No more valves…..?

Funny to find fellow former "Detroiters" here. I graduated from Grosse Pointe H.S. in 1966. I remember the riots well, a scary time. Haven't been in downtown Detroit for probably 15+ years (last time I went to an SAE exposition) and have lived in Indiana for 45 years so I may never get back.

Fun that you're from the Detroit area, too! I knew some Grosse Pointe HS guys pretty well - didn't the Underdogs hail from that school? One of them was a friend when I was in law school. I had a lot of friends at GPUS and Liggett as well.
 
Detroit is far superior.

My father was originally from Indiana, and preferred Detroit.

However, neither place is CA, Denver, or some other places I might prefer. I like Chicago a lot, too - my daughters moved there after college - but I'm not going anywhere that it's as cold as it is here. :)

Sanity has to begin somewhere.
 
Fun that you're from the Detroit area, too! I knew some Grosse Pointe HS guys pretty well - didn't the Underdogs hail from that school? One of them was a friend when I was in law school. I had a lot of friends at GPUS and Liggett as well.
There's a name I haven't heard in 50 years! I had forgotten about them. I know I saw them but don't recall if they were from G.P. or not. Certainly from that side of town.

Chicago is great (to visit). Our son lived there for 10 years so we'd go in every month or two for a play and dinner. So many fantastic restaurants. I think we've eaten in 6 or 7 with Michelin stars and a couple of our favorites never even got rated that high. Only real downside is the traffic. One gets spoiled living in a smaller area (South Bend metro is about 250K).
 
There's a name I haven't heard in 50 years! I had forgotten about them. I know I saw them but don't recall if they were from G.P. or not. Certainly from that side of town.

Chicago is great (to visit). Our son lived there for 10 years so we'd go in every month or two for a play and dinner. So many fantastic restaurants. I think we've eaten in 6 or 7 with Michelin stars and a couple of our favorites never even got rated that high. Only real downside is the traffic. One gets spoiled living in a smaller area (South Bend metro is about 250K).

Yes, the traffic is one of two things that kills the idea of moving to Chicago for me. The other is the weather.

I absolutely LOVE the restaurants.
 
I bought a MKII 50 about a year ago because the hype was strong. Good thing is that it did live up to the hype. You can get very good tube-like tones, but as mentioned before, the feel and nuances of a tube amp can’t be replicated. But they’re amazing amps and ridiculously cheap. That amp gets almost as much play as my Mesa.
 
Thanks, Les. That's one of the classic battles within one's self, isn't it - trying to balance needs with wants? If I were making a living creating music, that would be a different story, and I could and would justify all expenses related to those endeavors. I still want a Dr Z Nova and also a Tone King Imperial Mk ii, and what the heck - throw in a DG 30 as well. I can afford any one of them, but not all three. So, why don't I buy one? I can't justify the expense, and as much as I want a great tube amp, I don't need one right now. So, I'll continue to be grateful to have a music room I can play in with the nicest guitar I've ever owned (my McCarty TL) and a modeling amp that comes real darn close to the sounds I want it to make.

It's really a matter of whatever works for you, less so about whether there are dollars attached.

I have this strange philosophy: Are you happy and completely satisfied with what you have? If yes, skip to 'keep the damn thing'.

If not, skip to 'get something else'. And of course, there's plenty of room for both.

In any case, to my way of thinking a good amp and guitar aren't a reward for playing well - they're a means to playing well. or at least, your best. Whatever works for you is 100% justifiable. This is just my opinion. YMMV and all that blah, blah, blah.
 
For what it's worth, I have struggled with these same thoughts for a while now. I have a Bassbreaker 15 Head with a 112 Cabinet. Sounds great to me, but I wanted something I could play at night when everyone is sleeping. I picked up a Line 6 HX Stomp XL.. which I think is a great piece of gear. Works very well with headphones. Of course you know where this is headed... now I am about to pick up a Katana 100.. that will give me the ability to run the HX Stomp direct in and use the Katana as a FRFS - offering no coloring of my HX Stomp amp sim. If I want to run the Katana as a standard amp I can also and it sounds pretty good. Not sure I would sell off the Bassbreaker though. They both have their place.
 
In my view, nothing beats the feel of a tube amp and as much as I would prefer a tube amp, my living situation (I live in an apartment) prevents me from owning one. During my time in the apartment, I have owned an Archon 25, a Marshall DSL 15 head and a Mesa Mark V 35...I loved them all but each one of them were met with angry, complaining neighbors. Now, I own a Headrush Pedalboard...the feel isn't the same but I can practice any time of day, thanks to headphones, and the tones are pleasing to work with.
 
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In my view, nothing beats the feel of a tube amp and as much as I would prefer a tube amp, my living situation (I live in an apartment) prevents me from owning one. During my time in the apartment, I have owned an Archon 25, a Marshall DSL 15 head and a Mesa Mark V 35...I loved them all but each one of them were met with angry, complaining neighbors. Now, I own a Headrush Pedalboard...the feel isn't the same but I can practice any time of day, thanks to headphones, and the tones are pleasing to work with.

And that's a great thing.

I don't have a tube amp with headphone outputs, but have had a Mesa Cab Clone for a long time for that purpose, and it sounds pretty good to me. So it's possible to do that with tubes. But if you're happy, nothing wrong with that!
 
I have a PRS "30" 1x12, but am spending most of my time with an older Quilter Aviator Gold. I run a J. Rockett Dude into it and it'll sing at any volume. I can sit in the living room when my daughter's asleep upstairs and get a great tone with plenty of sustain and dynamics without shaking the windows.

Been thinking about getting the new Aviator Cub since it has some interesting features, including a headphones out. Not sure if I'm going to hold onto the "30" or not at this point.
 
Rather than start a new thread I thought I’d tag it in the end of this one;
Bought a Dark Gene by David Kowalski. I put NOS 5751 preamp valves in it. The sound is magical. It’s half a watt all valve and I’m running it through a 10 inch V type celestion.
It is the best amp I’ve ever played. The tone and the feel are way beyond anything I’ve ever played before. Killer blues tone, and turn up the gain for searing rock lead tones as well.
Have a feeling it will be the last amp I ever buy.
 
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