What some people don’t understand is that many of the rock icons that we associate with huge tube stacks were just using what was available and what met their needs back in the day. They used tubes because that was the tech, and they used 100w full stacks because there was no PA to plug into. These days just about everyone but the largest acts could get away with a 50-100w 1x12 or 2x12 digital amp or just a decent modeler and an FRFR to monitor. Great vid as always!
This is true. Or how about the rock icons with rows of stacks that are all actually dummy amps/cabs, and really what you hear is a mic'd up combo amp? 🤔
Did you say that they didn't have PA systems to plug into? What was the singer using then? They used 100w full stacks because it looks and sounds f awesome and it's impressive as f. Many guys these days are pussies these days who ''dont like lugging around gear'-- don't get that a full stack is still king of the live sound. Don't believe me? just try it and tell me it doesn't make you play more like a rock star
I love using solid state rigs! Tubes are cool and sound great, but solid state allows for more portability, consistency, and reliability. I'm a big fan of using amp sim pedals over modellers, just because I find the fiddly digital interfaces overwhelming and prefer just having a pedal with the same knobs as an amp would have. It's much easier to go to a gig with just your guitar and a pedalboard thats set up to go direct. And if you're on a budget, The Joyo Sound series of pedals are really solid choices for under $50. You can have perfectly acceptable amp tones without having to invest in an amp/cab/expensive modeller.
I totally agree. I think that having the ease of dialing in something is a big factor as well. It's definitely the one big bummer of the Axefx rig, it's such a pain to change anything without hooking it up to a computer and using the software editor.
I've been talking to the guy from This Heavy Earth and he told me that the final version of this power amp will feature a Depth and a Presence control. This might be extremely useful with very dark distortion/preamp pedals like this Fleshrot.
I play both, and there’s a reactive difference with tube amps when playing them that isn’t quite there yet with solid state amps/modelers. With that said, the majority of people couldn’t pick out the difference in a mix.
Also, I'm going to remind everyone that Hughes & Kettner and Orange both have amazing solid state or hybrid units, both in floor amp and amp head versions. H&K has their Ampman and Orange has the Orange Crush and Terror Stamp. I would sooner pair the Terror Stamp with another pedal for best operation if you also plan to use clean tones. Also, you can use DI boxes in the FX loop with rack mount style power amps from Duncan, ART, Crown, et al to extend your existing solid state or hybrid amps with additional cabs or with cab IR's to hook into PA speakers for reinforcement.
Something worth mentioning. The Katana head has a power amp in, so it basically a power amp and a regular amp and is cheaper than a seymour duncan powerstage. Maybe not a good flight rig, but you could make it work
I just got the new Orange Super Crush 100 and let me tell you that thing is sick! I have been curious about getting a modeler and I may still do it, but I like the fact that the Orange Super Crush is like a regular old tube amp that I’m familiar with, but in a solid state form. I just use my old pedalboard that I love, dial in the simple EQ settings and I’m done.
I used to have a 1x12 Ampeg SS70 which came before the infamous Ampeg VH140c. I played hundreds of shows with that amp and never failed me. It can definitely nail that early 90s Death Metal Suffocation style which is what I used it for.
Orange Crush Pro120 2x12. Great gain, cleans up nicely with guitars volume knob and use a Boss SD1 for "more". That's my rig the last few years, I have no desire for tubes.
This Heavy Earth really brought the heavy. I could imagine it doing fine being paired with anything for small gigs and venues as apparent with the pedals and modellers it handled here, and where more volume is needed, there are additional microphone and front of house options. 13:33 - Severely misunderstood. A severe understatement. The damn thing can pull off a wide variety of very heavy tones and amp simulations with a fairly complex signal chain. The Spider V amps, including the MK II (freely upgradeable via software), represent a whole other beast to the previous entries in the Spider series. It is indeed, as pointed out in this video, much more like the Vetta and Vetta II, but perhaps with a weaker power amp section. The Boss Katana MKII is also a phenomenal piece of gear, especially when it comes to pulling off some of that dynamic feel associated with tube amps as well as full models of some of Boss's best high gain pedals (including the HM-2), but I think the Spider V does a better job of providing the sonic low end with a full cabinet setup. Of course, in the end, the Axe-FX III with the power amp wins out in terms of overall brutality, but that's premium digital tech that'll always hold its ground.
I agree, I love the Spider V head! It definitely takes some work to dial in, but honestly, I think you can get some of the most biting nasty tones out of it. Especially with the L6 amp models.
@@TaylorDanley Perhaps you've already given it a try, but the Line 6 Big Bottom, when paired with a cleaner boost like the tube screamer emulator in the Spider along with some EQ push in the signal chain, makes for a solid tone with plenty of searing upper midrange alongside a colossally heavy low end.
I never dug the spider stuff, but both guitarists in the band I used to be in used them and they sounded amazing! They ran them into their 412’s and they were both using 6505+’s at one point. Honestly sounded better than most of the other bands amps.
I had the spider IV (20 watt? 15? In that range) briefly and the cleans were actually pretty good (green-light channel?), gain around 4/10 reverb and chorus around 3/10. With Epiphone's version of an SG, on the neck. Nice sound for picking and some rhythms...idk if the V would sound similar or not. My second ever amp was a Spider II and I hated everything about that one. That's when I switched to unplugged for a few years, then tubes...The IV seemed to be a significant improvement though.
I would definitely recommend Peaveys Transtube stuff. Specifically the XXL if you can still find one. That thing is a solid-state Mesa Dual Rectifier multiwatt.
@@TaylorDanley Just keep looking, it took me several years to find one but then in the span of a week I found two for $100ish each. The Transtube Supreme is pretty close, if you find one of those first. But the XXL is the cadillac of transtube amps.
Though I love my tube amps, certain solid state amps can't be denied. My Crate GX130C is probably my favorite. It does those early 90s death metal tones so very well but also has a really nice clean channel. Another favorite is my Crate VTX350H which has channels 1 and 3 lifted from the Ampeg VH140C, the only difference being that the treble frequency is tied to 7KHz instead of 3.5KHz like the Ampeg but I am working on modding that, haha. Also, the power amp on that is 350W instead of 140 (70 x 2) like the Ampeg. It's a beast and a half!
@@TaylorDanley The VTX350H has the clean and lead channels lifted directly from the VH140C, confirmed by the designer Thom Kieffer. The only difference is that the treble knob frequency is tied to 7KHz instead of 3.5kHz like the Ampeg. The GX130C is a great option too, early Cannibal Corpse tones all day.
@@low_e_music I genuinely appreciate you sharing that, because I absolutely loved my VH140C. I played the hell out of that thing for over twenty years before it finally died. Always got compliments from other players (almost entirely MESA or Marshall owners) on its tone. BTW I'm not even a death metal guy. That gain control does in fact have a setting other than ten, and you can get various very good overdrive and "normal" distortion tones out if it, in case other non-death-metal people are wondering.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 Glad to share it. I know how expensive the 140 can be now so it is nice to have other options. The Crate Tidal Wave (not Shockwave) and the VTX200S also have the same preamp as the VTX350H. The 200S is stereo too so it can get even closer to the stereo chorus of the 140C. I hear you too on being able to do tones other than extreme metal. The 140 was surprisingly versatile. I got nice chorusy 80s metal sounds out of mine all day when I had it. I kind of regret selling it but I am sure another will come around at some point. In the meantime, I am going to mod my VTX350H so that the treble frequency is the same as the 140. Should just be a simple component swap or 2.
@@low_e_music thanks again! I will keep an eye out for those models. I still have the old Ampeg 4x12 Celestion Vintage 30 cab I bought with my VH140C, and it's just begging for something to push it.
@@mattvdh pedals from boutique designers into a tube amp is worse than a solid state head? I'm not talking about using a $200 multi effects instead of an amp.
I'll go fm3 and powerstage since I use the fm3 for all my effects and midi switching. Outside of that..... get a solid state randall like 300w and you can do anything
I paired my AXE/FX with a Matrix GT2000, the choice of cork sniffers everywhere. The big 2000 watt Matrix amps are hard to find anymore, but if you like to melt faces it's worth the effort to find one. They're ultra transparent and what Metallica used (they have GT1600's) paired with an AXE/FX for their stage cabinets. They have a rack with three of each backstage.
Great playing man !!! I've got a tube head I swear 🤬 I'm getting good days and bad time to start lookn at something more crushing and consistent man !!!
My solid state rigs, although i don't have a power amp or a cabinet: HX Stomp Boss GT1000 core ISP Theta Preamp into audio interface with IR in the DAW or with a Mooer Radar pedal KSR Ceres preamp hooked up in the same fashion.
Check out Ritter amps, they make a 280 watt power amp. Safe to use with any cab no matter what Ohm it is. Its the size of a Fractal FM3 which i use with my Vader 2x12 cab. It has no internal fan so its dead silent, and its pure clean power no matter how much volume you use.
I have my Ampeg VH140C if I can’t happen to get tubes for my Boogies anymore. I could see solid state tubes possibly becoming more of a norm if regular vacuum tubes die out
Nice video man. Lots of good ideas here. I'm an oddball. I've got a Marshall code 100 combo that a practice with. I know that amp gets a lot of hate, but it's actually pretty good once you learn to set it up. I also use it as a head with pedals. I plug it into a 2x12 cab loaded with a v30, and a greenback. That way I can get strictly metal sounds. It's actually a good sounding set up. Also I have a peavey bass amp I got REALLY cheap. I use it with pedals and play my lower tuning guitars through that.
If the day ever comes where tubes are prohibitively expensive to produce and replace, or they stop being produced, I'll be fine with my Katana Artist MkII once all the tubes on my amps finally expire. Having a Power Amp In feature also means I can run my Headrush Prime through it. I think I'll be okay. I would miss my tube amps but I'd get over it.
Love the video, just one note: in all guitar sounds there is a lot of digital clipping (this scratchy/static like noise blend with the guitar tone). Maybe check the output? Or try it to another playback device, as you might not hear it in your monitors but it s very audible in both my headphones and ipad speaker. Keep up the good work!
I have a solid state Custom Commander Amp the same kind CCR used at Woodstock. It doesn't do metal well but it has a beautiful tubular sound that works well for classic rock and the blues. It sounds like a fender twin amp and unfortunately is just as heavy!
Weight is a big factor for me, since I'm carrying gear for myself and our two ghost players (backing tracks), but the most important is that you like it and it inspires you!
I’ve got a Peavey Supreme head I just picked up for $120 and got a 112 Bandit Combo I converted into a head I’m currently selling. Starting to do a lot of combo to head conversions lately (solid states).
My current rig is all rack: AxeFX 3 (preamp), Carvin TS 100 (tube power amp), Art SLA-2 (solid state power amp for backup)- all played through V30s. I feel like this rig gives great sound, is the best of all worlds (combining digital, tube and/or solid state), fairly compact (6U of rack space, although I wouldn't recommend putting this all in a 6U rack), and is very reliable and has a backup plan built in. I would definitely say- playing the tube amp and the solid state back to back, the tube amp sounds better to me.....alone in my room. However, I can guarantee a person in the crowd can not tell the difference, especially with background noise and other instruments playing. EDIT: another thing I would say is value that this rig brings. I know this sounds weird, because the gear is "expensive", but here's what I mean by this. I spent the 90's, early 2000s, 2010s buying different amps, pedals, and so on trying different things to get different sounds. If I had access to this gear back in the 90's (which it didn't exist yet), I would have saved myself a bundle of money- because you can essentially get any sound you like out of this rig. So there's really no need for anything else. Other than different speaker in cabs or a Talk Box.
I have the spider 240 HC . It's so much less hassle than tubes and a load of pedals plus has wireless and endless amounts of sounds with the footswitch it just makes life so much easier .
I gigged with the Spider into a 2x12 EVH for two years. Great amp, so great this guitar player for this other band offered me $600 cash for it on the spot after hearing it at a gig. Years later i found out he never programmed any changes on it. just used the 4 presets i programmed on it! He even got a case for it and uses the wireless input.
I was just looking for some solid state gear comparisons, but now I have a great new-to-me album to listen to in the car and some sick sacrificer t-shirts
I use a Marshall MG100 Solid state I use that has a tube simulator on it, run it with my Line 6 FireHawk and Line 6 v30 cab and oh boy, I can get any tone I want perfectly for practice, shows, or just messing afound
You are right taylor the line 6 spider V head sounded very good and when the tube snobs cannot get tubes anymore they might just like the metal tones you got out of this amp head!I am not against tube amps i have two of them and a variety of modeling amps and some floor modeling units,i can get good tone out of tube amps and also my modeling gear,one is not better then another for me,it is all how you use and tweak your amps and setup your amps to sound good for yourself!
Ty Tabor of King's X refers to a "solid state" amp as a transistor amp. IMO that is different from a digital amp like a Katana or Line 6. To my mind the Katana is the best non-tube amp ever made. But I'm more into the sound of my Mooer Micro Preamp (digital amp sim) over the Hotone Loudster 75 floorboard power amp. 4x8 cab! Great fun with cheap Chinese pedals.
Katana is also a transistor amp, in the powerstage FYI, it make a difference. From BOSS ; Is it digital or analog? BOSS Katana amps are solid state amps that feature digital sound effects. They’re the best of both worlds as far as analog construction and digital sound processing goes.
Love the video! I must have good luck with tubes because in 15 years of playing tube amps I have never had one blow or go hypophonic......but I am getting a hx stomp to include on the board just in case!
Most reliable amp I've ever had is a Chinese Peavey Bandit 112, favorite? no, but reliability is very important. Marshalls? I want to love them but they've cost me a ton of money in repairs!! FWIW. I have a Katana 100 head as a backup. I run two Katanas 112 with Celestion F12-X200 as FRFR for my Helix, it kicks ass so hard ;-) In my experience Solid state amps are much easier to get controlled feedback from, fun fact to me.
I love jamming along to songs or jam-tracks playing through my stereo Line 6 Spider V 240HC Amp and two Marshall Code212 Speakers, one on each side of the room for max stereo effect! Once Spider Vs got "Classic Mode" and when using good speakers, Spider Vs start sounding pretty good!
Nobody talks about Randall amps anymore. Randall makes some really amazing solid state stuff. I love my rg dg3plus amp. Gain is super saturated. Plus the onboard effects have a blend knob so you can control how much effects you hear in your sound. If i want different flavors i just hook up my hx stomp and i got any tone i could ever want.
I've played solid state alsmot exclusively since the early 2000s. On realising that 99.9% of the crowd don't care about your "tone" as long as it sits well with the band and the overall band sound is good. The main issues with using solid state gear live used to be volume and low-end - more specifically a serious lack of either of them. The "jar of wasps" tone was all too easy to get if you didn't dial your amp in just right. I have owned a few tube amps now and having played a lot of different brands and models at this point, I've come to the conclusion I just don't like them. I don't like the way they "feel" and I don't like that the same amp will sound different over time as the tubes age. I understand why people love them, but I really value consistency and reliability. That said, I do tend to record with my 6505. i had a Marshall MG a few years ago that sounded great. Having bought other MGs though, I've come to the conclusion that was very much a one-off. I also have an Orange Micro Dark which I loathe for anything other than sludge/doom. Marshall 8100 Valvestate is my favourite amp of all time though. I guess it's not a TOTALLY solid state amp, but it's pretty close. Some of them do suffer from the lack of volume issue that I mentioned earlier, some don't despite being the exact same model, but the tone is always decent and if you get one that pushes volume, that's great. If not, you could always buy a Class D power amp to run it through and it would still come in pretty affordably. That said, the price on them is creeping up a whole bunch.
Interesting comment. I agree. Go check quilter amps...you won't have any volume problems. These high end solid states amps are well thought and well built. I have several ( overdrive 200, tone block 201) and the latest one, the mach 3. I play stoner- métal stuff in bands. I love 'em
Another great video man, but damn that Line 6 sounds mediocre at best though I dig the Mesa rectifier emulation. I think the Ampero is a great contender since it falls below mid range when it comes to pricing; The Axe FX rig is above competition
Bloody hell, I'm still using an old Line6 POD XT-Live board. I have gotten great sounds out of it running straight into the fx return of my solid state head into a 4x12.
Around the summer of 1988 I had a disaster with my Marshall JMP when it started conking out during rehearsal. My band had an upcoming gig in Hollywood. This was not a good thing. I took it to get it serviced and it turned out it was the tubes. As I'd only had the amp for five months at the time this seemed unconscionable. It turned out this was not an unusual experience with plexi era Marshalls. Anyhow, they serviced the amp and replaced the tubes, GEs with Philips. It sounded great. Then I found out Philips, a Dutch company, was no longer producing tubes. Over the next year I scrambled every three or four months for new tubes while the prices just skyrocketed. This is when Sovtek tubes were new on the market and Groove Tubes were popular, mostly due to marketing. Anyhow, I got tired of the rigmarole with this amp and decided I'd buy a Boogie. But before I had enough dough saved up I borrowed a friend's Randall RG75. I loved it so much I bought one, as it was a lot more affordable than the Boogie and I already had the money. I played a lot of gigs with my Randall, but still wanted a Boogie because I still thought they were the cat's meow. I got a Boogie 50 Cal around 1989. It was a great amp, very rugged, survived a lot of falls down long staircases, and in the seven or eight years I had the amp I only had to change the tubes a few times. That's pretty extraordinary. Mesas are built like tanks and very power efficient. But as much as I loved the Mesa, I also used my Randall a lot. Between the two amps, which I eventually sold, I'm much more sentimental about the Randall. It went for a great, hot-rodded Marshall tone, whereas the Boogie was very much a Boogie, very compressed. What I learned was mostly psychological: it's easier to put your eggs in a basket that you know won't break. Solid state is here to stay, it's improved by leaps and bounds over the last three decades, and if I were new to the guitar I'd get a good solid state or pedal amp system and just avoid any dependence on tubes. This is not to say you shouldn't use tube amps at all, but rather that you don't want to bet on them.
Dude, thanks so much for sharing your story. I've definitely had tube problems with my amps... one time was on tour, and I had to mess with it every night to get it to work! It did NOT feel reliable at all after that lol. I even serviced the amp from the manufacturer and they couldn't figure out what the quirk with it was, but it was definitely tube related (bad socket I think).
@@TaylorDanley I forgot to mention my JMP also took a terrible spill around 1990. I was playing through it at home and had one too many Rolling Rocks and I tripped and knocked the head off the slant cab and it fell on the corner of a coffee table and the chassis got dented in. The grill was punctured and half the tubes were shattered. I had it repaired at Carruther's back when they were in Venice Beach. They brought it back to life, a total miracle. It was expensive. I spent more on tubes, maintenance and repairs on that amp than it cost to purchase. While I never toured I did play all over So Cal for years, and that alone can be very rough on an amp. I think players should keep an open mind about new technology. Frank Gambale hasn't used a tube amp in almost a decade. He uses a DV Mark modeling amp, his own signature model. I can't even count all the big acts using Fractal AxFx and similar systems. Def Leppard and Periphery are using Fractal. I heard Misha Mansoor only uses his Peavey Invective as a power amp, not even using the massive onboard preamp gain. A lot of players are just going right into front of house like John McLaughlin and Nita Strauss. It doesn't make economic or logistical sense to use large rigs. While I understand the love of big amps I think it's really become a fetish, and I think tubes are also a fetish at this point.
@@angusorvid8840 I completely agree about tubes being a fetish, and frankly I always have. I was lucky to start playing in the late 80s when solid state amps for hard rock and metal started getting really good... and they've gotten even better since. I played an Ampeg VH140C for twenty years and never once got any guff from other players about my tone. They would just compliment me and maybe ask what tubes I was running... ;) I also never got guff from the other bandmembers or not invited back to a venue because I was too damn loud.
Guitar Fetish has a power amp tube emulation pedal made from analog components that has both a 6L6 and an EL34 voicing, complete with separate gain and presence knobs for each. Throw it in the FX loop of your solid state or hybrid amp, or between your power amp and pedal. There are also IR pedals from NuX and Mooer and Joyo that have both power amp and cab IR's on them, though they lack the ability to tweak settings in the same way. All of these would work well with Hughes & Kettner solid state floor amps, or with Joyo BanTamPs, or even with a Hotone Loudster, Mooer Baby Bomb, or SD Power Stage paired with something like a Friedman BE-OD Deluxe or Horizon Devices Apex. Sky is the limit.
I love my Mooer Radars. They've made all of my old gear more interesting again, all my old distortion pedals become preamps, my Pocket POD sounds better as a preamp because it isn't let down by it's build in cab emulation, I can use it with my VH, SLO and VS8100 preamp pedals and with a cheap mixer I've got a stereo rig. They gave me the same problem I get when I look at modellers, too many options, but entirely from the gear I already had and it forms an adequate recording solution if one isn't fixated on fidelity. It's certainly above the standards of the '90s era grind, slam and powerviolence releases I tend to be influenced by.
@@TaylorDanley is it the combo or the head? The heads are Les common, but not impossible to find. The fact that people seem to enjoy the combo version, but have yet to make a video about the head itself still confuses me
Solid State Fam! I almost bought one of those rocktrons, but I ended up settling on the powerstage because they were so hyped at the time.. and plus 700 watts. yowza.
If amp manufacturer were smart they'd start investing time into improving solid state amp technology. Orange and Hughes and Kettner have proved you can make modern solid state amps with killer tones. Also, there's an entire market of people who are looking for that 90's Ampeg, Crate, Randall sound.
A long time ago i used a pedal board n a polytone i had put a old 15 inch utah alnico pa speaker in and it was pretty good though i didnt like the polytone with the stock speaker
A high end well designed light build solid state /modeling amp with class d amp and neodynium speaker (for weight) that runs on DC power so its portable with a battery would be my dream rig. I don't think anybody will build this so I guess I have to do it myself lol.
I would love to see how I could run my axe FX better and more efficiently and get the out of it , I'm getting really familiar with running the axe effects but I'm not so great at dialing in a nice high game tight tone so if you could help that would be awesome thanks 🤘🎸
Yeah my katana burned up but just got it fixed it's amazing now I think the katana is unbeatable for the money and all the shit u can do in tone studio I have the mk2 head katana has an app to I have it on my tablet and my guitarist uses this link 6 they sound great together with olas tone lol
I got the katana as s backend and honestly didn't like it at first. Then I played with it now I can't get tone as good out of anything else. The katana is a monster. Especially when you take in account you can unlock hidden amps.
Sorry....I almost forgot the list of cool Solid State Amps....Go to Dave Simpson "Why I like Solid State."....He will change your mind about Solid State and Marshalls, He did for me. Just listen to him...Also...Orange Crush, Boss Katana, Roland Jazz Chorus, Peavey Transtube, Quilter, Fender, and Vox (Valvetronix) make some really cool Hybrid's that only require 1--12AX7.....And don't also forget speakers, speaker cab's, cables, pickup's and string's have as much to do with your "tone" as anything. Same goes for that "solid state" Overdrive pedal that everyone HAS to step on first, to make their "Vintage, 100% Pure Tube, Boutique Masterpiece" sound perfect.....Something to think about. Many "Tube Heads, have been using TubeScreamer's and OD pedals for years. Many "Tube Amp's" Boost/Drive feature is nothing more than a built in Overdrive pedal......so much for "Pure Tube Magic."
Great video mate, thanks for sharing. I own a LINE 6 Spyder IV which I bought in 2011 and still going strong after a few hundred gigs and also a Mesa Duel (which I absolutely love) but the Line6 is what I'd take on a local tour given it's just so damn reliable, inexpensive and if it were stolen I wouldn't cry (too much) I think the hate for LINE 6 gear especially the amps is both somewhat warranted given earlier models are just absolutely horrible but they sometimes get it wright ( Sypder IV) and you just have to use it in a live/rehearsal space to dial in a workable tone not the usual bedroom warriors who think the could better produce Master of Puppets album back in the day ;) Stay Brutal \m/
One time during soundcheck I am talking with the sound engineer and he talks about how modelers are superior in most ways. They sound great, they are easy to work with (mix) and most importantly..... They won't suddenly die on you. I agreed with him but I was very skeptical with the guy but I agreed that they were more convenient and don't sound all that bad. But I was firm in my belief that tube amps sounded that much better that I played every show with my EVH 5150 III. So we finish talking and me with my smug face go and turn on my amp for soundcheck. As soon as I flip the switch I hear a loud pop..... Not something I wanted to hear. Turns out the tubes died and diodes started shortening out in the power section. Cost me about 150 USD to fix (Not to bad where I am from) but now I can never trust a tube amp in a live situation. The Line 6 POD GO is more than capable of serving my live needs in such a compact package.
What band was that in the first minute of this video from the live stage shots where the vocalist/guitarist says "u made me blow up an amp" that was interesting guitar rig/stage set up I'd be interested to see more footage of that or read about it if anyone can point me in the right direction
Your knowledge about acoustic physics is off, the 4x12 cab is actually louder with a smaller amp because it has more sensitivity because it has more speakers. So the small amp can drive the 4x12 louder than a 2x12 or 1x12. Its not eating up more power, its more effiecient.
Ya tubes are becoming a bit more expensive, but I don't see how recommending an AXEFX3 unit is a practical solution, it's super expensive, and you have a ton of rack stuff and power amp....that's like a 8k rig bro plus the Mesa Cab. If you need backing tracks, just use a laptop with an interface and give the sound guy the line out. I would guess it's a lot more technical and tideous to import backing tracks to the axefx unit than to simply use a DAW which has a much better interface/GUI. There's many other ways of automating pedal switches as well if you need that...that Line6 head is capable of that for instance. Not trying to be a douche but I wouldn't consider AXEFX a good solution. Ta ta
I doubt that will happen in my lifetime (I'm 38) theres plenty of demand for organic tube sound...If it actually did I'd just go all-in on acoustics. Some credit to Orange Crush though, they're not for every genre/player, but they sound objectively good.
I disagree about katana. Soundwise at least, is over line 6 head you present here. Maybe is not a bad ideea to have a look on tech21's fly rigs. Analog pedals, you can go direct in FOH.
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Awesome video. The Orange Crush120 Head is also a great sounding solid state amp for metal as well as the new super crush 100 head.
@@shredenvain7 they definitely are, I just never vibed with them. Solid choices though for sure!
What some people don’t understand is that many of the rock icons that we associate with huge tube stacks were just using what was available and what met their needs back in the day. They used tubes because that was the tech, and they used 100w full stacks because there was no PA to plug into. These days just about everyone but the largest acts could get away with a 50-100w 1x12 or 2x12 digital amp or just a decent modeler and an FRFR to monitor. Great vid as always!
This is true. Or how about the rock icons with rows of stacks that are all actually dummy amps/cabs, and really what you hear is a mic'd up combo amp? 🤔
Did you say that they didn't have PA systems to plug into? What was the singer using then? They used 100w full stacks because it looks and sounds f awesome and it's impressive as f. Many guys these days are pussies these days who ''dont like lugging around gear'-- don't get that a full stack is still king of the live sound. Don't believe me? just try it and tell me it doesn't make you play more like a rock star
@@mattvdh i am love full stacks
@@mattvdh You sound mad. Why you mad that other people enjoy other things? Are you THAT old and crabby?
The crate powerblock is also cheap used and very good.
I'm gonna look into that. I have a lot of Crate going on right now lol.
Don't they also have a version of the Ampeg VH/Crate GX preamp in them? That by itself might have appeal to some.
I just got a Crate Flex Wave 112h and it seems pretty good with my Metal Zone
I love using solid state rigs! Tubes are cool and sound great, but solid state allows for more portability, consistency, and reliability. I'm a big fan of using amp sim pedals over modellers, just because I find the fiddly digital interfaces overwhelming and prefer just having a pedal with the same knobs as an amp would have. It's much easier to go to a gig with just your guitar and a pedalboard thats set up to go direct. And if you're on a budget, The Joyo Sound series of pedals are really solid choices for under $50. You can have perfectly acceptable amp tones without having to invest in an amp/cab/expensive modeller.
I totally agree. I think that having the ease of dialing in something is a big factor as well. It's definitely the one big bummer of the Axefx rig, it's such a pain to change anything without hooking it up to a computer and using the software editor.
Tube slaves: No, no, no, solid state is terrible! Now excuse me while I chase Dimebag Darrels tone. 🤔
What an unbelievably presumptuous comment. And I'm not even a tube guy
I mean, it's kind of true though
Umm, no. As a tube guy, it's about chasing my own sound, not someone else's.
@@robsmith6443 You can get your own sound with solid state. Unless your saying that Dimebag sounded like everyone else. 🤔
@@MobileDecay dimebag sounded like shit
I've been talking to the guy from This Heavy Earth and he told me that the final version of this power amp will feature a Depth and a Presence control. This might be extremely useful with very dark distortion/preamp pedals like this Fleshrot.
I know, this is a prototype he's working on. I told him to use the full color art on the final also. It's so good!
I was just praying to Jesus about needing a power amp with depth & presence control hallelujah!
just add an eq pedal after the preamp, problem solved. You don't need to change the whole power amp
I'm convinced every tube purist is either a high schooler huffing jenkem or a boomer that ate too much glue. Killer vid my dude
I play both, and there’s a reactive difference with tube amps when playing them that isn’t quite there yet with solid state amps/modelers. With that said, the majority of people couldn’t pick out the difference in a mix.
Thanks! I mean, I get it. I have tube amps. They're super cool, but not the end all be all.
Also, I'm going to remind everyone that Hughes & Kettner and Orange both have amazing solid state or hybrid units, both in floor amp and amp head versions. H&K has their Ampman and Orange has the Orange Crush and Terror Stamp. I would sooner pair the Terror Stamp with another pedal for best operation if you also plan to use clean tones. Also, you can use DI boxes in the FX loop with rack mount style power amps from Duncan, ART, Crown, et al to extend your existing solid state or hybrid amps with additional cabs or with cab IR's to hook into PA speakers for reinforcement.
Something worth mentioning. The Katana head has a power amp in, so it basically a power amp and a regular amp and is cheaper than a seymour duncan powerstage. Maybe not a good flight rig, but you could make it work
I actually use it all the time that way for demos.
I just got the new Orange Super Crush 100 and let me tell you that thing is sick! I have been curious about getting a modeler and I may still do it, but I like the fact that the Orange Super Crush is like a regular old tube amp that I’m familiar with, but in a solid state form. I just use my old pedalboard that I love, dial in the simple EQ settings and I’m done.
Try a lin6 helix, also I love my Super Crush!
I used to have a 1x12 Ampeg SS70 which came before the infamous Ampeg VH140c. I played hundreds of shows with that amp and never failed me. It can definitely nail that early 90s Death Metal Suffocation style which is what I used it for.
such a great style of amp. Really want to try one in person.
An Ampeg video I suggested Taylor needs to try and Amped SS. The 70 and 150 are great amps. Ran mine into a 4x12
@@lehmusic2675 Great amp, bands like Assuck used to use them live.
Mud City
Orange Crush Pro120 2x12. Great gain, cleans up nicely with guitars volume knob and use a Boss SD1 for "more". That's my rig the last few years, I have no desire for tubes.
This Heavy Earth really brought the heavy. I could imagine it doing fine being paired with anything for small gigs and venues as apparent with the pedals and modellers it handled here, and where more volume is needed, there are additional microphone and front of house options.
13:33 - Severely misunderstood. A severe understatement. The damn thing can pull off a wide variety of very heavy tones and amp simulations with a fairly complex signal chain. The Spider V amps, including the MK II (freely upgradeable via software), represent a whole other beast to the previous entries in the Spider series. It is indeed, as pointed out in this video, much more like the Vetta and Vetta II, but perhaps with a weaker power amp section. The Boss Katana MKII is also a phenomenal piece of gear, especially when it comes to pulling off some of that dynamic feel associated with tube amps as well as full models of some of Boss's best high gain pedals (including the HM-2), but I think the Spider V does a better job of providing the sonic low end with a full cabinet setup.
Of course, in the end, the Axe-FX III with the power amp wins out in terms of overall brutality, but that's premium digital tech that'll always hold its ground.
It's hard --f not impossible-- to find a more versatile head than the 240HC at that price range. An amazing piece of equipment! Nice video!
I agree, I love the Spider V head! It definitely takes some work to dial in, but honestly, I think you can get some of the most biting nasty tones out of it. Especially with the L6 amp models.
@@TaylorDanley Perhaps you've already given it a try, but the Line 6 Big Bottom, when paired with a cleaner boost like the tube screamer emulator in the Spider along with some EQ push in the signal chain, makes for a solid tone with plenty of searing upper midrange alongside a colossally heavy low end.
@@rolandoamado1459 Well said.
@@kadestorm That's my favorite one! SO MUCH low end.
I never dug the spider stuff, but both guitarists in the band I used to be in used them and they sounded amazing! They ran them into their 412’s and they were both using 6505+’s at one point. Honestly sounded better than most of the other bands amps.
I have a Spider V Mk.II and I love it. Nothing better on its price range with its quality and versatility.
It's a solid all in one choice! I remember wanting a Vetta 2 head SO BAD, and I think this actually just took it's place at a much lower price.
I had the spider IV (20 watt? 15? In that range) briefly and the cleans were actually pretty good (green-light channel?), gain around 4/10 reverb and chorus around 3/10. With Epiphone's version of an SG, on the neck. Nice sound for picking and some rhythms...idk if the V would sound similar or not. My second ever amp was a Spider II and I hated everything about that one. That's when I switched to unplugged for a few years, then tubes...The IV seemed to be a significant improvement though.
I would definitely recommend Peaveys Transtube stuff. Specifically the XXL if you can still find one. That thing is a solid-state Mesa Dual Rectifier multiwatt.
I'm actually keeping my eyes peeled for one!
@@TaylorDanley Just keep looking, it took me several years to find one but then in the span of a week I found two for $100ish each. The Transtube Supreme is pretty close, if you find one of those first. But the XXL is the cadillac of transtube amps.
My band went on tour, I had a digital modeler, the 2nd guitarist and bass player had each tube amps.
Guess who's gear survived the entire trip...
🤣🤣
I was trying to save up for a Dual Rectifier but my solid state guitar center brand amp would probably survive the trip and is way cheaper.
Though I love my tube amps, certain solid state amps can't be denied. My Crate GX130C is probably my favorite. It does those early 90s death metal tones so very well but also has a really nice clean channel. Another favorite is my Crate VTX350H which has channels 1 and 3 lifted from the Ampeg VH140C, the only difference being that the treble frequency is tied to 7KHz instead of 3.5KHz like the Ampeg but I am working on modding that, haha. Also, the power amp on that is 350W instead of 140 (70 x 2) like the Ampeg. It's a beast and a half!
Oh dude, I want to snag one of those crates! It's a replica of the Ampeg 140c, no?
@@TaylorDanley The VTX350H has the clean and lead channels lifted directly from the VH140C, confirmed by the designer Thom Kieffer. The only difference is that the treble knob frequency is tied to 7KHz instead of 3.5kHz like the Ampeg. The GX130C is a great option too, early Cannibal Corpse tones all day.
@@low_e_music I genuinely appreciate you sharing that, because I absolutely loved my VH140C. I played the hell out of that thing for over twenty years before it finally died. Always got compliments from other players (almost entirely MESA or Marshall owners) on its tone.
BTW I'm not even a death metal guy. That gain control does in fact have a setting other than ten, and you can get various very good overdrive and "normal" distortion tones out if it, in case other non-death-metal people are wondering.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 Glad to share it. I know how expensive the 140 can be now so it is nice to have other options. The Crate Tidal Wave (not Shockwave) and the VTX200S also have the same preamp as the VTX350H. The 200S is stereo too so it can get even closer to the stereo chorus of the 140C.
I hear you too on being able to do tones other than extreme metal. The 140 was surprisingly versatile. I got nice chorusy 80s metal sounds out of mine all day when I had it. I kind of regret selling it but I am sure another will come around at some point. In the meantime, I am going to mod my VTX350H so that the treble frequency is the same as the 140. Should just be a simple component swap or 2.
@@low_e_music thanks again! I will keep an eye out for those models. I still have the old Ampeg 4x12 Celestion Vintage 30 cab I bought with my VH140C, and it's just begging for something to push it.
Not after a solid state rig (currently) but I'm always stoked to find out about local pedal designers. You should review some of the Blackhawk stuff!
I'll check it out. I think it's really cool with the internet we have access to so many artisanal builders out there!
@@TaylorDanley he mainly caters to the doom crowd but I'm interested to see if some of his stuff could be used for more modern tones
A pedal is way worse than a solidstate head, but ya sure.
@@mattvdh pedals from boutique designers into a tube amp is worse than a solid state head?
I'm not talking about using a $200 multi effects instead of an amp.
I've been using an AMT P1 into a Nux Solid Studio for live performance, so far so good.
I'll go fm3 and powerstage since I use the fm3 for all my effects and midi switching. Outside of that..... get a solid state randall like 300w and you can do anything
I paired my AXE/FX with a Matrix GT2000, the choice of cork sniffers everywhere. The big 2000 watt Matrix amps are hard to find anymore, but if you like to melt faces it's worth the effort to find one. They're ultra transparent and what Metallica used (they have GT1600's) paired with an AXE/FX for their stage cabinets. They have a rack with three of each backstage.
the victory stuff is great using military tubes that will be in stock forever 🎸👍
Great playing man !!!
I've got a tube head I swear 🤬 I'm getting good days and bad time to start lookn at something more crushing and consistent man !!!
I think they are really cool.. I mean obv. But not practical for most use cases.
My solid state rigs, although i don't have a power amp or a cabinet:
HX Stomp
Boss GT1000 core
ISP Theta Preamp into audio interface with IR in the DAW or with a Mooer Radar pedal
KSR Ceres preamp hooked up in the same fashion.
Check out Ritter amps, they make a 280 watt power amp. Safe to use with any cab no matter what Ohm it is. Its the size of a Fractal FM3 which i use with my Vader 2x12 cab. It has no internal fan so its dead silent, and its pure clean power no matter how much volume you use.
Dude! I definitely want to see a video about the details of your personal rack mount rig. I need to learn a little more about that.
💪💪💪
I switched to a helix, powerstage 200, and a couple 2x12 cabs a couple years ago.
💪💪💪
I use a Orange Super Crush 100 now and I luv it. I still like tube tone but if I can get my tone with out changing tubes all the better
2:08 metaL begins
17:08 metaL continues
I have my Ampeg VH140C if I can’t happen to get tubes for my Boogies anymore. I could see solid state tubes possibly becoming more of a norm if regular vacuum tubes die out
Yeah the solid state tube could definitely be a thing. Nice amp on the VH140c 💪
Nice video man. Lots of good ideas here. I'm an oddball. I've got a Marshall code 100 combo that a practice with. I know that amp gets a lot of hate, but it's actually pretty good once you learn to set it up. I also use it as a head with pedals. I plug it into a 2x12 cab loaded with a v30, and a greenback. That way I can get strictly metal sounds. It's actually a good sounding set up. Also I have a peavey bass amp I got REALLY cheap. I use it with pedals and play my lower tuning guitars through that.
If the day ever comes where tubes are prohibitively expensive to produce and replace, or they stop being produced, I'll be fine with my Katana Artist MkII once all the tubes on my amps finally expire. Having a Power Amp In feature also means I can run my Headrush Prime through it. I think I'll be okay. I would miss my tube amps but I'd get over it.
I run a 2x12 katana and a DSL 40 combo using my DD8...massive sounding..crazy how that pedal pushes your oversized cab
I was surprised too. I actually bought a db meter after this video because it's hard to understand when I say "it's loud" how loud that really is.
Love the video, just one note: in all guitar sounds there is a lot of digital clipping (this scratchy/static like noise blend with the guitar tone). Maybe check the output? Or try it to another playback device, as you might not hear it in your monitors but it s very audible in both my headphones and ipad speaker. Keep up the good work!
I have a solid state Custom Commander Amp the same kind CCR used at Woodstock. It doesn't do metal well but it has a beautiful tubular sound that works well for classic rock and the blues. It sounds like a fender twin amp and unfortunately is just as heavy!
Weight is a big factor for me, since I'm carrying gear for myself and our two ghost players (backing tracks), but the most important is that you like it and it inspires you!
I’ve got a Peavey Supreme head I just picked up for $120 and got a 112 Bandit Combo I converted into a head I’m currently selling. Starting to do a lot of combo to head conversions lately (solid states).
That's what I did with my Crate GX10. It sounds great when it's got a decent speaker and cab.
Let's not forget the Marshall Lead Series and the Valvestate series (the latter pretty much being Solid State as well despite the alibi-tube).
My current rig is all rack: AxeFX 3 (preamp), Carvin TS 100 (tube power amp), Art SLA-2 (solid state power amp for backup)- all played through V30s. I feel like this rig gives great sound, is the best of all worlds (combining digital, tube and/or solid state), fairly compact (6U of rack space, although I wouldn't recommend putting this all in a 6U rack), and is very reliable and has a backup plan built in. I would definitely say- playing the tube amp and the solid state back to back, the tube amp sounds better to me.....alone in my room. However, I can guarantee a person in the crowd can not tell the difference, especially with background noise and other instruments playing.
EDIT: another thing I would say is value that this rig brings. I know this sounds weird, because the gear is "expensive", but here's what I mean by this. I spent the 90's, early 2000s, 2010s buying different amps, pedals, and so on trying different things to get different sounds. If I had access to this gear back in the 90's (which it didn't exist yet), I would have saved myself a bundle of money- because you can essentially get any sound you like out of this rig. So there's really no need for anything else. Other than different speaker in cabs or a Talk Box.
I have the spider 240 HC . It's so much less hassle than tubes and a load of pedals plus has wireless and endless amounts of sounds with the footswitch it just makes life so much easier .
I gigged with the Spider into a 2x12 EVH for two years. Great amp, so great this guitar player for this other band offered me $600 cash for it on the spot after hearing it at a gig. Years later i found out he never programmed any changes on it. just used the 4 presets i programmed on it! He even got a case for it and uses the wireless input.
They definitely don’t deserve the hate. I really enjoy it. $600 is an incredible resale price! 🤣
@@TaylorDanley Helped me put money down on the EVH III 50 watt head second version. boom!
@@CeciShaw 🥳
I was just looking for some solid state gear comparisons, but now I have a great new-to-me album to listen to in the car and some sick sacrificer t-shirts
I use a Marshall MG100 Solid state I use that has a tube simulator on it, run it with my Line 6 FireHawk and Line 6 v30 cab and oh boy, I can get any tone I want perfectly for practice, shows, or just messing afound
You are right taylor the line 6 spider V head sounded very good and when the tube snobs cannot get tubes anymore they might just like the metal tones you got out of this amp head!I am not against tube amps i have two of them and a variety of modeling amps and some floor modeling units,i can get good tone out of tube amps and also my modeling gear,one is not better then another for me,it is all how you use and tweak your amps and setup your amps to sound good for yourself!
yeah - the tones from that blew me away to be honest
Ty Tabor of King's X refers to a "solid state" amp as a transistor amp. IMO that is different from a digital amp like a Katana or Line 6. To my mind the Katana is the best non-tube amp ever made. But I'm more into the sound of my Mooer Micro Preamp (digital amp sim) over the Hotone Loudster 75 floorboard power amp. 4x8 cab! Great fun with cheap Chinese pedals.
Katana is also a transistor amp, in the powerstage FYI, it make a difference.
From BOSS ; Is it digital or analog?
BOSS Katana amps are solid state amps that feature digital sound effects. They’re the best of both worlds as far as analog construction and digital sound processing goes.
@@christianboddum8783 is class AB transistor? It isn't tube I guess, just rated at tube volumes. Class d is the usual suspect in solid state.
@@nashmanzl Yes it is A/B transistor ;-)
Love the video! I must have good luck with tubes because in 15 years of playing tube amps I have never had one blow or go hypophonic......but I am getting a hx stomp to include on the board just in case!
Always good to have a back up flight rig! Yeah, if you take care of them they can last a REALLY long time.
Bro! How have you not demo'd the Hughes and Kettner Black Spirit 200 yet?!?! Like, how?! Lol. I like your channel by the way!
Thanks! I don't know, they've been on my radar... I definitely like what I've heard from the H&K line up, it just hasn't happened yet.
More Line 6 love. Keep it coming.
Most reliable amp I've ever had is a Chinese Peavey Bandit 112, favorite? no, but reliability is very important. Marshalls? I want to love them but they've cost me a ton of money in repairs!! FWIW. I have a Katana 100 head as a backup. I run two Katanas 112 with Celestion F12-X200 as FRFR for my Helix, it kicks ass so hard ;-) In my experience Solid state amps are much easier to get controlled feedback from, fun fact to me.
I love jamming along to songs or jam-tracks playing through my stereo Line 6 Spider V 240HC Amp and two Marshall Code212 Speakers, one on each side of the room for max stereo effect! Once Spider Vs got "Classic Mode" and when using good speakers, Spider Vs start sounding pretty good!
Solid state stuff is catching up..especially with me experience with the helix units.can you only imagine where we'll be in ten years 😉
Agreed. I think also that it's probably been a lot better than it's been given credit for and people are just more receptive to using it now.
Catching up yet the best one ever was made around 30 years ago 😁
Glad I stocked up!
Nobody talks about Randall amps anymore. Randall makes some really amazing solid state stuff. I love my rg dg3plus amp. Gain is super saturated. Plus the onboard effects have a blend knob so you can control how much effects you hear in your sound. If i want different flavors i just hook up my hx stomp and i got any tone i could ever want.
Cool video. The Ampero sounds ridiculous, holy cow 😯🤤😃👍👍
I've played solid state alsmot exclusively since the early 2000s. On realising that 99.9% of the crowd don't care about your "tone" as long as it sits well with the band and the overall band sound is good. The main issues with using solid state gear live used to be volume and low-end - more specifically a serious lack of either of them. The "jar of wasps" tone was all too easy to get if you didn't dial your amp in just right.
I have owned a few tube amps now and having played a lot of different brands and models at this point, I've come to the conclusion I just don't like them. I don't like the way they "feel" and I don't like that the same amp will sound different over time as the tubes age. I understand why people love them, but I really value consistency and reliability. That said, I do tend to record with my 6505.
i had a Marshall MG a few years ago that sounded great. Having bought other MGs though, I've come to the conclusion that was very much a one-off. I also have an Orange Micro Dark which I loathe for anything other than sludge/doom.
Marshall 8100 Valvestate is my favourite amp of all time though. I guess it's not a TOTALLY solid state amp, but it's pretty close. Some of them do suffer from the lack of volume issue that I mentioned earlier, some don't despite being the exact same model, but the tone is always decent and if you get one that pushes volume, that's great. If not, you could always buy a Class D power amp to run it through and it would still come in pretty affordably. That said, the price on them is creeping up a whole bunch.
Interesting comment. I agree. Go check quilter amps...you won't have any volume problems. These high end solid states amps are well thought and well built. I have several ( overdrive 200, tone block 201) and the latest one, the mach 3. I play stoner- métal stuff in bands. I love 'em
Great video idea! I've got one of those pedal poweramps (from Quilter), and they can get crazy loud.
That's awesome! I've seen those, just never tried one. Good to know!
Another great video man, but damn that Line 6 sounds mediocre at best though I dig the Mesa rectifier emulation. I think the Ampero is a great contender since it falls below mid range when it comes to pricing; The Axe FX rig is above competition
That’s true, consider this though as well.. you just listed those rigs in order of price. So I suppose you do get what you pay for!
The line 6 and Katana are pretty cool.
Bloody hell, I'm still using an old Line6 POD XT-Live board. I have gotten great sounds out of it running straight into the fx return of my solid state head into a 4x12.
Around the summer of 1988 I had a disaster with my Marshall JMP when it started conking out during rehearsal. My band had an upcoming gig in Hollywood. This was not a good thing. I took it to get it serviced and it turned out it was the tubes. As I'd only had the amp for five months at the time this seemed unconscionable. It turned out this was not an unusual experience with plexi era Marshalls. Anyhow, they serviced the amp and replaced the tubes, GEs with Philips. It sounded great. Then I found out Philips, a Dutch company, was no longer producing tubes. Over the next year I scrambled every three or four months for new tubes while the prices just skyrocketed. This is when Sovtek tubes were new on the market and Groove Tubes were popular, mostly due to marketing. Anyhow, I got tired of the rigmarole with this amp and decided I'd buy a Boogie. But before I had enough dough saved up I borrowed a friend's Randall RG75. I loved it so much I bought one, as it was a lot more affordable than the Boogie and I already had the money. I played a lot of gigs with my Randall, but still wanted a Boogie because I still thought they were the cat's meow. I got a Boogie 50 Cal around 1989. It was a great amp, very rugged, survived a lot of falls down long staircases, and in the seven or eight years I had the amp I only had to change the tubes a few times. That's pretty extraordinary. Mesas are built like tanks and very power efficient. But as much as I loved the Mesa, I also used my Randall a lot. Between the two amps, which I eventually sold, I'm much more sentimental about the Randall. It went for a great, hot-rodded Marshall tone, whereas the Boogie was very much a Boogie, very compressed. What I learned was mostly psychological: it's easier to put your eggs in a basket that you know won't break. Solid state is here to stay, it's improved by leaps and bounds over the last three decades, and if I were new to the guitar I'd get a good solid state or pedal amp system and just avoid any dependence on tubes. This is not to say you shouldn't use tube amps at all, but rather that you don't want to bet on them.
Dude, thanks so much for sharing your story. I've definitely had tube problems with my amps... one time was on tour, and I had to mess with it every night to get it to work! It did NOT feel reliable at all after that lol. I even serviced the amp from the manufacturer and they couldn't figure out what the quirk with it was, but it was definitely tube related (bad socket I think).
@@TaylorDanley I forgot to mention my JMP also took a terrible spill around 1990. I was playing through it at home and had one too many Rolling Rocks and I tripped and knocked the head off the slant cab and it fell on the corner of a coffee table and the chassis got dented in. The grill was punctured and half the tubes were shattered. I had it repaired at Carruther's back when they were in Venice Beach. They brought it back to life, a total miracle. It was expensive. I spent more on tubes, maintenance and repairs on that amp than it cost to purchase. While I never toured I did play all over So Cal for years, and that alone can be very rough on an amp. I think players should keep an open mind about new technology. Frank Gambale hasn't used a tube amp in almost a decade. He uses a DV Mark modeling amp, his own signature model. I can't even count all the big acts using Fractal AxFx and similar systems. Def Leppard and Periphery are using Fractal. I heard Misha Mansoor only uses his Peavey Invective as a power amp, not even using the massive onboard preamp gain. A lot of players are just going right into front of house like John McLaughlin and Nita Strauss. It doesn't make economic or logistical sense to use large rigs. While I understand the love of big amps I think it's really become a fetish, and I think tubes are also a fetish at this point.
@@angusorvid8840 I completely agree about tubes being a fetish, and frankly I always have. I was lucky to start playing in the late 80s when solid state amps for hard rock and metal started getting really good... and they've gotten even better since.
I played an Ampeg VH140C for twenty years and never once got any guff from other players about my tone. They would just compliment me and maybe ask what tubes I was running... ;)
I also never got guff from the other bandmembers or not invited back to a venue because I was too damn loud.
Guitar Fetish has a power amp tube emulation pedal made from analog components that has both a 6L6 and an EL34 voicing, complete with separate gain and presence knobs for each. Throw it in the FX loop of your solid state or hybrid amp, or between your power amp and pedal. There are also IR pedals from NuX and Mooer and Joyo that have both power amp and cab IR's on them, though they lack the ability to tweak settings in the same way. All of these would work well with Hughes & Kettner solid state floor amps, or with Joyo BanTamPs, or even with a Hotone Loudster, Mooer Baby Bomb, or SD Power Stage paired with something like a Friedman BE-OD Deluxe or Horizon Devices Apex. Sky is the limit.
AMT K-2 (TS in front) and a good (SS) poweramp!
That Spider V sounded insane.
I will say the Mooer Preamp x2 was the best buy I've made in a while.
They're such a good value!
I love my Mooer Radars. They've made all of my old gear more interesting again, all my old distortion pedals become preamps, my Pocket POD sounds better as a preamp because it isn't let down by it's build in cab emulation, I can use it with my VH, SLO and VS8100 preamp pedals and with a cheap mixer I've got a stereo rig.
They gave me the same problem I get when I look at modellers, too many options, but entirely from the gear I already had and it forms an adequate recording solution if one isn't fixated on fidelity. It's certainly above the standards of the '90s era grind, slam and powerviolence releases I tend to be influenced by.
While I love tube amps I still really enjoy the Kemper and the AxeFX units. Great options during a tube apocalypse.
Man I have a few old SS Peavey heads, and can get tones of brutal tones out of them, and they are loud 👊🏻
The quality of this channel is insanity. Death to tube elitists (jk im a tube nerd too) Subscribed!
Thanks dude 🙌
Let's face it, you can be a tube nerd without being a tube elitist.
Oh gods that pedal has the best artwork. I don't need one, but I *need* one, you know?
I know exactly what you mean.
I’m a tube amp die hard but, if absolutely love to have a kemper one of these days
I even like certain things about the Spider, but this demo it sounded really fizzy and ironically the Recto model had the most mids.
Vinyl records are back, BIG. I highly doubt we'll stop making tubes...
That spider would be a portable option if you get rid of the speakers
The riff from 2:35 till 3:00 is haunting me because I've played it before :D Please someone tell me what song that is
I understand that the point of this video is to work around a lack of tubes, however I would’ve loved to see a peavey vypyr head instead of the spider
The vypyr that I have has a tube power section, but don't worry I have another video coming soon that will feature it!
@@TaylorDanley is it the combo or the head? The heads are Les common, but not impossible to find. The fact that people seem to enjoy the combo version, but have yet to make a video about the head itself still confuses me
DOD Death Metal sounded sick!
I run a rocktron mainline 300 amp bridged with an amt E2 preamp pedal, mudkiller, and isp decimator. Sounds pretty brutal.
Solid State Fam! I almost bought one of those rocktrons, but I ended up settling on the powerstage because they were so hyped at the time.. and plus 700 watts. yowza.
@@TaylorDanley I'm sure you have no regrets, your rig sounds awesome man.
If amp manufacturer were smart they'd start investing time into improving solid state amp technology. Orange and Hughes and Kettner have proved you can make modern solid state amps with killer tones. Also, there's an entire market of people who are looking for that 90's Ampeg, Crate, Randall sound.
A long time ago i used a pedal board n a polytone i had put a old 15 inch utah alnico pa speaker in and it was pretty good though i didnt like the polytone with the stock speaker
A high end well designed light build solid state /modeling amp with class d amp and neodynium speaker (for weight) that runs on DC power so its portable with a battery would be my dream rig. I don't think anybody will build this so I guess I have to do it myself lol.
I run my axe FX through my boss katana MK2 using it like a frfr and then running into a Mesa boogie os and it sounds amazing
I use my katana as a power amp all the time too. It works well for that!
I would love to see how I could run my axe FX better and more efficiently and get the out of it , I'm getting really familiar with running the axe effects but I'm not so great at dialing in a nice high game tight tone so if you could help that would be awesome thanks 🤘🎸
What about the hughes and kettner black spirit?
Yeah my katana burned up but just got it fixed it's amazing now I think the katana is unbeatable for the money and all the shit u can do in tone studio I have the mk2 head katana has an app to I have it on my tablet and my guitarist uses this link 6 they sound great together with olas tone lol
Peavey Transtube sounded great.
The Line 6 Spider is a horrible choice for any use other than as a paperweight. For
I got the katana as s backend and honestly didn't like it at first. Then I played with it now I can't get tone as good out of anything else. The katana is a monster. Especially when you take in account you can unlock hidden amps.
Taylor are you able to tell me how you diales out the fizz on your line 6 head? I know this is an old video but maybe you still remember. Thanks man.
Sorry....I almost forgot the list of cool Solid State Amps....Go to Dave Simpson "Why I like Solid State."....He will change your mind about Solid State and Marshalls, He did for me. Just listen to him...Also...Orange Crush, Boss Katana, Roland Jazz Chorus, Peavey Transtube, Quilter, Fender, and Vox (Valvetronix) make some really cool Hybrid's that only require 1--12AX7.....And don't also forget speakers, speaker cab's, cables, pickup's and string's have as much to do with your "tone" as anything. Same goes for that "solid state" Overdrive pedal that everyone HAS to step on first, to make their "Vintage, 100% Pure Tube, Boutique Masterpiece" sound perfect.....Something to think about. Many "Tube Heads, have been using TubeScreamer's and OD pedals for years. Many "Tube Amp's" Boost/Drive feature is nothing more than a built in Overdrive pedal......so much for "Pure Tube Magic."
Great video mate, thanks for sharing. I own a LINE 6 Spyder IV which I bought in 2011 and still going strong after a few hundred gigs and also a Mesa Duel (which I absolutely love) but the Line6 is what I'd take on a local tour given it's just so damn reliable, inexpensive and if it were stolen I wouldn't cry (too much)
I think the hate for LINE 6 gear especially the amps is both somewhat warranted given earlier models are just absolutely horrible but they sometimes get it wright ( Sypder IV) and you just have to use it in a live/rehearsal space to dial in a workable tone not the usual bedroom warriors who think the could better produce Master of Puppets album back in the day ;)
Stay Brutal \m/
One time during soundcheck I am talking with the sound engineer and he talks about how modelers are superior in most ways. They sound great, they are easy to work with (mix) and most importantly..... They won't suddenly die on you.
I agreed with him but I was very skeptical with the guy but I agreed that they were more convenient and don't sound all that bad. But I was firm in my belief that tube amps sounded that much better that I played every show with my EVH 5150 III.
So we finish talking and me with my smug face go and turn on my amp for soundcheck. As soon as I flip the switch I hear a loud pop..... Not something I wanted to hear. Turns out the tubes died and diodes started shortening out in the power section.
Cost me about 150 USD to fix (Not to bad where I am from) but now I can never trust a tube amp in a live situation. The Line 6 POD GO is more than capable of serving my live needs in such a compact package.
Helix for sure.
What about using just a straight up solid state amp? For instance, the orange full size or the floor pedals.
I'm sure that would be great too. Not my first choice, but I wanted to give an example of what's possible with what I had on hand.
UFF those pedals sounded bad IMO! After those my preference was 1. UR axefx rif 2.Headrush and poweramp pedal 3. Spider
You missed the best solid state high gain amp out there bro, the peavey supreme 160. At the gates slaughter of the soul tone
What band was that in the first minute of this video from the live stage shots where the vocalist/guitarist says "u made me blow up an amp" that was interesting guitar rig/stage set up I'd be interested to see more footage of that or read about it if anyone can point me in the right direction
Your knowledge about acoustic physics is off, the 4x12 cab is actually louder with a smaller amp because it has more sensitivity because it has more speakers. So the small amp can drive the 4x12 louder than a 2x12 or 1x12. Its not eating up more power, its more effiecient.
Please make a detailed vid on that Axe FX rig
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Ya tubes are becoming a bit more expensive, but I don't see how recommending an AXEFX3 unit is a practical solution, it's super expensive, and you have a ton of rack stuff and power amp....that's like a 8k rig bro plus the Mesa Cab. If you need backing tracks, just use a laptop with an interface and give the sound guy the line out. I would guess it's a lot more technical and tideous to import backing tracks to the axefx unit than to simply use a DAW which has a much better interface/GUI. There's many other ways of automating pedal switches as well if you need that...that Line6 head is capable of that for instance. Not trying to be a douche but I wouldn't consider AXEFX a good solution. Ta ta
I doubt that will happen in my lifetime (I'm 38) theres plenty of demand for organic tube sound...If it actually did I'd just go all-in on acoustics.
Some credit to Orange Crush though, they're not for every genre/player, but they sound objectively good.
Honestly I would prefer any guitarist I have to use a spyder 5 or 4 tbh
I disagree about katana. Soundwise at least, is over line 6 head you present here.
Maybe is not a bad ideea to have a look on tech21's fly rigs. Analog pedals, you can go direct in FOH.
Is there a way where you have the speakers on the head be not active when you're playing? I'd rather not have that on tbh.