This article is a book review on a series of six books that is the most comprehensive and lucid explanation of guitar tube amp architecture, circuits, tone, components and construction technique for DIYers I have ever found. The review deals with each book separately and recommends purchasing them in a specific order to grow your knowledge in step with your building experience.
Kevin O'Connor of London Power has created a series of books under the main title of "The Ultimate Tone." These books are truly unique and carefully tailored for the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guitar tube amp hobbyist and boutique amplifier builder. The books have a home-made 'feel' as well... all the illustrations are done by hand and the books are photocopy-printed on 8.5″x11″ paper and bound with plastic spines and clear plastic covers. There are six books in the series now with the most recent being released in the late spring of 2008. You may want to buy the entire series all at once and get a modest savings, but I think you should consider buying them one at a time and digest as you go, building projects along the way. A key point though... you don't necessarily want to buy them in numerical order. I recommend the following sequence:
The Ultimate Tone Volume 3 - Generations of Tone
The Ultimate Tone Volume 5 - Tone Capture
The Ultimate Tone Volume 2 - Systems Approach to Stage Sound Nirvana
The Ultimate Tone Volume 4 - Advanced Techniques for Modern Guitar Amp Design
The Ultimate Tone - Modifying and Custom Building Tube Guitar Amps
The Ultimate Tone Volume 6 - Timeless Tone Built for the Future Today
The Ultimate Tone Volume 3 - Generations of Tone
This is the most important book in the series for the beginning tube amp builder.
Chapters 2 through 4 lay down the foundation of good DIY tube amp construction, filling you in on good electrical connections, grounding technique, lead dress and other wiring techniques, and mechanical layout including assembly methods like terminal strips, turret and eyelet boards.
The subsequent chapters each pick a particular 'iconic' amplifier, each iconic amplifier being a prototypical example of amplifiers of its class, and they are examined in detail as to the circuit topology, peculiar tonal characteristics that result and fatal flaws that the product is notorious for. Kevin provides the original schematics and then shows how you can apply the techniques detailed in the earlier chapters to improve the performance and reliability of the icon without harming the tone. The schematics are redrawn, layouts are provided and mechanical solutions are worked out to make each chapter a complete, self-contained, build-it-yourself amp project.
This process is repeated for several variations of the Champ in chapter 5 (this chapter greatly influenced my own single-ended amp project), then in quick succession: the Bassman, Plexi, 800, Bull Dog, AC-30, Portaflex, SVT, Bass Master, Custom Special, Guitar Mate, Herzog and Laney amplifiers are dealt with.
If you can only buy one book for your DIY guitar amp hobby I'd heartily recommend this one.
The Ultimate Tone Volume 5 - Tone Capture
Volume 5 picks up where Volume 3 left off, with a project-oriented approach and some sophisticated DIY tube amp solutions for guitar and bass.
The book starts off with a chapter overviewing vacuum tube operation called 'tube tone,' followed up by a chapter on guitar electronics and pickup characteristics.
The next two chapters are small projects: Sigma for effects switching and Triple-X for amplifier switching.
Chapters 5 & 6 are on transformers... important components but it made me yawn, sorry.
Starting with chapter 7, all the stops are pulled out and you are in project heaven... Major (200W), Soma 84 (EL84 amp), Standard (the London Power Standard Preamp from 1995 coupled to a 50W amp using four power tubes), Doppelsonde (mixing power tube types), AX84 (discussion on the original goal of a very low output power amp), Kelly (50W from 4 6V6s), and several other projects of lesser scope.
One favorite project I did was based on Kevin's reworking of the HotBox tube preamp pedal from Matchless in chapter 16. I built this pedal in a truly "true point-to-point style" (meaning terminal strips) in a tube pedal enclosure from Doug Hoffman, substituting a Baxandall tone stack and reworking the preamp values to be more Dumble-esqe (non-HRM type).
What would you do to match an amplifier to Yngwie Malmsteen's style? See chapter 18, 'Swede.'
The Ultimate Tone Volume 2 - Systems Approach to Stage Sound Nirvana
Volume 2 is not project oriented. The bulk of the book, chapters 2 through 5, deals with power supply tricks and a comprehensive overview of power amplifiers, including tube, solid-state and hybrid power amps. Chapter 3, on tube power amplifiers, has some very practical information on mods and fixes to Marshall and Fender bias circuits.
I like the 1st and last chapters of Volume 2 the best. The first chapter is a short discussion of sound stages and how you might setup your gear on stage for the best audience/band experience. The last, chapter 6, is called "Pillars of Tone" and in this chapter the major contributors tone at the block-level of a guitar tube amplifier system design are discussed one by one and Kevin provides some very valuable insight into tone shaping throughout the preamp/amplifier.
The Ultimate Tone Volume 4 - Advanced Techniques for Modern Guitar Amp Design
This is the book you'll want to buy if you feel the need to get deeply involved with the power scaling technology that Kevin has developed. Power Scaling, coined and trademarked by Kevin, is the way you can get aspects of power amp distortion (as opposed to preamp distortion) into your tone at bedroom volume levels. Volume 4 is not DIY project oriented but explores the issues, including attenuation, power scaling (both down and up), sag, and power management, tackled by modern guitar tube amp designers.
That said, the second-to-last chapter in Volume 4 might be important for a broader group of enthusiast builders... design philosophy. In this chapter Kevin provides a hierarchical design process that could be used to make key decisions on how you approach your next project.
The Ultimate Tone - Modifying and Custom Building Tube Guitar Amps
There is no volume number in the title of this book, it was the 1st. Personally, I bought it for completeness. I specifically wanted to have the 'perfect effects loop' information, although the loop itself is incorporated into a project in Volume 5. TUT also has some excellent material on reverbs and signal switching methods that is not explained in the other volumes. The first half of TUT introduces/overviews tube amp systems, power supplies & grounds then focuses on preamp and power amp modifications to commercial amplifiers (e.g. Marshall / Fender)... if you are totally new to tube electronics you may want to buy this 1st volume at the same time as Volume 3.
The Ultimate Tone Volume 6 - Timeless Tone Built for the Future Today
In many ways, Volume 6 is a continuation and extension of the material in Volume 4, where Power Scaling is introduced. In Volume 6 a new 'direct control' version of Powerscaling is featured which was introduced in Vol 4 but flushed out with comprehensive circuits and applied to 'sag' and sustain control as well in Vol 6. The new scaling circuits have many advantages for a DIY builder like greater noise immunity and less sensitivity to layout, etc.
I applied the new DC Power Scaling to a Trainwreck clone project and was really impressed with the improvement in 'playability' at lower volumes... the unmodified Trainwreck Express circuit is just too loud for domestic use, needing to be cranked to get the sweet tones it is renowned for.
One of the chapters in Volume 6 is dedicated to the Dumble amplifiers... something I was really looking forward to since many of my hobby projects focus on those circuits. I found this short chapter to be a good introduction to the overall architecture of the Dumble amps, written from the point of view of the evolution from the early modified standard amps that Alexander Dumble started out doing, but I felt the chapter fell short in discussing some of the more important subtleties of the later Dumble models.
Volume 6 also has lots of other material in it, including a great tutorial on designing really high output power amplifiers and a great chapter on high gain amplifier designs with real-world circuits referenced and detailed.
In Summary...
Kevin's books have a very empirical approach. He encourages you to set aside convention in some instances or not be afraid to try combinations of tubes or even pulling tubes and in all cases clearly explains why it is o.k. and points out any reasons why it wouldn't be o.k. All the examples in the books are very practical and he certainly has the DIYer in mind as he is writing.
Kevin's body of work is truly encyclopedic in nature, and considering that, one feature sorely lacking from his books is any kind of indexing... this is aggravated by the fact that Kevin constantly refers to previous writings rather than repeat himself in a new volume, and it is very difficult to put your finger on the reference even with the other book in hand. Perhaps search engine technology, like Google's ability to search protected content, could be put to good use in this case and provide a kind of 'auto-index' on the web of all of Kevin's books without actually giving away the book itself. Or better yet, how about an e-book format of Kevin's entire collection of TUT books... I think all of the e-book readers include searching capabilities... and Kevin's hand-drawn schematics would probably scale adequately and be very readable on the e-paper displays these devices feature.
Meanwhile, how do you get Kevin's books today? The best way to get the books is to directly order them from London Power Press. They now have a shopping cart on http://www.londonpower.com.
About the author: Mark Roberts blogs on DIY tube electronics at TubeNexus.com. He is avidly involved in guitar electronics as a hobby and dabbles in boutique effects pedals as a business with Cause & Effect Pedals. Please visit the TubeNexus Blog at http://tubenexus.com for more articles and book reviews about DIY Guitar Tube Amplifiers and Effect Electronics.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Douglas_Roberts
Showing posts with label Vox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vox. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Friday, 6 November 2009
The Four Types Of Guitar Amps
There are a few different types of guitar amplifiers that are on the market today for you to choose from. If you are shopping for a new amp, it's good to decide which type you will want because they are all very different.
The first type of amps that came along had to be the tube amplifiers. Funny thing is, even though the technology of tube amps is fairly old, these amps are still used widely among pro and beginner guitar players. The reason for their popularity is that the tone of these amps is usually very warm and natural compared to the other types. Not only do they sound better, they are usually louder than amps of other types and the same power level. The only thing to remember with tube amps is that they require maintenance because the vacuum tubes need to be periodically changed.
Usually there are two types of tubes in an amp - the preamp section and the power section. Common tubes are 12AX7, 6L6, EL34, and many more.
There are many different brands of guitar amps that use tubes -- Marshall, Soldano, Peavey, Genz-Benz, Mesa Boogie and many others -- especially older and vintage guitar amps.
Solid state amps were invented to replace tube amps (which didn't happen!). Basically, the main difference between tube and solid state amps is that solid state uses transistors instead of tubes. They also require almost no maintenance because there are no tubes to change.
This is not to say that solid state amps are not as good as tube, it just all depends on the application and type of music you are going to be playing.
Some guitarists prefer colliding the two and making what is called a hybrid amp. This type of amps marries both tube and transistor amps into one. Usually there are tubes at one stage of amplification and transistors at the other stage (preamp and power amp)
Recently, digital amps were introduced. These amps use computers and integrated circuits to create the various tones in the amps. Usually, there are a number of different types of effects and tons that you can get. These amps are very versatile.
Examples of some digital amps are Vox Valvetronix, Line6, and a few more. These amps are great if you want to play all different types of music with different types of guitars.
Corey Palmer is a guitarist and musician. Marshall Amps
The first type of amps that came along had to be the tube amplifiers. Funny thing is, even though the technology of tube amps is fairly old, these amps are still used widely among pro and beginner guitar players. The reason for their popularity is that the tone of these amps is usually very warm and natural compared to the other types. Not only do they sound better, they are usually louder than amps of other types and the same power level. The only thing to remember with tube amps is that they require maintenance because the vacuum tubes need to be periodically changed.
Usually there are two types of tubes in an amp - the preamp section and the power section. Common tubes are 12AX7, 6L6, EL34, and many more.
There are many different brands of guitar amps that use tubes -- Marshall, Soldano, Peavey, Genz-Benz, Mesa Boogie and many others -- especially older and vintage guitar amps.
Solid state amps were invented to replace tube amps (which didn't happen!). Basically, the main difference between tube and solid state amps is that solid state uses transistors instead of tubes. They also require almost no maintenance because there are no tubes to change.
This is not to say that solid state amps are not as good as tube, it just all depends on the application and type of music you are going to be playing.
Some guitarists prefer colliding the two and making what is called a hybrid amp. This type of amps marries both tube and transistor amps into one. Usually there are tubes at one stage of amplification and transistors at the other stage (preamp and power amp)
Recently, digital amps were introduced. These amps use computers and integrated circuits to create the various tones in the amps. Usually, there are a number of different types of effects and tons that you can get. These amps are very versatile.
Examples of some digital amps are Vox Valvetronix, Line6, and a few more. These amps are great if you want to play all different types of music with different types of guitars.
Corey Palmer is a guitarist and musician. Marshall Amps
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Blues Junior Professional - Fender's Classic Blues Amp - Portable Yet Powerful
The Fender company, in 1995, launched the 'Blues Junior' professional tube guitar amplifier. The tube driven design of the Fender Blues Junior delivers warm tones that aim to mimic the classic style of 1950s American blues and blues rock music.
This particular guitar amplifier is popular model for the Fender company. New models, often released to market, feature upgradable internal components with minor external changes while retaining the core tube driven design.
In overview, the Fender Blues Junior Guitar Amp is a warm-toned all-tube preamp with power amp circuitry that produces fat tone at moderate volumes. This guitar amplifier delivers 15 watts through a 12 inch speaker. The renowned warm tones are achieved by a pair of EL-84 Groove Tube output tubes plus three 12AX7 preamp tubes. The classic blues tones are enhanced by Fender reverb, flexible controls and a FAT circuit with footswitch control options. Main Features at a glance:
The BLUES JUNIOR guitar amplifier is an ideal practice or studio amp with big blues tone in a portable compact unit
All Tube
15 watts into 8 ohms output
1-12 inch Fender® Special Design 8 ohm, 50 watt Speaker
1 Channel input
"Fat" Switch, Reverb, Footswitch Jack for Remote "Fat" on/off (footswitch optional extra), Chrome Panel, Vintage Pointer Knobs
Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble, "Fat" Switch and Volume panel controls
Weighs 31 lbs. (14.06 kg)
Height: 16 inch (40.64 cm), Width: 18 inch (45.72 cm), Depth: 9.18 inch (23.31 cm)
Owners of the Fender Blues Junior Amplifier do report some limitations of this amp. For example: it's performance is not appropriate for the heavy metal genre, where a Marshall guitar amplifier may be better suited. However, for blues / blues rock the Fender blues junior guitar amplifier delivers the necessary distortion effect.
In the digital age, the internet is often the first resource channel for researching and in fact buying guitar amplifiers. Reviews and comparisons are easily found, which arms the buyer for a more informed choice. Regarding actually buying items from the internet, then there are many trustworthy avenues. For example, the safety and technology built into ebay means buyers can safely and confidently buy from the internet.
More specifically, it is well advised to consider ebay Partner or Affiliate type websites. Why? Simply because these type of sites are designed to distill very specific niches into an easy to navigate website. The design of the navigation system found on ebay Partner websites assist the visitor to browse and identify items for purchase a little easier than the ebay navigation system. In fact, that is the primary purpose of ebay type Partner websites, namely, to make the browse and search experience easier for the visitor, while capitalizing on the safety and security of ebay proper.
Written by Silver Leonard, owner of a portfolio of sites, which can be viewed here: http://looknooks.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silver_Leonard
This particular guitar amplifier is popular model for the Fender company. New models, often released to market, feature upgradable internal components with minor external changes while retaining the core tube driven design.
In overview, the Fender Blues Junior Guitar Amp is a warm-toned all-tube preamp with power amp circuitry that produces fat tone at moderate volumes. This guitar amplifier delivers 15 watts through a 12 inch speaker. The renowned warm tones are achieved by a pair of EL-84 Groove Tube output tubes plus three 12AX7 preamp tubes. The classic blues tones are enhanced by Fender reverb, flexible controls and a FAT circuit with footswitch control options. Main Features at a glance:
The BLUES JUNIOR guitar amplifier is an ideal practice or studio amp with big blues tone in a portable compact unit
All Tube
15 watts into 8 ohms output
1-12 inch Fender® Special Design 8 ohm, 50 watt Speaker
1 Channel input
"Fat" Switch, Reverb, Footswitch Jack for Remote "Fat" on/off (footswitch optional extra), Chrome Panel, Vintage Pointer Knobs
Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble, "Fat" Switch and Volume panel controls
Weighs 31 lbs. (14.06 kg)
Height: 16 inch (40.64 cm), Width: 18 inch (45.72 cm), Depth: 9.18 inch (23.31 cm)
Owners of the Fender Blues Junior Amplifier do report some limitations of this amp. For example: it's performance is not appropriate for the heavy metal genre, where a Marshall guitar amplifier may be better suited. However, for blues / blues rock the Fender blues junior guitar amplifier delivers the necessary distortion effect.
In the digital age, the internet is often the first resource channel for researching and in fact buying guitar amplifiers. Reviews and comparisons are easily found, which arms the buyer for a more informed choice. Regarding actually buying items from the internet, then there are many trustworthy avenues. For example, the safety and technology built into ebay means buyers can safely and confidently buy from the internet.
More specifically, it is well advised to consider ebay Partner or Affiliate type websites. Why? Simply because these type of sites are designed to distill very specific niches into an easy to navigate website. The design of the navigation system found on ebay Partner websites assist the visitor to browse and identify items for purchase a little easier than the ebay navigation system. In fact, that is the primary purpose of ebay type Partner websites, namely, to make the browse and search experience easier for the visitor, while capitalizing on the safety and security of ebay proper.
Written by Silver Leonard, owner of a portfolio of sites, which can be viewed here: http://looknooks.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silver_Leonard
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Brands of Guitar Amplifiers, Marshall, Fender, Mesa etc
A wide range of instrument amplifiers is now available, some for general purposes and some designed for specific instruments and even for particular sounds. Traditional guitar amplifiers come up with a clean, warm sound, a sharp treble roll off at 5 kHz or less and bass roll off at 60 to100 Hz, often with built in reverb and tremolo units. Bass amplifiers have extended bass response and tone controls optimized for bass guitars (or more rarely, for upright bass).
Higher end bass amplifiers sometimes include compressor or limited features, which help to keep the amplifier from distorting at high volume levels. Keyboard amplifiers have a very low distortion and extended flat frequency response in both directions. Keyboard amplifiers often have a simple onboard mixer, so that keyboardists can control the tone and level of several keyboards. Acoustic amplifiers are designed specifically to produce a clean, transparent, acoustic sound when used with acoustic instruments with built in transducer pickups and microphones.
Some well known brands of guitar amplifiers
While there are almost innumerable manufacturers of guitar amplifiers, we will be discussing the most important brands that have created history in guitar amplification.
Carvin Corporation
The Carvin Corporation is a musical instrument and equipment manufacturer, located in San Diego, California, well known among guitar players for their guitars. Carvin was founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel, and originally manufactured guitar pickups. Carvin Corporation manufactures acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars and accessories, amplifiers, live studio sound equipments, microphones and lighting gears.
Korg Corporation
Korg Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments and guitar tuners. The company is one of the most widely used and respected names in the electronic music world. Founded in 1962 in Japan by Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai, Korg was originally known as Keio Electronic Laboratories because its fledgling offices were located near the Keio train line in Tokyo and Keio can be formed by combining the first letters of Kato and Osanai. Yamaha Corporation has always been a major partner of Korg, supplying them with circuitry and mechanical parts.
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company which designs and manufactures electric guitar amplifiers. Marshall Amplifiers are well known and highly popular among guitarists. Marshall Amplifiers were originally built as direct copies of Fender amplifiers, but soon incorporated certain traits which made them more favorable to guitarists seeking a heavier sound. Like most professional level amplifiers, Marshall amplifiers still use valve preamp and power amplifier stages instead of solid state devices. Marshall also manufactures cheaper solid-state or hybrid devices.
Vox
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer, which is most famous for making the AC30 guitar amplifier and the Vox electric organ. Founded in Great Britain, Vox is now owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg. In 1959, with sales under pressure from the more powerful Fender Twin and from The Shadows, who requested amplifiers with more power, Vox produced what was essentially a double powered AC15 and named it the AC30.
Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972 with 33 million yen in capital. Some of the recent amplifiers from Roland Corporation are Roland SH 201, Roland Juno G, Roland MV 8800 and Roland V Synth GT.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, guitar amplifiers, drums, drum sets, drum kits, and synthesizers, keyboards.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victor_Epand
Higher end bass amplifiers sometimes include compressor or limited features, which help to keep the amplifier from distorting at high volume levels. Keyboard amplifiers have a very low distortion and extended flat frequency response in both directions. Keyboard amplifiers often have a simple onboard mixer, so that keyboardists can control the tone and level of several keyboards. Acoustic amplifiers are designed specifically to produce a clean, transparent, acoustic sound when used with acoustic instruments with built in transducer pickups and microphones.
Some well known brands of guitar amplifiers
While there are almost innumerable manufacturers of guitar amplifiers, we will be discussing the most important brands that have created history in guitar amplification.
Carvin Corporation
The Carvin Corporation is a musical instrument and equipment manufacturer, located in San Diego, California, well known among guitar players for their guitars. Carvin was founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel, and originally manufactured guitar pickups. Carvin Corporation manufactures acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars and accessories, amplifiers, live studio sound equipments, microphones and lighting gears.
Korg Corporation
Korg Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments and guitar tuners. The company is one of the most widely used and respected names in the electronic music world. Founded in 1962 in Japan by Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai, Korg was originally known as Keio Electronic Laboratories because its fledgling offices were located near the Keio train line in Tokyo and Keio can be formed by combining the first letters of Kato and Osanai. Yamaha Corporation has always been a major partner of Korg, supplying them with circuitry and mechanical parts.
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company which designs and manufactures electric guitar amplifiers. Marshall Amplifiers are well known and highly popular among guitarists. Marshall Amplifiers were originally built as direct copies of Fender amplifiers, but soon incorporated certain traits which made them more favorable to guitarists seeking a heavier sound. Like most professional level amplifiers, Marshall amplifiers still use valve preamp and power amplifier stages instead of solid state devices. Marshall also manufactures cheaper solid-state or hybrid devices.
Vox
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer, which is most famous for making the AC30 guitar amplifier and the Vox electric organ. Founded in Great Britain, Vox is now owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg. In 1959, with sales under pressure from the more powerful Fender Twin and from The Shadows, who requested amplifiers with more power, Vox produced what was essentially a double powered AC15 and named it the AC30.
Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972 with 33 million yen in capital. Some of the recent amplifiers from Roland Corporation are Roland SH 201, Roland Juno G, Roland MV 8800 and Roland V Synth GT.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, guitar amplifiers, drums, drum sets, drum kits, and synthesizers, keyboards.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victor_Epand
Friday, 23 October 2009
Tube, Valve amp for Guitar
For decades, it's been a general opinion that tube (or valve) amplifiers sound better than solid state amps.
First of all - what is a tube amp? A tube amp is a type of guitar amplifier that operates on valves (or vacuum tubes) instead of transistors. The sound you get from a tube amp is warmer and fuller that what you'd get from a solid state amp.
Valve amplifiers range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, so the choice is really confusing! If you're reading this article, you've probably decided that it's time that you want to crank your volume past the 10 mark on your current practice amp or the tone just isn't satisfying you anymore.
There are a few things you have to know in order to make your decision. First of all, the type of music that you play, so that you can decide on the amount of gain that your amp needs to have. What is gain? Gain is basically a synonym for distortion. If you play mostly "clean" music (virtually, no amount of distortion), you won't need a lot of gain. If the music you play is blues or rock, you'll need a mild amount of gain, depending on how distorted you want the sound to be. If you play metal, you'll need a high-gain tube amp.
The most notable clean amp of all tube amp history is the Fender Bassman, the holy-grail of clean sounds. Generally, you'll want to look at Fender and Vox. Most tube amps have the amount of gain necessary for blues or rock (Marshalls, the expensive Buddas, the budget Blackhearts). Finally, if we're talking metal, you're going to want to look at Peavey, Mesa Boogie, ENGL.
The second aspect of a tube amp, why many people crave them, is the dynamic. Dynamic is the ability of the tube amp to sound clean when you're hitting the strings softly, and distorted when you're hitting them hard. This allows a great amount of expression. You're going to have to listen to an amp to see if it has this quality.
You'll also have to listen for definition, which is the ability to amplify every single note your play clearly. This is very important, otherwise you'll sound all muddy. The best way to test this is to play some chords, even fewer amps possess this quality.
Lastly, you'll just have to listen if it possesses the basic tonal characteristics that fit you. If the basic sound of the amp is bad, it will sound bad anyway you will adjust the equalizer, amount of gain, anything. It's not uncommon that you find bad tube amps made by prestigious brands. There's no such thing as "not knowing" if it sounds good or not, and although store employees can help you with various information such as amounts of gain, number of tubes, etc. they always want to convince you to buy the products you're trying. If you don't buy it, you can always come back another time and try it again, but if you do, you'll just lack motivation and it will harm your playing. This is important because tube amps aren't as cheap as a practice amp. Always try before you buy!
My name is Andrei Popa, and I've been playing electric guitar for 6 years now. I've bought and sold a lot of gear over the years, filtered all the guitar playing information I've received and have generally been through a lot of trial and error. I maintain a gear reviews website at http://guitar-gear-demos.blogspot.com
First of all - what is a tube amp? A tube amp is a type of guitar amplifier that operates on valves (or vacuum tubes) instead of transistors. The sound you get from a tube amp is warmer and fuller that what you'd get from a solid state amp.
Valve amplifiers range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, so the choice is really confusing! If you're reading this article, you've probably decided that it's time that you want to crank your volume past the 10 mark on your current practice amp or the tone just isn't satisfying you anymore.
There are a few things you have to know in order to make your decision. First of all, the type of music that you play, so that you can decide on the amount of gain that your amp needs to have. What is gain? Gain is basically a synonym for distortion. If you play mostly "clean" music (virtually, no amount of distortion), you won't need a lot of gain. If the music you play is blues or rock, you'll need a mild amount of gain, depending on how distorted you want the sound to be. If you play metal, you'll need a high-gain tube amp.
The most notable clean amp of all tube amp history is the Fender Bassman, the holy-grail of clean sounds. Generally, you'll want to look at Fender and Vox. Most tube amps have the amount of gain necessary for blues or rock (Marshalls, the expensive Buddas, the budget Blackhearts). Finally, if we're talking metal, you're going to want to look at Peavey, Mesa Boogie, ENGL.
The second aspect of a tube amp, why many people crave them, is the dynamic. Dynamic is the ability of the tube amp to sound clean when you're hitting the strings softly, and distorted when you're hitting them hard. This allows a great amount of expression. You're going to have to listen to an amp to see if it has this quality.
You'll also have to listen for definition, which is the ability to amplify every single note your play clearly. This is very important, otherwise you'll sound all muddy. The best way to test this is to play some chords, even fewer amps possess this quality.
Lastly, you'll just have to listen if it possesses the basic tonal characteristics that fit you. If the basic sound of the amp is bad, it will sound bad anyway you will adjust the equalizer, amount of gain, anything. It's not uncommon that you find bad tube amps made by prestigious brands. There's no such thing as "not knowing" if it sounds good or not, and although store employees can help you with various information such as amounts of gain, number of tubes, etc. they always want to convince you to buy the products you're trying. If you don't buy it, you can always come back another time and try it again, but if you do, you'll just lack motivation and it will harm your playing. This is important because tube amps aren't as cheap as a practice amp. Always try before you buy!
My name is Andrei Popa, and I've been playing electric guitar for 6 years now. I've bought and sold a lot of gear over the years, filtered all the guitar playing information I've received and have generally been through a lot of trial and error. I maintain a gear reviews website at http://guitar-gear-demos.blogspot.com
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