What I Wish I Knew Before I Bought a Tube Amp
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Tube amps are one of those things that don’t really make sense. They’re a bunch of unreliable 75 year old technology in a big wooden box, and we have countless “better” options on the market today, whether that’s solid state amps or amp modelers. But tube amps will always have a place in my sound and I don’t think I’ll ever stop playing them. There’s something different, more organic feeling about tube amps that you can’t really get anywhere else. In today’s video, we’re going over some of the basics of tube amps, and what I wish I knew before buying my first amp over 10 years ago.
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0:00 Intro
0:00 Intro
0:40 PRS DGT 15
1:38 Let’s hear the amp
2:19 How this video works
2:41 Tube Amp Basics
5:14 How Much Power Do You Need?
6:42 Gain Staging 101
9:42 How To Use Master Volume
10:50 Using Pre and Master Vol Together
12:20 How different guitars change the amp
14:47 How to dial in your amp
16:05 Use ALL of the control
16:54 Top cut and Presence
18:58 Finding the perfect amp
20:18 Outro
#Knew #Bought #Tube #Amp
Originally posted by UCCJ56k8nBeqWLoxNa6DToAQ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pH__-PqFrw
Aren't you going to cook the tubes by cranking the master for extended periods of time?
I always wanted Mesa Boogie amps. Specifically (in my younger days) the Dual Rectifier. But I couldn't afford them. I had a DC5 for a while (wish I kept it, I only paid $600) but now have a Mark III and I think I'm good. A Mark IV would be awesome but they are so expensive and hard to come by with so little difference. As I have aged, I have moved away from the metal and moved more towards my roots of blues, Santana and Pink Floyd. I still love metal so my amp does get the gain cranked a bit at times. The Mark III is very versatile. Now I can afford amps and would like to collect all the Mesa's and a couple Fenders but I don't have room for them.
You mention not playing a tube head without cabling it to a cab. Does the same apply to solid state ?
14:07 that tone was legendary beforr you changed it
Why is it that you wear headphones? I would like to know and maybe do so myself.
i feel like PRS amps don't get the level of love that they deserve,
Super useful video for me! I finally "get it" about combining the knobs to get the sounds I'm looking for. Thx!
Would I still need to use a speaker cable if I am only using a “line out” connection to my audio interface?
That Grissom tone
Whats the difference between an instrument and a speaker cable?
My first tube amp was my uncle's original 72 silverface. Just google them, yes they all look like that. Can't tell if that's beer, whiskey, piss, or all three on the grill cloth, but that hole is definitely a cigarette burn. In fact, there are several cigarette burns. Had to have it worked on and cleaned 4 times to keep it operational, but god damn was that a hot amp.
Didn't once mention costs or maintenance ????very important tip, make sure you don't buy an all valve if you really don't need it. You'll end up selling it once you realise more than occasional tube replacements are required. The upkeep of electronics, amplifier cabinets, and related aspects should also be considered periodically. Particularly, tending to the electronic elements of the tube amplifier holds special significance.
Digital For Me.
I'm not suggesting anyone follow my example or anything. There are tons of options for Tone.
At the end of the day I don't give a shit about being an amp tube purist or authentic lol. If it sounds good, reliable, and doesn't break the bank I'm down.
Finding your tone is cool and is like finding your identity. When you hear yourself and it sounds and feels great it's awesome.
Not to mention real inspiring.
I found my tone with a Line 6 Helix, Headrush FRFR 8-inch speaker, change in string gauge, and a change in my guitar pick.
Luckily my brother is a guitar geek and a great player.
Tube's are great. I have a 68 Twin Reverb. It sounds amazing. Especially turned up. But I can achieve an excellent comparable tone with the Line 6 Helix. And with Line 6 support and upgrades like new Amp simulations and effects, it's easily worth every penny I spent on it. Super tweakable.
Haha I sound like a commercial.
They are consistent, reliable, and sound great.
Look up major artists that use digital amps. You may be surprised.
you can gig a solid state amp.
I didn't know this was sponsored till the end so I was gonna say that this was a great free demo for the PRS amp lol
As far as a perfect amp is concerned, I agree. But you can approach the concept. Think of this as a great recipe. It takes more than the main ingredient.
Start with an amp that is a great pedal platform. This is the main ingredient. Add drive pedals to taste. Think of drive pedals as spices.
Now add veggies. So in this analogy, what exactly are veggies? The answer is preamps. So how do you add a preamp to an amp? There are a few ways to do this. Each method has advantages and limitations.
1. If your am has no effects loop, connect a preamp to the front of your amp as if it the preamp was a pedal.
Set the amp up to deliver as clean a sound as possible. Set the external preamp to deliver the drive level you want.
You can even set the amp to its highest drive level to reach distortion levels that only this combination can deliver.
2. If your amp has an effects loop, use the external preamp connected to the amp’s return input. This disconnects the preamp in your amp and substitutes the external preamp to the power amp section of your amp.
Be careful. Doing this on some amps can be really loud with no control over volume. That’s because the power amp runs only at full gain.
However, if the external preamp has a master volume, you can dial down the volume.
In cases where the external preamp has no master, you can add an attenuator or volume pedal after the preamp and before the power amp.
3. Get a Synergy Syn-1 or Syn-2 and some Synergy preamp modules. Connect the Syn-1 or -2 using the 4 cable method to your amp’s effects loop. This adds two new preamp channels per module to your existing amp.
Synergy has preamp modules from a huge array of boutique amp designers. You can quickly swap modules easily without needing special tubes. All of these preamps are fully analog. Of note: the loop must be 100% serial for this to work.
So, for example, if you had the PRS amp Rhett is using in the video and a Syn-2 with a Z-Wreck module and a T/DLX module, you’d be able to immediately switch between the amp’s internal preamps and the four channels available with the two Synergy modules.
After watching the video the tones sounds almost all, the same after the tweaking. Also, there here is nothing wrong with a good digital amp. Tube amps are cool but there are so many more factors involved.
Great video Rhett, I just purchased the amp today.
With EQ, I like to start with bass. A lot of amps get flubby with too much low end. I hit open low E and set the bass just below the flubby level and never touch it again. Then the voice is all about changing mid and treble.
Great video Rhett
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to walk us through the basics of amp setup and functions. Now gotta find the nickels and dimes for a DGT15!
Today's solid state amps are pretty good. There's some hidden gems from the 70's onward, I won't mention because the prices aren't great already on them. Kustom I will mention but only because they are notorious for being good sounding, awesome looking, and about as not reliable as a beat up tube amp. But if you need a bed speaker cab it has no rival.
Here's all you need to know. 1) Do you identify more with something that's going to be called "the English sound" or "the American sound"? 2) If it's the English sound, if you want to rock, get a Marshall Stack. If you want to rock _harder_, get an Orange Head and whatever speaker cabinet seems right. 3) If you want the American sound, get a Fender Deluxe reverb.
3) I'm totally joking, but if I had had infinite money when gigging entered my life, and I wasn't in New York (which has heavy gear coops), this would have been the limit of my understanding.
Busted my ass hauling a 100w Laney head and Marshall halfstack when i was a gigging musician. Not to mention the PA and speakers… Back in the day we were kind of expected to have the big gear to fit the part. These days i rock a Marshall DSL40CR combo amp. Honestly sounds better since im actually pushing the tubes and man does my back appreciate the lighter load. Still a heavy combo to be honest but hey… Ive developed my muscles over the years. Plus my gear fits in the trunk of my car.
I mean yes, this is a commercial but still great information from a seasoned vet. That amp definitely looks cool and I love the sounds you got.
Top cut feature is nice. I play telecaster and the highs can get rough
I've got a LOT of EQ in my pedals.
Even specifically a guitar EQ to shape the brown channel to blend with my modulation channel so overlapping frequencies don't mudd.
And then I use a bass EQ to tighten the signal going into the amp.
The option is then there to dial in a solo tone, rhythm or lead, and use the bass EQ to add or remove needed frequencies around the band setup.
The option to boost or cut 400, 500 and 800 range is HUGE in the voc/nasal range. Can slide into the open frequency pocket.
Cut the 50s and drop 120Hz to open up drums and base.
Play with 10k and 4.3kHz to tame the sizzle and air… As I said, the option is there.
Also Behringer pedals are GREAT as cost effectiveness for this. It's like $50 for both guitar & bass EQ pedals. That is cheap to strengthen one's guitar and amp signals.
So I can get away with a very basic tone control on my amp. Saves a LOT.
So something like a Bugera is an option. The intial cost being so low lets me tube swap without getting near the price where some of those tubes come from.
And then I can still swap out the speaker AND STILL be lower cost than many tube amps.
As I like to experiment, it's a great option.
If I learn I want a specific sound and can't get it, well then YES, I will need a new amp.
I hope this vid brought you pots of money, dude. Really useful
If anything the tone controls on most guitar amps are not wide enough. An equalizer pedal in the FX loop is an absolute must if you want versatility from your amp.
Rhett, I don't believe you don't know that when you lower down master volume you lower down signal that goes to phase inverter tube which is in still in preamp section. If master volume was lowering signal that goes to output tubes then overdrive wouldn't be affected but tone would. Solution is another knob which controls amoung of of negative feedback k, part of phase inverter circuit. The lower master v olume is set the higher negative feedback should be, the higher master volume then lower negative feedback should be
A lot of these comments remind me of an advertisement that used to be published in the guitar mags of Dimebag Darrell playing on stage in front of stacks of Randall's. You could clearly see a mic'd up Fender Champ on the drum riser doing all the work.
It's true. The perfect amp. In your head. I through ac 30 was it, then I fine fender more my way . Then it was tube 6v6 el34/ 84,
then control its eq preamp comebin to play then fine that different el84 tube can change with different set eq preamp.
Then Class A. To Ab amp
It's A learning curve. Now sound in head fine that most straight up sound Marshall but you fine it plex but what o e the. Mod change Boutique maker. Are better one. .
This why digital Unit sim amp come out get whole lot out off one unit . I went down that road I got one with poweramp. Thst was way. .
But now. I have fine that bluguitar mercury I. Best. It's pedal palform
It's lite eazy use its about size of ipal a2 paper 2 half " high.
It's got Nano tube in poweramp
Analog front end. You can use amp in box pedal in front it change shape sounds. . I got two I. Stereo . Quilter another great amp can same I say before add on pedal tube one work. Well . I got old style tube amp jackson ampworks atlantic 4.0 wow it
It small good I just see another but it a newcastle. . I think sound in your head, just you need fine it .
That is a journey lot money ah ah
My bluguitar mercury. Great go for it feel an sound like real things just pug in turn your back set up your sound. Turn way just play.
you well.forget that you are play in
You think it's tube amp .
Analog tube 2nd best to full analog tube amp . Just who made it that were secret it. Quilter good Answer there are other are good .
That A journey .
That’s crazy, I’m considering a higher wattage joyo tube amp than what you are using just for a good sounding little beginner practice amp.
Here's what I wish I knew – Not all watts are created equal.
For a long time, I would never buy tube amps, because the ones that I could afford were lower wattage, 50 and lower; but I thought that I had to have 100 watts to compete with the drums in live shows.
So I would always get solid state amps that were 100 watts, not knowing that a 30 watt tube amp is more than loud enough to play in bars, and that a 50 watt tube amp will be roughly as loud as a 100 watt solid state amp.
So I was always lugging around 120 watt Crate full stacks and only playing pedals through the clean, because I didn't really like the sound of the gain. ????
Edit – I now use either a 30 watt Synergy or a 50 watt Friedman, and I never need more power.
"any drummer that I would ever play with", true!
Freaking killer amp! Especially with the r9. And to be able to adjust the high end like that would make it my go to amp!
I have a morgan dual 20 i feel that way about. Nice playing bro
personally I don't like to distort my output tubes because my amp has an effects loop, and if the output tubes are distorting, that kinda misses the point of the effects loop lol
I have a mmarshall studio vintage which can switch between 5w and 20w
even at 5w I need a volume pedal in the effects loop to turn it down, it's so loud that I originally had a boss EQ in the effects loop to turn it down, and even that wouldn't get it quiet enough so switched to a volume pedal that could go all the way down to zero volume lol
unfortunately mine is not a master volume amp cause the studio vintage is literally a 100w superlead made into a 20w amp + and effects loop (which is incredible and I love it)
Well done Rhett.
Useful information.
Thanks ????
I'm going to register the fact that I bought and used a PRS 50 watt tube amp and concluded that its designers did not know a f*cking thing about tube amp amplification: It sucked!