It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:19 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: What's the deal with tubes?
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:36 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:38 pm
Posts: 114
As I mentioned earlier, I just picked up a Super Champ XD and love it. It's my first tube amp. I've been playing solid state amps for years but I've always loved the sound of the tube amps I've tried... but what do the tubes actually do, and do different tubes make a difference? Thanks for the help.

_________________
PRS Custom 24 Vintage Natural 10 Top (57/08s)
Fender American Standard Strat Sienna Sunburst
Ovation Standard Elite 6771LX
Ovation Ultra 1517
Blackheart Handsome Devil Combo (BitMo Mod)
Fender Champion 600 (dBm Audio Mod)


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:58 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
They allow for a more organic sound and allow for the natural harmonics of each note to be heard.

I think of tubes as being alive if you will they sort of have a pulse.

if you need a more scientific explaination, you'll have to wait for one of the technical guys here to explain.

I played my Blues Deville for a buddy of mine the other day who is an elecrtonics engineer and then tried to duplicate the tone the best I could on my Cyber Twin and he was impressed by the sonic fullness of the Blues deville compared to the CT and the CT has tubes in the pre amp and sounds great, the fully tube operated B/D just sounds the best.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:27 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:03 pm
Posts: 194
blues bondsman is on target. However the question deserves a more indepth study that you can find in many many places on the internet. Give
Google a shot.... and soon you will have a greater understanding of tubes, solid state, rectifiers, hybrids, etc. You'll be glad you did.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:49 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:07 am
Posts: 30
You know, the answer of tubes adding harmonic overtones pleasing to the ear are written up as an explanation everywhere but there's just one problem. Our western scale of music follows "even temper" and this compromises in cents what a 5th, 4th, 3rd, etc that rings out harmonically with those same intervals that are tempered to allow even handed key changes.

In theory to me it seems theses aught to clash, especially if you're playing Jazz. But, uh, it don't.

So I'm thinking that harmonic overtones is less the key than the sound of the original tone of the plucked string that is still not modelled with enough accuracy.

At the end of the day, most guitar pedals zap your tone so the 'warmth' of a tube amp becomes less warm using pedals.

Another issue that recently came up in conversation was the degree that high wattage amps (tube) are used. Today most groups use a real high watt amp (say 300 watts) mic'ed to the PA system. Wheras say The Who in the 70's had 100 amps an average of 170 watts pumping on stage.

You hear today's acts they sound quite thin compared to those classic acts where the sound was so thick coming from all those tubes you were swimming in sound.

Ultimately it doesn't require explanation. You get what you like. A brilliant songwrite/musician is going to make cheap crap equiptment move you. Lucky for us the great's had awesome axes! (and amps, mics, preamps, engineers etc)

_________________
75 Precision
97 ErnieBall Axis Sport
98 Taylor 510
04 Rickenbacker 4003
10 American Stratocaster
13 Kemper Profiling Amp
13 Terry Dineen Raeven (Duesenberg pups)
16 Guild Starfire IV
16 Taylor 150e
16 Duesenberg Starplayer Mike Campbell 30th


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:54 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
It should have been said in a clean set up for sure, the difference between tube and SS gets pretty slight when you add junk into the signal path.

I play very clean with the exception of added compression.

In that scenario the tube amp shines.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:36 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:03 pm
Posts: 194
db9091 wrote:
You know, the answer of tubes adding harmonic overtones pleasing to the ear are written up as an explanation everywhere but there's just one problem. Our western scale of music follows "even temper" and this compromises in cents what a 5th, 4th, 3rd, etc that rings out harmonically with those same intervals that are tempered to allow even handed key changes.

In theory to me it seems theses aught to clash, especially if you're playing Jazz. But, uh, it don't.

So I'm thinking that harmonic overtones is less the key than the sound of the original tone of the plucked string that is still not modelled with enough accuracy.

At the end of the day, most guitar pedals zap your tone so the 'warmth' of a tube amp becomes less warm using pedals.

Another issue that recently came up in conversation was the degree that high wattage amps (tube) are used. Today most groups use a real high watt amp (say 300 watts) mic'ed to the PA system. Wheras say The Who in the 70's had 100 amps an average of 170 watts pumping on stage.

You hear today's acts they sound quite thin compared to those classic acts where the sound was so thick coming from all those tubes you were swimming in sound.

Ultimately it doesn't require explanation. You get what you like. A brilliant songwrite/musician is going to make cheap crap equiptment move you. Lucky for us the great's had awesome axes! (and amps, mics, preamps, engineers etc)


The statement that most groups today use 300 watt amps mic'd to the front of the house is....well....totally wrong. Many groups today...even the pros are using smaller wattage amps (even 15 watts) mic'd through the PA.

Also, some pedals may zap tone, but there are a ton of good pedals out there today that are useful for all varieties of effect, enhancement, etc.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:43 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
Most of my gigin buddies mic up a Blues jr.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:32 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:07 am
Posts: 30
Hows THIS for 15 watt pro:

http://guitargeek.com/rigview/576/

You must mean pot-belly ol' bald headed white guys who make a few bucks travelling the road playing "blues" then.

I'm talking ROCK! Not County. It's ROCK. Not Country it's ROCK ROCK ROCK. (hey, I'm writing that song, thanks)


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: