Ill tell you what was the worst solid state bass amp ever. In 1973, peavey began development on a series of vintage fender twin inspired amps, with 6l6 power tubes and two 6c10 pre amp tubes. Great savings free delivery collection on many items. The first that comes to mind that ive played is the roland jc120. Lets just imagine tube wasnt an option and you had to go out today and buy a solid state amp no hybrid. Since the solidbody electric bass guitar was largely a previously nonexistent form of instrument. Solidstate guitar amps are back and heres why theyre sounding. While an amplifier can refer to any kind of signal amplifier, a solid state type of amplifier usually refers to the audio amplifier used for musical instruments like electric guitars or synthesizer keyboards.
I have been discussing with a friend who is electronic engineer about tube amps and solid state amps. It is an absurdly compact amp with simple, useful controls, and it makes an incredible platform for the pedal geek, due to its abundance of clean headroom, flexible contour control, and solid tonal foundation. You may not know or care about cathode follower tube circuits, or solid state vs. Whats the difference between a head, cabinet, stack or combo amp. Mar 09, 2016 hybrid amps use both a valve and solidstate circuits. May 31, 2017 and lastly, dont get caught in the echo chamber of internet forums.
Mar 29, 2020 solid state amplifiers are lighter and less expensive than their vacuum tube counterparts. From the rows and rows of fender combos to a few vintage marshall stacks, bonamassa doesnt discriminateif its a benchmark for a great guitar tone, he has one or seven. The first fifty years and millions of other books are available for. It essentially uses the tube to retain clarity of tone where its most important whilst the solidstate circuitry adds the reliability and versatility. My book about solid state guitar amplifiers is finally ready and can be downloaded in portable document format pdf from. Fender champion 100 solid state 2x12 combo amp youtube. Construct a 15w tube power amp or a true classa solid state amp.
Leo fender began building guitar amplifiers before he started manufacturing electric guitars. Fender solid state guitar amplifiers for sale in stock. It essentially uses the tube to retain clarity of tone where its most important whilst the. Our final thoughts on the best solid state amps for the money. If you want something fairly compact and portable that you can pick up and play anywhere, check out the lineup of. But the best of the solid state designs do a much better job of creating great tone than they are generally given credit, and for this reason there are many great sounding solid state. Solid state guitar amps use transistor technology rather than tube technology to amplify the signal of the guitar. Orange crush 20 rt solid state 20w combo amplifier. The most comprehensive history of the thermionic vacuum tube. Actual realworld components which are easily available are used.
Great deals on fender solid state guitar amplifiers. A guitar amplifier may be a standalone wood or metal cabinet that contains only the power amplifier and. The much maligned and often misunderstood solid state guitar amplifier has, over the years, become the ugly stepsister to its older sibling, the tube amp. The most tube amp like tones out of any solid state ive ever played. This is mainly due to the fact that they use transistor technology, instead of the tube technology, which other amplifiers use.
What solid state amps dont sound good with klipsch speakers. Fender amplifier news newspapers books scholar jstor december 2011. Chapter on the history of fender amplifiers, model by model. Amplifiers may use vacuum tubes called valves in britain, solidstate. Solid state guitar amplifiers are considered the most reliable machines that increase and control the sound of the guitar. We all know that distortion and overdrive pedals arent exactly amazing when used with solid state amps, and neither are pedals that have their own co. However, the signal still has to flow from the input jack and the speaker. As a matter of fact, ive owned a few of these including the solid state. A complete history of fender stratocaster guitars guitar. Fender forums view topic vintage fender solid state amps.
Originally designed by motorolla, then renamed freescale, then sold to nxp observations. Although it was introduced at the 1952 namm show only as fenders new hi fidelity guitar amp, it was, as author tom wheeler notes in the soul of tone. Well, your choice of solid state amp is yours alone, of course. Mastering solidstate amplifiers tab mastering electronics series carr, joseph j on. And lastly, dont get caught in the echo chamber of internet forums. A solid state amplifier is one of the types of amplifiers that augment and intensify the sounds produced by musical instruments, radar equipment, and other communications equipment. Troubleshooting solidstate amplifiers gaddis, ben w. So what pedals do work with solid state modelling amps. However the best bang for the buck ss amps are the peavey transtube bandits back to the teal stripe ones which have an early transtube power amp and are the best of the bunch. What is your personal opinion on tube vs solid state. Tech 21 is the company that manufacturs the sans amp tube amp emulation preamps. Get the guaranteed best prices on solid state fender amplifiers at musicians friend. Consider a challenge posed by leo fender s 19501951 development of the worlds first commercially successful solidbody electric bass guitar, the precision bass. Most solid state fender amplifiers are eligible for free shipping.
Surely there has to be high quality solidstate amplifiers, right. Celebrating 60 years of fender amps tom wheeler, keith. Indeed, we use these same books here at fender when researching historical and daterelated issues. Joe bonamassas 5 most underrated amps premier guitar. After the introduction of transistors this new kind of guitar amp. Guitar amplifier news newspapers books scholar jstor june 20 learn how and when to remove this template message.
For those not aware of fender history, he had been hired by leo in 1954 and was the only plant manager during leos ownership. Solid state amplifiers have superior technical specifications compared to valve amplifiers. A guitar amplifier or amp is an electronic device or system that strengthens the weak electrical. Im tired of everybody saying tube amps are the best. Troubleshooting solid state amplifiers gaddis, ben w. Our website and phones are open, but shipping may take a few extra days, for the safety of our team.
But when solid state amplifiers were first introduced it was noticed that they sounded flat and lifeless in comparison to well made valve amplifiers. We look at five of the best solid state amps for modern rock, metal, high gain, and heavier playing styles. They were so much worse than the earlier tube amp that white refused to authorize shipping them to dealers. Mom and dad get you a cheap guitar amp for christmas and the amp is a cheap solid state pos that sound like crap and ther for, people associate all solid state to sound like crap. Following is a list of must have books for the serious tube amplifier designer.
Sep 23, 2014 even after a cursory glance at joe bonamassas twitter and facebook page, its easy to tell this guy is into great vintage gear. Hybrid amps use a tube in the preamp section and solidstate technology in the power amp to drive the speakers. They are detailed reference resources with a wealth of information on determining the production years of various amplifiers and on fender history in general. Since the amp everyone has in their system is the best thing since sliced bread, which it usually is, we might as well talk about what amps they didnt like or sold because of it.
A bibliography of must have tube electronics books aiken amps. Do any solid state amps pull off the fender clean reverby. Solidstate amplifiers have suffered more than their fair share of disrespect. I had the ultimate chorus, cleans were good, but not that loud of an amp despite the 65 watt stereo claim, more like 30watt. Its the way you pick, and the way you hold the guitar, more than it is the amp or the guitar you use. And solid state circuits tend to be less forgiving if you do something stupid. For some of the stack or piggyback amps, a lighter blonde tolex was used. These rodney dangerfields of the amp world are much maligned, roundly ridiculed, and generally regarded as childrens toys or cheap practice implements by the guitar. Mom and dad get you a cheap guitaramp for christmas and the amp is a cheap solid state pos that sound like crap and ther for, people associate all solid state. Exploring solidstate amplifiers by joseph carr, paperback. Aug 21, 2015 i saw this discussion and decided it would be better to start a new thread on the topic. I have a great early fender hotrod deluxe tube amp that i love for those classic fender tube sounds, but it got me to thinking if there are any good solid state amps i can plug my strats into to get that fender tone. Keep your fans close to on the fins of the heatsink.
Describe your experience with the henry ss750 solid state series and tell us why you give it the rating you did required. Do any solid state amps pull off the fender clean reverby sound. Early guitar amps used vacuum tubes to amplify the sound, but when the transistor was invented, amplifier manufacturers found a more reliable and cheaper technology. Interestingly, although the books on fenderamp history discuss the first solid state. Fender forums view topic vintage fender solid state. Ive tried the mustang series, which are pretty damn good for the money. Solid state amps often get a bad rap because they are cheap and are often what guitar players start off on. Revisiting the amp that gave solidstate a bad name. Mastering solidstate amplifiers tab mastering electronics.
I ended up borrowing a mates fender 85 for gigs and that was a superior solid state amp in every way. I know of the roland jazz chorus line, but what others are out there. Solid state guitar amp forum diy guitar amplifiers. Compared to the vacuum tube speaker amplifier with its mellow overtones, the solid state audio. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. I have a standel 52j12 amp and am trying to find out some history about it. Does anyone have any information about its history, etc i took a very close look at the modelserial plate and it clearly says 52 j 12 i put the spaces in there to clarify what the numbersletters are. By far one of the best solid state amps available today. Apr 14, 2015 best solid state marshall tone imo is an orange cr100. Fender solid state guitar combo amps read our guitar amps buying guide. For solid state, the tech 21 tradmark 60 is a nice 60watt, 1x12 guitar amp they make a larger and smaller one as well. Dont buy the later, solidstate edition, the 2nd edition is the one you want. And on top of all that, solid state amps are the most reliable amplifiers around. The first amp head i bought was the vs100 and it sounded pretty good for the money.
When youre picking out a solid state amp, the most important decision to make is what sort of amplifier youre looking for. Interestingly, although the books on fenderamp history discuss the first solidstate. First of three articles discussing the fender solidstate twinreverb guitar. In this era, amps were made with a variety of tolex wraps including brown on amps concert and bandmaster. The orange crush 20 rt solid state 20w combo amplifier is one of the best solid state amps on the scene today thanks to the fact that its capable of blowing almost any other 20 watt amp out of the water in terms of price and versatility. This text aims to provide the necessary theory and the practical handson experiments and projects that allow the reader to understand the subject of solid state amplifiers.
Both models were highwattage, solidstate amplifiers that included simple features for the working musician. How to repair solid state guitar amps our pastimes. Fender amps is the first book to chronicle this companys amazing contribution to the amplifier, providing a complete overview of its history and operation. Best solid state marshall tone imo is an orange cr100. The top 7 best solid state amps for tone snobs pmt online. Most guitar players love tube amps, but nowadays a solid state amp is a very high selling alternative. In 1973, peavey began development on a series of vintage fender twin inspired amps, with 6l6 power tubes and two 6c10 preamp tubes. The laterally diffused mosfet ldmos is an asymmetric power mosfet designed for low onresistance and high blocking voltage. If you want something fairly compact and portable that you can pick up and play anywhere, check out the lineup of combo amps. A history of the fender twin amplifier fender guitars. Award winners book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new. Fender solid state guitar amplifiers for sale in stock ebay. As im sitting here enjoying my peavey backstage which i havent played in 25 years i got wondering, what are the best solid state amps out there.
I have yet to encounter a solid state amp that can do what a good tweedblackface or silverface fender can do to clean sounds on an electric guitar. Every other ss amp that i played through before that including acoustic, kustom, sunn beta, peavy, fender, etc. If any company today can make solid state amps respectable, its quilter labs. My book about solidstate guitar amplifiers is finally ready and can be downloaded in portable document format pdf from. The solid state amps rather famously led to forrest whites resignation from the cbsowned fender. I mainly play bass and most of the amps are solid state, i have on guitar used marshall, fender, line6,i film a tv access show at a music store and i just grabbed 2 amps both are ss and i like them a lot they got some real bite,one is a rocktron it has 50 watts and built in distortion and echo, delay and chorus, i can feel good about giving it a plug,also i got a behringer and i feel this amp.
Discussion in amps and cabs started by padavis, oct 26, 20. Other useful information would include your experience with similar products, infomation on a product that you would purchase instead of this one, and so on. A guitar amplifier or amp is an electronic device or system that strengthens the weak electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet. The fender frontman 212r is the best ss fender amp made. May 22, 2016 every other ss amp that i played through before that including acoustic, kustom, sunn beta, peavy, fender, etc. His point of view is that tube amps are something obsolete from the past and that newer technologies are better. What is your personal opinion on tube vs solid state amps. One well known player who took to the fender solid state amps was jan akkerman who used.
The stretch between 1959 and 1963 marks a point of some variation for fender amp design. I have yet to encounter any amp that can do what a good tweedblackface or silverface fender can do to clean sounds on an electric guitar. Buy fender solid state guitar amplifiers and get the best deals at the lowest prices on ebay. Nov 18, 2015 both models were highwattage, solid state amplifiers that included simple features for the working musician. Nothing can beat hearing these amps in the flesh, and finding one that perfectly matches the sound you want to achieve. What are the solid state amps that dont work well with klipsch speakers. Hybrid amps use both a valve and solidstate circuits. Parts for a solid state amplifier are more readily available, affording music enthusiasts to create their own doityourself amplifier with amplifier kits. Plus, how to make your solidstate sing like a tube amp. Best solid state combo amp fender stratocaster guitar forum. Fender solid state guitar amplifiers for sale ebay.
1464 827 965 1302 566 293 1539 1548 765 1594 1632 1198 822 1649 1539 776 266 591 68 857 6 245 893 504 72 1066 1630 1350 954 1321 1479 517 1524 326 711 57 157 1238 1403 1499 464 143