My gigging days are over and I lm just a home player now - this said, I’ve never found a digital solution I’m happy with. I’ll run my tube heads at 2% volume happily for the rest of my life. You can get close with a recorded sound, but you’ll never nail the feel of a tube amp pushing a cab - that experience is part of the joy of playing for me
Isn't a digital modeler going thru a power amp and cab the same? Honest question, because even tho I played with tube amps in the past, I never really got the appeal, they didn't better than digital/solid state stuff.
@@deadasfak tube amps respond differently, personally I feel the tube amp pushing back at me when playing, it’s a subtle feeling but it’s there, it’s a more embodied experience. Also, tubes do provide some overtones and different quality of the sound that is hard to replicate. Digital amps are an emulation that is physically removed from the guitar, especially the software like neural dsp. That said I do like my Boss Waza headphones.
So, here’s the thing I like about tube amps….. they aren’t ever going to become obsolete, I can repair them myself, my brother has enough transformers, resistors, capacitors to fix 100 tube amps, plus hundreds of new old stock RCA tubes, Mullard, etc. It seems like every year the new generation of modeling systems come out, and guaranteed it’s going to become a subscription service like everything else. Also, the only genre they actually sound somewhat ok is metal. Anything that requires dynamics they don’t work.
Hey, I'm 17 and I just bought a 100W Marshall head with 4x12 cabinet, and what I can say is that you will never get that feeling of playing a big, cranked tube amp from a plugin. It's just.. impossible. You have to feel the knobs under your fingers, and feel the wind blowing through the speakers. I know it's a bit uncomfortable to tour and carry big stacks of amps and cabs, but it's really worth it, especially when you finally can play a show with a tube amp behind you. Love it Greetings from Poland!
I couldn’t agree with you more. Having the sound of your amp hitting you onstage just magnifies the energy of the experience, and as long as the sound guy is worth a shit, that energy will get transferred to the audience and they’ll walk away from your show thinking how much better your band was then the last band they saw that was using modelers and in-ears, but they won’t know why.
Conversations like this always focus on whether or not the amp or plugin sounds the same but always neglects to consider whether or not the player will sound different using different gear. Having a powerful amp in the room changes how I feel about my playing, inspires me, gives me confidence, and that makes *me* sound better. Tube amps are a cool inspiring musical device, and that counts for a lot
You hit the nail on the head in your first sentence. In my studio I have a lot of young (HS Sr, young college) they always want to play though my tube amps to record. It dawned on after working with a band several days trying to get a good guitar tone recorded, that they had no idea how to play through a tube head. So I loaded up S-Gear and/or TH-U and dialed in their sound, and like magic, they performed better, sounded better and we got all the parts down. They were not used to the sag, and dynamics that a quality tube head imparts - they only ever played solid state or Amp Sim pedals live. Likewise, I had some 50-60 year olds in to record and they could not play through an amp sim at all. A good friend of mine who has a collection of very nice vintage fenders, some matchless and marshalls finally added a Amp Sim Pedal to his touring board...it's taken him about 2 years to really learn how to get the most out of it which forced him to adjust his playing style. For me - Tube head. ToneX IR load box. best of both worlds.
@@lucistired ive never met any guitarists that had confidence issues based on gear they use. on the contrary, ive met many, many guitarists that use gear as an excuse to not practice as much as they should. theyre always that one expensive piece of gear away from being able to finally just start playing. if youre a competent guitarists, your performance should be consistent and not dependant on having a certain kind of amp. in the real worls, youll need to be adaptable. the kind of musician that "needs" a 100w tube amp in a situation where its completely inappropriate is the worst musician to be around. the kind that can play the same wether theyre plugged into a marshall or a can of coke are the ones that make great music.
@@blessedspaghetti You make that comment about amps as if there aren't so many people who need that one plugin to be able to well. What you're saying is an issue with amp people is just an issue with people. I never said anything about needing a particular piece to sound good, I regularly play through modelers at sessions, and various different practice and backline amps, but I prefer my tube amps because I know them well and I love their sound. Adaptability comes with being good at the instrument, being good at the instrument comes from practice, and practice that leads to real artful playing comes from inspiration. Let people have their inspiration
Tube amps and analog are incredible to play through. It's like playing a real grand piano vs. a synthesizer. Every guitarist should be familiar with it.
I agree with everything but the last section. Whatever works for you is the best, it’s all a subjective matter. While a fan of analog myself too, the main advantages of digital from a practical perspective are, as a gigging player, every space has a decent PA these days to hook them into and sound good being lightweight; as a studio player/producer, you can easily re-record, overdub and edit projects whereas an analog environment makes it near impossible to recreate once the session’s over. For the bedroom player or the gigging musician who knows the tone they’re after and so all the versatility digital offers is redundant, sure thing its the way to go!
@@acoffeewithsatan To be clear, I said every guitarist should be *familiar* with tube amps, as in get acquainted with how it feels to play one and what exactly is being modeled, etc. I didn’t say anyone should be forced to use one and I would be the last to argue against the many benefits of digital setups these days. That said, I’ll never forget when I was sound-checking, using a tube amp with real cab and mic setup. The other guitarist was using a Helix. (This was outdoors, not a metal gig but mainstream pop/rock) The sound guy comes up and says “ok you (Helix guy) sound good, you (me) sound DAMN good.” So there’s that.
@@AlexH8280 most people I have seen have terrible tones call it amp users or modelers users. You are probably one of the good musicians who have good tones. What I have noticed is that Helix users or any modelers users try to look for setups that are plug it and quit it without investing time in their sound to make it sound better. In the other hand we have people (including me) who likes to dedicate a lot of time building their sound to archive the holly grail of sound using the advantages of computers combining pedals in convenient ways or modulating the sound in ways are almost impossible with analog setups (otherwise a real pedalboard would be excessively big). In short, most musicians sucks and probably you don't. (BOSS GT1000 user here)
@@ClaimedEagle Thanks I’ll take that - I believe too that I don’t suck 😂. I remember now, that was a hybrid rig; I was running my Eleven Rack into the power section of my Marshall Origin 50, using it for preamps and effects, but still using the amp and cab for that “real amp vibe”. Why? Mostly because I could 😂 but yeah, it wasn’t hard at all to dial in and sound, as the sound guy put it, “damn good”.
Tube amp + attenuator and I’m fine at home. Attenuator completely changed my experience of playing at home. I always prefer the tone of tube amps over plugins, even though they are obviously less convenient.
@@Eric-dd8bk I would agree if we were seeing markets respond to this with less amplifier production, but we're not. Instead, we're seeing an abundance of amplifier innovation. Prices dropped due to an increase in the supply of quality amplifiers
It depends which ones. Many larger amplifiers on used market can be had for some sort of a deal now at least compared to small and mid sized classics… with vintage vox acs, Marshall’s, and bassmen being exceptions
Tube amps will never die, and vinyl records will tell you the same thing. As much as I love amp sims, I will always gravitate towards the real thing. Tube amp, load box, and some IR's are the perfect solution for bedroom volumes. There are a ton of affordable used tube amps out there. You don't need some 3000-dollar amp to get good tone. Most of us know it's the speaker, mic, and cab that matter most in your signal chain.
Tube amps will never go away but sadly it will never go mainstream again unlike vinyl recrod. The reason vinyl came back to mainstream is because it's "cool" & way more varsity or appeal to a wider audience than tube amp which will only appeal to niche legit guitarists. Also another thing: a tube amp are way more expensive than whole vinyl setup lol
I think what he's saying is that they will get more expensive over time and have less appeal to the younger crowd as digital takes over more and more. I agree that you can't beat the sound of the real thing with a real cab.
Mechanical watches come to mind. Quartz was supposed to be the latest and greatest. There is an industry and a very dedicated and growing consumer base.
Even cheaper amps like H&K, Egnater, etc sound awesome thru a loadbox. I use modelers most of the time but occasionally will run a tube amp direct and it’s a thing of beauty. Biggest things I notice upon switching are better response and harsh top end goes away. Not always practical though like Fluff says so I do both depending on my needs.
No matter how the world changes... I'll be that old dude that still sits in his garage with a WALL of tube amps and cabinets reminiscing about the "Good ol days" 😂
Amp companies are making smaller amps with built in load boxes to connect straight to an interface ie Mesa Badlander, REVV, etc. They’re also putting out lower wattage amps at relatively lower prices. I’m 33 and I’ve had all the modelers but finally found the tone I was looking for from a 25 W Mesa Badlander. I can record quietly or play into headphones. I also just got a speaker cab. I get option paralysis with amp sims, but with just a few knobs on the real amp, I can dial in exactly what I want. I think amp companies are shifting and I welcome it. I will be buying the 20W Friedman JJ next year.
Though I understand the many benefits of the newer technology, option paralysis is a thing for some of us. There is something wonderful about plugging into a nice amplifier (maybe with some pedals) designed for the instrument, turning some knobs and simply playing. No futzing about too much with this and that. Even at lower volumes they impart a quality that I am uncertain can be duplicated otherwise.
I have a 1-watt Fryette that's the same concept except even less output. Run that sucker into my Two Notes Torpedo CAB M+, and I'm rocking away with a tube headphone amp and DI interface. Any amp tone I want to make is a switch and a cab sim away.
I love my Revv 120 mkiii for this reason. I get the sound of a tube amp with the convenience of two notes direct into my interface when I don’t want to hear my cab speakers. It’s almost the best of both worlds and I would love to see this more standard on some of the bigger amp makers out there. If they made a dual rectifier or orange rocker verb with two notes built in I would buy it yesterday.
The speaker sim out of JJ jr sounds great FOH. I still don’t get to turn the head up through 112 Friedman cab at most local venues. Same volume control for sim out, so having the speaker as my "personal" guitar monitor is no advantage. that said, I *do* look for JJ models for my, er, modelers.
I had a pod go. Brought it to rehearsal. Well at the rehearsal you are not playing through a 5000 or 10,000 dollar p.a. ( unless you have your own space and invested in one yourself) so now you need a FRfR or really good wedge monitor. So practicality became impractical. Remember if you are a local hero playing local shows you are at the mercy of whatever p.a. they either own or have rented at the local gig. So unless you are a big touring band playing through high end pa's with your moddler you will still need a good sounding FRFr or wedge monitor. Due to this I sold my pod go. Rebuilt my pedal board and am.sticking with my Amp head and cab set up. Maybe I'll try a katana artist at some point or something like that. Cheers.
I agree. Tube Amps are a luxury... Less in terms of "oh no, it's so pricey" luxury, but definitely more in terms of "I can't afford to keep something this big when my home is so small, and it's so cumbersome/costly to move it from place to place", "I can't afford to play something this loud when I'm not guaranteed to be able to play/practice where I won't get complaints" kind of luxury. (Especially considering that less and less people can buy their own homes these days. Size and Mass matters, unfortunately) Tube combo/stacks are most likely going to end up as enthusiast collecters' items, or for recording studio purposes.
Not gonna lie, having a dad who was a tube amp repair tech and one of the only "good ones" in my area, i was SUPER fortunate growing up being able to check out a bunch of different amps as they came through the house. Stuff that id never be able to afford or see as some rare gems cane through. **edit** From the replies I'm not sure if my comment was read correctly, when I said "good ones" I meant out of repair techs, wasn't referring to amps. Alot of people would end up sending their amps to my dad to fix after bringing it to other places that either made the problem worse or better yet those places would just contract my dad to fix em lol
@@TheCyberMantis "good is subjective" but junk? Well a there was a bunch of the old line6 tube amps came through, all with the same problem lol from what I remember how my dad explained was the placement of the tubes used to melt the circuit board 😬😬 terrible design flaw
I work in a music store....and I am an old guy that grew up on tube amps. Most younger players have no idea what it like to plug into a real amp, or play at pant leg moving volumes. They know modeling amps and plug ins. We sell modeling amps every day, the odd tube amp and normally to the 40 and up demographic. I love both tube amps and today's modeling and capture options. Honestly my tube amps stay at home, I don't wanna haul them around anymore. And having XLR outs to FOH live and USB for recording has made it easier than ever to get a great tone anywhere. I have this convo almost daily at work, and I agree while amps may never go away, they are not mainstream anymore.
@@RaiderJay9092 ok toneboy besides being obsessed with your tone have you ever written any music worth listening to ? or you just play with the knobs ?
Completely agree. I think the main turning point has been that everything surrounding a modern musician is conducive to using gear that is as small, light and quiet as possible on stage. I found out really early on when playing clubs how unusable a traditional amp and cab was on stage (completely regardless of what the wattage or cabinet size was), I was never able to get my amp loud enough for it to start sounding right. I was being constantly told to turn down, sometimes to the point where if I turned my amp down anymore there would be no volume at all. I got to the point where I thought what’s the point anymore, ended up buying a quad cortex and as much as I do miss my amps it’s so much easier in pretty much every way. I really don’t miss being hounded by the promoter or sound engineer to hurry up setting up my equipment because they can’t ever seem to organise changeover timing properly. And if you are able to leave your modeller plugged in until you go on you literally just have to switch it on and you’re good to go.
For me was something like I don't want to have only one amp sound for my entire show. A lot of the songs I play work better with different sounds and a tube amp can't deliver that unless I carry more than one which is a pain in the ass. I'm a GT1000 user and I play with all the flexibility I could ask. Funny thing is I don't use the replicas, the original models that BOSS included are awesome and knowing that there's no real amp with that sound just solidify my bond to my unit.
Just curious what you use for monitoring? IEM's, FRFR or house monitors? I've scaled back toa lunch box sized head and small speaker cab for convenience but would love to just go direct with a modeler but I'm not sure what would be best/easiest to hear myself.
So I wanna say that I’m 39 and I really feel this. I use a SS Orange these days and it really leaves me nothing to be desired so I’m not at all shocked that a younger person who isn’t conditioned to “need” an amp rig couldn’t care less about them. I do love amps and amp culture. K, I’m gonna go roll a blunt on my svt classic now ❤️🔥
I bought a fender tonemaster when they came out specifically because I wanted to avoid the caveats that come with tubes. i.e. weight, maintenance, etc. After a year of enjoying it, I had the opportunity to buy a vintage 60's deluxe. Now the poor tonemaster sits there, in all it's lightweight and convenient glory, silently looking on as the valve amp gets all the love. It's not that the tonemaster is a bad amp in any way.. its a very serviceable pedal platform with some actual character; but the valve amp just feels better in every conceivable way. The advantage of this is that my amp inspires me to play where it used to just be a part of the rig. Now I can glance over lovingly at the thing and get the urge to flip that standby switch and see what fun there is to be had. I think ultimately it comes down to what works for you and what inspires you to play.
More room in the the tube amp for the electrons to bounce and create over tones in a modeling amp you are , modeling why not just play the thing that sounds good to begin with ?
I’d be curious as to what would happen if you swapped the speakers in those two amps, cause that difference is like having two equal football teams and then giving one of them Messi.
Feeling and experience is a huge appeal for me with tube amps. I enjoy playing with some neural dsp plugins when I want to experiment and push into weird territory, but my tube amp reigns supreme for that raw lived in sound. The responsiveness is immediate and having sound go through a real circuit has this magic to it. It’s the same reason I still collect and listen to music on vinyl. I know that vinyl isn’t a perfect medium, but the experience of taking the record out and appreciating the art in the LP is a connection to music that has been lost in the digital age. I’m a millennial but I still have nostalgia for a past I’ve never lived. Digital is wonderful but I still enjoy the physical mediums just as much.
@@SlayerGamingHQ This. Tube amps respond differently... they just feel organic... especially old Fenders. you just can't replace them... no matter how many cpus and firmware updates you use
They said the same about vinyl and cassettes. Tube amps will make a come back as people will get fed up of digital and want a return to a more natural sounding amp. I recently got a Fender Blues Deluxe and no plugin comes even close to it. Sure its loud, heavy and has tubes. But what sounds good, sounds good.
for recording purposes Tube amps are indistinguishable from modellers. For a live setting as well the crowd is not going to notice a difference. Only matters if you're jamming in a garage with the homies.
Yeah is your brain with the nostalgia factor making you think that can't be replicated. Only a few things are complicated or impossible to replicate. One, is the tube smell, I just love the smell; two, is how the amp reacts to your guitar playing, that part is really hard, but I like to see it that not every tube amp reacts the same so it applies the same to Amp sims. Out of that, we already at a point where amp sims are better than tube amps. Tube amps is just a luxury at this point and you get more per buck using technology that also is reliable, cheap and confortable.
What "sounds good" is completely subjective. If you are accustomed to hearing a tube amp that sounds good/natural to you. If you are accustomed to hearing a modeler, that sounds good/natural to you. The reality is it really mostly depends on what time you came up playing in.
@@jasonbates2687 Tube amps obsolete? What I see is these modellers are obsolete within a few years, and if they have a problem they can't be fixed...on the other hand, tube amps from the 50s and 60s are still being used because they sound amazing, and serviced because they can actually be worked on
Funnily I've started collecting tube amps when modeling became really a thing and I don't regret it. These are beautiful devices and playing through these with an attenuator feels a lot different than playing with my plugins and I prefer it. I'll continue to buy tube amps.
I bought a Kemper in 2022, and I love it and use it. But it also made me want more valve amps. Two in the last 12 months, having not bought a new one in a decade.
I used to be a huge proponent of solid state and digital modeling amps. Then I got tube amps and they sound so much better. In a mix they sound so much better when mic’d up than modeling amps. I’ve totally changed my opinion because I used to think tubes were overrated
Hate to break it to ya. It's not the tube amp you're feeling. It's probably the feel of the speakers moving air. Which you can get by plugging a 412 into any SS power amp.
I’ve got an AxeFx III. I also have 11 tube amps. I think it comes down to physical feel. The AxeFx, even through cheap speakers, sounds great. But the feel of a speaker cab with a tube amp pushing air back at you is the feel you can’t get with processors. The AxeFx with a power amp into a speaker cab doesn’t do the same thing either.
I play my guitar straight into the amp. I roll the volume back, adjust the tone control and pick lighter or harder. I can play an entire gig of covers from blues, country, jazz, hard rock, classic rock, and 80’s hair metal without touching my amp for 3 hours. You’ll never be able to do that digitally. I’ve tried the fractal fm9 and line 6 stuff. Not my jam. I’ll continue to use my amp. I don’t even like 99% of overdrives out there and even I like some trem and delay in the Fx loop, I can get by without it. The simplicity of just a really good guitar straight into an extraordinary amp just brings out my best.
Have you tried the Boss Bd Blues driver? I use it with Fuzz and it's actually really good. I'm the same way. I pluginn directly. I believe all this Extra equipment that people buy is overkill, it silly if you ask me.
You are right, when considering stage performances and touring, there are several positive aspects to using amp simulations (such as Fractal, Kemper, Neural, etc.): 1. Quieter stage environment: Amp simulations contribute to a reduction in overall stage volume. 2. Reduced background noise: Using amp simulations requires fewer microphones, resulting in less noise interference, especially for vocals, drummers microphones. Drummers also benefit from a reduced number of microphones/ triggers. 3. Improved microphone isolation and on-stage comfort: Amp simulations help isolate microphones, providing a more comfortable and less noisy experience for musicians on stage. 4. Consistent sound reproduction: Amp simulations ensure a consistent sound across different gigs, stages, and venues. 5. Decreased weight and financial burden: Amp simulations eliminate the need for heavy amplifier cabinets, reducing the weight and cost of transportation. However, there are some drawbacks to using amp simulations: 1. Potential loss of dynamic playing: Relying solely on amp simulations may lead to a tendency for your right hand to become lazy (due to compression and digital response which sounds better but also resulting in a loss of dynamic expression!!! In studio environment it's absolutely important!!! 2. Good tube amps are easy to maintenance/nor expensive:) 3. Its great money investment: so far really good/used amp became more expensive tool every year. 4 History make a circles....
I'm not sure how amp sims eliminate the need for cabinets. Isn't it the pa that serves that purpose? Surely amp sims only eliminate the need for an amp. Btw, I'm not trying to be argumentative. Maybe I'm missing something.
@guitarexpert2245 My comment was about cabinets, not amps. It's clear from my comment that I'm aware of what an amps sim is. Btw, to answer your question, there's loads of reasons why you'd use amp sims over a "real" amp. To save your back is just one. You can carry hundreds of amps sims in one hand, but you can't do that with real amps.
My $.02 on the subject. I will never be in a band so I will never know the feeling of playing live through a tube amp. And I don’t consider myself very good at electric guitar. However, I can hear what sounds good and what does not. I sold my Vox tube amp yesterday because I have the Fender Mustang GTX50 and I couldn’t hear any noticeable difference between the two as I noodled in my office. I sold the tube amp to a nice gentleman who plays live with a group of friends. In addition, the professional music industry seems to have changed. There are so many independent artists and groups that create sounds and send files to each other. I am a huge Alter Bridge fan and in a recent Guitar World article Myles Kennedy talked about how he and Mark Tremonti send files back and forth to each other. Tremonti lives in Florida and Kennedy doesn’t. Obviously live they use tube amps. I would have to believe that much of the music being created by indie artists is through digital modeling programs or equipment. I doubt if anyone can tell the difference. Ultimately, I sold mine to free up space and with the GTX50 I still have the Vox sound with the addition of beautiful Fenders, awesome Marshalls, and a large variety of others.
I'll never ditch my tube amps. Not only will they always sound better, even if the gap between the two worlds is getting smaller, but tube amps are MUCH more inspiring for me to play through. The workkflow is also super simple for recording. I don't have to dive through menus, create presets, or anything like that. Just put the mic(s) in front of the cab and turn the knobs to taste. For live, even though I'm using in ears, my ac30+mojotone cab gives me a much better experience than playing direct (which I do twice a week for the church gigs I play). For any non church gigs, I bring my amps. Plus, when I'm bringing my own volume, I'm not at the mercy of the FOH engineer's skills.
Yeah I absolutely agree, I have a few tube amps but my favourite just has a gain/volume/tone... More playing guitar and less playing around with settings. 👍
It only sounds better to you becasue you have one. Ask a kid to A/B a sim and a tube, and they'll pick the sim becasue that's what they're used to and it's what sounds good to them. Subjectivity.
I stopped using guitar amps in about 2006. Mainly because I use Roland guitar modelling and guitar synths. As a result I went to a keyboard amp because it doesn't colour the sound. I use that as a low volume stage monitor and the rest of the signal goes to front of house. Nobody ever said my sound wasn't as good as a "real amp", quite the opposite, people were amazed at the clarity and range of sounds I could get. I love my Peavy Delta Blues 2x10, and it looks great in the corner of the studio. I only turn it on however to prove I have a working guitar amp 😉
Fuck that! A tube head through a 4x12 has a magic that just can’t be replicated, i use my kemper to track guitars for studio stuff but will never stop using my 5150 through a 4x12 live! Its just unmatched
That magic you're feeling is the feeling of air being moved. You can plug a JHS Angry Charlie into a 100 watt power amp into a 412 and get that same magic.
People been saying this for the last 20 years. In the early 2000s people swore modeling gear of that time sounded ''just like an amp dudeeee'', and now what do we think about those Line6 PODs? Kemper is now obsolete, and Quad Cortex is the new ''Sounds just like an amp brooo''. You know what really sounds like an amp and always will? Yeah.
Dude, you're nuts. I've been playing for 30 years and was just able to purchase a tube amp (Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue) this year. I think tube amps are here to stay. IMO, with proper maintenance and care, a tube amp will last longer than a digital amp. Mostly because, with all things digital, companies stop supporting older models. I've had many digital pieces of equipment stop working because the company that makes it doesn't update the firmware, forcing it to become obsolete. Over the years, I played through many digital and solid state amps but none of them have sounded and responded, to my playing, the way a tube amp does. I'll never go back.
I'm new to the guitar game, 3 or 4 years in. Didn't start till my 30s. I started with digital stuff as I came from an electronic music production background so digital was familiar. As soon as I tried a tube amp I was instantly converted and haven't looked back, I'm saying this as a relatively new guitar player with no nostalgic ties to tubes.
very late reply, but truth be told, this has been the case for alot of the younger guitar players ive met. i still use all my old tube amps, and when i invite younger players to jam and they plug into one for the first time, its like seeing a kids first trip to disney world. i dont think tube amps will dissapear, they will definitely have a place for all musicians.
@@edima it's funny you've responded to this now as this week I've been playing around with a Helix my buddy lent me. It's a great thing which covers a lot of ground but once I plugged back into my amp after a few days on the modeller, I was immediately reminded of why I love my tube amps.
My band has recently participated in a local competition against some of the top names of the local, garage band scene. My mate and I have brought our big ass amps and were appalled when we found out we were the only ones doing so. Everyone was on pedalboard sims and in-ears but us. To that point I had always thought, yeah, amps are the simplest and cheapest way to go for small gigs, that stuff is either for studio or bigger names - yup, guess again. I don’t own a tube amp, but my gigging rig is a ‘89 Peavey Classic Chorus, a 140 watt, 2x12 Roland JC competitor. My bandmate also has a hybrid 2x12 Marshall Valvestate. They weigh a ton, are a pain to load and unload and take most of the van’s trunk space, yet they’re fun, dependable and reliable. Both were fully restored and cheaper than a half-decent sim rig, so why not! As long as I can afford the space of having mine around, even if I have to double it as a nice end table!
I love the sound of a cab on stage! Younger people will never understand the awesomeness of the big stage sounds…or the broken backs from loading & unloading. Haha
i have made a different experience here i just see more and more especially bigger and more popular bands using real amps again especially marshall heads like 800, dsl and jvm`s..mastodons new album was done with a jcm 800 and an old ibanez tubeking in front, matt heafy switched back to his old peavey 6534+ and triple x v2 setup, dave mustaine plays his signature jvm`s again, james hetfield plays his modified diezel vh4, just to name a very few.a lot of the axe fx units you see on stage are just used for the digital effects stuffand that also makes sense to me.cheers -🎸🎸
Tube amps will never go away, but they are definitely becoming a luxury to own. I bought a Z-Wreck Jr. head when they first came out a few years back for $1599, now they are selling for $2299. Price increases have been crazy, especially at Fender.
@@masterofreality230 There won’t be a crash in prices from the manufacturers. It is possible that they will temporarily lower prices to move slower selling products, but as far as prices across the board are concerned the best we can hope for is less frequent price increases.
I've been struggling with my Mesa Boogie Dual Rec Roadster 100w head recently. I was on the fence about moving it on, couldn't get the amp to sound good at bedroom levels (young kids etc). I fitted new valves last week in an attempt to de-fizz the hi-gain channels with great success (JJ 6L6's and JJ 12AX7's gold pins). I got a Captor X after seeing my friend Michaels success with his Mark 5. I can drive it hard with the attenuator or straight into my Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohm headphones. I also just got a Mesa MIDI matrix so I can run all 8 features of the Roadster from my Line 6 HXFX. It feels like the best of all worlds with this combo. The love for my Rectifier is back, I have a solid live rig and can practice with it in my home without annoying my family. Valve amplification FTW! Cheers Fluff!
I love tube amps, but they're big and heavy and take up a lot of room when touring. They are more susceptible to breaking and I think they'll sound different from the start of the tour to the end of a tour or two. The digital age just makes it easier and cheaper to use
Im 27 and have always played through tube amps. Feeling has a lot to do with music, and having cool ass heads on top of 4x12 cabinets with a nice pedalboard in front of it feels cool! I dont think that they will ever fully go away.
This is very interesting because in the 80's and 90's this is the gear we wished we had. We had some companies like ADA, Rocktron, Digitech and others that had great sound but they were only a rack. The sounds for all these big multi pedals were mediocre but today it's amazing the quality sound you can get on a computer or pedal. Remember, much of the sound is subjective and most people (listeners) can't tell the difference with the sound. Also, with the pandemic it changed the way we do things. Things got more practical and tech blew up in such a way that the sound quality, usability and accessibility skyrocketed in such a positive way.
I don't like the sound of no amps on stage . I grew up going to concerts and the blend of the backline is so important . When I watch videos of bands using emulation and PA , you can hear a difference . The speakers of the P.A. are all the same and they does something to the sound . When there is no cabs or amps on stage it sounds weak . As for recording , emulation is GREAT !
I look at it like this: Tube amps or even great old solid state will always be a thing as long as bands like Queens of the Stone Age are playing and creating. I'm just using them as an example. I just can't see a band like them fully switching to the digital realm. The analog vs digital crowd will continue to exist. Long live "real" amplifiers!
It’s about to happen for me. Just got a Katana a couple weeks ago. It’s lightweight (important for us older folks), the patches can be configured to sound very good in their own right AND to produce “good enough” simulations of my fave amp sounds, and it contains all but a couple of the effects I have used! And there’s no grounding issues when trying to wire all those effects together… I have a few classic tube amps, and will likely be selling them soon.
Digital stuff sounds really really good these days and I use them all the time for practice, songwriting, and recording. But there is something very special about cranking up my tube amp and hearing it (and feeling it) in the room. Digital can not replicate that. I'd guess there are a lot of people these days that don't even know what that's like.
I've got The FX, Helix and a dozen top-notch tube amps, from Friedman to Bogner to Marshalls...and even a PRS HX/DA based on both Jimi's favorite 50w head & Duane Allman's Superbass from Live at The Fillmore. I use the tube amps live and mostly the digital units for rehearsal...and there is NO WAY any digital unit is matching the punch & balls of a real amp pushing air. No way, no how... and if you think your digital unit does, that's more than half the issue right there. Will tube amps be around in 20 years? As long as music isn't homogenized BS there will be
@@MorGuitarz Whenever someone makes statements like this, I know for a fact, they haven't actually used a 'digital unit' made for live use. Additionally, I doubt you have EVER tried an Axe FX.
I recently moved to pedalboard PreAmp straight into the PA but mainly because our band has invested in some pretty good in ears so we don't need the stage noise. Most venues have good enough facilities to deal with it too. I think the quality of in ears and PA in general has brought on a lot of the change too.
Some of these kids today will never know the rage of an older sister bursting into your room after hours of trying to learn Sweet Child of Mine solos... and it shows!!! LOL
I would have to agree. They will probably not completely go away for a long time (think about record players and vinyl), but they won't be the "standard" anymore
I think that's a great comparison. Tube amps will be for the purist who is willing to put up with the inconvenience and cost in order to experience those beautiful intangibles that come from tube amps.
People always insist on how things sound, which indeed matters, but at the end of the day it all boils down on how things FEEL. Tube amps feel great to play. Emulations? Not so much. Also I realize that my ear feels less tired & more inspired when I play my tube amp. As if my ear knew it was hearing the real thing as opposed to digital recreations. Don't fool yourself. Digital gear is super handy and it has its place, but it is still far, very far from what you'll experience using a real tube amp.
I’ll never go back to SS . Tube pre amps, tube power amps for home audio using studio Altec Lansing speakers. It’s all about reproduction, imaging, sound stage.
I’d if somebody never got spoiled playing good tube amps and just starts out, a digital box makes total sense. And that’s probably how it’s going to be for the lifespan of this player. Personally, I tried to switch to the modelers and spent 5 years on a Kemper and a couple more on Axe FX 3 but ultimately went back to a set of tube amps. And I am at peace with myself again.
I toured with Peavey 5150, Dual Rec, and Uberschall. I went Helix and VSTs and have no desire to go back. It's all about what scratches that itch for each of us. We are so blessed with choice.
I hated the Kemper and helix. Especially, the Kemper. It took yrs to get some great tube amps and I love them. Gave in and got a quad cortex and I was surprised how good it felt and sounded. I really like it. I think if someone has only ever used a plug in they’ll never understand. I believe amps are staying and will make a comeback like vinyl for a lot of players that had switched over to digital.
I ditched tube amps because they just weren’t practical for a home player like me. Then along came load boxes and irs and I’ve since amassed a little collection of amps because there’s something about a real amp that still can’t be beat. So in this context tube amps are actually more practical than they’ve ever been but technology is getting so close to replicating them now I can see a time when they just won’t be worth bothering with for most players.
The exact same thing happened to me. I used to do everything in the box, but with the load boxes and IRs, now I’ve got 5 tube amps lol I had zero a few years ago. I’m also old in comparison FWIW
Bro, I ditched them and I play live. Don’t miss them. Moving my gear around is so much more convenient. And I still have an amp and cab. It’s just solid state, and a REALLY efficient ported 112. Going to go stereo soon, and I’ll just be adding a Tube Amp Expander, and a cab. I don’t see any point in having a tube amp. And Fluff and I are only a few months apart in age. I know a ton of older dudes who switched to Kemper years ago for gigging too and didn’t look back.
Im 27 and just bought my first Orange Rockerverb stack along with an Orange Cab, definitely a milestone moment in my life. A whole new world , worth every penny.
Tried a quad cortex for one show. Ran front of house, and sounded pretty rad at soundcheck… I really missed the speakers pushing air on the stage. I need that low end thump near me. I think I’ll keep my tube amp ;)
I've tried all digital for 3 years. That's a fair amount of gigs in my case. The tone was nice, the audience, band members and sound guys were happy. Unfortunately I couldn't do it. I'm back to my good old halfstack setup... So yeah, my back is hurting again, I'm too loud on stage again and I'm back to arguing with sound guys about the guitar volume on stage. Why keep going through that? Because of the experience and inspiration! It's a totally different experience playing a halfstack on stage with traditional wedge monitoring blasting sound. The inspiration, the energy, the involvement with the crowd, the guitar feeding back as soon as you open the volume pot, the feeling of the palmuting on the back when the amp chugs, etc... It's all part of the magic energy of rock and metal. Take that away and sure, everything is more controlled and the FOH house sound is much more clear and balanced. But is that what you really want in a rock show? On my opinion the energy and inspiration is way more important. Unfortunately I can't really smile and feel inspired when performing in this new modern trend. It absolutely does NOT feel rock and roll.
Our guitarist won’t give up his tube stacks. We run all sorts of modern gear (in ears, VSTs, video art) but he simply has to have his wall of sound behind him. He’s ok unloading 4x12s from his van every time
I sold all my valve amps a few years ago to migrate into the ampless/cabless world. So I tried hardware like preamp pedals to amp/cab sims, I tried premps into computer with virtual power amp and IRs, I tried all in one units like the Helix, I tried virtual amp/cab plugins; all very nice and interesting. Fastforwad to now...I've bought all my valve amps back (not literally the same units though, that would be stupid LOL). I don't think once you play through a valve amp you can easily replace that feeling.
As an old guy who got back into guitar a year ago after a long hiatus, it became a math problem. I couldn’t afford all of the physical options between amps/cabs/effects. The FM3 got me all of that and more. I still lust after the physical gear but it will be a future addition to the collection not the requirement just to play and rock out.
"What's it like to play guitar that loud?" I think this may be the younger generation beginning to grasp the truly visceral nature of letting a "REAL" ( yes saying this as an older guy with tube amps) amplifier become an actual part of the guitar as an instrument on its own. I have dabbled with more modern tech, but nothing, and I mean nothing seems to inspire the way feeling a bunch of hot glowing glass respond to your touch, making some 4x12 cabinets actually hit you in the chest and make your clothes vibrate upon your frame. These folks just need to experience it.....I hope.
Ive always been in the mindset of, "if it sounds good, it sounds good". I'm in the middle. I came into guitar 15 years ago, and digital stuff was starting to get popular, was starting to not be total garbage, ie fractal, 11rack (which im still rocking to this day. Really want a Helix tho), hd500.. types. So it was all the same to me, just different tools for different jobs. What Orange has been doing with their solid state stuff, pedal baby (which i use to play the 11rack thru my 2x12 from time to time), the terror stamp, super crush series, just proves that a good sound, is a good sound. No matter what type of circuit the amp is made of.
From Mesa Boogie to Line 6 Helix here. I'm 61 and I'll never go back. The versatility, predictability, dependability are off the charts. Add a Variax, and the versatility is insane. A rolling suitcase and dual guitar backpack gig-bag is all I take, all I need. One trip to/from the car.
I think another reason for the transition is like you said is cause of the pain of taking the Amps and heads to gigs but also the risk of theft. Not saying your quad cortex or helix is not at risk for theft but weighing out the 2 I much rather keep my JP2C or 6505+ at home then to take on tour with me.
Started playing out live again, doing cover gigs, and for the last year I was only using my kemper, and had no complaints about my sound really, outside of inability to quickly add effects or changes on the go, but this last month decided to take the combo amp and board out since my drummer and bass player have real kit and amp and.. I ain’t going back to the kemper or direct in unless the venue is smaller than what we’ve been playing. Having that amp on stage to push air and really feel and hear a secondary sound outside of my in-ears immediately helped me find my feel easier in the mix and be way more confident in my playing. So until I guess I’m playing arenas (hahaha) the amp is coming with me no matter how bad it kills my back.
I loved my Orange Micro Terror Dark and my 1x12 cab. I probably shouldn't have sold it. But I also like living in an apartment and that thing was l o u d. Owning a tube amp is like owning a massive marble statue. Sure, the statue is expensive, but it's nothing in comparison to the cost of the room it should be in to make the most of it.
My Princeton works fine, it’s not too loud, I live in a row home in Philly. It’s not a big deal to play it at a decent volume. I play my Vibrolux at volume too and that’s 35 watts, no issues. Plus they’ll never become obsolete and fender isn’t going to hit me with some subscription service down the line in order to keep using it, which is coming, dont doubt that. And then what happens in five years when the technology is obsolete and they stop supporting the version you have? Then you have a 1500 dollar paper weight. My 1500 dollar tube amp will last my entire life. Plus it actually sounds good, and feels good to play. Those digital modeling things only work for high gain metal tones because there’s hardly any real tone there anyway it’s just super compressed distortion. Plus I like playing with fuzz and fuzz really only works well with tube amps.
@@channtastic I can hear conversations in the hallway like there's no door in between. I've been in places where I could hear conversations from the adjacent apartments. I can't run a subwoofer, I have to turn the bass down on my speakers so it doesn't resonate through the whole building. The micro terror was absolutely too loud.
@@teknonmy7210 you're right, I had the Micro Terror (not the Dark) with the same cab and they're loud af. I have a Rocker Terror 15 and a Torpedo and couldn't be happier - I think the amp + loadbox combo is the way to go.
This conversation is the reason I love my Victory V4 Sheriff, a hybrid amp that runs off 1 x EC900 and 3 x CV4014 pre amp tubes, a solid state power amp, and two notes dynIR cab sims for the best of both worlds. Run it through an actual cab and its practically indistinguishable from the full size amp version. Run it DI with the cab sim and sonically its practically indistinguishable from an actual mic’ed cab. You can use headphones for practicing, run DI into an interface for recording, and it fits perfectly on your pedalboard. It’s a perfect win win for me and my rig needs.
As someone who isn’t a guitar player, but a drummer in a band who deals with tube amps. The sound from a Marshall, Mesa, peavey or any other quality tube amp is such a raw and awesome tone. BUT carrying those things to shows can be taxing, plus the constant moving and hauling can cause a lot of wear on the internals of the amp. Our goal is to go digital for shows as soon as we can just because it makes more sense honestly
On my experience, the audience can't tell. Also, a modelled amp may not be perfect but the sound is better than trying to get a Marshall sound from a Fender, or a Vox sound from a Marshall.
Hi Fluff, I'm 35 and I do agree with you that it's mostly going to be like classic cars. However, I do think smaller size tube amps or hybrid amps will stay for a while like 1x12 combos. I also got myself a Joyo Zombie II and a Harley Benton V30 1x12, they are so much fun but I can hardly turn up the volume more than 1/10 as neighbor situations.
Recently switched from a Rectifier to a line6 helix stomp. We still played through cabs on our Tour, since the soundguys usually had everything set up for using them already. But yeah, having a small little box on your pedal board is a lot less of a hassle than carrying a tube head (takes less space in the van, too).
Old person here. Help. How did you use your helix and a cab at the same time? I thought the point of those was to lose that. So you need a traditional cab and a power amp and the effects processor? What’s the point? Fluff was saying the same thing. Using his helix with cabs. Why and how? What am I missing? Lol.
@@briansubsist some folks like to use just the effects, or just an amp sim into a real cab. My band is a bunch of luddites that scoffed at my headrush, so for a while i used BOTH and to be fair it was glorious! But too much to carry in the end
@@briansubsist Hey Brian, you need a poweamp (I have a harley benton cheapo one but the seymure duncan ones are great for small form factor). you have to create a parallel output path after the amp block and then you can select another output for that path without a cab sim. I used that one live since most sound engineers were more comfortable with "their" setup (cab+mic) and I use it in our rehearsal room, since we only have a small pa for vocals. Cheers
Another old dude here that still goes to concerts all the time. No amps on stage is killing the rock concert experience. Rock concerts with modelers and in-ears are pale shadows of what rock concerts used to be. All the vibe, magic, and energy are almost gone. Might as well stay home and watch a concert on tv.
@@Plexi417 I, as part of the crowd, don't care tbh. Sound is better without way too loud amp stacks (even though most of them were dummys anyway for most bands). But that is just my opinion, I never cared much for the "aesthetic" of amps. As long as the band performs well and is charismatic with the crowd, I will have fun. But people enjoy different things :)
On contraire 😂 headphone Jack's are actually becoming the luxury 😂, so bizare, regarding all tube amps, one of my dreams is owning a Laney Vh100R, but always talk myself out of it due to practicality and garbage valves being manufactured these days, nothing beats the sound of all valves, if you are a Metalhead it is essential 🤘😆
Literally sold all my amps and went to exclusively Headrush about 4 months ago. I was super picky about tone, no regrets here! Makes being my own roadie much easier on the back and it sounds consistently good every time. The options are endless and anything you could need is right there
wise choice I can get 90% of tube amp sound with my HX Stomp and Headrush FRFR powered cab. Free software updates get new effects, cabs and amp models as well. I save thousands as get Diezel, ENGL and Friedman sound in one small box. For travel nothing beats it.
I love the Headrush. Honestly, if I could play it through a guitar cab, I’d be perfectly content I think. The modelers nail the sound, but it never quite got the feel right for me.
I primarily use the axe fx but tube amps to me will always be king. Every time I go back to playing through a physical amp it’s like a breath of fresh air. Digital just doesn’t have the same feel although they definitely are more convenient.
You could be right. Several years ago, a friends kid wanted to start playing guitar, so I gave him a cheap Tele knock-off, a small practice amp, a couple of cheap pedals, cables, etc. I had laying around that weren't being used. I got feedback that he was picking it up quickly. My first thought was he'll need a bigger amp soon, probably a lunchbox tube amp. I ran into the kid the other day, and he told me all about his new rig. Guitar into DI box into his MacBook, software, plugins, headphones. Happy as a clam. And I agree with the muscle car analogy, but I would extend it to include high-end sports cars. In the future the tube amp market may be relegated to old used tube amps, and high end boutique builders. Just like vinyl and turntables until recently I don't think they will ever completely go away, but it will be old stock and high end. Very little to nothing in-between.
Agreed... Tube amps are somewhat unpractical nowadays. But... If you've never tried a decent one fitting your playing style, whatever it may be, you're missing out on a lot of fun. Most modern tube amps have really well working master volume controls, so there may not be the need for attenuation but of course, they sound best at a certain volume level. Though what really stands out when playing tube amps is the feeling and the emotion you experience when the sound hits you (I got custom ear filters, so I'm not loosing sound quality but keep my ears safe). You can't really get that from digital devices and I own a QC and a helix as well as I've tried lots of other digital stuff. The reaction of the real amp to your picking is just awesome. I still own several tube amps and there are more to come but as initially stated, I completely understand the necessity of traveling light when touring and you get decent tones out of a QC for example which for me comes closest to the real deal... A TUBE AMP!! 😂 🤘🏼
I’m all in on modelers from day one (Amp Farm, 1998), but I have four Boogies in here and MAN are they fun to play. I have a gig on Saturday and it’s Helix for effects, going straight into the front of a California Tweed at ‘pushed clean.’ Sounds like I’m playing through a hunk of butter. Glory hallelujah!
Great topic. Just don't know if I could ever get to no amp or speaker on stage with my tone. I have in ears but prefer one in and one out as I feel more involved in the overall live gig experience. With the one ear out, I need some guitar stage volume to compete with the acoustic drums. Thanks for all you do.
Completely agree. Back when I played at church even just a few years ago, I had a Line6 POD HD500 hooked to the church PA via a DI box to the snake. The cab sim and effects were more than enough, no need for an amp at all. I recently bought a Boss Katana for home and it's all I'll ever need, and sounds CRAZY good. So good it's honestly hard to tell it isn't a tube amp. Solid state amps and/or modeling aren't the future. They're the now.
I think you’re absolutely right, Fluff. As a guitar player and working audio engineer, a dialed in direct tone with a good speaker impulse is always preferred over a mic and cab. It’s just better. No stage noise. No mic placement issues and FOH appreciates not competing with guitar amps. Add in in ear monitoring and you have a recipe for amazing monitoring and FOH sound. The band and audience both benefit.
Amp sims sound TOO “perfect”. Its cool if you are doing some ultra obnoxious modern metal or pop punk mix, but trying to do anything actually interesting with your guitar tone is almost impossible with any Axe FX dogshit
They’ll never go away, for the simple reason that everything else is an imitation of the real thing. People been saying tube amps would go extinct since the transistor amp was invented… Don’t get me wrong, I like plugins and amp sims. They serve a purpose (don’t have to lug them around, easy for quick recording), but everytime I pick up my guitar to practice or just to jam a bit… I use a real amp.
A funny thing is seeing people on forums debating about this or that NDSP plugin, some owning all of them...and I think what the...with the same money you would have bought a real tube amp + load box 😅
I’ve recorded even DI with IRs using everything imaginable. Even with headphones and my Sky King amp, which some may think is overkill for a DI writing/recording session…it’s a pretty big difference. 6v6 had a bite to it and smooth mid range, 6L6 has this big warm sound that gets more cracking as you crank and dial the eq back. I’m not really getting that depth even with a Tech 21 amp pedal. But most would argue in a big mix that’s compressed, EQ and all that you wouldn’t notice. I look back at tons of recording with a amp in a box and a tube amp. It def sits different and the tube amp still has a more lively polished sound to me. If you’re playing metal with nothing but gain..it would prob be harder to tell I guess in a mix. In this video he’s taking from a point of touring that many don’t do. For the masses I still think a HRD or Blues JR is cheaper, and better value in the end. Now if we could only get tube amp companies to hold up to higher standards! That’s one thing I feel even the “boutique” ones are not even doing these days. I’ve had a lot of recent tube amps almost all need a tech day one. But for me they are worth it! And I’m fine throwing money at it for upgrades, and upkeep every few years.
Theres this feel that you get with a tube amp that you dont really get with a modeler. It might sound sonically pretty much the same, but you cant replicate that feeling. Its almost like you can feel the energy of the amp coming through the guitar
I played various digital devices such as Kemper etc also with high end active cabinets....In the end, the analog way to play guitar gives me te most authentic feeling and response. The nearest non tube thing to a tube amp now is the Amp1 from Bluguitar which is an analog device. It is 98% there....but it did not convince me yet to sell all of my tube amps.
Oddly enough I feel inundated with a resurgence of buzz around tube amps, and it feels great. I'm only 26 and started playing at 10, but I grew up playing a Line 6 Spider (and still do unfortunately, long story) and I have always and will always dream of shelves upon shelves tube amps and a handful of cabinets...
You’re crazy if you ever think digital plugins will beat a 50 or 100 watt tube head through a 412 cranked. You can take your headphones your star bucks and your Tesla and walk on home boy. 😂
The ease of transportation and quick setup are definitely advantageous points for the modeling amplification. But there is nothing like an AC/DC wall of Marshalls lining the stage. It’s fucking loud before a chord is struck. That being said, yes my beloved tube amplifiers are going to be vintage collectibles soon. The technology to replicate the tones generated by tubes is very impressive. When I saw Black Sabbath’s THE END tour in 2016 they used a 4/12 on top of a 2/12 cab for a 3/4 stack and ran them across the stage . Definitely downsizing, but the visuals were there. I hate seeing a stage that has no GEAR on it. For show bars that have multiple acts every night , the front of house style does make a lot of sense, but arena rock , NO WAY
That’s funny, man. I love to ogle gear live - I mean it’s half the enjoyment for me - but shoot if they don’t have anything up there I’m not upset about it. And I love the interaction of gear/the quest for tone and all of that. The difference between our takes on it is intriguing to me. Thanks, YT comments section, for once. :)
I think it sort of comes down to what type of music that you want to play as to what type of amp that you want to use. I have a Fender Mustang III version 1 and as far as modeling is concerned, it's sort of "mehh" for the genre that I like to play (surf rock instrumental) so I put together a pedal board that is specific to the style that I'm going for. I also have a vintage 1967 Fender Super Reverb amp (it's a tube amp) that functions but needs work to get right. As to which one I prefer, I'm not really sure because the "Super" needs a little TLC before it's ready to use, but the Mustang is OK, but I have to use effects pedals to get it to sound like I want it to and it's a hassle to dial everything in just right, and that's every time, because the amp resets itself whenever I power it up. I believe solid state amps like the old Peavey Bandits are pretty good for the most part but some of the modeling amps with multiple settings/sound effects aren't much better than the Casio keyboards from Toy R Us in the 1980s. This video, like my opinion, is totally subjective and you have to decide for yourself.
My gigging days are over and I lm just a home player now - this said, I’ve never found a digital solution I’m happy with. I’ll run my tube heads at 2% volume happily for the rest of my life. You can get close with a recorded sound, but you’ll never nail the feel of a tube amp pushing a cab - that experience is part of the joy of playing for me
Isn't a digital modeler going thru a power amp and cab the same? Honest question, because even tho I played with tube amps in the past, I never really got the appeal, they didn't better than digital/solid state stuff.
Amen to that!
@@deadasfak tube amps respond differently, personally I feel the tube amp pushing back at me when playing, it’s a subtle feeling but it’s there, it’s a more embodied experience. Also, tubes do provide some overtones and different quality of the sound that is hard to replicate. Digital amps are an emulation that is physically removed from the guitar, especially the software like neural dsp. That said I do like my Boss Waza headphones.
You are entitled to your opinion. Quite happy with the Helix and the Powercab+
So, here’s the thing I like about tube amps….. they aren’t ever going to become obsolete, I can repair them myself, my brother has enough transformers, resistors, capacitors to fix 100 tube amps, plus hundreds of new old stock RCA tubes, Mullard, etc. It seems like every year the new generation of modeling systems come out, and guaranteed it’s going to become a subscription service like everything else. Also, the only genre they actually sound somewhat ok is metal. Anything that requires dynamics they don’t work.
Hey, I'm 17 and I just bought a 100W Marshall head with 4x12 cabinet, and what I can say is that you will never get that feeling of playing a big, cranked tube amp from a plugin. It's just.. impossible. You have to feel the knobs under your fingers, and feel the wind blowing through the speakers. I know it's a bit uncomfortable to tour and carry big stacks of amps and cabs, but it's really worth it, especially when you finally can play a show with a tube amp behind you. Love it
Greetings from Poland!
I couldn’t agree with you more. Having the sound of your amp hitting you onstage just magnifies the energy of the experience, and as long as the sound guy is worth a shit, that energy will get transferred to the audience and they’ll walk away from your show thinking how much better your band was then the last band they saw that was using modelers and in-ears, but they won’t know why.
@@Plexi417 exactly!
rock on brother!!! hope you have a fill stack by now!!!! (Gave my full stack + head to a local band here and they are killing it!!!)
Yep. The most difficult things to digitally emulate/replace happen to be the most primitive: spring reverb, fuzz and tubes
And I can fix my vintage tube amp, and most of the new-er ones. I don't have the tools to tackle SMD DSP circuits.
Conversations like this always focus on whether or not the amp or plugin sounds the same but always neglects to consider whether or not the player will sound different using different gear. Having a powerful amp in the room changes how I feel about my playing, inspires me, gives me confidence, and that makes *me* sound better. Tube amps are a cool inspiring musical device, and that counts for a lot
You hit the nail on the head in your first sentence. In my studio I have a lot of young (HS Sr, young college) they always want to play though my tube amps to record. It dawned on after working with a band several days trying to get a good guitar tone recorded, that they had no idea how to play through a tube head. So I loaded up S-Gear and/or TH-U and dialed in their sound, and like magic, they performed better, sounded better and we got all the parts down. They were not used to the sag, and dynamics that a quality tube head imparts - they only ever played solid state or Amp Sim pedals live. Likewise, I had some 50-60 year olds in to record and they could not play through an amp sim at all.
A good friend of mine who has a collection of very nice vintage fenders, some matchless and marshalls finally added a Amp Sim Pedal to his touring board...it's taken him about 2 years to really learn how to get the most out of it which forced him to adjust his playing style.
For me - Tube head. ToneX IR load box. best of both worlds.
being good at guitar makes me sound better. but hey cant pay for that can you?
@@blessedspaghetti no i had to earn that, by practicing with my cheap but slightly hot rodded vox ac15 :)
@@lucistired ive never met any guitarists that had confidence issues based on gear they use. on the contrary, ive met many, many guitarists that use gear as an excuse to not practice as much as they should. theyre always that one expensive piece of gear away from being able to finally just start playing.
if youre a competent guitarists, your performance should be consistent and not dependant on having a certain kind of amp. in the real worls, youll need to be adaptable.
the kind of musician that "needs" a 100w tube amp in a situation where its completely inappropriate is the worst musician to be around. the kind that can play the same wether theyre plugged into a marshall or a can of coke are the ones that make great music.
@@blessedspaghetti You make that comment about amps as if there aren't so many people who need that one plugin to be able to well. What you're saying is an issue with amp people is just an issue with people. I never said anything about needing a particular piece to sound good, I regularly play through modelers at sessions, and various different practice and backline amps, but I prefer my tube amps because I know them well and I love their sound. Adaptability comes with being good at the instrument, being good at the instrument comes from practice, and practice that leads to real artful playing comes from inspiration. Let people have their inspiration
Tube amps and analog are incredible to play through. It's like playing a real grand piano vs. a synthesizer. Every guitarist should be familiar with it.
I agree with everything but the last section. Whatever works for you is the best, it’s all a subjective matter. While a fan of analog myself too, the main advantages of digital from a practical perspective are, as a gigging player, every space has a decent PA these days to hook them into and sound good being lightweight; as a studio player/producer, you can easily re-record, overdub and edit projects whereas an analog environment makes it near impossible to recreate once the session’s over.
For the bedroom player or the gigging musician who knows the tone they’re after and so all the versatility digital offers is redundant, sure thing its the way to go!
@@acoffeewithsatan To be clear, I said every guitarist should be *familiar* with tube amps, as in get acquainted with how it feels to play one and what exactly is being modeled, etc. I didn’t say anyone should be forced to use one and I would be the last to argue against the many benefits of digital setups these days.
That said, I’ll never forget when I was sound-checking, using a tube amp with real cab and mic setup. The other guitarist was using a Helix. (This was outdoors, not a metal gig but mainstream pop/rock) The sound guy comes up and says “ok you (Helix guy) sound good, you (me) sound DAMN good.” So there’s that.
@@AlexH8280 most people I have seen have terrible tones call it amp users or modelers users. You are probably one of the good musicians who have good tones.
What I have noticed is that Helix users or any modelers users try to look for setups that are plug it and quit it without investing time in their sound to make it sound better. In the other hand we have people (including me) who likes to dedicate a lot of time building their sound to archive the holly grail of sound using the advantages of computers combining pedals in convenient ways or modulating the sound in ways are almost impossible with analog setups (otherwise a real pedalboard would be excessively big).
In short, most musicians sucks and probably you don't.
(BOSS GT1000 user here)
@@ClaimedEagle Thanks I’ll take that - I believe too that I don’t suck 😂. I remember now, that was a hybrid rig; I was running my Eleven Rack into the power section of my Marshall Origin 50, using it for preamps and effects, but still using the amp and cab for that “real amp vibe”. Why? Mostly because I could 😂 but yeah, it wasn’t hard at all to dial in and sound, as the sound guy put it, “damn good”.
agree love my Mesa Mark V, Uberschall and Mezzabarba tube amps. But when the tubes fail they are a pain and expensive to replace every few years.
Tube amp + attenuator and I’m fine at home. Attenuator completely changed my experience of playing at home. I always prefer the tone of tube amps over plugins, even though they are obviously less convenient.
What tube amp and attenuator you have?
@@From_the_mil Peavey XXX, 6505+ and JVM410H, I use a Torpedo Captor for attenuation :)
Fully agree man!victory super kraken and torpedo captor with a closed back orange 2x12 sounds absolutely mint
@@brownsparlour9813 nice!
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 + Torpedo Captor X here.
I'm older and from what I see, great tube amplifiers have never been more affordable
Youknow? Things dropping in price means demand drop
@@Eric-dd8bk I would agree if we were seeing markets respond to this with less amplifier production, but we're not. Instead, we're seeing an abundance of amplifier innovation. Prices dropped due to an increase in the supply of quality amplifiers
It depends which ones. Many larger amplifiers on used market can be had for some sort of a deal now at least compared to small and mid sized classics… with vintage vox acs, Marshall’s, and bassmen being exceptions
Well i'm a Marshall guy and it's the opposite. They keep going up on price and getting sold for the new price.
@@guitarexpert2245 Electronics are just that way for now. Still catching up from the ridiculous Covid shutdowns
Tube amps will never die, and vinyl records will tell you the same thing. As much as I love amp sims, I will always gravitate towards the real thing. Tube amp, load box, and some IR's are the perfect solution for bedroom volumes. There are a ton of affordable used tube amps out there. You don't need some 3000-dollar amp to get good tone. Most of us know it's the speaker, mic, and cab that matter most in your signal chain.
Tube amps will never go away but sadly it will never go mainstream again unlike vinyl recrod. The reason vinyl came back to mainstream is because it's "cool" & way more varsity or appeal to a wider audience than tube amp which will only appeal to niche legit guitarists. Also another thing: a tube amp are way more expensive than whole vinyl setup lol
I think what he's saying is that they will get more expensive over time and have less appeal to the younger crowd as digital takes over more and more. I agree that you can't beat the sound of the real thing with a real cab.
Mechanical watches come to mind. Quartz was supposed to be the latest and greatest. There is an industry and a very dedicated and growing consumer base.
5150 iconic 40w combo with the 10w feature. Bedroom volume with full powered tubes, problem solved ;)
Even cheaper amps like H&K, Egnater, etc sound awesome thru a loadbox. I use modelers most of the time but occasionally will run a tube amp direct and it’s a thing of beauty. Biggest things I notice upon switching are better response and harsh top end goes away. Not always practical though like Fluff says so I do both depending on my needs.
No matter how the world changes... I'll be that old dude that still sits in his garage with a WALL of tube amps and cabinets reminiscing about the "Good ol days" 😂
Beer in hand, awesome neon signs, and loud riffs all night long 🔥🔥
i kinda like that though. .
every single guy Ive seen say tube amps are dead is sitting in their bedroom with no drummer or bassist and had questionable muscle tone
Amp companies are making smaller amps with built in load boxes to connect straight to an interface ie Mesa Badlander, REVV, etc. They’re also putting out lower wattage amps at relatively lower prices. I’m 33 and I’ve had all the modelers but finally found the tone I was looking for from a 25 W Mesa Badlander. I can record quietly or play into headphones. I also just got a speaker cab. I get option paralysis with amp sims, but with just a few knobs on the real amp, I can dial in exactly what I want. I think amp companies are shifting and I welcome it. I will be buying the 20W Friedman JJ next year.
Though I understand the many benefits of the newer technology, option paralysis is a thing for some of us. There is something wonderful about plugging into a nice amplifier (maybe with some pedals) designed for the instrument, turning some knobs and simply playing. No futzing about too much with this and that. Even at lower volumes they impart a quality that I am uncertain can be duplicated otherwise.
I have a 1-watt Fryette that's the same concept except even less output. Run that sucker into my Two Notes Torpedo CAB M+, and I'm rocking away with a tube headphone amp and DI interface. Any amp tone I want to make is a switch and a cab sim away.
I love my Revv 120 mkiii for this reason. I get the sound of a tube amp with the convenience of two notes direct into my interface when I don’t want to hear my cab speakers. It’s almost the best of both worlds and I would love to see this more standard on some of the bigger amp makers out there. If they made a dual rectifier or orange rocker verb with two notes built in I would buy it yesterday.
The speaker sim out of JJ jr sounds great FOH.
I still don’t get to turn the head up through 112 Friedman cab at most local venues. Same volume control for sim out, so having the speaker as my "personal" guitar monitor is no advantage. that said, I *do* look for JJ models for my, er, modelers.
I had a pod go. Brought it to rehearsal. Well at the rehearsal you are not playing through a 5000 or 10,000 dollar p.a. ( unless you have your own space and invested in one yourself) so now you need a FRfR or really good wedge monitor. So practicality became impractical. Remember if you are a local hero playing local shows you are at the mercy of whatever p.a. they either own or have rented at the local gig. So unless you are a big touring band playing through high end pa's with your moddler you will still need a good sounding FRFr or wedge monitor. Due to this I sold my pod go. Rebuilt my pedal board and am.sticking with my Amp head and cab set up. Maybe I'll try a katana artist at some point or something like that. Cheers.
I agree. Tube Amps are a luxury...
Less in terms of "oh no, it's so pricey" luxury,
but definitely more in terms of "I can't afford to keep something this big when my home is so small, and it's so cumbersome/costly to move it from place to place", "I can't afford to play something this loud when I'm not guaranteed to be able to play/practice where I won't get complaints" kind of luxury.
(Especially considering that less and less people can buy their own homes these days. Size and Mass matters, unfortunately)
Tube combo/stacks are most likely going to end up as enthusiast collecters' items, or for recording studio purposes.
Nailed it. That and live gigs is where you'll see them.
It's time to move out of your mom's basement. :)
Studios are increasingly using amp sims now. Amps on records are getting rarer too.
Not gonna lie, having a dad who was a tube amp repair tech and one of the only "good ones" in my area, i was SUPER fortunate growing up being able to check out a bunch of different amps as they came through the house. Stuff that id never be able to afford or see as some rare gems cane through.
**edit**
From the replies I'm not sure if my comment was read correctly, when I said "good ones" I meant out of repair techs, wasn't referring to amps. Alot of people would end up sending their amps to my dad to fix after bringing it to other places that either made the problem worse or better yet those places would just contract my dad to fix em lol
So which ones were good, and which ones were junk?
what are your favorites you've gotten to mess with? I've played a good amount of amps but I'm always eager to look for more lol
Yeah, I also would like to know what some of the good amps were.
@@TheCyberMantis "good is subjective" but junk? Well a there was a bunch of the old line6 tube amps came through, all with the same problem lol from what I remember how my dad explained was the placement of the tubes used to melt the circuit board 😬😬 terrible design flaw
@@chthonicwarlord it's going back in my memory but one of the amps I was completely stoked to check out was a old dime Krank signature. Awesome tone.
I work in a music store....and I am an old guy that grew up on tube amps. Most younger players have no idea what it like to plug into a real amp, or play at pant leg moving volumes. They know modeling amps and plug ins. We sell modeling amps every day, the odd tube amp and normally to the 40 and up demographic. I love both tube amps and today's modeling and capture options. Honestly my tube amps stay at home, I don't wanna haul them around anymore. And having XLR outs to FOH live and USB for recording has made it easier than ever to get a great tone anywhere. I have this convo almost daily at work, and I agree while amps may never go away, they are not mainstream anymore.
a real amp...please :))) do you still watch Tv on your grandmas Tv remeber the old heavy ass with wooden box and glass screen? those had tubes too !
@@naturalianossYour tone def.
@@RaiderJay9092 ok toneboy besides being obsessed with your tone have you ever written any music worth listening to ? or you just play with the knobs ?
@naturalianoss Yes, I have a album being pressed and guess what. It was recorded with tube amps. So where is your music?
Completely agree. I think the main turning point has been that everything surrounding a modern musician is conducive to using gear that is as small, light and quiet as possible on stage.
I found out really early on when playing clubs how unusable a traditional amp and cab was on stage (completely regardless of what the wattage or cabinet size was), I was never able to get my amp loud enough for it to start sounding right. I was being constantly told to turn down, sometimes to the point where if I turned my amp down anymore there would be no volume at all.
I got to the point where I thought what’s the point anymore, ended up buying a quad cortex and as much as I do miss my amps it’s so much easier in pretty much every way.
I really don’t miss being hounded by the promoter or sound engineer to hurry up setting up my equipment because they can’t ever seem to organise changeover timing properly.
And if you are able to leave your modeller plugged in until you go on you literally just have to switch it on and you’re good to go.
For me was something like I don't want to have only one amp sound for my entire show. A lot of the songs I play work better with different sounds and a tube amp can't deliver that unless I carry more than one which is a pain in the ass. I'm a GT1000 user and I play with all the flexibility I could ask. Funny thing is I don't use the replicas, the original models that BOSS included are awesome and knowing that there's no real amp with that sound just solidify my bond to my unit.
Just curious what you use for monitoring? IEM's, FRFR or house monitors? I've scaled back toa lunch box sized head and small speaker cab for convenience but would love to just go direct with a modeler but I'm not sure what would be best/easiest to hear myself.
So I wanna say that I’m 39 and I really feel this. I use a SS Orange these days and it really leaves me nothing to be desired so I’m not at all shocked that a younger person who isn’t conditioned to “need” an amp rig couldn’t care less about them. I do love amps and amp culture. K, I’m gonna go roll a blunt on my svt classic now ❤️🔥
I bought a fender tonemaster when they came out specifically because I wanted to avoid the caveats that come with tubes. i.e. weight, maintenance, etc. After a year of enjoying it, I had the opportunity to buy a vintage 60's deluxe. Now the poor tonemaster sits there, in all it's lightweight and convenient glory, silently looking on as the valve amp gets all the love.
It's not that the tonemaster is a bad amp in any way.. its a very serviceable pedal platform with some actual character; but the valve amp just feels better in every conceivable way. The advantage of this is that my amp inspires me to play where it used to just be a part of the rig. Now I can glance over lovingly at the thing and get the urge to flip that standby switch and see what fun there is to be had. I think ultimately it comes down to what works for you and what inspires you to play.
More room in the the tube amp for the electrons to bounce and create over tones in a modeling amp you are , modeling why not just play the thing that sounds good to begin with ?
I’d be curious as to what would happen if you swapped the speakers in those two amps, cause that difference is like having two equal football teams and then giving one of them Messi.
We hear the difference. Audiences don't.
Feeling and experience is a huge appeal for me with tube amps. I enjoy playing with some neural dsp plugins when I want to experiment and push into weird territory, but my tube amp reigns supreme for that raw lived in sound. The responsiveness is immediate and having sound go through a real circuit has this magic to it. It’s the same reason I still collect and listen to music on vinyl. I know that vinyl isn’t a perfect medium, but the experience of taking the record out and appreciating the art in the LP is a connection to music that has been lost in the digital age. I’m a millennial but I still have nostalgia for a past I’ve never lived. Digital is wonderful but I still enjoy the physical mediums just as much.
@@SlayerGamingHQ This. Tube amps respond differently... they just feel organic... especially old Fenders. you just can't replace them... no matter how many cpus and firmware updates you use
As a working guitar player I can say you are bang on!! Guitar processors, direct to FOH, in ear systems, very minimal stage noise, etc.
They said the same about vinyl and cassettes. Tube amps will make a come back as people will get fed up of digital and want a return to a more natural sounding amp. I recently got a Fender Blues Deluxe and no plugin comes even close to it. Sure its loud, heavy and has tubes. But what sounds good, sounds good.
for recording purposes Tube amps are indistinguishable from modellers. For a live setting as well the crowd is not going to notice a difference. Only matters if you're jamming in a garage with the homies.
Yeah is your brain with the nostalgia factor making you think that can't be replicated.
Only a few things are complicated or impossible to replicate. One, is the tube smell, I just love the smell; two, is how the amp reacts to your guitar playing, that part is really hard, but I like to see it that not every tube amp reacts the same so it applies the same to Amp sims.
Out of that, we already at a point where amp sims are better than tube amps. Tube amps is just a luxury at this point and you get more per buck using technology that also is reliable, cheap and confortable.
What "sounds good" is completely subjective. If you are accustomed to hearing a tube amp that sounds good/natural to you. If you are accustomed to hearing a modeler, that sounds good/natural to you. The reality is it really mostly depends on what time you came up playing in.
I have a Blues Deluxe as well with an upgraded speaker. With a Blues Driver and an attenuator it is el primo.
@@jasonbates2687 Tube amps obsolete? What I see is these modellers are obsolete within a few years, and if they have a problem they can't be fixed...on the other hand, tube amps from the 50s and 60s are still being used because they sound amazing, and serviced because they can actually be worked on
Funnily I've started collecting tube amps when modeling became really a thing and I don't regret it.
These are beautiful devices and playing through these with an attenuator feels a lot different than playing with my plugins and I prefer it.
I'll continue to buy tube amps.
Same. The more folks switched to modelling, the more valve amps I bought .
So many great bargains around as folks sell off their amps!
I bought a Kemper in 2022, and I love it and use it. But it also made me want more valve amps. Two in the last 12 months, having not bought a new one in a decade.
I'll be playing tube amps until the day I die, or retire from this passion.
I’ve been on the solid state train as long as I’ve picked up guitar, I’m all for a resurgence of solid state analog heads with modern solid state tech
I used to be a huge proponent of solid state and digital modeling amps. Then I got tube amps and they sound so much better. In a mix they sound so much better when mic’d up than modeling amps. I’ve totally changed my opinion because I used to think tubes were overrated
No way the power of a tube amp and feel , is ultimate feeling , and makes me play in a different way !
Hate to break it to ya. It's not the tube amp you're feeling. It's probably the feel of the speakers moving air. Which you can get by plugging a 412 into any SS power amp.
@ I just don’t like digital . Not my cup of tea .
I’ve got an AxeFx III. I also have 11 tube amps. I think it comes down to physical feel. The AxeFx, even through cheap speakers, sounds great. But the feel of a speaker cab with a tube amp pushing air back at you is the feel you can’t get with processors. The AxeFx with a power amp into a speaker cab doesn’t do the same thing either.
I play my guitar straight into the amp. I roll the volume back, adjust the tone control and pick lighter or harder. I can play an entire gig of covers from blues, country, jazz, hard rock, classic rock, and 80’s hair metal without touching my amp for 3 hours. You’ll never be able to do that digitally. I’ve tried the fractal fm9 and line 6 stuff. Not my jam. I’ll continue to use my amp. I don’t even like 99% of overdrives out there and even I like some trem and delay in the Fx loop, I can get by without it. The simplicity of just a really good guitar straight into an extraordinary amp just brings out my best.
Have you tried the Boss Bd Blues driver? I use it with Fuzz and it's actually really good. I'm the same way. I pluginn directly. I believe all this Extra equipment that people buy is overkill, it silly if you ask me.
You'll have to pry mine out of my cold dead hands! 😆🤣😂 🤣
You are right, when considering stage performances and touring, there are several positive aspects to using amp simulations (such as Fractal, Kemper, Neural, etc.):
1. Quieter stage environment: Amp simulations contribute to a reduction in overall stage volume.
2. Reduced background noise: Using amp simulations requires fewer microphones, resulting in less noise interference, especially for vocals, drummers microphones. Drummers also benefit from a reduced number of microphones/ triggers.
3. Improved microphone isolation and on-stage comfort: Amp simulations help isolate microphones, providing a more comfortable and less noisy experience for musicians on stage.
4. Consistent sound reproduction: Amp simulations ensure a consistent sound across different gigs, stages, and venues.
5. Decreased weight and financial burden: Amp simulations eliminate the need for heavy amplifier cabinets, reducing the weight and cost of transportation.
However, there are some drawbacks to using amp simulations:
1. Potential loss of dynamic playing: Relying solely on amp simulations may lead to a tendency for your right hand to become lazy (due to compression and digital response which sounds better but also resulting in a loss of dynamic expression!!! In studio environment it's absolutely important!!!
2. Good tube amps are easy to maintenance/nor expensive:)
3. Its great money investment: so far really good/used amp became more expensive tool every year.
4 History make a circles....
If you can get the Drummer to play electronic drums and pipe everything through a good PA, you can play at all venues.
I'm not sure how amp sims eliminate the need for cabinets. Isn't it the pa that serves that purpose? Surely amp sims only eliminate the need for an amp. Btw, I'm not trying to be argumentative. Maybe I'm missing something.
@@castleanthrax1833 Amp sims do what they say. Simulate an real amp. So why not use the real thing? There is nothing like it
@guitarexpert2245 My comment was about cabinets, not amps. It's clear from my comment that I'm aware of what an amps sim is. Btw, to answer your question, there's loads of reasons why you'd use amp sims over a "real" amp. To save your back is just one. You can carry hundreds of amps sims in one hand, but you can't do that with real amps.
If you want a quieter envoriment, stay home and read a book. Rock is LOUD
Going from digital to tube amps was the best thing ive ever done. I can be categorized as the young ones at 24
Perhaps there's hope for humanity after all. 😉😁👍🤘👊
I know a 22 year old who refuses to play anything except vintage tube amps
My $.02 on the subject. I will never be in a band so I will never know the feeling of playing live through a tube amp. And I don’t consider myself very good at electric guitar. However, I can hear what sounds good and what does not. I sold my Vox tube amp yesterday because I have the Fender Mustang GTX50 and I couldn’t hear any noticeable difference between the two as I noodled in my office. I sold the tube amp to a nice gentleman who plays live with a group of friends. In addition, the professional music industry seems to have changed. There are so many independent artists and groups that create sounds and send files to each other. I am a huge Alter Bridge fan and in a recent Guitar World article Myles Kennedy talked about how he and Mark Tremonti send files back and forth to each other. Tremonti lives in Florida and Kennedy doesn’t. Obviously live they use tube amps. I would have to believe that much of the music being created by indie artists is through digital modeling programs or equipment. I doubt if anyone can tell the difference. Ultimately, I sold mine to free up space and with the GTX50 I still have the Vox sound with the addition of beautiful Fenders, awesome Marshalls, and a large variety of others.
Tube amps are like everything else, the steady march of progress and time. Adapt or die. Now let me go crank my JCM.
I honestly think it's because these kids ain't strong enough to carry
@@mikewrightifyHeavy amps create strong men… strong men built light amps… 😂
I'll never ditch my tube amps. Not only will they always sound better, even if the gap between the two worlds is getting smaller, but tube amps are MUCH more inspiring for me to play through. The workkflow is also super simple for recording. I don't have to dive through menus, create presets, or anything like that. Just put the mic(s) in front of the cab and turn the knobs to taste. For live, even though I'm using in ears, my ac30+mojotone cab gives me a much better experience than playing direct (which I do twice a week for the church gigs I play). For any non church gigs, I bring my amps. Plus, when I'm bringing my own volume, I'm not at the mercy of the FOH engineer's skills.
Yeah I absolutely agree, I have a few tube amps but my favourite just has a gain/volume/tone... More playing guitar and less playing around with settings. 👍
It only sounds better to you becasue you have one. Ask a kid to A/B a sim and a tube, and they'll pick the sim becasue that's what they're used to and it's what sounds good to them.
Subjectivity.
You are an evangelist I guess. As long as you don't shoot someone just because you feel so - play through whatever you like.
tube based gear will never go away, the people are still just just too addicted to that little glowing sweet glass bulbs imo 😂🙏
I stopped using guitar amps in about 2006. Mainly because I use Roland guitar modelling and guitar synths. As a result I went to a keyboard amp because it doesn't colour the sound. I use that as a low volume stage monitor and the rest of the signal goes to front of house. Nobody ever said my sound wasn't as good as a "real amp", quite the opposite, people were amazed at the clarity and range of sounds I could get. I love my Peavy Delta Blues 2x10, and it looks great in the corner of the studio. I only turn it on however to prove I have a working guitar amp 😉
Fuck that! A tube head through a 4x12 has a magic that just can’t be replicated, i use my kemper to track guitars for studio stuff but will never stop using my 5150 through a 4x12 live! Its just unmatched
That magic you're feeling is the feeling of air being moved. You can plug a JHS Angry Charlie into a 100 watt power amp into a 412 and get that same magic.
People been saying this for the last 20 years. In the early 2000s people swore modeling gear of that time sounded ''just like an amp dudeeee'', and now what do we think about those Line6 PODs? Kemper is now obsolete, and Quad Cortex is the new ''Sounds just like an amp brooo''. You know what really sounds like an amp and always will? Yeah.
54 years old, and I agree. I grew up on tubes, but modern tech is so much more versatile and convenient
Dude, you're nuts. I've been playing for 30 years and was just able to purchase a tube amp (Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue) this year. I think tube amps are here to stay. IMO, with proper maintenance and care, a tube amp will last longer than a digital amp. Mostly because, with all things digital, companies stop supporting older models. I've had many digital pieces of equipment stop working because the company that makes it doesn't update the firmware, forcing it to become obsolete. Over the years, I played through many digital and solid state amps but none of them have sounded and responded, to my playing, the way a tube amp does. I'll never go back.
I'm new to the guitar game, 3 or 4 years in. Didn't start till my 30s. I started with digital stuff as I came from an electronic music production background so digital was familiar. As soon as I tried a tube amp I was instantly converted and haven't looked back, I'm saying this as a relatively new guitar player with no nostalgic ties to tubes.
very late reply, but truth be told, this has been the case for alot of the younger guitar players ive met. i still use all my old tube amps, and when i invite younger players to jam and they plug into one for the first time, its like seeing a kids first trip to disney world. i dont think tube amps will dissapear, they will definitely have a place for all musicians.
@@edima it's funny you've responded to this now as this week I've been playing around with a Helix my buddy lent me. It's a great thing which covers a lot of ground but once I plugged back into my amp after a few days on the modeller, I was immediately reminded of why I love my tube amps.
My band has recently participated in a local competition against some of the top names of the local, garage band scene. My mate and I have brought our big ass amps and were appalled when we found out we were the only ones doing so. Everyone was on pedalboard sims and in-ears but us. To that point I had always thought, yeah, amps are the simplest and cheapest way to go for small gigs, that stuff is either for studio or bigger names - yup, guess again.
I don’t own a tube amp, but my gigging rig is a ‘89 Peavey Classic Chorus, a 140 watt, 2x12 Roland JC competitor. My bandmate also has a hybrid 2x12 Marshall Valvestate. They weigh a ton, are a pain to load and unload and take most of the van’s trunk space, yet they’re fun, dependable and reliable. Both were fully restored and cheaper than a half-decent sim rig, so why not! As long as I can afford the space of having mine around, even if I have to double it as a nice end table!
I love the sound of a cab on stage! Younger people will never understand the awesomeness of the big stage sounds…or the broken backs from loading & unloading. Haha
I prefer in-ears with straight to FOH modelers over loud amps on stage :)
i have made a different experience here i just see more and more especially bigger and more popular bands using real amps again especially marshall heads like 800, dsl and jvm`s..mastodons new album was done with a jcm 800 and an old ibanez tubeking in front, matt heafy switched back to his old peavey 6534+ and triple x v2 setup, dave mustaine plays his signature jvm`s again, james hetfield plays his modified diezel vh4, just to name a very few.a lot of the axe fx units you see on stage are just used for the digital effects stuffand that also makes sense to me.cheers -🎸🎸
Tube amps will never go away, but they are definitely becoming a luxury to own. I bought a Z-Wreck Jr. head when they first came out a few years back for $1599, now they are selling for $2299. Price increases have been crazy, especially at Fender.
Yea, I almost wonder if there will be a crash in prices or will they keep going up?
@@masterofreality230
There won’t be a crash in prices from the manufacturers. It is possible that they will temporarily lower prices to move slower selling products, but as far as prices across the board are concerned the best we can hope for is less frequent price increases.
Nostalgia is one of the silliest and expensive ways to waste time and money.
I've been struggling with my Mesa Boogie Dual Rec Roadster 100w head recently. I was on the fence about moving it on, couldn't get the amp to sound good at bedroom levels (young kids etc). I fitted new valves last week in an attempt to de-fizz the hi-gain channels with great success (JJ 6L6's and JJ 12AX7's gold pins). I got a Captor X after seeing my friend Michaels success with his Mark 5. I can drive it hard with the attenuator or straight into my Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohm headphones. I also just got a Mesa MIDI matrix so I can run all 8 features of the Roadster from my Line 6 HXFX. It feels like the best of all worlds with this combo. The love for my Rectifier is back, I have a solid live rig and can practice with it in my home without annoying my family. Valve amplification FTW! Cheers Fluff!
Tube Amps will always be around like Record players so it brings nostalgia for old guys like me to play at home.
I love tube amps, but they're big and heavy and take up a lot of room when touring. They are more susceptible to breaking and I think they'll sound different from the start of the tour to the end of a tour or two. The digital age just makes it easier and cheaper to use
Im 27 and have always played through tube amps. Feeling has a lot to do with music, and having cool ass heads on top of 4x12 cabinets with a nice pedalboard in front of it feels cool! I dont think that they will ever fully go away.
This is very interesting because in the 80's and 90's this is the gear we wished we had. We had some companies like ADA, Rocktron, Digitech and others that had great sound but they were only a rack. The sounds for all these big multi pedals were mediocre but today it's amazing the quality sound you can get on a computer or pedal. Remember, much of the sound is subjective and most people (listeners) can't tell the difference with the sound. Also, with the pandemic it changed the way we do things. Things got more practical and tech blew up in such a way that the sound quality, usability and accessibility skyrocketed in such a positive way.
Speaking highly of the effects of the plague there
I don't like the sound of no amps on stage . I grew up going to concerts and the blend of the backline is so important . When I watch videos of bands using emulation and PA , you can hear a difference . The speakers of the P.A. are all the same and they does something to the sound . When there is no cabs or amps on stage it sounds weak . As for recording , emulation is GREAT !
I look at it like this:
Tube amps or even great old solid state will always be a thing as long as bands like Queens of the Stone Age are playing and creating. I'm just using them as an example. I just can't see a band like them fully switching to the digital realm. The analog vs digital crowd will continue to exist. Long live "real" amplifiers!
It’s about to happen for me. Just got a Katana a couple weeks ago. It’s lightweight (important for us older folks), the patches can be configured to sound very good in their own right AND to produce “good enough” simulations of my fave amp sounds, and it contains all but a couple of the effects I have used! And there’s no grounding issues when trying to wire all those effects together… I have a few classic tube amps, and will likely be selling them soon.
Digital stuff sounds really really good these days and I use them all the time for practice, songwriting, and recording. But there is something very special about cranking up my tube amp and hearing it (and feeling it) in the room. Digital can not replicate that. I'd guess there are a lot of people these days that don't even know what that's like.
I can crank up my Axe FX into a Matrix SS amp into my Xitone 2x12 and have the same visceral experience.
Same here, I just cant get the tube sound out of SS/digital.
I've got The FX, Helix and a dozen top-notch tube amps, from Friedman to Bogner to Marshalls...and even a PRS HX/DA based on both Jimi's favorite 50w head & Duane Allman's Superbass from Live at The Fillmore. I use the tube amps live and mostly the digital units for rehearsal...and there is NO WAY any digital unit is matching the punch & balls of a real amp pushing air. No way, no how... and if you think your digital unit does, that's more than half the issue right there.
Will tube amps be around in 20 years? As long as music isn't homogenized BS there will be
@@MorGuitarz Whenever someone makes statements like this, I know for a fact, they haven't actually used a 'digital unit' made for live use. Additionally, I doubt you have EVER tried an Axe FX.
@@justmehere6094 LOL... I've owned a few AxeFX units and still have one at our rehearsal space
Sold my tube amp at the start of the pandemic. I miss the visceral feeling of pumping volume into a room but my ears are thanking me
I recently moved to pedalboard PreAmp straight into the PA but mainly because our band has invested in some pretty good in ears so we don't need the stage noise. Most venues have good enough facilities to deal with it too. I think the quality of in ears and PA in general has brought on a lot of the change too.
Some of these kids today will never know the rage of an older sister bursting into your room after hours of trying to learn Sweet Child of Mine solos... and it shows!!! LOL
I would have to agree. They will probably not completely go away for a long time (think about record players and vinyl), but they won't be the "standard" anymore
I think that's a great comparison. Tube amps will be for the purist who is willing to put up with the inconvenience and cost in order to experience those beautiful intangibles that come from tube amps.
exactly
@@billcoley4426 "beautiful intangibles", eh? In other words, the make believe magical unicorns that live in the tubes?
@@robpellew4975 I don't see it anywhere. Sorry bud.
@@RyanWright Yup. 40's era magical unicorns.
People always insist on how things sound, which indeed matters, but at the end of the day it all boils down on how things FEEL.
Tube amps feel great to play. Emulations? Not so much.
Also I realize that my ear feels less tired & more inspired when I play my tube amp. As if my ear knew it was hearing the real thing as opposed to digital recreations.
Don't fool yourself. Digital gear is super handy and it has its place, but it is still far, very far from what you'll experience using a real tube amp.
20 years later still love my Mesa Triple rec, thing is a beast and still sounds awesome.
@@Sergio-dh5qh meh, that's exactly what it is...imaginary. I've tried many
I’ll never go back to SS . Tube pre amps, tube power amps for home audio using studio Altec Lansing speakers. It’s all about reproduction, imaging, sound stage.
I’d if somebody never got spoiled playing good tube amps and just starts out, a digital box makes total sense. And that’s probably how it’s going to be for the lifespan of this player. Personally, I tried to switch to the modelers and spent 5 years on a Kemper and a couple more on Axe FX 3 but ultimately went back to a set of tube amps. And I am at peace with myself again.
I toured with Peavey 5150, Dual Rec, and Uberschall. I went Helix and VSTs and have no desire to go back. It's all about what scratches that itch for each of us. We are so blessed with choice.
I hated the Kemper and helix. Especially, the Kemper. It took yrs to get some great tube amps and I love them. Gave in and got a quad cortex and I was surprised how good it felt and sounded. I really like it. I think if someone has only ever used a plug in they’ll never understand. I believe amps are staying and will make a comeback like vinyl for a lot of players that had switched over to digital.
Now that my bassist has moved to purely digital, it's a sign. Not only that, the roadies love him and the sound engineers love him - the bassist! :)
I ditched tube amps because they just weren’t practical for a home player like me. Then along came load boxes and irs and I’ve since amassed a little collection of amps because there’s something about a real amp that still can’t be beat. So in this context tube amps are actually more practical than they’ve ever been but technology is getting so close to replicating them now I can see a time when they just won’t be worth bothering with for most players.
The exact same thing happened to me. I used to do everything in the box, but with the load boxes and IRs, now I’ve got 5 tube amps lol I had zero a few years ago.
I’m also old in comparison FWIW
Bro, I ditched them and I play live. Don’t miss them. Moving my gear around is so much more convenient. And I still have an amp and cab. It’s just solid state, and a REALLY efficient ported 112. Going to go stereo soon, and I’ll just be adding a Tube Amp Expander, and a cab. I don’t see any point in having a tube amp. And Fluff and I are only a few months apart in age. I know a ton of older dudes who switched to Kemper years ago for gigging too and didn’t look back.
Im 27 and just bought my first Orange Rockerverb stack along with an Orange Cab, definitely a milestone moment in my life. A whole new world , worth every penny.
Tried a quad cortex for one show. Ran front of house, and sounded pretty rad at soundcheck… I really missed the speakers pushing air on the stage. I need that low end thump near me. I think I’ll keep my tube amp ;)
You can just connect to a cab will be basically the same
I've tried all digital for 3 years. That's a fair amount of gigs in my case. The tone was nice, the audience, band members and sound guys were happy.
Unfortunately I couldn't do it. I'm back to my good old halfstack setup... So yeah, my back is hurting again, I'm too loud on stage again and I'm back to arguing with sound guys about the guitar volume on stage.
Why keep going through that? Because of the experience and inspiration! It's a totally different experience playing a halfstack on stage with traditional wedge monitoring blasting sound. The inspiration, the energy, the involvement with the crowd, the guitar feeding back as soon as you open the volume pot, the feeling of the palmuting on the back when the amp chugs, etc...
It's all part of the magic energy of rock and metal. Take that away and sure, everything is more controlled and the FOH house sound is much more clear and balanced. But is that what you really want in a rock show? On my opinion the energy and inspiration is way more important. Unfortunately I can't really smile and feel inspired when performing in this new modern trend. It absolutely does NOT feel rock and roll.
Our guitarist won’t give up his tube stacks. We run all sorts of modern gear (in ears, VSTs, video art) but he simply has to have his wall of sound behind him. He’s ok unloading 4x12s from his van every time
Cause it just Fun. The interation between the amp and the guitar feel is what makes playing fun
I sold all my valve amps a few years ago to migrate into the ampless/cabless world. So I tried hardware like preamp pedals to amp/cab sims, I tried premps into computer with virtual power amp and IRs, I tried all in one units like the Helix, I tried virtual amp/cab plugins; all very nice and interesting. Fastforwad to now...I've bought all my valve amps back (not literally the same units though, that would be stupid LOL).
I don't think once you play through a valve amp you can easily replace that feeling.
As an old guy who got back into guitar a year ago after a long hiatus, it became a math problem. I couldn’t afford all of the physical options between amps/cabs/effects. The FM3 got me all of that and more. I still lust after the physical gear but it will be a future addition to the collection not the requirement just to play and rock out.
"What's it like to play guitar that loud?" I think this may be the younger generation beginning to grasp the truly visceral nature of letting a "REAL" ( yes saying this as an older guy with tube amps) amplifier become an actual part of the guitar as an instrument on its own. I have dabbled with more modern tech, but nothing, and I mean nothing seems to inspire the way feeling a bunch of hot glowing glass respond to your touch, making some 4x12 cabinets actually hit you in the chest and make your clothes vibrate upon your frame. These folks just need to experience it.....I hope.
Great description about the correspondence of the guitar with the amplifier, both instruments in concert with each other.
Ive always been in the mindset of, "if it sounds good, it sounds good". I'm in the middle. I came into guitar 15 years ago, and digital stuff was starting to get popular, was starting to not be total garbage, ie fractal, 11rack (which im still rocking to this day. Really want a Helix tho), hd500.. types. So it was all the same to me, just different tools for different jobs. What Orange has been doing with their solid state stuff, pedal baby (which i use to play the 11rack thru my 2x12 from time to time), the terror stamp, super crush series, just proves that a good sound, is a good sound. No matter what type of circuit the amp is made of.
From Mesa Boogie to Line 6 Helix here. I'm 61 and I'll never go back. The versatility, predictability, dependability are off the charts. Add a Variax, and the versatility is insane. A rolling suitcase and dual guitar backpack gig-bag is all I take, all I need. One trip to/from the car.
I think another reason for the transition is like you said is cause of the pain of taking the Amps and heads to gigs but also the risk of theft. Not saying your quad cortex or helix is not at risk for theft but weighing out the 2 I much rather keep my JP2C or 6505+ at home then to take on tour with me.
Started playing out live again, doing cover gigs, and for the last year I was only using my kemper, and had no complaints about my sound really, outside of inability to quickly add effects or changes on the go, but this last month decided to take the combo amp and board out since my drummer and bass player have real kit and amp and.. I ain’t going back to the kemper or direct in unless the venue is smaller than what we’ve been playing. Having that amp on stage to push air and really feel and hear a secondary sound outside of my in-ears immediately helped me find my feel easier in the mix and be way more confident in my playing. So until I guess I’m playing arenas (hahaha) the amp is coming with me no matter how bad it kills my back.
I loved my Orange Micro Terror Dark and my 1x12 cab. I probably shouldn't have sold it. But I also like living in an apartment and that thing was l o u d. Owning a tube amp is like owning a massive marble statue. Sure, the statue is expensive, but it's nothing in comparison to the cost of the room it should be in to make the most of it.
My Princeton works fine, it’s not too loud, I live in a row home in Philly. It’s not a big deal to play it at a decent volume. I play my Vibrolux at volume too and that’s 35 watts, no issues. Plus they’ll never become obsolete and fender isn’t going to hit me with some subscription service down the line in order to keep using it, which is coming, dont doubt that. And then what happens in five years when the technology is obsolete and they stop supporting the version you have? Then you have a 1500 dollar paper weight. My 1500 dollar tube amp will last my entire life. Plus it actually sounds good, and feels good to play. Those digital modeling things only work for high gain metal tones because there’s hardly any real tone there anyway it’s just super compressed distortion. Plus I like playing with fuzz and fuzz really only works well with tube amps.
A micro terror and 1x12 is not that loud. 😂 Just play riffs and don’t care about the people around you.
@@channtastic I can hear conversations in the hallway like there's no door in between. I've been in places where I could hear conversations from the adjacent apartments. I can't run a subwoofer, I have to turn the bass down on my speakers so it doesn't resonate through the whole building. The micro terror was absolutely too loud.
@@teknonmy7210 you're right, I had the Micro Terror (not the Dark) with the same cab and they're loud af. I have a Rocker Terror 15 and a Torpedo and couldn't be happier - I think the amp + loadbox combo is the way to go.
@@channtastic tell me you dont live in an apartment without telling me you dont live in an apartment.
This conversation is the reason I love my Victory V4 Sheriff, a hybrid amp that runs off 1 x EC900 and 3 x CV4014 pre amp tubes, a solid state power amp, and two notes dynIR cab sims for the best of both worlds. Run it through an actual cab and its practically indistinguishable from the full size amp version. Run it DI with the cab sim and sonically its practically indistinguishable from an actual mic’ed cab. You can use headphones for practicing, run DI into an interface for recording, and it fits perfectly on your pedalboard. It’s a perfect win win for me and my rig needs.
As someone who isn’t a guitar player, but a drummer in a band who deals with tube amps. The sound from a Marshall, Mesa, peavey or any other quality tube amp is such a raw and awesome tone. BUT carrying those things to shows can be taxing, plus the constant moving and hauling can cause a lot of wear on the internals of the amp. Our goal is to go digital for shows as soon as we can just because it makes more sense honestly
On my experience, the audience can't tell. Also, a modelled amp may not be perfect but the sound is better than trying to get a Marshall sound from a Fender, or a Vox sound from a Marshall.
I love the sound of my Mesa but play with my spark mini 90% of the time
Hi Fluff, I'm 35 and I do agree with you that it's mostly going to be like classic cars. However, I do think smaller size tube amps or hybrid amps will stay for a while like 1x12 combos. I also got myself a Joyo Zombie II and a Harley Benton V30 1x12, they are so much fun but I can hardly turn up the volume more than 1/10 as neighbor situations.
You’re spot on, and there are many young players, who have never played on a tube amp in their lives
Recently switched from a Rectifier to a line6 helix stomp. We still played through cabs on our Tour, since the soundguys usually had everything set up for using them already. But yeah, having a small little box on your pedal board is a lot less of a hassle than carrying a tube head (takes less space in the van, too).
Old person here. Help. How did you use your helix and a cab at the same time? I thought the point of those was to lose that. So you need a traditional cab and a power amp and the effects processor? What’s the point? Fluff was saying the same thing. Using his helix with cabs. Why and how? What am I missing? Lol.
@@briansubsist some folks like to use just the effects, or just an amp sim into a real cab. My band is a bunch of luddites that scoffed at my headrush, so for a while i used BOTH and to be fair it was glorious! But too much to carry in the end
@@briansubsist Hey Brian, you need a poweamp (I have a harley benton cheapo one but the seymure duncan ones are great for small form factor). you have to create a parallel output path after the amp block and then you can select another output for that path without a cab sim. I used that one live since most sound engineers were more comfortable with "their" setup (cab+mic) and I use it in our rehearsal room, since we only have a small pa for vocals. Cheers
Another old dude here that still goes to concerts all the time. No amps on stage is killing the rock concert experience. Rock concerts with modelers and in-ears are pale shadows of what rock concerts used to be. All the vibe, magic, and energy are almost gone. Might as well stay home and watch a concert on tv.
@@Plexi417 I, as part of the crowd, don't care tbh. Sound is better without way too loud amp stacks (even though most of them were dummys anyway for most bands). But that is just my opinion, I never cared much for the "aesthetic" of amps. As long as the band performs well and is charismatic with the crowd, I will have fun. But people enjoy different things :)
On contraire 😂 headphone Jack's are actually becoming the luxury 😂, so bizare, regarding all tube amps, one of my dreams is owning a Laney Vh100R, but always talk myself out of it due to practicality and garbage valves being manufactured these days, nothing beats the sound of all valves, if you are a Metalhead it is essential 🤘😆
Literally sold all my amps and went to exclusively Headrush about 4 months ago. I was super picky about tone, no regrets here! Makes being my own roadie much easier on the back and it sounds consistently good every time. The options are endless and anything you could need is right there
wise choice I can get 90% of tube amp sound with my HX Stomp and Headrush FRFR powered cab. Free software updates get new effects, cabs and amp models as well. I save thousands as get Diezel, ENGL and Friedman sound in one small box. For travel nothing beats it.
I love the Headrush. Honestly, if I could play it through a guitar cab, I’d be perfectly content I think. The modelers nail the sound, but it never quite got the feel right for me.
I still have a few amps, but I love my Headrush Gigboard. Literally no tone or sound I can't get out of it.
Perfect for recording too.
You are right on the mark. It's the evolution of music. More playing less worrying about my heavy equipment and chiropractic bills. :)
I primarily use the axe fx but tube amps to me will always be king. Every time I go back to playing through a physical amp it’s like a breath of fresh air. Digital just doesn’t have the same feel although they definitely are more convenient.
You could be right. Several years ago, a friends kid wanted to start playing guitar, so I gave him a cheap Tele knock-off, a small practice amp, a couple of cheap pedals, cables, etc. I had laying around that weren't being used. I got feedback that he was picking it up quickly. My first thought was he'll need a bigger amp soon, probably a lunchbox tube amp. I ran into the kid the other day, and he told me all about his new rig. Guitar into DI box into his MacBook, software, plugins, headphones. Happy as a clam. And I agree with the muscle car analogy, but I would extend it to include high-end sports cars. In the future the tube amp market may be relegated to old used tube amps, and high end boutique builders. Just like vinyl and turntables until recently I don't think they will ever completely go away, but it will be old stock and high end. Very little to nothing in-between.
Agreed... Tube amps are somewhat unpractical nowadays. But... If you've never tried a decent one fitting your playing style, whatever it may be, you're missing out on a lot of fun. Most modern tube amps have really well working master volume controls, so there may not be the need for attenuation but of course, they sound best at a certain volume level. Though what really stands out when playing tube amps is the feeling and the emotion you experience when the sound hits you (I got custom ear filters, so I'm not loosing sound quality but keep my ears safe). You can't really get that from digital devices and I own a QC and a helix as well as I've tried lots of other digital stuff. The reaction of the real amp to your picking is just awesome.
I still own several tube amps and there are more to come but as initially stated, I completely understand the necessity of traveling light when touring and you get decent tones out of a QC for example which for me comes closest to the real deal... A TUBE AMP!! 😂 🤘🏼
I’m all in on modelers from day one (Amp Farm, 1998), but I have four Boogies in here and MAN are they fun to play. I have a gig on Saturday and it’s Helix for effects, going straight into the front of a California Tweed at ‘pushed clean.’ Sounds like I’m playing through a hunk of butter. Glory hallelujah!
Great topic. Just don't know if I could ever get to no amp or speaker on stage with my tone. I have in ears but prefer one in and one out as I feel more involved in the overall live gig experience. With the one ear out, I need some guitar stage volume to compete with the acoustic drums. Thanks for all you do.
Completely agree. Back when I played at church even just a few years ago, I had a Line6 POD HD500 hooked to the church PA via a DI box to the snake. The cab sim and effects were more than enough, no need for an amp at all.
I recently bought a Boss Katana for home and it's all I'll ever need, and sounds CRAZY good. So good it's honestly hard to tell it isn't a tube amp. Solid state amps and/or modeling aren't the future. They're the now.
Can the Katana convincingly replicate the edge-of-breakup and mild overdrive tones of tube amps? 🙂
I think you’re absolutely right, Fluff. As a guitar player and working audio engineer, a dialed in direct tone with a good speaker impulse is always preferred over a mic and cab. It’s just better. No stage noise. No mic placement issues and FOH appreciates not competing with guitar amps. Add in in ear monitoring and you have a recipe for amazing monitoring and FOH sound. The band and audience both benefit.
Amp sims sound TOO “perfect”. Its cool if you are doing some ultra obnoxious modern metal or pop punk mix, but trying to do anything actually interesting with your guitar tone is almost impossible with any Axe FX dogshit
They’ll never go away, for the simple reason that everything else is an imitation of the real thing. People been saying tube amps would go extinct since the transistor amp was invented…
Don’t get me wrong, I like plugins and amp sims. They serve a purpose (don’t have to lug them around, easy for quick recording), but everytime I pick up my guitar to practice or just to jam a bit… I use a real amp.
It's sad they'll never feel the air movement standing in front of a full stack, turned up to kill and rip a few riffs. There is nothing like it.
Bingo. It’s not a nostalgia thing. It’s that push
A funny thing is seeing people on forums debating about this or that NDSP plugin, some owning all of them...and I think what the...with the same money you would have bought a real tube amp + load box 😅
Tube amps will never go away. It’s impossible to replicate the feel of tube amps.
I’ve recorded even DI with IRs using everything imaginable. Even with headphones and my Sky King amp, which some may think is overkill for a DI writing/recording session…it’s a pretty big difference. 6v6 had a bite to it and smooth mid range, 6L6 has this big warm sound that gets more cracking as you crank and dial the eq back. I’m not really getting that depth even with a Tech 21 amp pedal. But most would argue in a big mix that’s compressed, EQ and all that you wouldn’t notice.
I look back at tons of recording with a amp in a box and a tube amp. It def sits different and the tube amp still has a more lively polished sound to me. If you’re playing metal with nothing but gain..it would prob be harder to tell I guess in a mix.
In this video he’s taking from a point of touring that many don’t do. For the masses I still think a HRD or Blues JR is cheaper, and better value in the end. Now if we could only get tube amp companies to hold up to higher standards! That’s one thing I feel even the “boutique” ones are not even doing these days. I’ve had a lot of recent tube amps almost all need a tech day one. But for me they are worth it! And I’m fine throwing money at it for upgrades, and upkeep every few years.
Theres this feel that you get with a tube amp that you dont really get with a modeler. It might sound sonically pretty much the same, but you cant replicate that feeling. Its almost like you can feel the energy of the amp coming through the guitar
Rather than die out, I think amps, like the Revv’s, will start to shrink and merge with modellers and effects units. They’ll be the high-end option.
correct in fact Diezel new flagship amp the VHX combines tube power amp with digital modelers. Same with Revv amps.
I played various digital devices such as Kemper etc also with high end active cabinets....In the end, the analog way to play guitar gives me te most authentic feeling and response. The nearest non tube thing to a tube amp now is the Amp1 from Bluguitar which is an analog device. It is 98% there....but it did not convince me yet to sell all of my tube amps.
Oddly enough I feel inundated with a resurgence of buzz around tube amps, and it feels great. I'm only 26 and started playing at 10, but I grew up playing a Line 6 Spider (and still do unfortunately, long story) and I have always and will always dream of shelves upon shelves tube amps and a handful of cabinets...
You’re crazy if you ever think digital plugins will beat a 50 or 100 watt tube head through a 412 cranked. You can take your headphones your star bucks and your Tesla and walk on home boy. 😂
The ease of transportation and quick setup are definitely advantageous points for the modeling amplification. But there is nothing like an AC/DC wall of Marshalls lining the stage. It’s fucking loud before a chord is struck. That being said, yes my beloved tube amplifiers are going to be vintage collectibles soon. The technology to replicate the tones generated by tubes is very impressive. When I saw Black Sabbath’s THE END tour in 2016 they used a 4/12 on top of a 2/12 cab for a 3/4 stack and ran them across the stage . Definitely downsizing, but the visuals were there. I hate seeing a stage that has no GEAR on it. For show bars that have multiple acts every night , the front of house style does make a lot of sense, but arena rock , NO WAY
That’s funny, man. I love to ogle gear live - I mean it’s half the enjoyment for me - but shoot if they don’t have anything up there I’m not upset about it. And I love the interaction of gear/the quest for tone and all of that. The difference between our takes on it is intriguing to me. Thanks, YT comments section, for once. :)
I think it sort of comes down to what type of music that you want to play as to what type of amp that you want to use. I have a Fender Mustang III version 1 and as far as modeling is concerned, it's sort of "mehh" for the genre that I like to play (surf rock instrumental) so I put together a pedal board that is specific to the style that I'm going for. I also have a vintage 1967 Fender Super Reverb amp (it's a tube amp) that functions but needs work to get right. As to which one I prefer, I'm not really sure because the "Super" needs a little TLC before it's ready to use, but the Mustang is OK, but I have to use effects pedals to get it to sound like I want it to and it's a hassle to dial everything in just right, and that's every time, because the amp resets itself whenever I power it up. I believe solid state amps like the old Peavey Bandits are pretty good for the most part but some of the modeling amps with multiple settings/sound effects aren't much better than the Casio keyboards from Toy R Us in the 1980s. This video, like my opinion, is totally subjective and you have to decide for yourself.