software

^ Thats the question wise ones.. what do u think about it?

ehh solid states tend to be jsut...stale

OD seems to be where tube amps really excel, cuz its not too thick, not too thin, and has a lot of character, like a personality of its own

the trick is finding one with a personality you like

in other words, the right tube amps are good friends


Originally Posted by drew_half_emptyin other words, the right tube amps are good friends

tube amp no friend to wallet

Still loving any of my own modded pedals into my Valvetronix head and it's matching 2x12 cab...People(Other players) are complimenting me on my tone....

Dead serious!


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97Still loving any of my own modded pedals into my Valvetronix head and it's matching 2x12 cab...People(Other players) are complimenting me on my tone....

Dead serious!

John, correct me if i am wrong, is the Valvetronix a modelling amp from Vox?

Hmm, that's a tough question. I've always had best results from an OD when it's overdriving a tube amp that's already getting a bit hairy. Not sure how an SS unit would react really.


Originally Posted by FretFireHmm, that's a tough question. I've always had best results from an OD when it's overdriving a tube amp that's already getting a bit hairy. Not sure how an SS unit would react really.

I set my VT up for nice clean tones and then I Let the specific pedal do the rest.....I get great overall pedal tones through this amp,,,,I think being a decent guitar player probably doesn't hurt either though...One characteristic we seem to leave out alot in these comparisons....

quot;John, correct me if i am wrong, is the Valvetronix a modelling amp from Vox?quot;

Correct....Mine(The 120 watt version) uses 2 12AX7s in the output stage to get the quot;vibequot; and the quot;feelquot; of output tubes...The trick to this amp,is to keep the volume and gain settings up high...If you want clean headroom,than you leave the gain back,but the Valve Reactor Technology of this amp works around the 12AX7s and pushing some air through your speakers with the volume cranked up....

I own alot of amps and trust me when I tell you that I would have returned this amp or sold it by now if I didn't really dig it overall....Does it do everything absolutely perfect? Nope....But it's a great amp for today's technology and priced right in line for most of us....Working great and I've gigged with it quite a bit...

I have had great results with that setup. I had a Roland Jazz Chorus SS amp and a overdrive I dont remember the name of, but together they sounded great.
If you got a really good clean channel, and a good overdrive, they will probably sound good together.

It's just a combination of a good starting tone and then adding your effects as the icing on an already good tasting cake....

If the starting tone sucks,it's like polishing a turd from that point on...

In the 23 years that I've been playing guitar and buying gear, I've just in the last year found a tone that I'm very happy with. The combination? Peavey's Wiggy amp and cab, a Fulltone OCD, and a Tim. Add in a DL4 and a RC Boost and I'm satisfied with the tones I'm getting. I've owned many a tube amp and a few SS's. Out of all of 'em, what I have now makes me happy. The Wiggy is an awesome clean amp, the Tim is a nice mild overdrive, and the OCD gives me as much gain as I need. So yeah, a good overdrive pedal and a solid state amp can be a winning combination.


Originally Posted by StringmachineI have had great results with that setup. I had a Roland Jazz Chorus SS amp and a overdrive I dont remember the name of, but together they sounded great.
If you got a really good clean channel, and a good overdrive, they will probably sound good together.

I used to do the same thing: distortion pedal into a JC120. IIRC, it wasn't too shabby.


Originally Posted by ShnookIn the 23 years that I've been playing guitar and buying gear, I've just in the last year found a tone that I'm very happy with. The combination? Peavey's Wiggy amp and cab, a Fulltone OCD, and a Tim. Add in a DL4 and a RC Boost and I'm satisfied with the tones I'm getting. I've owned many a tube amp and a few SS's. Out of all of 'em, what I have now makes me happy. The Wiggy is an awesome clean amp, the Tim is a nice mild overdrive, and the OCD gives me as much gain as I need. So yeah, a good overdrive pedal and a solid state amp can be a winning combination.

Another aspect of your tone that you've left out of your tonal equation though,is that you've progressed alot as a player over the years...The tonal equation is still first and foremost,but the better you become as a player and get more out of your hands,the easier the tone is to deal with....When we first start playing it's all about hiding behind alot of gain and effects...These days I'm every bit as happy just plugging into one of my BF Fender amps clean and I can just sit and play for an hour or more...I think my concern is more about getting better and playing more articulate with the facilitys I have as a player and playing the guitar...The longer you've been a player,the easier some of these things are...


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97Another aspect of your tone that you've left out of your tonal equation though,is that you've progressed alot as a player over the years...The tonal equation is still first and foremost,but the better you become as a player and get more out of your hands,the easier the tone is to deal with....When we first start playing it's all about hiding behind alot of gain and effects...These days I'm every bit as happy just plugging into one of my BF Fender amps clean and I can just sit and play for an hour or more...I think my concern is more about getting better and playing more articulate with the facilitys I have as a player and playing the guitar...The longer you've been a player,the easier some of these things are...

1000

That is so well stated, John. I find that going clean and working the fingers is really where I am satisffied as a player. Yes, I love that over the top solo or crunch tone, but most of the time I am trying to get into that territory by hitting the string with the pick just the right way, then letting the note decay as I think it should.

My favorite guitarists are ones that served the songs with their playing: Elliot Easton, Andy Summers, and Larry Carlton.

i think the sound would okay as long as you keep the amp clean. the problem with SS is it sounds harsh when clipped. if you want to play loud with a SS amp use a high- powered one (150W maybe?)


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97Another aspect of your tone that you've left out of your tonal equation though,is that you've progressed alot as a player over the years...The tonal equation is still first and foremost,but the better you become as a player and get more out of your hands,the easier the tone is to deal with....When we first start playing it's all about hiding behind alot of gain and effects...These days I'm every bit as happy just plugging into one of my BF Fender amps clean and I can just sit and play for an hour or more...I think my concern is more about getting better and playing more articulate with the facilitys I have as a player and playing the guitar...The longer you've been a player,the easier some of these things are...

I can agree with everything you've written. I too have found that the longer I've played, the more I veer towards cleaner tones. My 5150 Combo sits quietly in my music closet, while the Wiggy gets all the play. Good observation.


Originally Posted by bryvincenti think the sound would okay as long as you keep the amp clean. the problem with SS is it sounds harsh when clipped. if you want to play loud with a SS amp use a high- powered one (150W maybe?)This is a pretty strong statement unless you've played through quot;allquot; of the current SS type amps available today! This stuff is getting scaringly close to tube amps....I Know because I can A/B between my tube and SS stuff....I mean the amps don't sound identical because of cab and speaker differences,but I can sure get a very convincing BF Fender tone from my $600 Vox modeling amp....You'd not be able to tell the difference between the 2 amps....That's because quot;Iquot; dialed up the tones....

All kidding aside though...You really need to actually open your mind up these days and really listen...There's some incredible gear available to all of us right now..You're still allowed to have the quot;tube amp snobquot; mindset,but you also need to really listen...


Originally Posted by ShnookI can agree with everything you've written. I too have found that the longer I've played, the more I veer towards cleaner tones. My 5150 Combo sits quietly in my music closet, while the Wiggy gets all the play. Good observation.

I know from years of playing....When I first started playing it was all about effects and tons of gain...Today it's all about note clarity and you always hear me talking about note articulation....I don't like high gain and pretty much my only effects are delay and reverb....I do use chorus for clean stuff once in awhile...I Like the fact that this Vox amp has alot of cool effects if I feel the need,but I pretty much stick with a good tone and just a bit of added effect for dimension or enhancement...

I run a few TS9's plus some time based stuff into a GT6 into the clean channel of my Carvin X-100B. I can get as heavy as you need to subtle dirt and everything in between. I get similar results with my Pro Reverb...though the pro likes single coils a bit better than HB's. Amp models are sounding pretty good these days. I use my amp to drive the speakers...volume on 2 tones at 5, reverb to taste...the GT6 takes care of any volume change issues.


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97This is a pretty strong statement unless you've played through quot;allquot; of the current SS type amps available today! This stuff is getting scaringly close to tube amps....I Know because I can A/B between my tube and SS stuff....I mean the amps don't sound identical because of cab and speaker differences,but I can sure get a very convincing BF Fender tone from my $600 Vox modeling amp....You'd not be able to tell the difference between the 2 amps....That's because quot;Iquot; dialed up the tones....

All kidding aside though...You really need to actually open your mind up these days and really listen...There's some incredible gear available to all of us right now..You're still allowed to have the quot;tube amp snobquot; mindset,but you also need to really listen...

i'm not saying SS amps sound bad, they sound good too. i used one(marshall vs-15 valvestate) for 11 years until last month. and i agree lots of SS amps today are getting closer to tube tone but solid state is solid state it still has different characteristics than a tube amp. its like getting a LP neck HB tone in a strat or vinyl vs. cd, you can get very close but still not the same.


Originally Posted by bryvincenti'm not saying SS amps sound bad, they sound good too. i used one(marshall vs-15 valvestate) for 11 years until last month. and i agree lots of SS amps today are getting closer to tube tone but solid state is solid state it still has different characteristics than a tube amp. its like getting a LP neck HB tone in a strat or vinyl vs. cd, you can get very close but still not the same.

Depends on the amp and I guess we'll agree to disagree... But it's all good and it's in our hands,styles,and how we approach the guitar and that's a good thing!