He covered up the guitar with bass guitar and added effects to the guitar as well he could have played through a crate practice Amp and you'd never know
I'm reminded of Metalocalypse episode in which the engineer asked the band to comment on the sound of their album in digital vs. analog. They sounded exactly the same, but when they were told one was digital, they suddenly decided that one sounded like shit and the other one was great.
Not going to lie. I went into this with the intention to try and hear the solid state. Not because my hearing is soooooo good, just wanted to see if I could do it. By the end of the song all I could do was appreciate what I just heard. That track was awesome.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Glenn only used the orange crush for all of the guitar tracks!!! Honestly couldn’t tell but all sound great. Think I’ll be adding a crush to the purchase list!!
I'll go one further on issuing challenges: pick out the solid state AND which tube amp is being used at any given point. While we're at it: what brands of tubes used in each.
Ah, that's how Glen stacked the deck! He used inferior brand tubes to unfairly handicap the tube amps! (Sadly, it's probably just a matter of time until someone suggests this seriously.)
I'm just sitting here in awe of that insane crazy badass bass tone you got in that mix! Holy crap! Screw the guitars amps and drums, that bass was killer!
Hey Glenn, to be honest: I didn't spot any changes (I knew very well it's very hard, if not impossible, to distinguish them but I wanted to participate) BUT, yet there's a -but-, what struck me, is the beauty of that piece of music: composition, recording, mixing. Great job :-) Thumb up :-)
Ssshhh. 'Good tone is good tone' is guaranteed to get hollow-state weenies riled. Dave Simpson does some stellar 'sound like...' videos with his Orange amp. Orange should pay him. You are, of course, completely correct. Good tone is just that. A triode valve is just a FET with a pilot light anyway.
Glenn, I can't believe you've never heard of "Piano Lows." It's when you're in your late twenties, drowning in ennui from not living up to your potential, and drinking the nights away in a lounge bar. What that has to do with tube amps is beyond me, though.
The more blind tests, the better. I’m with you, I don’t care so much what the test result is, I just care that I’ve learned something. You’re doing the lord’s work Glenn.
Every time I played shows, people would compliment my tone until they found out I was using a Roland cube (2011-2019) or now my helix. Then they conveniently started pointing out issues they didn't hear before or just walked away awkwardly. It definitely proved to me that people hear with their eyes. Especially for a couple of those shows when I was using someone else's $200 Jackson Dinky while my guitar was in the shop and people loved the "bite" from that particular guitar
That's awesome. I played a live show where somebody let me play through a marshall stack. I used a rocktron metal planet pedal for the distortion . Nobody knew.
Cubes are great solid state amps. To me solid state can sound just as good but it's different. I play stoner doom where not only you need tubes, you need either Orange, Matamp/Green, Sunn, Laney, or maybe Marshall but every time I hear a doom band use marshall i wish it was Orange. My TH30 is great but the clean channel is basically the less gain channel. I love Vox cleans and would love to have the real deal but their modelling practice amps have always sounded godlike to me so I think I'll pick one up. The Crush sounds really good hear but it sounds like hot poop for Stoner.
Transtube gets way more grief than it should. I've heard and played lots of😊 very flawed tube amps that weren't half as good as the cheap, cheerful Transtube series.
recently bought a Transtube special 212,,,, i have used an Ultra 120 half stack for years,,,I was pleasantly surprised by the tone i can get from the Transtube,and it's easier to manage than a half stack lol
@@davidbanta7303 The 212 sounds a lot fuller than the 112. That 2nd speaker really adds to that amp. Wish I still had mine. It was hit by lightning, no joke. Worked for a while after that too.
Was worth the 7 1/2 mins to actually hear something played! Don't really care which one was the Orange they all had that glorious fuzzy goodness and the playing was top notch! Does prove the fact in a mix rube vs solid state does very little. Nice job sir.
If you like that fizz, then solid state is for you. That comes from information in the top end that's lost due to the harder solid state clipping. I personally prefer to minimize that, but it really is a matter of preference. Of course, people in my position are stuck with heavy expensive tube amps so there's always a tradeoff lol And tbh the JFET gain stages on that orange might actually be a decent solution to the problem I describe. Not totally clean distortion, but maybe better than any other solid state.
@@davidjairala69 Solid state can clip as soft as you want to make it clip. That thought you mention comes from cheap designs from the early transistor era, where technology was simply new, hence not developed and its nuances waiting to be discovered, and went on a 1:1 competition against a mature technology like thermionic valves. Transistors were WAY cheaper, therefore they didn't initially invest in designs taking advantage from their characteristics. Then most practice combos since forever are obviously transistor to reduce costs, and to reduce that cost even more they come with a cheap speaker, which is the actual source of fizz everyone keeps mentioning. If you think it thoroughly, cheap digital stuff sucked even in the early 2000s, but 20+ years later we're at a totally different level, and only cork-sniffers say «this sounds so digital» to try and dismiss something they don't have/don't know how to use/don't understand (if they did, they would understand it's the algorithm).
I recently picked up a Super Crush 100 to round off my amp collection and have a good medium to high gain amp. I love it so far. I’m not much of a metal player, but it gets me pretty much the exact punk and alternative tone I want for recording. You’d never be able to tell the difference between this and a rocker verb in a good mix. Or if it has tubes or not.
I also use the Orange Super Crush 100 in my live rig, into a Marshall 1960A 4x12. Sounds great. I use the clean channel as my pedal platform. I have to run a MXR 10 band EQ pedal in the amps effects loop to scoop the mids a bit because the amps EQ section on the clean channel only has bass and treble EQ knobs, no mid control.
I used to play in a metal band here in Toronto and the lead guitar player used a solid state REX amp. It killed! I think that's what it was called. One rack space tall, 100 watts of death!
@@werewolfmedialv Just like with the Crush 120, the dirty channel works pretty well as a pedal platform too, think most prefer that over the clean channel since it adds additional mids control, gain is best before or on the edge of breakup when used for that purpose.
I own the amp and I couldn't tell where it was. I couldn't even hear slight changes that you'd normally hear when switching amps. That's not just a testament to how good the Super Crush is, but also how well Glenn dialed in the amps.
The Beatles and Stones - solid state Voxes. Wilko Johnson - solid state HH amps. BB King - Lab Series. Allan Holdsworth - Lab series. Robby Krieger - Acoustic Control. Albert King - Roland JC-120, Acoustic Control. Frank Zappa - Acoustic Control, Pignose, Rickenbacker Road 440, Brian May - Deacy Amp. Andy Summers - Roland JC-120. Jimmy Page - Vox, Rickenbacker Transonic. Neil Young - Baldwin Exterminator….
Solid state amp quality has really improved a lot in the past ten years or so. I think people say solid state sucks because their first solid state amp is something like a line 6 spider. And they just want whatever is the opposite of that line 6 amp build-wise, which is usually expensive tube amps. While I wasn’t a big fan of your tone on the first super crush demo, that probably has more to do with your eq settings. I have a boss mini katana, and it’s one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever played, full stop.
Not to be that guy but the spider is digital but that's irrelevant and I agree. Check out Tone Wars review of the Super Crush he does a good job with it. And that dude is a tube snob lol
@@AD1978leo digital is solid state, a subset at least. My boss is an analog solid state amp. So are the Randalls and Sunn amps that people love so much.
Like with most things, most people get their opinions from 'the general consensus'. Other guitar players tell them the magic tone is in tubes, pickups and tonewood, therefore it must be so. Even more so when they have invested thousands into boutique tube amps, pedals and guitars. Woo to the heretic that dares to go against the grain. That's like an atheist at a Born Again Christian convention, or JK Rowling at a LGBT+ divided by 7 meeting. People don't like it when their most cherished beliefs are challenged, or godforbid, proven wrong.
Phillip McKnight said solid state amps may have a bad reputation because many were originally manufactured for those who couldn't afford tube amps, so cheaper speakers and other components
I have been playing for 40 years. I was a sound designer, touring musician and composer for theatre, film and TV for 27 years. My opinion is this. Every tool for the job. If it sounds good and fits in the mix that is all that matters. I do like certain amps for their clean tones. But for high gain tones. Find a few amps that work. Stack them, blend them. Really doesn't matter if they are tubes or not. Marshall Valvestate, Crate , Peavey Etc. If you can make it work and it sounds good. It is good.
There is no difference. I really like these shootout videos because playing music is 100% all about using your ears. The riffs and solos in this video are awesome as well, and that’s one of the things I look forward to when watching one of these.
I had to back this video up many, many times to replay the various change points to be sure I didn't miss any. (Became a lot harder during the lead portion.) I probably got my letters mixed up in a few places. I won't lose any sleep over that, though. The amps are close enough in sound that it probably doesn't matter which one you pick for a record. 7:34 a quality amp (A) 7:37 a different quality amp (B) 7:40 another quality amp (C) 7:44 some other quality amp (D) 7:49: A 7:54: B 8:01: A 8:04: D 8:09: A 8:12: C 8:16: B 8:19: D 8:23: A I think the Super Crush was D.
@@flotenn3351 I mean, yeah... It's hard to tell! I think this makes Glenn's point: it doesn't really matter which head you're using, since they all sound pretty similar. TBH, I've lusted after gear in some of these CZcams reviews because they used it to make a particularly good demonstration song. What I was really lusting after was the SONG! ("With this gear, I can make a dope song like this!" Except... I suck at songwriting, so it doesn't matter what gear I have. My songs are going to be shit. Haha)
glad you time stamped it, since that's a lot of work haha I'm guessing A is the Revv, B is the Soldano, and C is the 5150 because C sounds like it's got the most of those special block letter mids and B is similar to that but less pushed. D is probably my least favorite here just because it's a bit dark in the mix. Orange amp eq tends to be on the darker and more mid-heavy side in my experience and that could be it. I'm also guessing Glenn mixed the SS amp a little darker so people don't assume the brightest amp is the "fizzy solid state". All good tones though, I quite like solid state when it's done right!
I definitely heard the change at 7:44 or 7:46 (before reading this comment that is). That pops out pretty clearly I'd say. A few tonal changes before that too, don't know exactly how many but your estimates here seem right. They're all good, but I prefer the tones before 7:46 to those after 7:46 (at least until the next change ... I kinda stopped listening hard after I caught one change). I don't whether the 7:46 amp is the orange or not. It has less of the fuzzy goodness the ones before had though.
Well - I can argue tubes are great high-impedance devices to build easy pre-amps - and solid state devices are great for low-impedance drivers ... but ... who cares. It's about the music and the sound done with whatever. Sure, good equipment matters - but it's no replacement for actually learning to play well. So maybe all I should have said here is that I really enjoyed the Full Mix Shootout - and thanks again. Cheers.
Glenn! Thank you for making this video. I'm in the middle of shopping for a new amp, moving up from my Fender Tube amp. Love the timing and thanks for all your hard work.
Def Leppard recorded Hysteria using a Tom Scholz Rockman, which is basically an early preamp/modeller.... :) And it's one of the greatest rock albums ever.
Are you sure there are four different amps in this shootout? Maybe I just got stuck on that rhythm riff that I want to hear more of. That was some soul-crushing goodness, Glenn. Keep it up!
I love these videos. Glenn is slowly taking down one myth after another and absolutely nails it. I'm running a Chug pedal through a PowerStage 170 with Celestions (V30 & G75) and so many people have complimented my tone. One was shocked it was not a tube amp. Funny it did not sound as good to him when he learned it was a pedal! LOL Perception is reality, I guess.
I did a gig with another metal band and the guitarists had two tube amps (one Fender and the other was 6 Line) full stack cabs and I had a Zoom G2.1u into a Peavey DECA 512 digital one unit rack power amp with a marshall A1960 cab (HalfStack) and both guitarists asked me what I used for the show and I held up my Zoom pedal and they thought fuck! I laughed my ass off! It takes time, learning and your ears for something!
I tend to turn on my super crush 100 before any other tube amp that I have. And in the mix, I couldn't hear which one that was the Orange. So I'm more than happy with my purchase!
Not a clue which was which, but the 7-string/down-tuned guitar’s mix seemed like it was wading through deeper sludge than it needed to for my taste, but that’s my taste. My dad had one of those GK ML250s too; great little amp! You’re right, though; it weighed half a ton at least.
Solid state is great, look at the jc-120! I’m very much convinced that what you say is true, that most of the chain makes little changes compared to the cab/mic. I would love to see a blind test how much of a difference all of those little things together make! Like one set up has cheap cables, cheap strings, a solid state amp, cheap pickups vs a normal tube amp like a 5150 with a mid priced import guitar and maybe throw in an absurdly expensive rig as 3th all using the same cab/speakers/mic. Love your tests man!
It's one of my most favorite amps that I own, and I usually dislike solid state amps and have mostly tube amps.The cost of tubes and tube amps is ridiculous! I hope Orange expands on this technology with more Super Crush variations. It's awesome!
I just switched my live rig to an Orange Super Crush and a Crush Pro 4x12 cab loaded with Eminence Texas Heats and Swamp Thangs. Now, I did add a couple of pedals to my pedalboard to help the Super Crush. I did a blind test to my band and soundman during soundcheck. They all loved my tone! The true test was to my soundman because he is a Marshall JCM800 snob when it comes to tone. Needless to say, he told me that my tone sounded awesome through the PA in the mix. He was surprised when I told him it's a solid state amp.
Okay the bass in that track sounded sick. It sounds like there are slight voicing differences, but not enough to really call it out. I have a Super Crush 100 because I couldn't afford a Rockerverb, and I'm more than happy with the Super Crush. It's a great amp.
Solid state isn’t bad, it’s the digital modeling side of things that don’t FEEL good. I can’t audibly discern any of it in a full mix, but if I had to choose to play something between modelers, SS and tube, I’d rather have the latter two options.
Great video, again, Glenn!! I wish there was a lower power or preamp version of the super crush. That would be even cheaper and home-friendly. Maybe with a built in ir loader...
I've played a CR120 for about the last 6 years and at that point I moved away from tubes. I enjoyed the convenience, easy to dial in and reliability and it is an incredibly good pedal platform for it's price so I didn't look back. Recently I had the hankering for tubes again and I bought an engl fireball 25 2 weeks ago. I can't believe I thought I wouldn't need tubes again. The tonal clarity and cut in the band mix with a valve amp is so much greater. I will never sell the CR120 as I love it and it's a great option.
Yup, definitely couldn't tell which was which, & honestly found it hard to even spot where the changes were. I've really come to love these blind shootouts you do cause yeah, I think we're all guilty of listening with everything but our ears at times & looking for anything that will validate a bias. Frankly I like the idea of solid state. No need to worry about failing tubes, they travel easier etc. I definitely used to hate them & was of the "solid state amps suck" mindset, but the reality is I'd probably just never heard a good one yet. Actually come to think of it, what's in most commonly used overdrive & distortion pedals? Not tubes. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Buzz Osborne from Melvins has also been known to go tube-less?
I made a little shoot out for my snobby band mate between my marshall mosfet, and a jcm 800 and a mustang modeler on the 5150 setting and my 5150. He got the mosfet vs jcm800 correct but he thought the mustang modeler was the real 5150 and said it was “the best sound by far” and he could “tell by the low end resonance and lack of woofiness”.
Soo… the only Orange amp you have owned is the one you got for free and it’s all the evidence you need to make this argument?? Great point Glenn as always your logic is flawless!!!
In my experience the key is finding a good OD/Distortion pedal for your SS amp, which is more challenging than finding a good match with a tube amp. Something adding a bit of warmth and depth to the sound helps a lot. I found the EHX Crayon is a great overdrive for the Super Crush as it works well with both the clean and dirty channels. I had a hard time finding an OD pedal that worked well with the Super Crush's dirty channel. Lots of people like the OCD, but I didn't like that combo at all.
Does the amp change at 7:46? If so they both sound great! With a bass sound that big and downtuned guitars, anything that distorts sounds monstrous anyway!
I want to say that the amp changes to the Soldano right there. It's really tough to say. I only say that because I think the amp has the most unique voice out of the four, but it'd be awesome to find out it's actually the Orange.
I am not close to being a sound expert but even when originally played through a tube amp we are hearing it from a solid state amp after recording and processing through various solid state electronics. So it stands to reason that the system used for processing and reproducing the music is the limiting factor and must be as good or better than the guitar amps for any differences to show up.
Coincidentally, this very Orange Crush model is the one Ty tours with these days. I tried one for about a week and hated it, but naturally he makes it sound incredible. Curse my tone-deficient hands! 😄
A connoisseur in tube amp sounds is a superhero with super hearing powers, who's powers suddenly disappear when he/she can't see anything on the screen. Tru dat.
I couldn't hear a difference at all,then again I'm just an old guy that hasn't played in a band since the late 90's and I just watch this channel to try to stay up to date with things and relive my misspent youth,lol. It sounded great to me. Keep up the great work Glenn,you are awesome
First off, great video! Coming from the perspective of an engineer: I've had a dude with a Helix on one side of the stage and another with isolated, stereo amps (Supro/DC30). No one comes up talking about how "great" the amps sounded or how "bad" the Helix sounded. People are always talking about how tight the band sounded. Doing your part as a musician and band mate to hone your craft and bring a good product will make a bigger difference on yours and everyone else's musical experience. At least more than this mysterious and nebulous point at which electrical engineering and magic intersect 🙄
The main problem with people complaining about solid state is that a lot of entry level, cheap, badly made amplifiers are indeed solid state. A tube by itself has nothing special, actually, a Jfet transistor works almost the same way but cost way less, is way more efficient and sound almost the same. There's a lot of pedals makers nowadays that use Jfet to replicate the sound various amplifiers and many of them sound glorious. It's not harder to get that ''kissed by overdrive'' sound from a jfet because it's very easy to bias a Jfet without negative feedback so you can get from clean to overdrive very progressively. The bad reputation of solid state being either clean or dirty comes from the fact that the majority of designs in solid state amplification involve diode clipping and negative feedback. Diode clipping is not very progressive in normal circumstances. Too much negative feedback makes the transition from clean to clipping quite abrupt.
To me it's not so much about the sound but the feel. Tube amps reacts to not only what you play but how, they are more dynamic and alive than solid state in my experience.
Had an Orange Crush Pro 120 for 5 years now, used with V30s it sounds killer. Only cost me £300 and I know a few UK hardcore bands who use them as well. Absolutely killer.
I've listened 10 times now and I can now discern without a shadow of a doubt with my rigorous tone experience that the amps in question do in fact change at 7:33 into killer metal tone. I know just my super hearing kicking in, right? \m/
Hello sir, I’m a new subscriber and I’ve really appreciated your approach to the channel. I don’t play metal, but your advice for gear is still spot on regardless of style. I’ve been getting rid of all my tube amps, except the deluxe reverb my parents gifted me back in 2004 (it’s sentimental). I personally believe modern guitars with modern amplification or modelers work infinitely better in 9.7 out of 10 cases. Keep up the good work!
I played a Mesa/Boogie Studio Caliber DC-2 for about fifteen years and I loved it. All those tubes make for great tones, but only at unmanageable and uncomfortable high volumes. The weight of the amp also made transporting it unpleasant and frustrating. Well, a few years after a critical back surgery in late 2008, I switched over to a totally solid-state Roland Cube 40XL and I’ve been completely happy with its tones and performance. I believe that tube emulation today has gotten to an excellent point, and players can be quite happy with the sounds and portability of the amps. Processors have improved significantly since about 2015 or so as well, and live performance is an easy breeze with one too!
I used to use a 600W Genz Benz solid state bass amp with tube preamp for my guitar rig as a power amp. It was small enough to fit in my backpack. It was the shuttle 6.0. I used it with a 4x12 Randall cab. Got rid of it because I got tired of lugging around the big ass 4x12 cabinet and opted for a pair of 2x12 combo amps that are set up in stereo.
Runs a test with a solid state pedal mixed with every single amp. Seems valid. 🙄 I'm a huge fan of the supercrush BTW. Just not sure of the methodology is right here. The main difference between solid state and tube amps is the speaker-output transformer reactivity that effects the amp's control over speaker dampening. Solid state amps have very fast dampening control over the speaker, which people perceive (mostly while playing) that the amp feels stiffer and like the lows and highs feel and sound sorta different. I'm not sold on the idea that you can tell the difference just by listening, but you can tell the difference in playing feel and response when you're playing the amp, especially if you're in the same room as the speaker cab. As far as gain characteristics, JFET clipping is nearly indistinguishable from 12AX7 clipping. Anyone thinking there's a major difference is fooling themselves.
I’ve used Solid State, Tube and Digital amps over the years and I gotta admit, a lot of new Solid State and Digital amps are blurring the lines and that’s what we want. As guitarists, surely we want gear to be more affordable and less prone to breaking down, whilst still having excellent tone? I had a Marshall DSL100 and as much as it was a loud beast, it would break down all the time. These days I rock a Boss Katana and it’s everything I want in an amp. It’s reliable, easy to carry, loud, sounds killer and it’s super affordable.
With heavy post production in a mix it might be tougher to tell. In a room standing there it's easier to tell. You have to hear the raw uncompressed tone. It's what I hear that helps me play.
I can't tell the difference but which ever amp was used sound great. I have played with a peavey vypyr 15 watt amp at church and a bugera. It sound good. I'm not going to start looking at whether solid state or tube is better. I finally got a better amp, went for the orange super crush 100 thanks to glens review of it. I saw an interview with cradle of filth using the mooer pre amp and radar for cab sim, it sound great. I rather enjoy playing my favorite pedals and guitar than trying to prove a point wether wood, pickups, pedals or picks make a difference. Enjoy your gear and Rock on.
Since the tubes on my Bugera 6262 Infinium gave up the ghost in January 2020, I pondered the idea of replacing them but I needed an amp immediately, so I took my old Crate GX1200H (120W solid state head) out of "retirement". It's connected to the same 2x12 Palmer cabinet loaded with Jensen Vintage 50W speakers that I had the Bugera plugged into and, long story short, it never sounded so good, not to mention that it's smaller and lighter than the Bugera. It sounds much better than the Bugera and much better than I can remember, because being unable to make it sound good was the reason I switched to valves, not knowing that the "problem" were probably the speakers I was using (Celestion G12T-75). So, as you can tell, I don't need to be sold on SS amps. 🙂
I listened to this in my car while I was driving to work, and at first I didn’t even realize there was a difference in the tones. I listened again and noticed slight changes but I couldn’t be Frickered to tell you which is which. They all sound great in the mix and that speaks volumes on your behalf. But the bass tone. Jfc what is that.
Just chiming in for fun. Around 8:20, right near the end, it felt like the guitars became thinner. Not saying that's the solid state, just that is where it felt like the guitars had the biggest difference
The super crush uses J-fet preamp and does 100W of output on the power amp. It is going to sound like a tube amp since it is built like one. The "big" advantage tubes have is they sound nice when they clip a little and J-fet do the same in solid state unless you go way too far. Not that it even matters since the amp is being used as a clean peddle platform.
I'm saying this as someone who studies amp design and is an amp repair tech by trade. One is not better than the other. they sound different in person, but in a mix setting like this its all in how good your equipment and engineer is. In my opinion, the tube amps seem to be a bit more responsive when playing( that is the sound comes out of the speaker ever so slightly faster) but If your solid state components are the correct values and achieve the same noise floor and headroom, you'll have a hard time telling a difference, especially since your tone stacks/EQs are made of the same passive components as a tube amp.
My solid state baby Marshall sounded like the real deal when I used an overdrive (without distortion), but it whistled and screamed very well. It was only 12 watts. I did overdrive the input. I could get a great Tora Tora sound. Because it was an open back combo. I put a hand towel in the cab to cut resonance. It sounded really good. I now a have a B-52 half stack, and if over driven, it also sounds really good. At 100 watts with a 4x12 closed cab, it sounds good. It uses 6L6s vs EL-34s like Marshals usually do. I mainly play bass, and my Mark Bass 800 watt head with an optional tube input sounds fine to me. In fact. Sunn Coloseums sounded good when Chris Squire used them. With modern replication of sound, a lot of solis state drives sound just as good to me. Piano lows are for bass. One of my friends who used to repair amps is to tell me that there is much more to the sound than solid state or tubes. I can use my guitar and bass pedal boxes right into the amp, and no one can tell the difference,
So let me get this straight… we’re suppose to pick out a solid state amp between 3 tube amps that have a solid state pedal circuit running through them the entire time? The answer is… the entire thing. Why not just run a single tube amp without any solid state diodes polluting it from a pedal? Then maybe we don’t have to distinguish when a solid state t by pppp
Assuming that solid state is a bit fuzzier than the solid state: 7:34 - tube 7:37 - solid state 7:48 - tube 7:53 - solid state (with the lead guitar in it's alot harder to tell tone difference in the rythm) 8:22 - tube 8:26 - solid state I could hear more subtle differences between the different amps, but I'm just trying to highlight whenever (in my opinion) the solid-state entered. I'm genuinely curious to see the final results. I am mostly a solid-state player, so I have no hate towards them.
I think that it ultimately depends on the circuit design of the amp in question, and the speaker and mic you pair it with. I mean, those Joyo Bantamps are hybrid, and the preamp stage is both a single tube and solid state. The power amp is also solid state. Granted, a power tube IR or transistor based emulation of post saturation and EQ of power tubes as the last item in the FX loop does make these types of single knob tone stack style hybrid amps sound better, along with an EQ as the first item in the FX loop. Amps with a full EQ might be EASIER to dial in with a setup something like that, but it isn't really necessary. I've seen enough reviews of Marshall MG50GFX combos and Super Crush heads and those little Soldano and Friedman 30 watt solid state micro heads to know this. Those things all sound damn convincing once they're dialed in, regardless of how you get there.
Guitar tone A is the begining of the song guitar tone B is that change you hear at about 7:36.5 and then is changes back and fourth a bunch of times. the difference is so super subtle. i honestly dont know which is which. been saying for years the difference between a good tube and a good solid state is super subtle.
If I was forced to guess I'd say the first half of the solo give or take is the solid state amp. If there's even one in there at all. It sounded a tiny bit less "organic" but that could be a simple EQ tweek.
Sounded consistent all the way through to me. Only issue I've ever had with solid state is the volume/perceived volume sometimes seems a little low. I always chalked that up to the amp being a shite cheap amp with a shite cheap speaker though, since most solud state amps were historically aimed as a more budget product. I use a Lionheart SLS as my main amp now. Has a preamp tube so I guess it's hybrid, but the 300w power section kicks out more than enough volume and it sounds great. Gear snobs LOOK at my gear (Schecter guitar, Duncan Design Active pickups, hybrid amp) and HATE it. They seem to like the sound, feel and playability though, once they hear it or give it a try themselves. Just shut your eyes and open your mind, basically. Love the channel!
As a solid state player (Tech 21 NYC Trademark 300), I can really appreciate this video. I'm always asked what model Mesa, or what tubes are in my amp... Haha! The look on their faces when I say it's solid state SansAmp circuitry is just priceless. Some even refuse to believe. Before this amp, I played a Peavey TransTube 100, and it was the same deal. I had to explain the "tube" dynamic was just a knob, and there weren't even any pre-amp tubes in it. It was basically a Bandit in head form with bells and whistles. LOL! All that being said, I think the third time playing through the riff was the Orange Super Crush. The top end is where you can usually hear and solid state or modeler separate itself, barely. Can't wait to see the results! Once again, thanks for this video as proof a solid state amp can be a monster!
I claim that the first amp used in the mix was the Orange Transistor amp. To me, it sounded especially harsh and aggressive, with more of an upper-mid focused distortion compared to the other amps. For the lead part, when the ascending octaves come in is when the Orange amp is used. Now, understand here, I am only taking a wild guess; I don’t have nearly the playing experience needed to tell a transistor amp from a tube amp in a mix, though one of the amps did stick out more than the rest to me.
Sounded great. Couldn’t tell which amp was which and didn’t really care. Super Crush is an outstanding amp though. Hard to justify the soldano price tag when you can get such a similar tone out of something that is like 10% the price. End of the day the amp is just a tool to help the musician be creative. If the tool happens to be solid state then great!
I just plugged an original Jensen 1960 P15R speaker into my solid state Vox Pathfinder 15R amplifier. It sounded identical to a mid 60’s blackface fender amplifier. Even the onboard reverb (which isn’t considered very strong) suddenly sounded deep drippy and cavernous! I love tube amplifiers, tubes are a legit historical technology. But I love amplifiers for the tones they generate, I don’t really care how the electronics actually works.
I agree 💯 percent with you brotha. I used to be a tube amp snob but not anymore. Been playing solid state amps for years now. Very reliable, the sound is the same wherever you plug in. The wall voltage isn't a factor. They sound great! F THESE so called experts 🤘
I'm a little late, but I'm thinking it went: 1st Verse/Solidstate, 2nd Verse Tube, 1st Half of Solo/Solidstate, 2nd Half of Solo/Tube This being said, I'm not sure if I'm right, but I actually thought the 1st verse and 1st half of solo sounded more present, and "Perfect". I enjoyed it more. I would like to know if I got it right...
I wrote this in my notes on my phone. Didn’t really dare post it, as I was afraid to have egg on my face😅 Anyways, here goes: 7:34 - 7:37 Nice full sound, with some good crispy top end 7:37 - 7:40 Less crispy/fizzy top end, more noticeable bass 7:40 - 7:45 More upper mids, with that fizz/crispness back in 7:45 - 7:49 Feels a bit darker again, with some off the high end info a bit lower than the last one 7:49 - 7:55 Here we are back with the some upper mid crisp 7:55 - 8:00 The difference is very slight here, I just though I heard a slight shift in the top end 8:00 - 8:03 I’m not sure it actually shifted or if it’s just the effects of the dive bomb, sounds more bassy, but also more fizzy, a bit scooped. The solo part I actually struggled so I didn’t really make the effort to write it out. Ps. I love the Orange super crush! I’ve used it on band practice from time to time. I really liked the old Crush Pro too.
Here is a short list of guitar players who can get solid state amplifiers to do what they need: Dimebag Darrell. Adrian Belew. George Benson. John Abercrombie. David Byrne. Corey Wong. Eric Gales. BB King. Albert Collins. Kirk Hammett…I think…Frank Gambale. These guitarists extend across a variety of genres from high gain metal to clean funk and jazz and everything in between. You know who isn’t on that list? Me. That’s why tubes aren’t obsolete quite yet. Too many of us still like em.
I'm going to absolutely guess. That the very first rhythm tone we hear is the orange crush. Not that it didn't sound great either. I do hear subtle shifts in the tone when they change but everything sounds great.
Hell if I know. I’ve been using a Marshall solid state combo amp since 2003 or 2004. It sounds absolutely killer, especially when you add pedals, and gets loud as hell. I could never justify buying a new amp as long as mine still worked and the only ones I’m interested in I can’t afford. It’s been 20 years and the thing still sounds great.
😂 My Marshall. MG15 mini stack is solid state and sounds killer ! Shit, my Marshall MG100fx is solid state and sounds killer! My Marshall DSL40 is all tube and sounds even better, nice harmonic content in tubes. 😅 There is no denying harmonic content in tubes.
Hi Glenn, nice one ... Couldn't hear any difference, however I do confess I listened on my phone... Congratz on capturing that base sound, for some reason that did came across (through my phone).
Just heard this through Kindle Fire HD Tablet speakers and could not immediately hear differences. Will respond again when heard through better setups such as headphones or soundbar. Thank you, Glen for keeping it real.
I have no idea which was which but I pretty much liked the "piano lows" of that sick bass track on this :)
Seriously the bass sounded massive!
He covered up the guitar with bass guitar and added effects to the guitar as well he could have played through a crate practice Amp and you'd never know
@@Durkhead Itsn't that what bass is supposed to do in mix?
Brand new strings on a bass will give you that sound.
@@Durkhead what sounds good it is sounding good no matter what math was applied the background :)
I'm reminded of Metalocalypse episode in which the engineer asked the band to comment on the sound of their album in digital vs. analog. They sounded exactly the same, but when they were told one was digital, they suddenly decided that one sounded like shit and the other one was great.
good thinking. This happens a lot.
Not going to lie. I went into this with the intention to try and hear the solid state. Not because my hearing is soooooo good, just wanted to see if I could do it. By the end of the song all I could do was appreciate what I just heard. That track was awesome.
I felt exactly the same as you Bill.
High Gain kinda cuts the toooooob sound in a mix, you can only tell by feel and attack. On a recording, very little difference with Orange SS ams
Ditto!
Ditto!
Ditto
I wouldn’t be surprised if Glenn only used the orange crush for all of the guitar tracks!!!
Honestly couldn’t tell but all sound great. Think I’ll be adding a crush to the purchase list!!
I'll go one further on issuing challenges: pick out the solid state AND which tube amp is being used at any given point. While we're at it: what brands of tubes used in each.
Definitely NOS Mullards at 8:17 of the video. You can sense that traditional Mullard Trumpet Lows there easily. 😁
Ah, that's how Glen stacked the deck! He used inferior brand tubes to unfairly handicap the tube amps! (Sadly, it's probably just a matter of time until someone suggests this seriously.)
Muh tone-tubes
@@BXGuitars That's trumpet highs.... But with a milky upper mid tone and a warm onion attack. Extra pickle, hold the mayo.
I wanna know what wood the fingerboard is made out of to get those piano lows
I'm just sitting here in awe of that insane crazy badass bass tone you got in that mix! Holy crap! Screw the guitars amps and drums, that bass was killer!
Hey Glenn, to be honest: I didn't spot any changes (I knew very well it's very hard, if not impossible, to distinguish them but I wanted to participate) BUT, yet there's a -but-, what struck me, is the beauty of that piece of music: composition, recording, mixing. Great job :-) Thumb up :-)
Well - that mix sounded good to me. Tubes or solid state? Who cares - good tone is good tone. Really enjoyed the track as well, great work guys!
Ssshhh. 'Good tone is good tone' is guaranteed to get hollow-state weenies riled. Dave Simpson does some stellar 'sound like...' videos with his Orange amp. Orange should pay him.
You are, of course, completely correct. Good tone is just that. A triode valve is just a FET with a pilot light anyway.
Glenn, I can't believe you've never heard of "Piano Lows."
It's when you're in your late twenties, drowning in ennui from not living up to your potential, and drinking the nights away in a lounge bar.
What that has to do with tube amps is beyond me, though.
Man, what are you doin' here?
...and the microphone smells like a beer.
Damn dude, make me feel more depressed about my situation why don't you... lmao
@@shakeyoulikehaitiwell 😅at least you ain't got any money !?
The more blind tests, the better. I’m with you, I don’t care so much what the test result is, I just care that I’ve learned something. You’re doing the lord’s work Glenn.
Every time I played shows, people would compliment my tone until they found out I was using a Roland cube (2011-2019) or now my helix. Then they conveniently started pointing out issues they didn't hear before or just walked away awkwardly. It definitely proved to me that people hear with their eyes. Especially for a couple of those shows when I was using someone else's $200 Jackson Dinky while my guitar was in the shop and people loved the "bite" from that particular guitar
That's awesome! I just got myself a roland cube and was floored that it actually sounds good! Super cool to hear your story about that amp!
That's awesome. I played a live show where somebody let me play through a marshall stack. I used a rocktron metal planet pedal for the distortion . Nobody knew.
Roland/boss makes good stuff since the 70s......
ive heard the roland cubs are pretty sweet amps, at least back in the day people spoke very highly of them
Cubes are great solid state amps. To me solid state can sound just as good but it's different. I play stoner doom where not only you need tubes, you need either Orange, Matamp/Green, Sunn, Laney, or maybe Marshall but every time I hear a doom band use marshall i wish it was Orange. My TH30 is great but the clean channel is basically the less gain channel. I love Vox cleans and would love to have the real deal but their modelling practice amps have always sounded godlike to me so I think I'll pick one up. The Crush sounds really good hear but it sounds like hot poop for Stoner.
Enjoying the old Peavey Transtube series more than all my tubeamps on the moment
Transtube gets way more grief than it should. I've heard and played lots of😊 very flawed tube amps that weren't half as good as the cheap, cheerful Transtube series.
recently bought a Transtube special 212,,,, i have used an Ultra 120 half stack for years,,,I was pleasantly surprised by the tone i can get from the Transtube,and it's easier to manage than a half stack lol
@@davidbanta7303 The 212 sounds a lot fuller than the 112. That 2nd speaker really adds to that amp. Wish I still had mine. It was hit by lightning, no joke. Worked for a while after that too.
@@davidbanta7303 I also have the transtube special. turned into a head. used cheap lightweight wood
Was worth the 7 1/2 mins to actually hear something played!
Don't really care which one was the Orange they all had that glorious fuzzy goodness and the playing was top notch!
Does prove the fact in a mix rube vs solid state does very little.
Nice job sir.
If you like that fizz, then solid state is for you. That comes from information in the top end that's lost due to the harder solid state clipping. I personally prefer to minimize that, but it really is a matter of preference. Of course, people in my position are stuck with heavy expensive tube amps so there's always a tradeoff lol
And tbh the JFET gain stages on that orange might actually be a decent solution to the problem I describe. Not totally clean distortion, but maybe better than any other solid state.
@@davidjairala69 Solid state can clip as soft as you want to make it clip. That thought you mention comes from cheap designs from the early transistor era, where technology was simply new, hence not developed and its nuances waiting to be discovered, and went on a 1:1 competition against a mature technology like thermionic valves. Transistors were WAY cheaper, therefore they didn't initially invest in designs taking advantage from their characteristics. Then most practice combos since forever are obviously transistor to reduce costs, and to reduce that cost even more they come with a cheap speaker, which is the actual source of fizz everyone keeps mentioning.
If you think it thoroughly, cheap digital stuff sucked even in the early 2000s, but 20+ years later we're at a totally different level, and only cork-sniffers say «this sounds so digital» to try and dismiss something they don't have/don't know how to use/don't understand (if they did, they would understand it's the algorithm).
@@davidjairala69 So you picked out exactly where the SS amp is in the vid right? ...right? You 100% sure about that?
@@davidjairala69 Your head is firmly wedged.
I love my super crush 100. A lot of bang for the buck, and I’ve been very happy with it. Thanks for featuring! Love your vids and your vibe!
I recently picked up a Super Crush 100 to round off my amp collection and have a good medium to high gain amp. I love it so far. I’m not much of a metal player, but it gets me pretty much the exact punk and alternative tone I want for recording. You’d never be able to tell the difference between this and a rocker verb in a good mix. Or if it has tubes or not.
Very nice!
The clean channel is a super usefull pedal platform as well!
I also use the Orange Super Crush 100 in my live rig, into a Marshall 1960A 4x12. Sounds great. I use the clean channel as my pedal platform. I have to run a MXR 10 band EQ pedal in the amps effects loop to scoop the mids a bit because the amps EQ section on the clean channel only has bass and treble EQ knobs, no mid control.
I used to play in a metal band here in Toronto and the lead guitar player used a solid state REX amp. It killed! I think that's what it was called. One rack space tall, 100 watts of death!
@@werewolfmedialv Just like with the Crush 120, the dirty channel works pretty well as a pedal platform too, think most prefer that over the clean channel since it adds additional mids control, gain is best before or on the edge of breakup when used for that purpose.
I own the amp and I couldn't tell where it was. I couldn't even hear slight changes that you'd normally hear when switching amps. That's not just a testament to how good the Super Crush is, but also how well Glenn dialed in the amps.
Fancy seeing you here! I knew you liked metal but didn't realize you played or recorded metal guitar as well.
The bass tone in this track is massive, topic notwithstanding! :D Love that gnarly pick attack.
The Beatles and Stones - solid state Voxes. Wilko Johnson - solid state HH amps. BB King - Lab Series. Allan Holdsworth - Lab series. Robby Krieger - Acoustic Control. Albert King - Roland JC-120, Acoustic Control. Frank Zappa - Acoustic Control, Pignose, Rickenbacker Road 440, Brian May - Deacy Amp. Andy Summers - Roland JC-120. Jimmy Page - Vox, Rickenbacker Transonic. Neil Young - Baldwin Exterminator….
Piano lows in this test are OFF THE CHARTS 🤩
We need a tutorial on this SICK bass tone, stat!! Honestly, this bass tone is thick in all the right places ^_^
This here. I want to know which bass, which knob settings, and the signal chain. Sounds just massive.
He had an earlier video about this, if I recall.
If it's sick, see your doctor.
Solid state amp quality has really improved a lot in the past ten years or so. I think people say solid state sucks because their first solid state amp is something like a line 6 spider. And they just want whatever is the opposite of that line 6 amp build-wise, which is usually expensive tube amps. While I wasn’t a big fan of your tone on the first super crush demo, that probably has more to do with your eq settings. I have a boss mini katana, and it’s one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever played, full stop.
Not to be that guy but the spider is digital but that's irrelevant and I agree. Check out Tone Wars review of the Super Crush he does a good job with it. And that dude is a tube snob lol
@@AD1978leo digital is solid state, a subset at least. My boss is an analog solid state amp. So are the Randalls and Sunn amps that people love so much.
@@AD1978leo I think it’s important to differentiate between digital modelers and analog solid state amps.
Like with most things, most people get their opinions from 'the general consensus'. Other guitar players tell them the magic tone is in tubes, pickups and tonewood, therefore it must be so. Even more so when they have invested thousands into boutique tube amps, pedals and guitars. Woo to the heretic that dares to go against the grain. That's like an atheist at a Born Again Christian convention, or JK Rowling at a LGBT+ divided by 7 meeting. People don't like it when their most cherished beliefs are challenged, or godforbid, proven wrong.
Phillip McKnight said solid state amps may have a bad reputation because many were originally manufactured for those who couldn't afford tube amps, so cheaper speakers and other components
I have been playing for 40 years. I was a sound designer, touring musician and composer for theatre, film and TV for 27 years. My opinion is this. Every tool for the job. If it sounds good and fits in the mix that is all that matters. I do like certain amps for their clean tones. But for high gain tones. Find a few amps that work. Stack them, blend them. Really doesn't matter if they are tubes or not. Marshall Valvestate, Crate , Peavey Etc. If you can make it work and it sounds good. It is good.
Honestly, a great tone is a great tone. it doesn't matter how you make it.
I think it's all Super Crush 100, and I also think the guitar tracks were low passed more aggressively than usual just to be sneaky.
There is no difference. I really like these shootout videos because playing music is 100% all about using your ears. The riffs and solos in this video are awesome as well, and that’s one of the things I look forward to when watching one of these.
Absolutely loved the "your making bass player look smart" comment! That was just too funny! Keep up the great work.
I had to back this video up many, many times to replay the various change points to be sure I didn't miss any. (Became a lot harder during the lead portion.) I probably got my letters mixed up in a few places. I won't lose any sleep over that, though. The amps are close enough in sound that it probably doesn't matter which one you pick for a record.
7:34 a quality amp (A)
7:37 a different quality amp (B)
7:40 another quality amp (C)
7:44 some other quality amp (D)
7:49: A
7:54: B
8:01: A
8:04: D
8:09: A
8:12: C
8:16: B
8:19: D
8:23: A
I think the Super Crush was D.
I second that Orange = D, but I didn't hear alll these changes tbh
@@flotenn3351 I mean, yeah... It's hard to tell! I think this makes Glenn's point: it doesn't really matter which head you're using, since they all sound pretty similar. TBH, I've lusted after gear in some of these CZcams reviews because they used it to make a particularly good demonstration song. What I was really lusting after was the SONG! ("With this gear, I can make a dope song like this!" Except... I suck at songwriting, so it doesn't matter what gear I have. My songs are going to be shit. Haha)
glad you time stamped it, since that's a lot of work haha
I'm guessing A is the Revv, B is the Soldano, and C is the 5150 because C sounds like it's got the most of those special block letter mids and B is similar to that but less pushed. D is probably my least favorite here just because it's a bit dark in the mix. Orange amp eq tends to be on the darker and more mid-heavy side in my experience and that could be it. I'm also guessing Glenn mixed the SS amp a little darker so people don't assume the brightest amp is the "fizzy solid state". All good tones though, I quite like solid state when it's done right!
A sounded the best to me
I definitely heard the change at 7:44 or 7:46 (before reading this comment that is). That pops out pretty clearly I'd say. A few tonal changes before that too, don't know exactly how many but your estimates here seem right. They're all good, but I prefer the tones before 7:46 to those after 7:46 (at least until the next change ... I kinda stopped listening hard after I caught one change). I don't whether the 7:46 amp is the orange or not. It has less of the fuzzy goodness the ones before had though.
Well - I can argue tubes are great high-impedance devices to build easy pre-amps - and solid state devices are great for low-impedance drivers ... but ... who cares. It's about the music and the sound done with whatever. Sure, good equipment matters - but it's no replacement for actually learning to play well. So maybe all I should have said here is that I really enjoyed the Full Mix Shootout - and thanks again. Cheers.
Glenn! Thank you for making this video. I'm in the middle of shopping for a new amp, moving up from my Fender Tube amp. Love the timing and thanks for all your hard work.
I loved my H&K Black Spirit 200 Floor, can't say I miss tubes at all. It sounds amazing and so versatile.
Def Leppard recorded Hysteria using a Tom Scholz Rockman, which is basically an early preamp/modeller.... :) And it's one of the greatest rock albums ever.
I remember finding out their guitars were through a headphone amp/preamp and being blown away.
That is true. It was also highly modified. That is according to mutt Lange engineer Mike Shipley but still solid state.
I like both solid state and tube. I always took a solid state amp as backup when my old band used to play live. Just in case the tube amp crapped out.
Are you sure there are four different amps in this shootout? Maybe I just got stuck on that rhythm riff that I want to hear more of. That was some soul-crushing goodness, Glenn. Keep it up!
Jason Gwin, what are the odds that all the guitar tracks is through the Crush100 ? 😂
@@paultorbert6929 he probably just moved the mic!
I love these videos. Glenn is slowly taking down one myth after another and absolutely nails it. I'm running a Chug pedal through a PowerStage 170 with Celestions (V30 & G75) and so many people have complimented my tone. One was shocked it was not a tube amp. Funny it did not sound as good to him when he learned it was a pedal! LOL Perception is reality, I guess.
I did a gig with another metal band and the guitarists had two tube amps (one Fender and the other was 6 Line) full stack cabs and I had a Zoom G2.1u into a Peavey DECA 512 digital one unit rack power amp with a marshall A1960 cab (HalfStack) and both guitarists asked me what I used for the show and I held up my Zoom pedal and they thought fuck! I laughed my ass off! It takes time, learning and your ears for something!
I tend to turn on my super crush 100 before any other tube amp that I have. And in the mix, I couldn't hear which one that was the Orange. So I'm more than happy with my purchase!
Not a clue which was which, but the 7-string/down-tuned guitar’s mix seemed like it was wading through deeper sludge than it needed to for my taste, but that’s my taste. My dad had one of those GK ML250s too; great little amp! You’re right, though; it weighed half a ton at least.
Solid state is great, look at the jc-120! I’m very much convinced that what you say is true, that most of the chain makes little changes compared to the cab/mic. I would love to see a blind test how much of a difference all of those little things together make! Like one set up has cheap cables, cheap strings, a solid state amp, cheap pickups vs a normal tube amp like a 5150 with a mid priced import guitar and maybe throw in an absurdly expensive rig as 3th all using the same cab/speakers/mic. Love your tests man!
JHS Pedals did something similar to this, using cheap, mid-price, and expensive guitars, pedals, and amps.
I couldn't tell. Sounded good all the way through.
It's one of my most favorite amps that I own, and I usually dislike solid state amps and have mostly tube amps.The cost of tubes and tube amps is ridiculous! I hope Orange expands on this technology with more Super Crush variations. It's awesome!
I just switched my live rig to an Orange Super Crush and a Crush Pro 4x12 cab loaded with Eminence Texas Heats and Swamp Thangs. Now, I did add a couple of pedals to my pedalboard to help the Super Crush. I did a blind test to my band and soundman during soundcheck. They all loved my tone! The true test was to my soundman because he is a Marshall JCM800 snob when it comes to tone. Needless to say, he told me that my tone sounded awesome through the PA in the mix. He was surprised when I told him it's a solid state amp.
Okay the bass in that track sounded sick. It sounds like there are slight voicing differences, but not enough to really call it out. I have a Super Crush 100 because I couldn't afford a Rockerverb, and I'm more than happy with the Super Crush. It's a great amp.
Solid state isn’t bad, it’s the digital modeling side of things that don’t FEEL good. I can’t audibly discern any of it in a full mix, but if I had to choose to play something between modelers, SS and tube, I’d rather have the latter two options.
Great video, again, Glenn!! I wish there was a lower power or preamp version of the super crush. That would be even cheaper and home-friendly. Maybe with a built in ir loader...
I've played a CR120 for about the last 6 years and at that point I moved away from tubes. I enjoyed the convenience, easy to dial in and reliability and it is an incredibly good pedal platform for it's price so I didn't look back. Recently I had the hankering for tubes again and I bought an engl fireball 25 2 weeks ago. I can't believe I thought I wouldn't need tubes again. The tonal clarity and cut in the band mix with a valve amp is so much greater. I will never sell the CR120 as I love it and it's a great option.
Yup, definitely couldn't tell which was which, & honestly found it hard to even spot where the changes were. I've really come to love these blind shootouts you do cause yeah, I think we're all guilty of listening with everything but our ears at times & looking for anything that will validate a bias. Frankly I like the idea of solid state. No need to worry about failing tubes, they travel easier etc. I definitely used to hate them & was of the "solid state amps suck" mindset, but the reality is I'd probably just never heard a good one yet. Actually come to think of it, what's in most commonly used overdrive & distortion pedals? Not tubes. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Buzz Osborne from Melvins has also been known to go tube-less?
Yep - King Buzzo has been team Solid State for a number of years. He gets pretty good sounds.
We should all convert to tackle boxes and destroy the amp market.
I made a little shoot out for my snobby band mate between my marshall mosfet, and a jcm 800 and a mustang modeler on the 5150 setting and my 5150. He got the mosfet vs jcm800 correct but he thought the mustang modeler was the real 5150 and said it was “the best sound by far” and he could “tell by the low end resonance and lack of woofiness”.
Soo… the only Orange amp you have owned is the one you got for free and it’s all the evidence you need to make this argument?? Great point Glenn as always your logic is flawless!!!
No, the evidence has to come from us who are listening to these amps. Can you tell the time stamp for the Orange amp?
Don’t hold your breath….
In my experience the key is finding a good OD/Distortion pedal for your SS amp, which is more challenging than finding a good match with a tube amp. Something adding a bit of warmth and depth to the sound helps a lot. I found the EHX Crayon is a great overdrive for the Super Crush as it works well with both the clean and dirty channels. I had a hard time finding an OD pedal that worked well with the Super Crush's dirty channel. Lots of people like the OCD, but I didn't like that combo at all.
Does the amp change at 7:46? If so they both sound great! With a bass sound that big and downtuned guitars, anything that distorts sounds monstrous anyway!
I want to say that the amp changes to the Soldano right there. It's really tough to say. I only say that because I think the amp has the most unique voice out of the four, but it'd be awesome to find out it's actually the Orange.
I am not close to being a sound expert but even when originally played through a tube amp we are hearing it from a solid state amp after recording and processing through various solid state electronics.
So it stands to reason that the system used for processing and reproducing the music is the limiting factor and must be as good or better than the guitar amps for any differences to show up.
Love your example of Ty Tabor of King's X! Great player, and great album. His tone epitomizes something different/special.
Coincidentally, this very Orange Crush model is the one Ty tours with these days. I tried one for about a week and hated it, but naturally he makes it sound incredible. Curse my tone-deficient hands! 😄
A connoisseur in tube amp sounds is a superhero with super hearing powers, who's powers suddenly disappear when he/she can't see anything on the screen. Tru dat.
I couldn't hear a difference at all,then again I'm just an old guy that hasn't played in a band since the late 90's and I just watch this channel to try to stay up to date with things and relive my misspent youth,lol. It sounded great to me. Keep up the great work Glenn,you are awesome
First off, great video!
Coming from the perspective of an engineer:
I've had a dude with a Helix on one side of the stage and another with isolated, stereo amps (Supro/DC30). No one comes up talking about how "great" the amps sounded or how "bad" the Helix sounded. People are always talking about how tight the band sounded.
Doing your part as a musician and band mate to hone your craft and bring a good product will make a bigger difference on yours and everyone else's musical experience. At least more than this mysterious and nebulous point at which electrical engineering and magic intersect 🙄
The main problem with people complaining about solid state is that a lot of entry level, cheap, badly made amplifiers are indeed solid state. A tube by itself has nothing special, actually, a Jfet transistor works almost the same way but cost way less, is way more efficient and sound almost the same. There's a lot of pedals makers nowadays that use Jfet to replicate the sound various amplifiers and many of them sound glorious. It's not harder to get that ''kissed by overdrive'' sound from a jfet because it's very easy to bias a Jfet without negative feedback so you can get from clean to overdrive very progressively. The bad reputation of solid state being either clean or dirty comes from the fact that the majority of designs in solid state amplification involve diode clipping and negative feedback. Diode clipping is not very progressive in normal circumstances. Too much negative feedback makes the transition from clean to clipping quite abrupt.
To me it's not so much about the sound but the feel. Tube amps reacts to not only what you play but how, they are more dynamic and alive than solid state in my experience.
Had an Orange Crush Pro 120 for 5 years now, used with V30s it sounds killer. Only cost me £300 and I know a few UK hardcore bands who use them as well. Absolutely killer.
I've listened 10 times now and I can now discern without a shadow of a doubt with my rigorous tone experience that the amps in question do in fact change at 7:33 into killer metal tone. I know just my super hearing kicking in, right? \m/
Hello sir, I’m a new subscriber and I’ve really appreciated your approach to the channel. I don’t play metal, but your advice for gear is still spot on regardless of style. I’ve been getting rid of all my tube amps, except the deluxe reverb my parents gifted me back in 2004 (it’s sentimental). I personally believe modern guitars with modern amplification or modelers work infinitely better in 9.7 out of 10 cases. Keep up the good work!
I played a Mesa/Boogie Studio Caliber DC-2 for about fifteen years and I loved it. All those tubes make for great tones, but only at unmanageable and uncomfortable high volumes. The weight of the amp also made transporting it unpleasant and frustrating. Well, a few years after a critical back surgery in late 2008, I switched over to a totally solid-state Roland Cube 40XL and I’ve been completely happy with its tones and performance. I believe that tube emulation today has gotten to an excellent point, and players can be quite happy with the sounds and portability of the amps. Processors have improved significantly since about 2015 or so as well, and live performance is an easy breeze with one too!
I own a Orange Super Crush 100 & I couldn’t tell the difference…. As well as a tube amp and other solid state …. Great mix by the way
I used to use a 600W Genz Benz solid state bass amp with tube preamp for my guitar rig as a power amp. It was small enough to fit in my backpack. It was the shuttle 6.0. I used it with a 4x12 Randall cab. Got rid of it because I got tired of lugging around the big ass 4x12 cabinet and opted for a pair of 2x12 combo amps that are set up in stereo.
I figured it out only because I own a SuperCrush 100 and the Northern Mauler, and I love them both...
Runs a test with a solid state pedal mixed with every single amp. Seems valid. 🙄
I'm a huge fan of the supercrush BTW. Just not sure of the methodology is right here.
The main difference between solid state and tube amps is the speaker-output transformer reactivity that effects the amp's control over speaker dampening. Solid state amps have very fast dampening control over the speaker, which people perceive (mostly while playing) that the amp feels stiffer and like the lows and highs feel and sound sorta different. I'm not sold on the idea that you can tell the difference just by listening, but you can tell the difference in playing feel and response when you're playing the amp, especially if you're in the same room as the speaker cab.
As far as gain characteristics, JFET clipping is nearly indistinguishable from 12AX7 clipping. Anyone thinking there's a major difference is fooling themselves.
I’ve used Solid State, Tube and Digital amps over the years and I gotta admit, a lot of new Solid State and Digital amps are blurring the lines and that’s what we want. As guitarists, surely we want gear to be more affordable and less prone to breaking down, whilst still having excellent tone? I had a Marshall DSL100 and as much as it was a loud beast, it would break down all the time. These days I rock a Boss Katana and it’s everything I want in an amp. It’s reliable, easy to carry, loud, sounds killer and it’s super affordable.
With heavy post production in a mix it might be tougher to tell. In a room standing there it's easier to tell. You have to hear the raw uncompressed tone. It's what I hear that helps me play.
I can't tell the difference but which ever amp was used sound great. I have played with a peavey vypyr 15 watt amp at church and a bugera. It sound good. I'm not going to start looking at whether solid state or tube is better. I finally got a better amp, went for the orange super crush 100 thanks to glens review of it. I saw an interview with cradle of filth using the mooer pre amp and radar for cab sim, it sound great. I rather enjoy playing my favorite pedals and guitar than trying to prove a point wether wood, pickups, pedals or picks make a difference. Enjoy your gear and Rock on.
Since the tubes on my Bugera 6262 Infinium gave up the ghost in January 2020, I pondered the idea of replacing them but I needed an amp immediately, so I took my old Crate GX1200H (120W solid state head) out of "retirement". It's connected to the same 2x12 Palmer cabinet loaded with Jensen Vintage 50W speakers that I had the Bugera plugged into and, long story short, it never sounded so good, not to mention that it's smaller and lighter than the Bugera. It sounds much better than the Bugera and much better than I can remember, because being unable to make it sound good was the reason I switched to valves, not knowing that the "problem" were probably the speakers I was using (Celestion G12T-75). So, as you can tell, I don't need to be sold on SS amps. 🙂
I listened to this in my car while I was driving to work, and at first I didn’t even realize there was a difference in the tones. I listened again and noticed slight changes but I couldn’t be Frickered to tell you which is which. They all sound great in the mix and that speaks volumes on your behalf.
But the bass tone. Jfc what is that.
First mix from you that actually blew me away bro, always liked your stuff but this is another level of Fricker
Ty!!
Just chiming in for fun. Around 8:20, right near the end, it felt like the guitars became thinner. Not saying that's the solid state, just that is where it felt like the guitars had the biggest difference
The super crush uses J-fet preamp and does 100W of output on the power amp. It is going to sound like a tube amp since it is built like one. The "big" advantage tubes have is they sound nice when they clip a little and J-fet do the same in solid state unless you go way too far. Not that it even matters since the amp is being used as a clean peddle platform.
I'm saying this as someone who studies amp design and is an amp repair tech by trade. One is not better than the other. they sound different in person, but in a mix setting like this its all in how good your equipment and engineer is. In my opinion, the tube amps seem to be a bit more responsive when playing( that is the sound comes out of the speaker ever so slightly faster) but If your solid state components are the correct values and achieve the same noise floor and headroom, you'll have a hard time telling a difference, especially since your tone stacks/EQs are made of the same passive components as a tube amp.
NEVER STOP GLENN THIS IS BANGER MATERIAL!!!
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
My solid state baby Marshall sounded like the real deal when I used an overdrive (without distortion), but it whistled and screamed very well. It was only 12 watts. I did overdrive the input. I could get a great Tora Tora sound. Because it was an open back combo. I put a hand towel in the cab to cut resonance. It sounded really good. I now a have a B-52 half stack, and if over driven, it also sounds really good. At 100 watts with a 4x12 closed cab, it sounds good. It uses 6L6s vs EL-34s like Marshals usually do. I mainly play bass, and my Mark Bass 800 watt head with an optional tube input sounds fine to me. In fact. Sunn Coloseums sounded good when Chris Squire used them. With modern replication of sound, a lot of solis state drives sound just as good to me. Piano lows are for bass. One of my friends who used to repair amps is to tell me that there is much more to the sound than solid state or tubes. I can use my guitar and bass pedal boxes right into the amp, and no one can tell the difference,
So let me get this straight… we’re suppose to pick out a solid state amp between 3 tube amps that have a solid state pedal circuit running through them the entire time? The answer is… the entire thing. Why not just run a single tube amp without any solid state diodes polluting it from a pedal? Then maybe we don’t have to distinguish when a solid state t by pppp
Assuming that solid state is a bit fuzzier than the solid state:
7:34 - tube
7:37 - solid state
7:48 - tube
7:53 - solid state
(with the lead guitar in it's alot harder to tell tone difference in the rythm)
8:22 - tube
8:26 - solid state
I could hear more subtle differences between the different amps, but I'm just trying to highlight whenever (in my opinion) the solid-state entered. I'm genuinely curious to see the final results. I am mostly a solid-state player, so I have no hate towards them.
I could not tell you where one amp is playing vs the other. For the money, that Orange looks like a fucking great deal.
they all sounded great, which is just a testament to how well the orange actually does perform
Before getting a Super Crush (finally), I used to bait folks with my ancient Traynor solid-state ... while most folks thought it was a tube Traynor :P
I think that it ultimately depends on the circuit design of the amp in question, and the speaker and mic you pair it with. I mean, those Joyo Bantamps are hybrid, and the preamp stage is both a single tube and solid state. The power amp is also solid state. Granted, a power tube IR or transistor based emulation of post saturation and EQ of power tubes as the last item in the FX loop does make these types of single knob tone stack style hybrid amps sound better, along with an EQ as the first item in the FX loop. Amps with a full EQ might be EASIER to dial in with a setup something like that, but it isn't really necessary. I've seen enough reviews of Marshall MG50GFX combos and Super Crush heads and those little Soldano and Friedman 30 watt solid state micro heads to know this. Those things all sound damn convincing once they're dialed in, regardless of how you get there.
Guitar tone A is the begining of the song guitar tone B is that change you hear at about 7:36.5 and then is changes back and fourth a bunch of times. the difference is so super subtle. i honestly dont know which is which. been saying for years the difference between a good tube and a good solid state is super subtle.
If I was forced to guess I'd say the first half of the solo give or take is the solid state amp. If there's even one in there at all. It sounded a tiny bit less "organic" but that could be a simple EQ tweek.
Sounded consistent all the way through to me.
Only issue I've ever had with solid state is the volume/perceived volume sometimes seems a little low. I always chalked that up to the amp being a shite cheap amp with a shite cheap speaker though, since most solud state amps were historically aimed as a more budget product.
I use a Lionheart SLS as my main amp now. Has a preamp tube so I guess it's hybrid, but the 300w power section kicks out more than enough volume and it sounds great. Gear snobs LOOK at my gear (Schecter guitar, Duncan Design Active pickups, hybrid amp) and HATE it. They seem to like the sound, feel and playability though, once they hear it or give it a try themselves.
Just shut your eyes and open your mind, basically. Love the channel!
As a solid state player (Tech 21 NYC Trademark 300), I can really appreciate this video. I'm always asked what model Mesa, or what tubes are in my amp... Haha! The look on their faces when I say it's solid state SansAmp circuitry is just priceless. Some even refuse to believe. Before this amp, I played a Peavey TransTube 100, and it was the same deal. I had to explain the "tube" dynamic was just a knob, and there weren't even any pre-amp tubes in it. It was basically a Bandit in head form with bells and whistles. LOL!
All that being said, I think the third time playing through the riff was the Orange Super Crush. The top end is where you can usually hear and solid state or modeler separate itself, barely. Can't wait to see the results! Once again, thanks for this video as proof a solid state amp can be a monster!
I think they all sounded great! Could not tell which was which. Got to love those piano lows!
I claim that the first amp used in the mix was the Orange Transistor amp. To me, it sounded especially harsh and aggressive, with more of an upper-mid focused distortion compared to the other amps. For the lead part, when the ascending octaves come in is when the Orange amp is used. Now, understand here, I am only taking a wild guess; I don’t have nearly the playing experience needed to tell a transistor amp from a tube amp in a mix, though one of the amps did stick out more than the rest to me.
Sounded great. Couldn’t tell which amp was which and didn’t really care. Super Crush is an outstanding amp though. Hard to justify the soldano price tag when you can get such a similar tone out of something that is like 10% the price.
End of the day the amp is just a tool to help the musician be creative. If the tool happens to be solid state then great!
I just plugged an original Jensen 1960 P15R speaker into my solid state Vox Pathfinder 15R amplifier. It sounded identical to a mid 60’s blackface fender amplifier. Even the onboard reverb (which isn’t considered very strong) suddenly sounded deep drippy and cavernous! I love tube amplifiers, tubes are a legit historical technology. But I love amplifiers for the tones they generate, I don’t really care how the electronics actually works.
I agree 💯 percent with you brotha. I used to be a tube amp snob but not anymore. Been playing solid state amps for years now. Very reliable, the sound is the same wherever you plug in. The wall voltage isn't a factor. They sound great! F THESE so called experts 🤘
I'm a little late, but I'm thinking it went: 1st Verse/Solidstate, 2nd Verse Tube, 1st Half of Solo/Solidstate, 2nd Half of Solo/Tube
This being said, I'm not sure if I'm right, but I actually thought the 1st verse and 1st half of solo sounded more present, and "Perfect". I enjoyed it more. I would like to know if I got it right...
I wrote this in my notes on my phone.
Didn’t really dare post it, as I was afraid to have egg on my face😅
Anyways, here goes:
7:34 - 7:37 Nice full sound, with some good crispy top end
7:37 - 7:40 Less crispy/fizzy top end, more noticeable bass
7:40 - 7:45 More upper mids, with that fizz/crispness back in
7:45 - 7:49 Feels a bit darker again, with some off the high end info a bit lower than the last one
7:49 - 7:55 Here we are back with the some upper mid crisp
7:55 - 8:00 The difference is very slight here, I just though I heard a slight shift in the top end
8:00 - 8:03 I’m not sure it actually shifted or if it’s just the effects of the dive bomb, sounds more bassy, but also more fizzy, a bit scooped.
The solo part I actually struggled so I didn’t really make the effort to write it out.
Ps. I love the Orange super crush! I’ve used it on band practice from time to time. I really liked the old Crush Pro too.
Here is a short list of guitar players who can get solid state amplifiers to do what they need: Dimebag Darrell. Adrian Belew. George Benson. John Abercrombie. David Byrne. Corey Wong. Eric Gales. BB King. Albert Collins. Kirk Hammett…I think…Frank Gambale. These guitarists extend across a variety of genres from high gain metal to clean funk and jazz and everything in between. You know who isn’t on that list? Me. That’s why tubes aren’t obsolete quite yet. Too many of us still like em.
I recently order the super crush to replace a broken Laney pro tube. I then saw this video and was very glad I couldn’t hear a difference in the mix
In the end it turns out it was the Orange the whole time but with different cabs/speakers🤣🤣🤣
I love how the blind test, a.k.a. using some actual science, is the Achilles heel of tube snobs.
I'm going to absolutely guess.
That the very first rhythm tone we hear is the orange crush. Not that it didn't sound great either. I do hear subtle shifts in the tone when they change but everything sounds great.
Hell if I know. I’ve been using a Marshall solid state combo amp since 2003 or 2004. It sounds absolutely killer, especially when you add pedals, and gets loud as hell. I could never justify buying a new amp as long as mine still worked and the only ones I’m interested in I can’t afford. It’s been 20 years and the thing still sounds great.
😂 My Marshall. MG15 mini stack is solid state and sounds killer !
Shit, my Marshall MG100fx is solid state and sounds killer! My Marshall DSL40 is all tube and sounds even better, nice harmonic content in tubes. 😅 There is no denying harmonic content in tubes.
Hi Glenn, nice one ... Couldn't hear any difference, however I do confess I listened on my phone... Congratz on capturing that base sound, for some reason that did came across (through my phone).
Just heard this through Kindle Fire HD Tablet speakers and could not immediately hear differences. Will respond again when heard through better setups such as headphones or soundbar. Thank you, Glen for keeping it real.