No more valves…..?

[GuitarAddict]

I know I’m a bit late to the party but, I’ve just got myself a Boss Katana 100 head. Paired with a Celestion 10 in cab and my Silver Sky it sounds amazing. I was a die hard all analogue signal chain into a valve amp kind of guy. After burning through output tubes at an alarming rate and also having to wait up to an hour for the amp to warm up to sounding its best I gave in and bought a Katana, and I can’t see ever needing the valve amp again. It really is that good. I’ve only scratched the surface so far and haven’t used the editing software but there really is no need. Clapton and SRV tones in abundance, in fact it’s difficult to get a bad tone.
They are ridiculously cheap as well.
Planning to sell the valve amp and buy the Artist model so I have a spare.
Anyone else gone digital lately????

 

[Aahzz]

I know I’m a bit late to the party but, I’ve just got myself a Boss Katana 100 head. Paired with a Celestion 10 in cab and my Silver Sky it sounds amazing. I was a die hard all analogue signal chain into a valve amp kind of guy. After burning through output tubes at an alarming rate and also having to wait up to an hour for the amp to warm up to sounding its best I gave in and bought a Katana, and I can’t see ever needing the valve amp again. It really is that good. I’ve only scratched the surface so far and haven’t used the editing software but there really is no need. Clapton and SRV tones in abundance, in fact it’s difficult to get a bad tone.
They are ridiculously cheap as well.
Planning to sell the valve amp and buy the Artist model so I have a spare.
Anyone else gone digital lately????

My Katana 50 sounds ridiculously good for what it is. In the case of the 50, it suffers a bit from the really tiny cab, but it's perfect for my living room amp/backup gig amp (it does indeed keep up with a band). I've just recently gone back to tubes from a Helix, but I probably could have gone Katana Artist and been as happy.

 

[xjbebop]

The Katana's are very good and super popular. I've owned a few, but certain things bugged me about them.
I got a smokin' deal on a new Blackstar Silverline 50 about a year ago, and imho, it smokes the katana in every way. Well worth the extra cost.
Still, none of them equal the feel & nuances of a decent tube amp...

 

[RickP]

The idea that one amp sounding good means I have to swear off my other amp that sounds good is a hard concept for me to grasp. It’s ok to like digital gear without having to purge “evil tubes” from your existence. I do it all the time, and when feeling particularly diabolical, connect them together to really confuse listeners. I’m just devious that way.

 

[GuitarAddict]

The idea that one amp sounding good means I have to swear off my other amp that sounds good is a hard concept for me to grasp. It’s ok to like digital gear without having to purge “evil tubes” from your existence. I do it all the time, and when feeling particularly diabolical, connect them together to really confuse listeners. I’m just devious that way.

I have OCD which for me, means I am very single minded and like things streamlined but also I like to have a spare of things I really like (I had two motorcycles until recently when my health meant they had to go) and I have thrown myself into my music more than ever. So for me to have an expensive valve amp sitting in my practice room that will probably not get much use, and the fact the price means having a spare or being able to afford a replacement is a big spend, when I have something less than half the price that does, for me, a better job and I can buy a spare one or easily afford a replacement. That’s my faulty brain for you.
I’ll try and hang on to for it for a while and see if it gets any use. I have about a 100 spare tubes valves whatever, another example of my ‘must have a spare’ mentality. It is a positive thing in someways. I never lack incentive to practice or rehearse. I recently spent four hours just perfecting one solo, over and over. I love music it is the best thing ever.

 

[RickP]

I have OCD which for me, means I am very single minded and like things streamlined but also I like to have a spare of things I really like (I had two motorcycles until recently when my health meant they had to go) and I have thrown myself into my music more than ever. So for me to have an expensive valve amp sitting in my practice room that will probably not get much use, and the fact the price means having a spare or being able to afford a replacement is a big spend, when I have something less than half the price that does, for me, a better job and I can buy a spare one or easily afford a replacement. That’s my faulty brain for you.
I’ll try and hang on to for it for a while and see if it gets any use. I have about a 100 spare tubes valves whatever, another example of my ‘must have a spare’ mentality. It is a positive thing in someways. I never lack incentive to practice or rehearse. I recently spent four hours just perfecting one solo, over and over. I love music it is the best thing ever.

It’s all good, what works for you is what matters here. Selling to buy something you will use is a good idea, and I’m not advocating otherwise. I was just saying that on the net, and especially in gear forums, there is this all or nothing mentality about digital gear (or gear in general) that makes no sense at all. It’s even more ludicrous when you consider the gear they are trying to sound “just like” is the very gear they are now saying is not as good!

I’ve no issue at all with you doing what sounds best and works best for you; I applaud that!

 

[László]

Anyone else gone digital lately????

I'm a tube person, but it occurs to me that there shouldn't be any hard and fast rules. My thinking has evolved to the idea that it's less about tubes vs models than it is about whether the thing sounds good.

After all, there are plenty of mediocre or lousy-sounding tube amps on the market these days that I wouldn't consider owning or putting on one of my productions. In fact, mediocre tube amps substantially outnumber the great tube amps on the market. Some are downright appalling.

I would rather play through or record an excellent modeler than a mediocre (or worse) tube amp. On the other hand, a great tube amp trumps an excellent modeler for me, any day of the week, and there are some truly fine tube amps that are actually affordable to the average Joe or Jane.

If I was still playing out, to save weight I'd carry a tube head with a Universal Audio OX and plug into the sound person's mixer. That'd be a nice combination of tubes (the head) and modeling (the speaker cab and mic), and I'd be pretty happy with the outcome!

So can my answer be, 'both'?

Edit: I should also mention that transformers, design, wiring, quality of construction make a big difference. It's not just tubes, there are plenty of moving parts in the solution.

 

[GuitarAddict]

It’s all good, what works for you is what matters here. Selling to buy something you will use is a good idea, and I’m not advocating otherwise. I was just saying that on the net, and especially in gear forums, there is this all or nothing mentality about digital gear (or gear in general) that makes no sense at all. It’s even more ludicrous when you consider the gear they are trying to sound “just like” is the very gear they are now saying is not as good!

I’ve no issue at all with you doing what sounds best and works best for you; I applaud that!

Yes, I totally get your point now. I would never slate valve technology and say digital is better, more convenient maybe but that’s all. You know thinking about it I will hang on to it, it does a great Clapton sound and now I have the Katana it doesn’t matter if I burn the valves out. Why not have both?

 

[László]

Yes, I totally get your point now. I would never slate valve technology and say digital is better, more convenient maybe but that’s all. You know thinking about it I will hang on to it, it does a great Clapton sound and now I have the Katana it doesn’t matter if I burn the valves out. Why not have both?

My robe, Antoninus. My taste includes both snails and oysters.

 

[GuitarAddict]

One thing I’ve been told about the Katana and I’ve now found for myself is to run the master volume nearly on max and control the overall volume with the channel volume control. Otherwise you get weird treble overtones if the master is only set very quietly.
I have been using the Gremlin valve amp again after leaving it for an hour to warm up. Sounds really nice, but for when I don’t have an hour to wait the Katana will do very nicely thanks. Very happy.

 

[Clashcityrocker]

I know I’m a bit late to the party but, I’ve just got myself a Boss Katana 100 head. Paired with a Celestion 10 in cab and my Silver Sky it sounds amazing. I was a die hard all analogue signal chain into a valve amp kind of guy. After burning through output tubes at an alarming rate and also having to wait up to an hour for the amp to warm up to sounding its best I gave in and bought a Katana, and I can’t see ever needing the valve amp again. It really is that good. I’ve only scratched the surface so far and haven’t used the editing software but there really is no need. Clapton and SRV tones in abundance, in fact it’s difficult to get a bad tone.
They are ridiculously cheap as well.
Planning to sell the valve amp and buy the Artist model so I have a spare.
Anyone else gone digital lately????

I've had a Kemper Stage for 2 years and love it. The best thing about it is you can get great amp and cabinet tones at any volume. As I get older the less I want to hear a screaming amp in a room and have ringing ears afterward. Of course amps and cabinets are the best. That's why they profile them. Kemper just does a really good job of reproducing them. I've had Pod, Zoom and Johnson and they were ok but Kemper and Fractal are the best from what users say.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I've had a Kemper Stage for 2 years and love it. The best thing about it is you can get great amp and cabinet tones at any volume. As I get older the less I want to hear a screaming amp in a room and have ringing ears afterward. Of course amps and cabinets are the best. That's why they profile them. Kemper just does a really good job of reproducing them. I've had Pod, Zoom and Johnson and they were ok but Kemper and Fractal are the best from what users say.

Do you still own amps, and if so, do you play them regularly? Or have you switched over to all digital?

 

[bodia]

I've had a Kemper Stage for 2 years and love it. The best thing about it is you can get great amp and cabinet tones at any volume. As I get older the less I want to hear a screaming amp in a room and have ringing ears afterward. Of course amps and cabinets are the best. That's why they profile them. Kemper just does a really good job of reproducing them. I've had Pod, Zoom and Johnson and they were ok but Kemper and Fractal are the best from what users say.

Gotta say, I love my Stage as well. Really like it now that I've added a Kemper Power Kabinet.

 

[Clashcityrocker]

Do you still own amps, and if so, do you play them regularly? Or have you switched over to all digital?

I still have a Vox handwired AC15 which is great for single coil tones but I put it up for sale. I have a SE 2 channel 20 amp but it quit working. I didn't look into getting it fixed because it was only $350.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I still have a Vox handwired AC15 which is great for single coil tones but I put it up for sale. I have a SE 2 channel 20 amp but it quit working. I didn't look into getting it fixed because it was only $350.

I keep contemplating stepping up in digital, and down in tube amps/cabs. By down, I only mean selling off a few cabs. It's just hard for me to drop $3K on a Kemper or Axe device, and a Kemper Kab or higher end FRFR, when I still feel it won't sound as good as the Bogner or Archon into a cab. I just keep hoping that it will get so close that I'm no longer feeling like I'm sacrificing tone.

Many people at TGP say that the modeling on the Atomic is on par with the big boys and better than the Helix. I have Atomic and I can make it sound pretty good, but not the immediate "ahh, there it is" that I get EVERY TIME I turn on one of my real amps. Last night, I played only the NF3>Bogner ATMA for about 1 hour. I did switch cabs 3 times just for fun. But as soon as I plugged it in, the clean tone was THERE. Maybe I need a better FRFR, but I can't come close to that with my Atomic and QSC CP8 or the Focals either. And I've listened to music on the Focals and KNOW that they sound very good. So, I keep hoping there is a breakthrough on cab IRs or something that just takes it up a couple notches in realism.

And, I agree with what many say... when I play live, in a mix and in a room, it's more than good enough. But I play at lower volumes on stage. I can't help but think that if I could turn up more on stage, even there I'd prefer my amps.

I guess the point is, I've felt this way for years now, and despite the fact that they keep getting better and better, dropping $3K on a digital device that you know won't sound as good as your tube amps, is kind tough to swallow. I've still got a buddy at the Atomic forum that SWEARS that if I plugged my Atomic into a Semour Duncan Power Stage 170> my Thiele with EM12, I'd never look back and would start selling cabs and even amps immediately. I know better though. It took me too long to get to the point that I had two great tube amps. I have no intention of selling them no matter what.

 

[Goran Lorencin]

I know I’m a bit late to the party but, I’ve just got myself a Boss Katana 100 head. Paired with a Celestion 10 in cab and my Silver Sky it sounds amazing. I was a die hard all analogue signal chain into a valve amp kind of guy. After burning through output tubes at an alarming rate and also having to wait up to an hour for the amp to warm up to sounding its best I gave in and bought a Katana, and I can’t see ever needing the valve amp again. It really is that good. I’ve only scratched the surface so far and haven’t used the editing software but there really is no need. Clapton and SRV tones in abundance, in fact it’s difficult to get a bad tone.
They are ridiculously cheap as well.
Planning to sell the valve amp and buy the Artist model so I have a spare.
Anyone else gone digital lately????

My 5c on the matter at hand and congrats on the new gear, hope it serves you well ... you wrote that you burned a lot of power tubes and that it takes ages for the amp to warm up, then you bought a solidstate/digital and want to sell the tube amp, because it did not fulfill your expectations (in a way). My first question would be have you ever worked on it, taken it to a tech for a service/checkup, have you maybe been setting the bias too high or have you been using different tubes than the manufacturer suggests? It is not normal for a tube amp to be warming up for an hour (as much as I know) or to be burning trough power tubes with a fast pace.
As a guy who quite recently bought a MT15 (and fiddled a lot with it, tried a few other tubes, tried different bias settings, had a FX loop noise issue that got resolved with swapping a few preamp tubes, changed a few things in the 2x12 cab and in the end pimped the look of the amp a bit), which is my first tube amp, I found out that I have been missing out on a lot. I have also owned a GK 250ML for 25 years and it is such a good tank-like combo that I never thought about anything else, it fulfilled my needs (then I was more a singer then a guitar player) and was plenty strong for how small and practical it was with all ins and outs, a great OD and one of the best stereo choruses I`ve ever heard. To get to the point ... they are both good options, it depends on what your preference is and what you are looking for in the sound, but I must say that the tubes are my new favorite, that pure analog sound just trumps it all for me. I am very sensitive when it comes to sound quality/purity and any hint of digital processing that I hear takes away all the enjoyment for me. And you have to keep your gear in good working condition for it to do the things you want.

 

[Mark Ray]

Only valves for me

 

[Chester]

Only valves for me

Me too .. "feel" is hard to duplicate in digital format, and I don't need the extensive options digital platforms provide. I know what I like, and valves provide. A few buddies have reverted back to valve for similar reasons

 

[László]

Only valves for me

Me too .. "feel" is hard to duplicate in digital format, and I don't need the extensive options digital platforms provide. I know what I like, and valves provide. A few buddies have reverted back to valve for similar reasons

Agree with these sentiments.

 

[RickP]

And therein lies the beauty! Some are hardcore analog, some like me are hybrid players, some are all digital. And it’s all good! And you can change back and forth as it works for you. Options are a good thing.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.