Will tube amps ever become obsolete?

[CandidPicker]

I still remain dissatisfied with FRFR’s once I turn them up much. They are OK. Some tones even pretty good. But nothing I’ve tried matches the tones of my tube amps. If playing them through a power amp/guitar speaker is completely satisfying, that tells me that the IRs are still the weak link.

At low volumes, they are great. Late night practice, BETTER than a tube amp at supper low volumes. No doubt from my experience. But turn them up to even a bit of volume, and the advantage quickly swings to the tube amp.

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Some IRs do a better job at replicating the original cab than others. I find that Choptones IRs are excellent, especially the Fender, Tone Imperial, and Plexxi IRs. I'd say this quite easily, and not with any "hard sell" mindset.

For those who prefer heavier rock or metal, Choptones has your back. Check 'em out, you'll appreciate the time they put into creating their IRs.

The additional aspect is that you need to use your ears to discern how your guitar will sound at low and higher volumes. I personally recommend a Tone Imperial 1x12 cab with 121 and 421 mic'd, for CLEAN and a Plexxi V2-IR for SMOOTH, EVH LEAD, and LEAD.

 

[Ryan Tapley]

In our age of digital modelling, you can get a fender twin reverb on your computer, but I feel like a tube amp will always be needed for some reason. Yes modellers like the Helix and the Axe fx and the Kemper blow tube amps out of the water, but nothing will beat the warm glow of tubes and the raw sound of it. What are your feelings on this?

I think the days for 100 pound half stacks is gone.
There are so many great tube combo amps out there.
The new Blues Jr LTD slays all day and weighs about 20 pounds.

 

[CandidPicker]

I think the days for 100 pound half stacks is gone.
There are so many great tube combo amps out there.
The new Blues Jr LTD slays all day and weighs about 20 pounds.

I used to own a Brunetti Singleman 35W 1x12 single channel combo that had the most gorgeous clean tone, quiet, took pedals well.

If any of you folks are looking for a boutique amp without the high price, check out GuitarX.com online. Gary at GuitarX in Colorado is IIRC the only North American Brunetti online retailer. Brunetti's are popular over in Europe (they're built in Italy) but they have limited exposure in the States. There's one on sale on eBay at this time (my buddy trying to find a buyer).

Here's the Singleman with a decent guitarist doing it justice....Although Alberto is a much better guitarist using a decent overdrive, I thought you might enjoy this...

 

[Boogie]

I think the days for 100 pound half stacks is gone.
There are so many great tube combo amps out there.
The new Blues Jr LTD slays all day and weighs about 20 pounds.

100lbs? More like 250lbs (especially on the Boogie side). At 61lbs each 2x12 (depending on the speaker selection) and 62lbs for the MkIII combo, there’s a reason I kept out of the 4x12 game.