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Bugera V22 22W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp $380.99 |
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100 Pcs 20 Amp 250V Fast Blow Type Cylinder Glass Tube Fuses 5 x 20mm $6.23 |
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Blackstar Venue Series HT Studio 20 20W Tube Guitar Combo Amp HT-20 $261.00 |
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vintage car/truck glass tube fuses auto sfe 20 amp 5 pcs each package $1.99 |
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RADIO, HAM & AMP. TUBES (77) $29.95 |
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PAIR RCA MONITORADIO 12AX7 7025 ECC83 RADIO AUDIO GUITAR AMP TUBES FREE SHIPPING $22.50 |
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3 BAND EQ Equalizer 6N11 Tube Headphone Amplifier amp $79.95 |
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Behringer TM300 Tube Amp Modeling Effects $33.59 |
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Tech 21 SANSAMP GT2 Tube Amp Emulator Pedal – New! $189.00 |
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Egnater Tourmaster Series 4100 100W All-Tube Guitar Amp Head Black/Beige $1,499.99 |
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Egnater Renegade 112 65W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp Black/Biege $1,149.99 |
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Rivera Quiana 112 50-Watt Tube Combo Guitar Amp Ruby $2,199.00 |
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B-52 ATX-100 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head Black $599.99 |
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Rivera Quiana 212 55W Tube Guitar Combo Amp Ruby $2,399.00 |
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Egnater Renegade 212 65W 2×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp Black/Biege $1,299.99 |
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Egnater Tweaker 15W Tube Guitar Amp Head Black/Beige $399.99 |
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NEW Rubycon MXR 400v 180uf AUDIO TUBE AMP AUDIO CAP! $5.99 |
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Army Signal Corp stereo Tube amp with Bogen / Lenco Turntable & Speaker System $127.50 |
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5 AA5 RCA 50L6 35Z5 12SK7 12SQ7 12SA7 GT Audio Amp Vacuum Radio Tubes Valve $47.88 |
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Tube 2ea 6U10 tstd amp radio amplifier ham $7.95 |
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VTG 1960s GE TUBE AMP STEREOPHONIC 4 SPEED TRANSCRIPTION TURNTABLE RECORD PLAYER $50.00 |
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Jensen 0.33uf/630V oil capacitor 845 300B KT88 tube amp $33.00 |
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5 AA5 GE 50L6 35Z5 12SK7 12SQ7 12SA7 GT Audio Amp Vacuum Radio Tubes Valve $44.88 |
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5 AA5 SYLVANIA 50L6 35Z5 12SK7 12SQ7 12SA7 GT Audio Amp Vacuum Radio Tubes Valve $51.88 |
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4pcs WIMA MKP10 1uF 400V capacitor upgrade tube amp $14.99 |
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Dynaco A-420 & Triad Power Transformer 6L6 EL37 5U4 12AU7 Tube Amplifier Amp $127.50 |
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VINTAGE LANEY PRO-TUBE LEAD AMP 100 WATT’S $500.00 |
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Electro Harmonix 12AY7 / 6072 pre-amp tubes, New In Box $14.99 |
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Tube amp preamp ? $20.00 |
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Tube Amp Talk for the Guitarist and Tech: Desktop Reference by Gerald Weber $33.27 |
Choosing Your First Tube Amplifier
For decades, it’s been a general opinion that tube (or valve) amplifiers sound better than solid state amps.
First of all – what is a tube amp? A tube amp is a type of guitar amplifier that operates on valves (or vacuum tubes) instead of transistors. The sound you get from a tube amp is warmer and fuller that what you’d get from a solid state amp.
Valve amplifiers range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, so the choice is really confusing! If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably decided that it’s time that you want to crank your volume past the 10 mark on your current practice amp or the tone just isn’t satisfying you anymore.
There are a few things you have to know in order to make your decision. First of all, the type of music that you play, so that you can decide on the amount of gain that your amp needs to have. What is gain? Gain is basically a synonym for distortion. If you play mostly “clean” music (virtually, no amount of distortion), you won’t need a lot of gain. If the music you play is blues or rock, you’ll need a mild amount of gain, depending on how distorted you want the sound to be. If you play metal, you’ll need a high-gain tube amp.
The most notable clean amp of all tube amp history is the Fender Bassman, the holy-grail of clean sounds. Generally, you’ll want to look at Fender and Vox. Most tube amps have the amount of gain necessary for blues or rock (Marshalls, the expensive Buddas, the budget Blackhearts). Finally, if we’re talking metal, you’re going to want to look at Peavey, Mesa Boogie, ENGL.
The second aspect of a tube amp, why many people crave them, is the dynamic. Dynamic is the ability of the tube amp to sound clean when you’re hitting the strings softly, and distorted when you’re hitting them hard. This allows a great amount of expression. You’re going to have to listen to an amp to see if it has this quality.
You’ll also have to listen for definition, which is the ability to amplify every single note your play clearly. This is very important, otherwise you’ll sound all muddy. The best way to test this is to play some chords, even fewer amps possess this quality.
Lastly, you’ll just have to listen if it possesses the basic tonal characteristics that fit you. If the basic sound of the amp is bad, it will sound bad anyway you will adjust the equalizer, amount of gain, anything. It’s not uncommon that you find bad tube amps made by prestigious brands. There’s no such thing as “not knowing” if it sounds good or not, and although store employees can help you with various information such as amounts of gain, number of tubes, etc. they always want to convince you to buy the products you’re trying. If you don’t buy it, you can always come back another time and try it again, but if you do, you’ll just lack motivation and it will harm your playing. This is important because tube amps aren’t as cheap as a practice amp. Always try before you buy!
About the Author
My name is Andrei Popa, and I’ve been playing electric guitar for 6 years now. I’ve bought and sold a lot of gear over the years, filtered all the guitar playing information I’ve received and have generally been through a lot of trial and error. I maintain a gear reviews website at http://guitar-gear-demos.blogspot.com
Replacing and Biasing Amp Tubes
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Bugera V22 22W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp $380.99 |
|
|
100 Pcs 20 Amp 250V Fast Blow Type Cylinder Glass Tube Fuses 5 x 20mm $6.23 |
|
|
Blackstar Venue Series HT Studio 20 20W Tube Guitar Combo Amp HT-20 $261.00 |
|
|
vintage car/truck glass tube fuses auto sfe 20 amp 5 pcs each package $1.99 |
|
|
RADIO, HAM & AMP. TUBES (77) $29.95 |
|
|
PAIR RCA MONITORADIO 12AX7 7025 ECC83 RADIO AUDIO GUITAR AMP TUBES FREE SHIPPING $22.50 |
|
|
3 BAND EQ Equalizer 6N11 Tube Headphone Amplifier amp $79.95 |
|
|
Behringer TM300 Tube Amp Modeling Effects $33.59 |
|
|
Tech 21 SANSAMP GT2 Tube Amp Emulator Pedal – New! $189.00 |
|
|
Egnater Tourmaster Series 4100 100W All-Tube Guitar Amp Head Black/Beige $1,499.99 |
|
|
Egnater Renegade 112 65W 1×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp Black/Biege $1,149.99 |
|
|
Rivera Quiana 112 50-Watt Tube Combo Guitar Amp Ruby $2,199.00 |
|
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B-52 ATX-100 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head Black $599.99 |
|
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Rivera Quiana 212 55W Tube Guitar Combo Amp Ruby $2,399.00 |
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Egnater Renegade 212 65W 2×12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp Black/Biege $1,299.99 |
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Egnater Tweaker 15W Tube Guitar Amp Head Black/Beige $399.99 |
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NEW Rubycon MXR 400v 180uf AUDIO TUBE AMP AUDIO CAP! $5.99 |
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Army Signal Corp stereo Tube amp with Bogen / Lenco Turntable & Speaker System $127.50 |
|
|
5 AA5 RCA 50L6 35Z5 12SK7 12SQ7 12SA7 GT Audio Amp Vacuum Radio Tubes Valve $47.88 |
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|
Tube 2ea 6U10 tstd amp radio amplifier ham $7.95 |
|
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VTG 1960s GE TUBE AMP STEREOPHONIC 4 SPEED TRANSCRIPTION TURNTABLE RECORD PLAYER $50.00 |
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|
Jensen 0.33uf/630V oil capacitor 845 300B KT88 tube amp $33.00 |
|
|
5 AA5 GE 50L6 35Z5 12SK7 12SQ7 12SA7 GT Audio Amp Vacuum Radio Tubes Valve $44.88 |
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5 AA5 SYLVANIA 50L6 35Z5 12SK7 12SQ7 12SA7 GT Audio Amp Vacuum Radio Tubes Valve $51.88 |
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4pcs WIMA MKP10 1uF 400V capacitor upgrade tube amp $14.99 |
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Dynaco A-420 & Triad Power Transformer 6L6 EL37 5U4 12AU7 Tube Amplifier Amp $127.50 |
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VINTAGE LANEY PRO-TUBE LEAD AMP 100 WATT’S $500.00 |
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Electro Harmonix 12AY7 / 6072 pre-amp tubes, New In Box $14.99 |
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Tube amp preamp ? $20.00 |
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Tube Amp Talk for the Guitarist and Tech: Desktop Reference by Gerald Weber $33.27 |
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Toro 51585 Power Sweep 7 amp 2-Speed Electric Blower $34.96 7.0A motor generates a powerful air speed of 160 mph with a minimum speed of 130 mph. Air volume at 155 cfm. 2 speed air control is perfect for clearing leaves and debris from sidewalks, decks, and driveways. Lightweight and easy to use. Unit weight: 4.6 lb. 2 year warranty…. |
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Black & Decker LH4500 12 amp 2-Speed Electric Leaf Hog Blower / Vacuum with Leaf Bag $51.00 The Black & Decker Leaf Hog Electric Blower/Vacuum adds versatility and power to your tool collection. As a blower, the Leaf Hog can generate up to 240-mph air speed to clear matted leaves or sweep hard surfaces. Switch to the vacuum function, and the mulching mechanism devours and deposits up to 16 bags’ worth of debris into the included rear bag.ul.indent {list-style: inside disc;text-indent: 20… |
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Black & Decker LH5000 12 amp Variable Speed Electric Leaf Hog Blower/Vacuum $69.59 Includes 12 Amp Variable Speed LEAFHOG Handheld Electric Mulcher Blower Vac – LH5000, Tube with LeafBlaster Nozzle, Vacuum Attachment with Tube, ZIPPER-LESS Leaf Bag, Adjustable Shoulder Strap, Air Concentrator… |
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Tube Guitar Amplifier Servicing & Overhaul $42.03 Kendrick Amplifier President and Vintage Guitar magazine columnist Gerald Weber has overhauled and restored over 15,000 vintage tube guitar amps. This extensive DVD covers: basics of servicing and overhauling a tube guitar amp, what tools are needed, the wiring mistake made on 50% of all amps and how to correct it, the best way to straighten preamp tube pins, how to perform a cap job correctly, th… |
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Understanding Tube Amps $40.92 Series: DVD Publisher: Kendrick Videos Format: DVD Author: Gerald Weber Kendrick Amplifiers President Gerald Weber has overhauled and serviced over 15,000 vacuum tube guitar amplifiers, designed dozens of new model amplifiers and has produced thousands of boutique tube guitar amplifiers. This DVD will transform your experience of tube guitar amplifiers forever. Whether you are a beginner or … |
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Davines Defining Invisible Paste , 2.5-Ounce Tubes $13.00 Gives invisible impact to sculpt your hair offers anti-radical action to preserve hair healthy builds volume texture & adds shine hydration. Leaves you a chic hair style with long lasting effect perfect for fine & treated hair-…… |
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Camco 41313 RV 12V-15W Fluorescent Light Bulb $10.26 Camco 12V, 15W Fluorescent Light Bulb. Perfect for use with solar power panels, each 15W Bulb delivers the lighting power of a 60-watt incandescent bulb, saving energy and dollars. Fits standard screw-in socket. Order Now! Camco 12V, 15W Fluorescent Light Bulb… |
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Sylvania 22181 32-Watt T8 Octron Fluorescent Ecologic Lamp 4100K 75 CRI with Instant Start or Rapid Start, Cool White, 12 Pack $29.98 mfr: SYLVANIA LIGHTING Suitable for instant start or rapid start operation. 75 CRI, 4100K color temperature. 20,000 average life hours. 48″ overall length. MEDIUM BI-PIN BASE – 1.1″ DIAMETER T8 – Boxed Watts=32 This item cannot be shipped to APO/FPO addresses. THIS ITEM CANNOT BE RETURNED. Please accept our apologies… |
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Zym Endurance Sport Drink Tabs: Lemon-Lime; Box of 12 Tubes $76.44 Lemon-Lime flavor with Electrolytes plus B Vitamins. Premium portable hydration. Zym Endurance has a unique formula that is designed to help athletes get hydrated fast, to absorb quickly and prevent cramping during strenuous physical activityZYM Endurance formula is blend of electrolytes and B Vitamins to make it effective against fatigue, muscle burn and dehydrationProvides athletes with fresh l… |
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Topeak Aero Wedge Pack with Buckle (Medium) $11.95 The aerodynamic wedge shape lets these under seat bags slip easily through the wind while the internal pockets keep tools away from inner tubes and other delicate items.Weather resistant, covered zippers keep contents dry3M reflective strip for increased nighttime visibilitySmall: 6.3″ x 3.3″ x 3.3″Medium: 7.5″ x 3.7″ x 3.9″Large: 9.1″ x 5.1″ x 5.5″1000-denier Cordura PlusFitting for taillightD… |
