amps

woodros · #1 12-26-2002, 05:51 PM

i've heard nothing but bad comments towards the valvestate range are they really that bad? i need to get a new amp after my birthday and the valvestate 100watter was my first choice, played a marshall dsl401 but i need something louder than 40 watts, thats why i considered the 100watt valvestate. any advice, im willing to spend about 500-600 pounds on something, but im worrying over the valves and changing them.

CrossingStar · #2 12-26-2002, 05:59 PM

You shouldn't fret over valves, you don't need to worry about them that much.

microdmitry · #3 12-26-2002, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodros

i've heard nothing but bad comments towards the valvestate range are they really that bad? i need to get a new amp after my birthday and the valvestate 100watter was my first choice, played a marshall dsl401 but i need something louder than 40 watts, thats why i considered the 100watt valvestate. any advice, im willing to spend about 500-600 pounds on something, but im ****ting it over the valves and changing them.

Go over to the store which has both AVTs and tube amps and compare them for yourself. One man's tone is another man's white noise. Don't let the price fool you, however, buy what sounds better. If you buy what's cheaper (or more expensive) but sounds worse, you'll be back to this store sooner than you think. "This is OK for the beginner" philosophy never worked for me for some reason. Now I have the sound I totally like, but boy, was this road long and costly?

I'd also advise to buy used stuff, but shop around carefully. At least with used stuff you won't lose as much money if you don't like it.

Now if you want to hear my opinion, yes, AVTs are really that bad. They're OK by themselves, but put them in the same room with a good tube amp and it'll eat them for breakfast. If I had to choose between AVTs and a POD (and man, I don't like the POD at all), I'd have chosen the POD.

woodros · #4 12-26-2002, 06:46 PM

i liked the sound of the marshall dsl 40 watt but i dont think 40 watts is enough
i need something thats going to handle some small gigs once they come along.

woodros · #5 12-26-2002, 07:10 PM

besides i cant afford to replace tubes every three months, i dont have the money

track7 · #6 12-26-2002, 08:55 PM

ben ....you really need more than 40watts?

40watts all tube is incredibly loud turned up. In fact 40 watts tube will eat a 100 watt transistor in volume.

If you need more than 40 (tube) watts then you should be micing up the speaker through a P.A

my mesa nomad 45 watt is bone crushingly LOUDER than my marshall valvestate 80watt transistor

just something to think about

track

microdmitry · #7 12-26-2002, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodros

besides i cant afford to replace tubes every three months, i dont have the money

You have to replace them every three YEARS if you play a lot.

woodros · #8 12-27-2002, 09:55 AM

how can you say that the valves will last for three years when you cant tell when they are going to go, i went on the groove tubes site and they guarantee their preamp valves for 180 days and the power amp valves for 90 days, thats not three years is it. not that i know much about valves!

Bogus · #9 12-27-2002, 02:02 PM

My bassmans tubes have lasted 2 years and I have it cranked at all times to keep up with my buddies Dual Rectifier. Its not much of an issue, and it really is not that expensive. The only Solid State amp that I have ever really liked is the Roland Jazz Chorus. Otherwise tubes are the way to go.

bammbamm · #10 12-27-2002, 02:06 PM

A tube will last as long as it lasts.

Factors that determine the final outcome are how often you play, how loud you play, how hot the tubes get and any manufacturing defects be it minute or considerable. You can't predict exactly, but you can expect a level of performance based on your experience with what products you use. I have had the same preamp tubes in my studio 22 for 4 years at least and the power tubes for nearly the same duration, I just don't play shows like I used to so they don't burn up as quickly.

Bamm

woodros · #11 12-27-2002, 02:15 PM

its not the tubes themselves, its just i dont want to have to pay for 6 tubes when i have to replace them. what about something like a laney lc50II that has two 5881 tubes in it, any good? Im definately looking for a tube tone but i dont really have a steady income that would support replacing them, something like that laney which has two tubes might be ideal if i can still get a nice tone from it.

bammbamm · #12 12-27-2002, 03:28 PM

Ok, so 6l6's in the output section, what drives the preamp in the laney?
Is it a transistor pre?
Bamm

Rockstar · #13 12-28-2002, 04:48 PM

I just gotta add a couple of points here.....

Valvestate's suck.....(opinion)

Resale value on a Valvestate sucks (fact)

40 watt amp is loud enough.
My 50 watt JCM 900 has seen about 400 shows, in the last 5 years and I've only changed the tubes once. I paid 500 bucks for the head and I could easily get 500 bucks back if I sold it today. And I've never had to put my Master Volume up much more than half way.
If you can't afford to change tubes once every 3 years, than you can't afford to gig. **** goes wrong all the time. Cords crap out or get lost, strings, picks, etc....

Good Luck

woodros · #14 12-28-2002, 04:58 PM

raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. thats great but i want to know if the laney's good enough for e, im using a crappy kustom 20 watt bass amp at the mo, so anything is better than that.
LC50-II

The LC50-II is a sweet sounding amp, the class A/B output section pumps out 50 watts RMS of meaty valve power. Launched in 1997 to worldwide acclaim the LC50-II builds upon the tried and tested tone bed of the original, but R'n'D have managed to squeeze even more tone and performance out of this amplifier. A pair of 5881's push out 50 watts RMS of singing valve power. Clean tones are taken care of by Channel A, fully equipped with its own 3 band EQ whilst lead tones are pumped out by Channel B. Combine flawless tone with an Accutronis reverb and a global FX loop and you have a monster of an amp.

it says output valves-2-5881
what do you think?

microdmitry · #15 12-28-2002, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodros

how can you say that the valves will last for three years when you cant tell when they are going to go, i went on the groove tubes site and they guarantee their preamp valves for 180 days and the power amp valves for 90 days, thats not three years is it. not that i know much about valves!

It's not me saying that, it's Lord Valve. He's selling tubes, too, so he should be a REALLY gutsy guy to say that. It's just that he is not as gready as GT folks (who just re-label tubes and double the price). Also think about it. How long is the warranty on your TV? A year? Will it die after a year of heavy use? Hell no! The same applies to tubes.

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