I still prefer tubes but I have a question...

[jzucker]

A few interesting observations. I'm not posting this as a universal truth, just my thoughts.

I've been using a raezer's edge luna amp for a while. I love it. It's my favorite amp for jazz and it also sounds great for pop music stuff too. However, I do like to augment it with a kingsley maiden pedal which is the clean side of a dumble preamp. The kingsley adds a bit of bright, tube compression that just makes anything sound more organic for my tastes. I've been using the luna through either a raezer's edge open back 1x12 wth celestion alnico 90 or a raezer's edge 2x10 with celestion golds. Those alnico speakers are my absolute favorites. Warm and punchy and sound great for everything from clean jazz to overdriven fusion tones. I've tried the various neo speakers and I hate all of them so don't get me started on that...(although I do like them in an enclosed cab for bass)

I also have a holland lil jimi and a '68 bandmaster reverb. Both of them sound great. The bandmaster might be my favorite amp ever but the head weighs close to 50lbs! I could shave a few lbs off by putting it in a plywood cab instead of the particle board one that is stock but still...A 40lb head is a 40lb head!

I would say that the kingsley maiden through the Luna and into the 1x12 celestion cab is 90% of what I want in a tube amp even though it's a hybrid. I'm missing just a teeny bit of the power amp compression I think. So...Does anyone make a small pedalboard-style preamp that has a tube power amp built into it with a guitar-level output? I think having the phase inverter/tube power amp might get me 99% of the way to a full tube amp.

By the way, not interested in modelers. I've tried the big 3 and none of them are even close to the kingsley/luna/celestion 90 combination...

Again, just my thoughts. Not saying this to claim that I'm right. Just the way I hear things...

[mr. beaumont]

Following...

I'm not as specific about tone...I just shoot for "best I can get in the room that I'm in," but I think you're on to something.

[Pat Clare]

Based on your experience in working with most if not all of the options available and searching for the best option I would have to to say you are correct.

[medblues]

How about using a tube compressor pedal like EHX Black Finger in the signal chain ? Would that differ audibly from an actual tube power amp ?

[vintagelove]

A few interesting observations. I'm not posting this as a universal truth, just my thoughts.

I've been using a raezer's edge luna amp for a while. I love it. It's my favorite amp for jazz and it also sounds great for pop music stuff too. However, I do like to augment it with a kingsley maiden pedal which is the clean side of a dumble preamp. The kingsley adds a bit of bright, tube compression that just makes anything sound more organic for my tastes. I've been using the luna through either a raezer's edge open back 1x12 wth celestion alnico 90 or a raezer's edge 2x10 with celestion golds. Those alnico speakers are my absolute favorites. Warm and punchy and sound great for everything from clean jazz to overdriven fusion tones. I've tried the various neo speakers and I hate all of them so don't get me started on that...(although I do like them in an enclosed cab for bass)

I also have a holland lil jimi and a '68 bandmaster reverb. Both of them sound great. The bandmaster might be my favorite amp ever but the head weighs close to 50lbs! I could shave a few lbs off by putting it in a plywood cab instead of the particle board one that is stock but still...A 40lb head is a 40lb head!

I would say that the kingsley maiden through the Luna and into the 1x12 celestion cab is 90% of what I want in a tube amp even though it's a hybrid. I'm missing just a teeny bit of the power amp compression I think. So...Does anyone make a small pedalboard-style preamp that has a tube power amp built into it with a guitar-level output? I think having the phase inverter/tube power amp might get me 99% of the way to a full tube amp.

By the way, not interested in modelers. I've tried the big 3 and none of them are even close to the kingsley/luna/celestion 90 combination...

Again, just my thoughts. Not saying this to claim that I'm right. Just the way I hear things...

Perhaps you can borrow one of these, or maybe you have one laying around to test your theory a bit.


A Dumbleator circuit would be a decent way to get a couple more tube stages in the signal path. Between the output of the Kingsley, and the ability to drive each tube section in the Dumblator, you could at least get a feel for how these additional stages, will feel...

A true tube power amp in a pedal, that’s a tough one. Perhaps one of the circuits that utilize a nine pin tube like an 12at7 would be a realistic option. Less power required, smaller iron, etc.

Rob robbinette’s site has a few examples of those circuits.


Deluxe Micro