'd against my Quilter Mach 3 Combo (using the Blackface setting on the Quilter for an apples to apples comparison), I cannot hear any difference that the tube makes when playing clean. Perhaps if I was playing at a crazy loud level using natural amp overdrive I might hear a difference? But if I played at that level of loudness, my hearing would be at risk, so I am in no rush to find out.

**Tal_175** · 05-28-2024, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Stringswinger

I recently added a 5th amp to my toolbox that does use a single 12AX7 tube in the pre-amp stage ( Mikman The Amp 100). Just after I declared that my tube amp journey is over. Ha!

That's a hybrid pedal with a solid state (class D) power section, right? I am not sure if it's a good representation of a tube amp for an AB comparison. Henriksen has a model that has a tube in the preamp as well. I have a feeling that these hybrids are essentially solid state circuits and the tube is a bit of a gimmick.

**Stringswinger** · 05-28-2024, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by Tal_175

That's a hybrid pedal with a solid state (class D) power section, right? I am not sure if it's a good representation of a tube amp for an AB comparison. Henriksen has a model that has a tube in the preamp as well. I have a feeling that these hybrids are essentially solid state circuits and the tube is a bit of a gimmick.

You may be right. And the tube is inside this pedal amp with no venting, so I wonder if there would be a heat problem playing outside on a hot day. Some posit that the "tube sound" comes from the preamp tubes, some feel it is the power tubes (Leo Fender built a Hybrid amp at Musicman that had a tube power section with a solid state preamp) and then there is your concept that you need to have tubes in both stages, which could have merit.

All I know for sure is that when I use the Milkman on a gig, I carry a spare 12AX7 just in case!

**Tal_175** · 05-28-2024, 12:21 PM

Since we are talking about clean amps, the difference between tube and SS is mostly the compression of the tube design to my ears.

I was recently saw this video when searching for sound clips of sonic circuit polytones. The person who does the comparison doesn't reveal the amps but to my ears these amps perfectly represent the difference between SS and tube in clean, jazz setting. The amp B has that tube compression where as the amp A has the unabashed SS sound. Again this is my opinion, he doesn't reveal which amp is which. What do you think?

**Tal_175** · 05-28-2024, 12:29 PM

Interestingly the "tube amp" in the video is also a hybrid amp like the Milkman. But the preamp might be more authentically tube circuit than some of the tube based pedals where they integrate a tube into an essentially SS circuit.

Edit: The description of the amp says:
"The Rajani 50 W power amp has been designed specifically for guitar. Turn it up loud and the notes start to compress courtesy of a very musical integrated compressor. "

So perhaps that's what I'm hearing as the tube compression.