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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:23 pm
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teledeluxe72 wrote:
would transporting a valve amp like a class 5 in the car, about once every two weeks, shorten its life span significantly?

In the wild and wooly days of my 20s, I used to haul around my silverface '72 Bassman Ten EVERYWHERE. It was put in the trunk of cars (laid on it's back, which is probably bad for it), in the back of trucks, in the backseat of cars, played in a hundred club gigs and a thousand living room jams; I (or a friend) played harp, guitar, bass, and keyboards through it...and used it as a makeshift PA system when we had none (for vocals).

It finally wouldn't make any (good) sound and had to be serviced (after almost eight years of this abuse).

...when the guy at the shop was finished, he said, "I haven't ever seen this before, and I probably won't again, but those were the original tubes in that amp." The tubes had lasted from 1972 to 1997. I don't know what the previous owner had done with it, but I know I had used the heck out of that amp.

I had to sell it in 2003 (I was so broke I couldn't pay attention), and the guy who bought it is still rockin' (and gigging weekly) with the same (second set of) tubes.

I bought the amp I use currently in 1992 (a '63 Reissue Vibroverb) and didn't have to replace the factory tubes until about a year and a half ago...but I babied that one a lot more than the Bassman.

Don't worry about tube life, unless you are going to do something stupid with it...and even then, don't worry about tube life.

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:38 pm
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Does anyone have experience with a Peavey Delta Blues 115, 30w tube amp? I've never used one but they look good on paper. Maybe a little more expensive than the original poster was looking for but it's on my list to look into.

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:48 pm
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Drew365 wrote:
Does anyone have experience with a Peavey Delta Blues 115, 30w tube amp? I've never used one but they look good on paper. Maybe a little more expensive than the original poster was looking for but it's on my list to look into.

Very nice sounding amp. I have not owned one, but I have jammed through one; it would be on the "I need to check that one out" list if I were to ever need a new amp.

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:12 pm
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Drew365 wrote:
Does anyone have experience with a Peavey Delta Blues 115, 30w tube amp? I've never used one but they look good on paper. Maybe a little more expensive than the original poster was looking for but it's on my list to look into.


They're pretty solid performers once some end-user improvements have been performed. A friend of mine has one and after we replaced most of the tubes with some quality glass we swapped the OEM speaker for a vintage Jensen C15N. The result was akin to pumping the amp full of "sonic steroids"......a very dramatic change, and all for the better. He's been gigging the amp for some six years now without a single reportable problem thus far.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:34 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Drew365 wrote:
Does anyone have experience with a Peavey Delta Blues 115, 30w tube amp? I've never used one but they look good on paper. Maybe a little more expensive than the original poster was looking for but it's on my list to look into.


They're pretty solid performers once some end-user improvements have been performed. A friend of mine has one and after we replaced most of the tubes with some quality glass we swapped the OEM speaker for a vintage Jensen C15N. The result was akin to pumping the amp full of "sonic steroids"......a very dramatic change, and all for the better. He's been gigging the amp for some six years now without a single reportable problem thus far.

HTH

Arjay


What tubes did he put in it? It comes with 3 - 12AX7's and 4- EL84's. It's interesting that the 112 and 115 have the same price at GC.

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:02 pm
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In the pre-amp, all NOS -- two RCA's and a Matsushita. For the power amp, TAD's.

Modest in cost but premium performance.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:47 pm
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ButchA wrote:
With a few tweaks of the tone knobs, you can get a nice overdriven/distortion tone that's not bad on the drive channel.


what settings do you use for that? I havent been able to find anything i like on that channel

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:10 pm
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Brian_Strat_215 wrote:
I love my solid state Frontman 65r, but eventually I'm going to upgrade to either the 20w Jet City that Tim Drake mentioned or a Blues Jr. Tubes sound nicer but solid state ain't half bad.


You can't go wrong with the Jet City. Classic, one channel tube goodness. And it loves pedals.

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 3:38 am
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teledeluxe72 wrote:
I have another question... does the class five come with a 5 year warranty? I heard it does but this seems too good to be true.

Lastly, How effective is the low power mode on the new class fives? does anybody have one? Is it like an attenuator? or different?

Hi again teledeluxe72: to the best of my knowledge Marshall offer a three year warranty on parts & labour, once you've registered the product.

I had an email from them just a few days ago and apparently here in the UK you can now buy direct from Marshall. Go to the "Merchandise" page on their website for details:

http://shop.marshallamps.com/home/index/1389.0

Mind you, you may get a better price from a shop, and I would never buy an amp without demo'ing it first and trying all the others people on this thread are suggesting too. Get yourself along to a guitar store, is my advice.

My Class5 is the original model and doesn't have the power attenuation button on the back, so I can't comment on that from personal experience. But Forum user Nikininja's white one (pictured earlier) is the latest version and he speaks highly of the sound quality when engaging that button. I have major respect for Nick's ears: what he says goes, far as I'm concerned.

And after all the advice you've had on this thread, remember that whichever way you decide to go on this purchase you must come back and show us pictures of what you get! :D

Good luck - C

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 4:20 am
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Quote:
And after all the advice you've had on this thread, remember that whichever way you decide to go on this purchase you must come back and show us pictures of what you get! :D

Good luck - C


dont worry, i will. It may not be for a few weeks or even months yet though.

thanks for all the advice ceri

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 4:41 am
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Quality is better than quantity:


ALL TUBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



For gig power: Fender Hot Rodd Deluxe, best tube value out there
For solo stuff: Fender Blues Junior
For practice amp: Fender Super Champ Deluxe

Also theres some crazy good Marshall Haze all tube combos for like $499 if im not mistaken

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Post subject: Re: Tube or Solid State amp?
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:01 am
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I happen to like solid state, because I am too sloppy to care for a tube amp with all the coming and going. With the solid state I just throw it in the car and I am off. Having to wait for an amp to cool off before moving it is not my thing. I insert a tube in my signal chain, electro harmonix pedals are tops. I take good care of the tube pedal, that I can handle!

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