When did a glass amp let you down live? I've had one failure, but that was due to beer ingress which might have floored a SS amp too. If you play with glass loving guitarists how many times have their amps let you down? If they're not abused and have maintenance then they're pretty reliable. Heavy and awkward though.
@@nbl95 there's usually more than one tube amp hanging around the studio. Plenty of amps can happily do guitar or bass. Whether Ampeg B-15/portaflex, V4/V4-b, Sunn Model T, Fender Bassman, Marshall JTM, Sovtek Mig Traynor YBA. As long as there's the right kind of cab knocking around.
A tube DI like the Noble Preamp DI is a nice tool to have in the studio too. And pretty reliable / compact for gigging. It's more the weight, size, power affordability combo that make solid state great for gigging. Though a Portaflex 50 can work well live, using the Transformer DI out, then using a nearby 4x10 on stage, near ear level, as a nice real sounding monitor. A good toolbox to pick and choose from might be the 50w Portaflex PF-50T, an Ampeg Venture V7, a pair of 2x10" or 2x12" cabs, and a good Tube DI like the REDDI or Nobel.
Tube amps are more articulate. If you lay into the string hard, the tubes will react. That is why guitar players like tube amps. That's why I like a tube amp for bass. You also get a real nice subtle compression with tubes. Doesn't sound squashed, just sounds good.
Great job on the video! It's so refreshing to see someone appreciating bass tube amps. I recently did a video on my rare Italian amp, which is turning 50 this year, and I've been using it for 4 years now. The sound it produces is phenomenal, and it's incredibly versatile. Transistor amps are great too, but they'll never really be my soft spot. Your video is a testament to how underrepresented these amps are in the music community. Well done!
They all have the Sally Beauty Hipster Classic at home perm. It's mandatory for employment at Reverb along with flannel and just above the ankle boots.
I used to love GK until i found out how "clean" those amps are in comparison to actual good bass amps. Their tone is so uninspiring that you like have to throw a sansamp or preamp pedal before just to get it to sound good.
@@TheProgGuy GKs are legendary for reliability but they only have two tones: bright and clean AND brighter and cleaner. Once you plug a P-bass with flatwounds into a GK you realize how cold and sterile they sound.
@@TheProgGuy I own Aguilar Tone Hammer 500, GK MB200 and a Mesa d800+. All great amps and all very different. The aguilar though with my jazz basses just lacks low end and the bass is center at 40hz so it just that usable for my setup.
@@craigdamage lol cold and sterile, ypu mean loud and clean. Tube distortion sounds makes bass sound vintage and muddy, clean makes it cut through anything
Does not really matter. The power amp is not responsible for shaping the sound unless you are planning on playing at a fixed volume to get a precisely defined amount of distortion out of the main stage. Which is not only completely impractical, but also not really a smart thing to do when you can get the exact same sound shaping options from your pre amp and then send it into a neutral sounding solid state power stage. Which is not only lighter and cheaper, but also more reliable. Tube power stages have long been made obsolete. Ask stage legends like Steve Vai, and he will tell you the exact same thing for guitar amps - which are arguably much more important for sound shaping, especially when it comes to tubes. For his sounds, he relies on his pre amps alone and feeds them into a neutral power stage.
@@Noone-of-your-Business So why would the pf-20 have a pre-amp D.I. and a transformer D.I.? This is true just as long as you don't drive the power amp, otherwise the valves are gonna do their job. I own one, it's clearly noticeable and no, you can't get the same distorsion from the the preamp out only no matter how hard you tweak it. ruclips.net/video/UOyGGQ3Nk0E/видео.html
no, tube bass amps are not what you are always hearing when you listen to anything before 70's. Many studios, including the one example you play - motown records - were well known for recording the bass directly. James Jamerson used the B15 only for live gigs.
@@Jerrythill even that doesnt have to be true, the often used (jamerson reportedly kept one in his case) wolfbox was passive di (no tubes). You never know, but I still believe that flatwounds and p bass will give you more motown character than any tube amp..
5jhexp yeah, p with flats is the way to go. I heard something about some crazy custom tube DIs with meters on them that all the musicians used there at hitsville. And I know that those old consoles had like 50+ tubes in them. So very warm tone regardless. I currently have the V4B reissue and I play my p with flats through it. The sound is so dang good. Attack the string softly and the sound is full, round and warm. Start attacking the string hard and it breaks up so nicely and grinds. I haven’t been able to get that same tone with any SS amp or DI. It’s all about that 6L6 tone IMHO And I mic my cab to get that power tube breakup sound to the FOH.
Great demo bro... Loved it and agree with you totally. One point.. To me, the biggest difference will always be the instrument. I have a Jazz 5 ultra and F-Bass vf5PJ and there is no comparison. Fender has always been in my set but F-Bass is far superior. Start with the best instrument you can afford.
Jake, you know better. Almost all SS amps have their baked in tone, that colors your sound. Case in point that tone hammer you're playing has a very distinct baked in tone that colors your playing.
Moved to tubes about a year ago from solid state and I'll never go back. I have an output jack out of mine at the speaker jack that I can use to drive power amps for almost limitless loud.
Why decide on just one?? My 25-year-old Trace Elliot has got a blendable pre stage that lets me dial in any ratio of tube-to-solid state at the turn of a button.
Well, it does serve to show that there isn't much point in having a tube amp these days. The maintenance of them does not justify how insignificant the tone quality bump is. Solid States have come leaps and bounds in sounding just as good, if not better, in most cases.
@@TheOneAndOnlyJell_O That depends. SS amps can get you close enough but even when I plat my Ampeg SVP tube pre which is the same tube pre from the SVT through an 850 watt SS power amp, not class D, the SVT still sounds better and feels different. Add in a compressor and you remove some of that dynamic and flatten or dull the bounce to the feel and negate much of the difference. Even though I don't need a tube head I will probably get another one.
I spent several days playing my mark bass III head...then I plugged my all tube Fender 100t head back in ..and it blew the mark bass away.. first time I had ever done any real comparison. The mark bass sounds really good though. I was playing on it, and adjusted EQ and I thought it sounded great. But the Fender sounded epic immediately,no comparison
This may be a case of people just liking whatever they learned to play on. For electric six-string guitar I’m all about the valves/tubes, but my first instrument was an electric bass guitar, and I learned to play on a solid state amp… and, call me an apostate, that’s still the sound I’m after when I amp-shop today. And I only just figured that out now. Who knew?
although i have never tried one my self, i personally think that hybrid bass amps are the best option because you simply get the best from both worlds. Minimal enclosure, Warm tube saturation (from the tube preamp) and finally you can get as loud as you want.
I run a Markbass Little Mark Tube 800. Great little amp. The tubes (being very small) aren't quite as warm as other tube amps, but the fact that its so much lighter, more durable and louder while getting a little tube sound mixed in is great. Also has the ability to run no tubes at all for a solid state sound.
I have a hybrid - multiple gain stages in the front. I also have a smallish SS pre-amp on the floor. I can run this into the front of the amp or into the effects return/power amp in if I want to miss the glass out. It's an extra cable, but you get a two channel amp (more since the pre-amp is programmable). I've not tried it live yet - but I also have a glass n transformers head and extra cabs so could run a parallel system, different types of drive from each. It'd be a lot of effort (van instead of car and lots of prep/breakdown time) and I'd look like a massive primadonna but it'd sound IMMENSE.
I have a variety of tube- and solid state - amps, hybrids and full solid state. Like for all tube the Peavey Vb3, Ampeg V4b Ri and a Ampeg SVT clone, the Bugera BVV 3000. None of them ever let me down the last years. For solid state there are a GK 400 RB I, a Peavey TMax, three GenzBenz GBE (the old 600, newer 750 and 1200) and a Marshall MB 450h. Then there are some lightweight amps, as the Markbass LM II, Genzler Magellan 800 and an Ibanez Promethean Combo 5110. I use the amp that suits my needs for the given gig. And I can tell you, it's nice to be able to choose. Same with cabs. From Tecamp L 810" and 215" over SWR 212" to Peavey TVX 410", Marshall MBC 410" and some custom built cabs (sealed 410", two 14" + 5") I am able to choose what does the trick in sound, size and volume.
Would've been great to compare an ampeg solid state portaflex (ie PF-350) to the tube PF-20T. I disagree that solid state amps give no character...every solid state amp I've played is voiced a certain way and has their own character to them, personally why i think you should have compared a portaflex tube head to a portaflex solid state head.
Thought about that as well - though a lot of s/s amps try to emulate tubes. AFAIK, no one's been able to capture the 3d sound of a tube amp in person. Recorded stuff is what it is - generally super compressed and flattened out to fit in the mix, but live is LIVE! Big, full and round. Having said that I'm a big fan of the Mesa WalkAbout and can't wait to try the WD800 - both of which are hybrids.
You played clean and driven tones for the tube, why not the SS as well? Lots of folks dump on SS amps, when if are properly designed they can sound incredible (even having more pleasant drive character...). That's a bummer not to see that compared.
Total bullshit with that temperature concerning tubes. Tubes are a lot more stable with parameters concerning ambient temperature. Precise tube measuring equipment doesn't even have temperature stabilisation whereas comparable solid state devices has it. Just for example.
In these never-ending debates, the truth must be one of the following: that one type of amp is objectively better and the people who favor the other type (and all of their arguments) are objectively wrong, or that both types of amps are so complicated and have so many potential uses and configurations that both sides can be equally right in their tastes and explanations, or that it's all subjective and all arguments are simply retroactive justifications for something that can't be adequately explained.
There is definitely a palpable difference. The way the amp pumps and breathes is different. I've played through Bassman's, Ampeg SVT's and smaller Ampegs, and Music Man HD130s. When you get a good one it's magic. I don't currently own any. I have an Eden rig and an Ampeg SVP tube pre into an old QSC 850 watt SS amp (heavy). They work but I still jones for an old SVT regardless of how impractical they are in many situations or a good HD130. Now that I'm on a roll I miss the old Acoustic 270s too. New players have so many great choices and a decent 250 watt SS 2 x 10 combo can meet "most" any gig. For the rest there is a PA to handle that. Enough. When I see a kid young enough to be mine I know I have gotten old enough to have been there and done that. Its funny when the stuff you ditched years ago is now sought after "Vintage" gear.
One correction - where you said any bass sound you hear on a recording before the 70s is tube; through the 60s, Motown recordings were universally using the now famous Wolfbox Passive DI box.
Tubes are not as fragile as everyone thinks. If you have a good DI you're all set in case things go wrong. But that would be the case with a solid state amp as well... I know guys that have played for DECADES with tube amps with no issues.
trying amps in person can be problematic when there are amps I'd like to try that brick and mortars don't keep in store, or when you have to try and find a random stranger that has one of them, then another with something else.
To see if the tone is different. I listened to the first part of the video to try and see if I could hear the audio change in sound, and I didn’t hear anything different until I watched. The only difference I noticed was that the solid state was either loud or more pronounced.
One of the sad parts about this comparison is that the drive in the ToneHammer is set to 0 instead of noon which would be a better head to head comparison with a tube amp. It gets really close.
I got to play a Kustom DE200-210 tube combo at a rock festival recently, and it was the most beautiful sound I've ever gotten out of my bass, especially once I mixed in my Alpha Omicron and compression. Turns out that they're super rare though, so I'm probably gonna trade my rumble 500 combo for it, even though it's technically worth more ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
I want to understand tube amps but after buying a 200 watt Trace Eliot Elf for like around $200 the fact it fits in my back pocket and handles pedals well and can get super loud with nice tone. I just dont see a tube amp competing with that. Is that specific "tone" or "warmth" people talk about really worth thousands of dollars and having to lug around a heavy ass tube amp?
Always used SS; still have my 1974 Carvin B-3000. Light as a feather compared to a same year SVT. If you want a warmer sound change to flat wound strings. Tube amps have a lag, why guitar amps are preferred. SS bass amps are punchy and RIGHT NOW!!; why I prefer them. JMHO, I have played for 48 years.
All my amps are either full tube or at least hybrid, that being said I’d never recommend a tube amp to a newbie simply for cost, portability, power and maintenance reasons. Tube amps are totally reliable if you mind them and are infinitely reparable . When solid state amps die that’s it, not worth repairing most of the time. In my experience he best type of solid state amps are class AB MOSFET amps (like trace Elliot) they just run forever .
Now, I disagree on the point about solid states being "cleaner"... I find tube amps have a clearer sound, and even with their warmth, feel more flattering. Solid states often make me feel like I'm playing through a filter, fighting to get the tone I want.
It is ironic that you are using the Aguilar Tone Hammer as the solid state amp. As solid state goes, the Tone Hammer is voiced to sound tube like. It has drive circuitry and can be used to mimic tube overdrive and even without using the drive circuitry, the amp has a baked in midrange warmth. Although it is obviously not a tube amp, it was designed to fake it just a bit.
Tube amps are much louder than solid state. A 15 watt tube amp has about the same volume level as a 100 watt solid state amp. The video had it backwards
Cold temperatures affecting tube performance is utter nonsense. The cathode is the part that needs to be heated. It is in a hard vacuum so there is no convection and almost no conduction to the outside environment. It is operating near 1000 degrees so the outside temperature being 0 or 100 degrees is just not a factor. Solid state devices are far more affected by temperature, a lot of them aren't even spec'd much below freezing.
Honestly after 41 years I can say tube heads are not necessary but are more aspirational purchases these days. If you don't mind the weight get a used Ampeg SVP preamp and an old SS power amp to get you more than half the way there. Truthfully the Geddy Lee signature pedal or pre will get you really close with no maintenance issues. I have never replaced the tubes on my SVP.
Tube amps are louder than solid state amps when played at the same volume. The downside is that tube amps are also heavier than solid state amps when they are the same weight.
This kid has not lived long enough to be able to say that tube amps are not reliable. There is so much fear among the young people, they think tube amps don't last long. That's wrong. Even the tubes can last 10 years, that's right-10 years. If you do need to change the tubes, it's easy. not a problem.
You can find 60s Fender amps with original operating tubes at this moment in time. Tubes last as long as you leave them in. Moving them around while gigging is their worst enemy. Too many people feel the need to retube from forums. A senseless form of GAS.
The ampeg which is a tube amp sounds so much cleaner and sharper, fuller, so much better to my ears. The aguilar which is a solid state amp on the other hand sounds foggy, not a pleasant sound when you compare it to the ampeg tube amp. I play on a genz-benz contour which is a class d amp and I really like the sound but never had the opportunity to compare it with an all tube amp.
Whatever you do don't but the Ampeg Micro VR. That thing is a turd. I'm on my second head in 3 years, and one little piece of dust will make it fail. I've heard al kind of bad stories about them.So you can throw reliability right out the window this this solid state amp. a little deoxit did the trick but now I'm just waiting for it to blow up from something else. Its a shame because its a really nice sounding amp
M Thompson can we please. What’s the hybrid amp about. It can do both a tube amp and a solid state amp? Because if so, that’s what I’m looking for haha
Why play a tone dead plank to demonstrate tone? Should have used a Lakland or Ibanez premium or Dingwall or Spector, something with some clarity and tone.
the only reason to go for tubes is if you're an old man with a ponytail who says 'those were to good old days, there's no good music being made any more'.
You forgot one very important factor. When you play it, it sounds like a bass, when you play it with the band, it also sounds like a bass. So...which is better?
Always used solid state head live and a tube amp in the studio. Liked the reliability of the solid state for gigging.
When did a glass amp let you down live? I've had one failure, but that was due to beer ingress which might have floored a SS amp too. If you play with glass loving guitarists how many times have their amps let you down? If they're not abused and have maintenance then they're pretty reliable.
Heavy and awkward though.
The studio is always where shit goes wrong though lol
@@nbl95 there's usually more than one tube amp hanging around the studio. Plenty of amps can happily do guitar or bass. Whether Ampeg B-15/portaflex, V4/V4-b, Sunn Model T, Fender Bassman, Marshall JTM, Sovtek Mig Traynor YBA. As long as there's the right kind of cab knocking around.
A tube DI like the Noble Preamp DI is a nice tool to have in the studio too. And pretty reliable / compact for gigging. It's more the weight, size, power affordability combo that make solid state great for gigging. Though a Portaflex 50 can work well live, using the Transformer DI out, then using a nearby 4x10 on stage, near ear level, as a nice real sounding monitor. A good toolbox to pick and choose from might be the 50w Portaflex PF-50T, an Ampeg Venture V7, a pair of 2x10" or 2x12" cabs, and a good Tube DI like the REDDI or Nobel.
Tube amps are more articulate. If you lay into the string hard, the tubes will react. That is why guitar players like tube amps. That's why I like a tube amp for bass. You also get a real nice subtle compression with tubes. Doesn't sound squashed, just sounds good.
Great job on the video! It's so refreshing to see someone appreciating bass tube amps. I recently did a video on my rare Italian amp, which is turning 50 this year, and I've been using it for 4 years now. The sound it produces is phenomenal, and it's incredibly versatile. Transistor amps are great too, but they'll never really be my soft spot. Your video is a testament to how underrepresented these amps are in the music community. Well done!
First 15 seconds was all I needed to make my decision. Excellent video, excellent playing.
does everyone at reverb have perms
Not perms. Just natural curls it looks like.
They all have the Sally Beauty Hipster Classic at home perm. It's mandatory for employment at Reverb along with flannel and just above the ankle boots.
@@jburdsinfuse You sure it's not just that they have curly hair?
wiggledix bubsy 100% sure it’s a perm and 139% sure that wasn’t sarcasm.
@@jburdsinfuse 209% sure I can't really tell sarcasm in text. I apologize. Still not a perm
Odd that they picked on of the most tube-like solid state bass amps. I would've went GK to show the difference.
I used to love GK until i found out how "clean" those amps are in comparison to actual good bass amps. Their tone is so uninspiring that you like have to throw a sansamp or preamp pedal before just to get it to sound good.
@@TheProgGuy GKs are legendary for reliability but they only have two tones: bright and clean AND brighter and cleaner. Once you plug a P-bass with flatwounds into a GK you realize how cold and sterile they sound.
@@TheProgGuy I own Aguilar Tone Hammer 500, GK MB200 and a Mesa d800+. All great amps and all very different. The aguilar though with my jazz basses just lacks low end and the bass is center at 40hz so it just that usable for my setup.
I guess their are a few trains a thought when it comes to comparing the two,but good observation
@@craigdamage lol cold and sterile, ypu mean loud and clean. Tube distortion sounds makes bass sound vintage and muddy, clean makes it cut through anything
Orange Terror bass is "just" hybrid. It has only tube in preamp.
Does not really matter. The power amp is not responsible for shaping the sound unless you are planning on playing at a fixed volume to get a precisely defined amount of distortion out of the main stage.
Which is not only completely impractical, but also not really a smart thing to do when you can get the exact same sound shaping options from your pre amp and then send it into a neutral sounding solid state power stage. Which is not only lighter and cheaper, but also more reliable. Tube power stages have long been made obsolete.
Ask stage legends like Steve Vai, and he will tell you the exact same thing for guitar amps - which are arguably much more important for sound shaping, especially when it comes to tubes. For his sounds, he relies on his pre amps alone and feeds them into a neutral power stage.
@@Noone-of-your-Business So why would the pf-20 have a pre-amp D.I. and a transformer D.I.? This is true just as long as you don't drive the power amp, otherwise the valves are gonna do their job. I own one, it's clearly noticeable and no, you can't get the same distorsion from the the preamp out only no matter how hard you tweak it.
ruclips.net/video/UOyGGQ3Nk0E/видео.html
no, tube bass amps are not what you are always hearing when you listen to anything before 70's. Many studios, including the one example you play - motown records - were well known for recording the bass directly. James Jamerson used the B15 only for live gigs.
5jhexp yeah, but it was a custom tube di patched into a crazy tube console.
@@Jerrythill even that doesnt have to be true, the often used (jamerson reportedly kept one in his case) wolfbox was passive di (no tubes). You never know, but I still believe that flatwounds and p bass will give you more motown character than any tube amp..
5jhexp yeah, p with flats is the way to go.
I heard something about some crazy custom tube DIs with meters on them that all the musicians used there at hitsville.
And I know that those old consoles had like 50+ tubes in them. So very warm tone regardless. I currently have the V4B reissue and I play my p with flats through it. The sound is so dang good. Attack the string softly and the sound is full, round and warm.
Start attacking the string hard and it breaks up so nicely and grinds. I haven’t been able to get that same tone with any SS amp or DI.
It’s all about that 6L6 tone IMHO
And I mic my cab to get that power tube breakup sound to the FOH.
@@5jhexp not actually! P-bass and Flat wounds and ampeg v-4bh.Thats motown.
@@are-bass You are right that it is the best way to get the motown sound, but in many cases it is not what was used on the recording (bass to ss di).
Great demo bro... Loved it and agree with you totally. One point.. To me, the biggest difference will always be the instrument. I have a Jazz 5 ultra and F-Bass vf5PJ and there is no comparison. Fender has always been in my set but F-Bass is far superior. Start with the best instrument you can afford.
Jake, you know better. Almost all SS amps have their baked in tone, that colors your sound. Case in point that tone hammer you're playing has a very distinct baked in tone that colors your playing.
Very brutal mix between his voice vs the bass tone levels
Moved to tubes about a year ago from solid state and I'll never go back. I have an output jack out of mine at the speaker jack that I can use to drive power amps for almost limitless loud.
Why decide on just one?? My 25-year-old Trace Elliot has got a blendable pre stage that lets me dial in any ratio of tube-to-solid state at the turn of a button.
Not fair. Aguilar Tone Hammer is pretty much regarded as the most "tube-like" solid state bass amp currently on the market.
Well, it does serve to show that there isn't much point in having a tube amp these days. The maintenance of them does not justify how insignificant the tone quality bump is. Solid States have come leaps and bounds in sounding just as good, if not better, in most cases.
@@TheOneAndOnlyJell_O That depends. SS amps can get you close enough but even when I plat my Ampeg SVP tube pre which is the same tube pre from the SVT through an 850 watt SS power amp, not class D, the SVT still sounds better and feels different. Add in a compressor and you remove some of that dynamic and flatten or dull the bounce to the feel and negate much of the difference. Even though I don't need a tube head I will probably get another one.
Its everyones own thing what amp they are using. Im buying ampeg v4bh. I just love the warm sound. And drive sound is really lovely.
@@TheOneAndOnlyJell_O. To me tubeamps Has warm and real sound. Solid-state has not any soul.
@@are-bass ....except that the Aguilar Tone Hammer demonstrated here clearly has a very warm and rich tone. "Soul" comes from the player.
For me, you can model the SOUND of tube amps very convincingly on bass but the FEEL is what is hard to model
I spent several days playing my mark bass III head...then I plugged my all tube Fender 100t head back in ..and it blew the mark bass away.. first time I had ever done any real comparison. The mark bass sounds really good though. I was playing on it, and adjusted EQ and I thought it sounded great. But the Fender sounded epic immediately,no comparison
This may be a case of people just liking whatever they learned to play on. For electric six-string guitar I’m all about the valves/tubes, but my first instrument was an electric bass guitar, and I learned to play on a solid state amp… and, call me an apostate, that’s still the sound I’m after when I amp-shop today. And I only just figured that out now. Who knew?
i learned to play on a solid state guitar amp. i'm all about tubes now, though im looking into a neural QC for convenience
although i have never tried one my self, i personally think that hybrid bass amps are the best option because you simply get the best from both worlds. Minimal enclosure, Warm tube saturation (from the tube preamp) and finally you can get as loud as you want.
I run a Markbass Little Mark Tube 800. Great little amp. The tubes (being very small) aren't quite as warm as other tube amps, but the fact that its so much lighter, more durable and louder while getting a little tube sound mixed in is great.
Also has the ability to run no tubes at all for a solid state sound.
I have a hybrid - multiple gain stages in the front.
I also have a smallish SS pre-amp on the floor.
I can run this into the front of the amp or into the effects return/power amp in if I want to miss the glass out.
It's an extra cable, but you get a two channel amp (more since the pre-amp is programmable).
I've not tried it live yet - but I also have a glass n transformers head and extra cabs so could run a parallel system, different types of drive from each. It'd be a lot of effort (van instead of car and lots of prep/breakdown time) and I'd look like a massive primadonna but it'd sound IMMENSE.
That’s why I’m still running the same SWR SM-400S I bought in the 90’s. Best of both worlds.
I have a variety of tube- and solid state - amps, hybrids and full solid state. Like for all tube the Peavey Vb3, Ampeg V4b Ri and a Ampeg SVT clone, the Bugera BVV 3000. None of them ever let me down the last years. For solid state there are a GK 400 RB I, a Peavey TMax, three GenzBenz GBE (the old 600, newer 750 and 1200) and a Marshall MB 450h. Then there are some lightweight amps, as the Markbass LM II, Genzler Magellan 800 and an Ibanez Promethean Combo 5110. I use the amp that suits my needs for the given gig. And I can tell you, it's nice to be able to choose.
Same with cabs. From Tecamp L 810" and 215" over SWR 212" to Peavey TVX 410", Marshall MBC 410" and some custom built cabs (sealed 410", two 14" + 5") I am able to choose what does the trick in sound, size and volume.
bro why arnt you doing videos of those lol
I like the ampeg better. Nice job on Bernadette-one of the best James Jamerson bass lines.
Would've been great to compare an ampeg solid state portaflex (ie PF-350) to the tube PF-20T. I disagree that solid state amps give no character...every solid state amp I've played is voiced a certain way and has their own character to them, personally why i think you should have compared a portaflex tube head to a portaflex solid state head.
Thought about that as well - though a lot of s/s amps try to emulate tubes. AFAIK, no one's been able to capture the 3d sound of a tube amp in person. Recorded stuff is what it is - generally super compressed and flattened out to fit in the mix, but live is LIVE! Big, full and round. Having said that I'm a big fan of the Mesa WalkAbout and can't wait to try the WD800 - both of which are hybrids.
@@bumblesnowmonster I've used a Mesa walkabout 1x12 combo a handful of times and it's one of the best amps I've played, hands down.
My old Carvin is 250W and woody as hell.
You played clean and driven tones for the tube, why not the SS as well? Lots of folks dump on SS amps, when if are properly designed they can sound incredible (even having more pleasant drive character...). That's a bummer not to see that compared.
"Drive" is in your hands.
Solid state for me, given that recent problems with tube availability, for me they are consigned to history.
Total bullshit with that temperature concerning tubes. Tubes are a lot more stable with parameters concerning ambient temperature. Precise tube measuring equipment doesn't even have temperature stabilisation whereas comparable solid state devices has it. Just for example.
I actually dig his hairstyle. Kinda has an 80's post-punk/goth vibe to it.
He looks big baked too (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
More like an unkempt poodle
In these never-ending debates, the truth must be one of the following: that one type of amp is objectively better and the people who favor the other type (and all of their arguments) are objectively wrong, or that both types of amps are so complicated and have so many potential uses and configurations that both sides can be equally right in their tastes and explanations, or that it's all subjective and all arguments are simply retroactive justifications for something that can't be adequately explained.
I typically use the best of both worlds. A tube preamp and a class D power amp or a tube preamp direct to the PA.
There is definitely a palpable difference. The way the amp pumps and breathes is different. I've played through Bassman's, Ampeg SVT's and smaller Ampegs, and Music Man HD130s. When you get a good one it's magic. I don't currently own any. I have an Eden rig and an Ampeg SVP tube pre into an old QSC 850 watt SS amp (heavy). They work but I still jones for an old SVT regardless of how impractical they are in many situations or a good HD130. Now that I'm on a roll I miss the old Acoustic 270s too. New players have so many great choices and a decent 250 watt SS 2 x 10 combo can meet "most" any gig. For the rest there is a PA to handle that. Enough. When I see a kid young enough to be mine I know I have gotten old enough to have been there and done that. Its funny when the stuff you ditched years ago is now sought after "Vintage" gear.
How about a Phil Jones Suitcase?
Ampeg for ever !!!
One correction - where you said any bass sound you hear on a recording before the 70s is tube; through the 60s, Motown recordings were universally using the now famous Wolfbox Passive DI box.
Ola Englund is laughing quietly in his studio
I have the PF50T, the DI with the XLR out after the all tube power amp is out of this world.
Tubes are not as fragile as everyone thinks. If you have a good DI you're all set in case things go wrong. But that would be the case with a solid state amp as well... I know guys that have played for DECADES with tube amps with no issues.
You can find decades old tube amps with the original tubes.
@@alwaysopen7970 No all you do is replace tubes once in a while. No big deal.
I really dig the tone on both of these.
Something else to consider, you’re louder than the actual demo of the equipment.
trying amps in person can be problematic when there are amps I'd like to try that brick and mortars don't keep in store, or when you have to try and find a random stranger that has one of them, then another with something else.
Succint, concise, clear and spot on
wow i cant believe hobo johnson works at reverb
I can
I just bought a Subaru Crosstrek.
To see if the tone is different. I listened to the first part of the video to try and see if I could hear the audio change in sound, and I didn’t hear anything different until I watched. The only difference I noticed was that the solid state was either loud or more pronounced.
Solid State amps tend to have more high frequency response, which gets you that sharper and more pronounced sound.
you look like ted mosby back in his college times
Great advice, I going for tube !
One of the sad parts about this comparison is that the drive in the ToneHammer is set to 0 instead of noon which would be a better head to head comparison with a tube amp. It gets really close.
I got to play a Kustom DE200-210 tube combo at a rock festival recently, and it was the most beautiful sound I've ever gotten out of my bass, especially once I mixed in my Alpha Omicron and compression. Turns out that they're super rare though, so I'm probably gonna trade my rumble 500 combo for it, even though it's technically worth more ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
tube amp: vintage, warm, authentic
solid state: better
I want to understand tube amps but after buying a 200 watt Trace Eliot Elf for like around $200 the fact it fits in my back pocket and handles pedals well and can get super loud with nice tone. I just dont see a tube amp competing with that. Is that specific "tone" or "warmth" people talk about really worth thousands of dollars and having to lug around a heavy ass tube amp?
Pedals are cheaper.
Always used SS; still have my 1974 Carvin B-3000. Light as a feather compared to a same year SVT. If you want a warmer sound change to flat wound strings.
Tube amps have a lag, why guitar amps are preferred. SS bass amps are punchy and RIGHT NOW!!; why I prefer them. JMHO, I have played for 48 years.
My Fender Rumble 500 is doing really well for me.
Jason, that's the bass amp I need!...Kool...
@@john564holloway It's great, very warm sounding.
What's the deal with tube preamp ss main amp?
Whats the best way to get good tonal coloring from a solid state?
add a decent bass compressor pedal and never NEVER "scoop" your mids.
Props for the NIB
Thank you ..this help me a lot..
All my amps are either full tube or at least hybrid, that being said I’d never recommend a tube amp to a newbie simply for cost, portability, power and maintenance reasons. Tube amps are totally reliable if you mind them and are infinitely reparable . When solid state amps die that’s it, not worth repairing most of the time. In my experience he best type of solid state amps are class AB MOSFET amps (like trace Elliot) they just run forever .
Best not to gig a tube amp if a noob; they don't like to be tossed around.
Try some Traynor stuff from Canada, it's good gear that's fairly affordable
Now, I disagree on the point about solid states being "cleaner"... I find tube amps have a clearer sound, and even with their warmth, feel more flattering. Solid states often make me feel like I'm playing through a filter, fighting to get the tone I want.
Tubes will not hide your mistakes and will tell on you. The feel and warmth of tube amps is awesome.
that's just not true but ok lol
When you gotta poop but recording starts any minute
Orange AD200B pushed with Darkglass Microtubes B7K all modeled up on my Axe FX works for me.
I just bought an AlphaOmega 900 amp. It’s killer!
note,,, ss is fast,,,, tube lags...tis called speed,,, very dependent on spkr too
Very good; why I prefer SS. I like 15" speakers as well.
Very helpful, thank you!
Reverb great video watched and i shared it as well
honestly I prefer ss bass amps
It is ironic that you are using the Aguilar Tone Hammer as the solid state amp. As solid state goes, the Tone Hammer is voiced to sound tube like. It has drive circuitry and can be used to mimic tube overdrive and even without using the drive circuitry, the amp has a baked in midrange warmth. Although it is obviously not a tube amp, it was designed to fake it just a bit.
Tubes are actually louder at the same wattage.. it just takes a lot more wattage to get there
Tube amps are much louder than solid state. A 15 watt tube amp has about the same volume level as a 100 watt solid state amp. The video had it backwards
Thats TJ Miller young brother?
"Can't just throw it in your backpack"
Me figuring out how to fit a Rumble 200 combo in a Backpack
Well explained sir
Cold temperatures affecting tube performance is utter nonsense. The cathode is the part that needs to be heated. It is in a hard vacuum so there is no convection and almost no conduction to the outside environment. It is operating near 1000 degrees so the outside temperature being 0 or 100 degrees is just not a factor. Solid state devices are far more affected by temperature, a lot of them aren't even spec'd much below freezing.
Doood, they are so expensive though.. I am about to play my first gig, and I can’t afford this stuff!
Honestly after 41 years I can say tube heads are not necessary but are more aspirational purchases these days. If you don't mind the weight get a used Ampeg SVP preamp and an old SS power amp to get you more than half the way there. Truthfully the Geddy Lee signature pedal or pre will get you really close with no maintenance issues. I have never replaced the tubes on my SVP.
What about Hybrid amps?
Push em! I love solid state with fuzz!
Tube amps are louder than solid state amps when played at the same volume. The downside is that tube amps are also heavier than solid state amps when they are the same weight.
"Heavier when they are the _same_ weight" .... do tell, how does that work?🤔
No Hartke?!?
If you can... why not both?
Plot twist if you look in about 1965 there was a solid state amplifier company called Kustom
I used 2 of their huge 2x15" PA cabs for speaker cabs in the 70s. That's a lot of air moving.
Solid state
I can't stop looking at your hair
Maybe we'll have Jake rock a shampoo demo next time.
@@Reverb Please. I can't find one that doesn't dry my hair out. Lol
Young ted mosby?
This is not a tube vs SS comparison. It's a tube vs class D comparison.
Big RCA resistors on big heat sinks are different than wee little class D resistor radios.
This kid has not lived long enough to be able to say that tube amps are not reliable. There is so much fear among the young people, they think tube amps don't last long. That's wrong. Even the tubes can last 10 years, that's right-10 years. If you do need to change the tubes, it's easy. not a problem.
You can find 60s Fender amps with original operating tubes at this moment in time. Tubes last as long as you leave them in. Moving them around while gigging is their worst enemy. Too many people feel the need to retube from forums. A senseless form of GAS.
*except Motown. DI’d to the board. No bass amp.
Oqsy tube di and tube board
The ampeg which is a tube amp sounds so much cleaner and sharper, fuller, so much better to my ears. The aguilar which is a solid state amp on the other hand sounds foggy, not a pleasant sound when you compare it to the ampeg tube amp. I play on a genz-benz contour which is a class d amp and I really like the sound but never had the opportunity to compare it with an all tube amp.
for the first 30 sec i though it was Andy
We sent Jake and Andy to the same hairstylist just to fool you. :)
Whatever you do don't but the Ampeg Micro VR. That thing is a turd. I'm on my second head in 3 years, and one little piece of dust will make it fail. I've heard al kind of bad stories about them.So you can throw reliability right out the window this this solid state amp. a little deoxit did the trick but now I'm just waiting for it to blow up from something else. Its a shame because its a really nice sounding amp
Sooo... are we gonna talk hybrid amps?
M Thompson can we please. What’s the hybrid amp about. It can do both a tube amp and a solid state amp? Because if so, that’s what I’m looking for haha
Brandon Bahadorani it has a tube pre amp for more tube like tone, with a solid state power section for less weight than a tube amp
Tube.
Why play a tone dead plank to demonstrate tone? Should have used a Lakland or Ibanez premium or Dingwall or Spector, something with some clarity and tone.
p-bass is a tone dead plank? lmfao
the only reason to go for tubes is if you're an old man with a ponytail who says 'those were to good old days, there's no good music being made any more'.
SVT-6 Pro has entered the chat....
You sound just like that glasses guy from the late Sugar Pine 7.
Since when does Andy wear glasses?
Tubes...
Aguilar sounds best
When it comes to bass, it doesn’t really matter that much. I have a Ampeg BA-115 and that’s enough for ANY gig in the world
New strings make a big difference
Flats or rounds?
@@alwaysopen7970 I have flats on one bass and rounds on another
Damn, I just got schooled by TJ Miller.
You forgot one very important factor. When you play it, it sounds like a bass, when you play it with the band, it also sounds like a bass. So...which is better?
4:00 wtf
Go hybrid
Nice video, but you should consider to sue your barber
Too much money spent on hipster light bulbs and cameras, not so much on getting good information out ;)