SOLID STATE goodness...yeah, you heard me!

[Boogs]

I have an old Yamaha solid state amp that just won't die. Despite being gigged for years, playing at seedy bars and being thrown into cabs/vans, and being ridden atop a skateboard to shows (no, I'm not joking), my trusty Yamaha G100-115 shows no sign of giving up the ghost.

I eventually replaced the stock speaker, which was frankly so-so, despite the nice overall tone of the amp, with an Eminence Legend 151. Nice speaker, but too clean/neutral to make it compete with my tube amps. So I threw an Emi B15 into it and used it for bass...this speaker also warmed it up for guitars, it turned out.

Fast foward to this winter. I decided to try out an expensive but promising Weber alnico Chicago 15". Only an 80-watt speaker, but given the fact that Ted rates it speakers conservatively, and the fact that I have no intention of diming a SS amp, I figured what-the-hell. I also had the pleasure of playing through a ceramic Chicago, and fell in love with it's punchy, warm tone...perfect for a solid state amp?

Dayyyummm! :dude This is one of the best tones I have ever gotten with ANY amp before. I can't get the power tube breakup I love in my tweed machines, but this rig LOVES my Barber Direct Drive OD with a Java Boost in front of it. That Chicago eats up everything I have to throw at it!

Warm (clean OR dirty), powerful, chest-thumping, sparkling tones galore. Yeah, you heard me...solid state rocks my world.

:)

[riverastoasters]

Yamaha G100-115

Yup. I always mention the G100 amps in the "good solid state?" threads that come up around here. And usually some other people agree. Welcome to the club. I have two of the heads, myself.

[rwe333]

Those original Yamaha G-series (before the parametric EQs) amps are indeed great. Jack Pearson still plays a G50.

[Boogs]

The AMP I've had for ages. Great amp, but it was the SPEAKER that made it such a joy to play. It sounded great through a 1x12 housing a Blue Dog ceramic too, but that Chicago is a match made in heaven.

The Chicago is turning into one of my all time favorite speakers!

[leodiditright]

We all know that a lot of SS amps are great but we prefer tube amps because of the smell:D

[Boogs]

We all know that a lot of SS amps are great but we prefer tube amps because of the smell:D

Easy fix.

Just spray a little I Can't Believe It's Not Tubes™ on the heatsink, and you're golden.

:AOK

[Tone_Terrific]

I recently added a g100 to my SS stable (got a deal) and it IS a good one.
SS is perfectly fine below full distortion, usually, barring the bad ones...and tube amps can be bad ones, too.... the the remaining 1-2% of tonal goodness (odour) is personal choice far more than just seeking good tone, IMO. How good does 'tone' get?
I'm 100% with using good speakers for all amps.

[Robert1950]

So far, my Roland Blues Cube BC30 isn't too shabby either.

[edward]

I had a Yamaha G100 2x12 combo with the parametric eq maybe 20 years ago ...I remember liking it then. Great amp, SS or not. Funny thing is I remember thinking how heavy that thing was ...and now I own tube amps :)

Edward

[clothwiring]

Picked up a Roland Cube 60 this weekend, it's my only SS amp these days. Sounds great.

[John Phillips]

I had a Yamaha G100 2x12 combo with the parametric eq maybe 20 years ago ...I remember liking it then. Great amp, SS or not. Funny thing is I remember thinking how heavy that thing was ...
Build quality and tone are related, often.

Take a basically good-sounding SS circuit, build it like a tank, put it in a heavy cab with decent speakers and it will sound good, at least for clean sounds (you can add pedals later).

Unfortunately, most people's impressions of solid-state are colored by cheap, flimsy, under-spec'ed amps with crappy speakers... because solid-state amps are expected to be cheap in price, too. There's nothing wrong with the technology, it's the implementation which is the problem usually.

When you find one that isn't done like that, it shows.

[Boogs]

Funny thing is I remember thinking how heavy that thing was ...



Believe me. This G100-115 is heavy as hell. When I bought it, though, I had been using my buddy's Twin to gig with, so I had already learned to accept heavy amps. It's actually one of the "parametric EQ" ones as well, a G100-115 "2". Must've bought it in '85.

The 12" I thought sounded best with the G100 was the ceramic Blue Dog. I couldn't stop playing the damn thing after I hooked it up to that cab! If I had a 212 version, I would definitely try 2 Blue Dogs in there...really sweet. As it stands, I'm obviously over the moon about the Chicago 15 alnico. :)

[Boogs]

Build quality and tone are related, often.

Take a basically good-sounding SS circuit, build it like a tank, put it in a heavy cab with decent speakers and it will sound good, at least for clean sounds (you can add pedals later).

Unfortunately, most people's impressions of solid-state are colored by cheap, flimsy, under-spec'ed amps with crappy speakers... because solid-state amps are expected to be cheap in price, too. There's nothing wrong with the technology, it's the implementation which is the problem usually.

When you find one that isn't done like that, it shows.

That makes sense.

What makes even more sense is having someone build a pine cab to re-house this thing. I hurt myself yesterday picking up the beast!

[Mrjoelv]

I had a G100-12 that was a great amp. I used to plug it into a 2-12 Music Man cabinet to get a bigger sound. When I got tired of it I sold it to my friend for cheap but he has since stopped playing and is going to give it back to me when I see him next month. Should be nostalgic.

[slopeshoulder]

Robben Ford gigged with Yamaha amps for quite a while.

[lspaulsp]

I had a great expirence one time with a Carvin SX but reading here I get the opinion they have issues??????
Anyone know?

[GP_Hawk]

I decided to try out an expensive but promising Weber alnico Chicago 15". Only an 80-watt speaker, but given the fact that Ted rates it speakers conservatively, and the fact that I have no intention of diming a SS amp, I figured what-the-hell. I also had the pleasure of playing through a ceramic Chicago, and fell in love with it's punchy, warm tone...perfect for a solid state amp?

Dayyyummm! :dude This is one of the best tones I have ever gotten with ANY amp before. I can't get the power tube breakup I love in my tweed machines, but this rig LOVES my Barber Direct Drive OD with a Java Boost in front of it. That Chicago eats up everything I have to throw at it!

Warm (clean OR dirty), powerful, chest-thumping, sparkling tones galore. Yeah, you heard me...solid state rocks my world.

:)

Now you got me wondering if the Chicago 15" would sound good in my Lab Series L9. It doesn't have the original EV in it which sounded killer. It has a JBL k130. I've actually used the amp for recording bass but other than that she's been "sitting it out" for a while now.

[Boogs]

Now you got me wondering if the Chicago 15" would sound good in my Lab Series L9. It doesn't have the original EV in it which sounded killer. It has a JBL k130. I've actually used the amp for recording bass but other than that she's been "sitting it out" for a while now.

Recording bass is mostly what my Yammie did for years, as well. Shame, as these are nice SS amps...I know the Lab is well regarded, at least by BB!

Based on how nice the Chicago 15 alnico sounds with all my guitars, and that good solid state amps are likely a little closer together than two tube amps would usually be, I would think that it would probably be a real revelation. It's just so PERFECT for warming up my Yamaha, adds so much character and soul. If your Lab has good EQ, I almost can't imagine it not being sweet.

The pity is that it is such an expensive experiment at $215 but, again, I think it's worth it considering the rewards I've experienced.

[JimH]

Anyone ever play a bluetone - they were supposed to be a vintage marshall type rocker in a 50W 1x12" format - high quality solid state supposedly.

[Tuberattler]

I played a Carvin SX 100 for years as a grab & go amp to save the herd, it had great tone & reliability and we punished that thing..shouldn't have sold it, neve let me down. In fact, I wore out the first speaker to shreds and put a Mesa EV clone in there and then it really sounded awesome.

[telest]

I have a Yamaha G-50 with the P-EQ, maybe I'll slap a new speaker in there and see what happens. It is pretty good as is though. Any recommendations? I see Boogs likes the Chicago...:BEER


Steve

[Boogs]

I have a Yamaha G-50 with the P-EQ, maybe I'll slap a new speaker in there and see what happens. It is pretty good as is though. Any recommendations? I see Boogs likes the Chicago...:BEER


Steve

If you can get ahold of a Weber Blue Dog ceramic 50-watter, you might find what I found...it KILLS with the G-amps. :)

Seriously, I went gaga when I heard it through the Weber Blue 12", and that's what made me want to try speakers again with the amp. Of course, mine is a 100-watter, so I'm already taking chances with the Chicago (80 watt rating)...didn't want to put a 50-watt Blue 15" in there.

[telest]

If you can get ahold of a Weber Blue Dog ceramic 50-watter, you might find what I found...it KILLS with the G-amps. :)

Seriously, I went gaga when I heard it through the Weber Blue 12", and that's what made me want to try speakers again with the amp. Of course, mine is a 100-watter, so I'm already taking chances with the Chicago (80 watt rating)...didn't want to put a 50-watt Blue 15" in there.

That Blue Dog is probably twice the cost of what I paid for the amp...:rotflmao

Steve

[Ben Furman]

Anyone ever play a bluetone - they were supposed to be a vintage marshall type rocker in a 50W 1x12" format - high quality solid state supposedly.

http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storyCode=10167

I haven't tried one, but I am still curious. They are actually 30W. Did the company go under?

-Ben

[anibas]

Wasn't Paul Rivera involved with some of those Yamaha amp designs at one point?I know his SS designs for Fender sounded good.I've heard tapes of Jack Pearson using the Yamaha amp,and as usual, his tone kills!

[teleman65]

I have a Yamaha G50-210. It has worked well as a backup for many gigs. Very loud cleans. I put a Sansamp in front for overdrive tones. Nice reverb and tremolo but the built in distortion is painfully awful.

[Mouhsen]

I do play through a marshall valvestate 30watt using my suhr standard into it, and it does sound good, i use a gnx2 also which I played a lot with the preset, and get some pretty good sounds,

do you guys know any other amps, that would be around 60 watts that would be able to have a large range, and be able to play very heavy tone wise? [think metallica - sad but true ]

[backaxe]

Got a Lab Series L-9 with a 15" Eminence replacement for the original EV...blown when I got it. Bought it a a drug seizure auction of $37.50. Great amp, even if it is ss......cuts through the mix, and the eq WORKS!!:D

[Boogs]

Got a Lab Series L-9 with a 15" Eminence replacement for the original EV...blown when I got it. Bought it a a drug seizure auction of $37.50. Great amp, even if it is ss......cuts through the mix, and the eq WORKS!!:D

I would love to try a Lab amplifier some day.

If you ever get the chance to play that amp through an good alnico speaker, you might like the result! Alnico seems to give SS circuits a little more warmth, then a little compression at higher volumes - nice combined with SS linear preciseness.

[Paul Conway]

http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storyCode=10167

I haven't tried one, but I am still curious. They are actually 30W. Did the company go under?

-Ben

The manufacturer building them in the UK moved their operation to China. They were unable to find a replacement domestic manufacturer. I've been looking for one for a while. The only other serious SS amp manufacturer in the UK is Award-Session, although I believe Patrick Eggle are coming out with something soon.

[riverastoasters]

Wasn't Paul Rivera involved with some of those Yamaha amp designs at one point?I know his SS designs for Fender sounded good.I've heard tapes of Jack Pearson using the Yamaha amp,and as usual, his tone kills!

Yeah and he did the Pignose Crossmix (which came up in another thread recently).

[FUSER]

I will swear by the Tech 21 TM series.

[mikeyb]

I have a TubeWorks solid state 100 watt amp that just kicks ass. If forced to, I could probably do every gig the rest of my life with that amp. Might need a couple of 10s in a cabinet for jazz gigs.

I first got turned onto this amp at a John Mooney gig maybe 10 years ago at Jazz Fest. JM has a BF Super Reverb and BF Twin up on stage. It's break after the first set and I see this guy getting out of his car with this TubeWorks 1-12 solid state combo. I'm thinking, "What's he going to do with this thing? and why is he going to take up John Mooney's time." Well it turns out the guitar player is Cranston Clemens a local NO legend (who at the time joined the Neville Bros for a really short time...don't know why it ended so quickly).

These guys proceeded to just blow the walls down and the TubeWorks sounded killer...tight fat articulate warm. Maybe not spewing quite so many sweet harmonics/overtones and a great tube amp, but awesome sound. I know my ears didn't fool me as I bootlegged the show and hav listened to it many times over the years. John Mooney is one of the most distinctive and powerful blues players alive and Cranston basically had the history of southern rock/blues/soul/country guitar in his fingers. It was a magical night. Another in a long list of fabulous Jazz Fest experiences.

Great lineup this year. Headed down second weekend.

[Ben Furman]

I have a TubeWorks solid state 100 watt amp that just kicks ass.

Don't those have a 12AX7 in the preamp? Not that such would disqualify it or anything. I'm just curious.

-Ben

[HillbillySims]

ANyone have a G100-112-III series combo for sale?... ESPECIALLY the "S" version which had the XLR direct out's. Let me know

[MBreinin]

My Tech 21 TM60 is one of the best amps I have ever owned..and I have owned two!

Mike

[MBreinin]

I have a TubeWorks solid state 100 watt amp that just kicks ass. If forced to, I could probably do every gig the rest of my life with that amp. Might need a couple of 10s in a cabinet for jazz gigs.

I first got turned onto this amp at a John Mooney gig maybe 10 years ago at Jazz Fest. JM has a BF Super Reverb and BF Twin up on stage. It's break after the first set and I see this guy getting out of his car with this TubeWorks 1-12 solid state combo. I'm thinking, "What's he going to do with this thing? and why is he going to take up John Mooney's time." Well it turns out the guitar player is Cranston Clemens a local NO legend (who at the time joined the Neville Bros for a really short time...don't know why it ended so quickly).

These guys proceeded to just blow the walls down and the TubeWorks sounded killer...tight fat articulate warm. Maybe not spewing quite so many sweet harmonics/overtones and a great tube amp, but awesome sound. I know my ears didn't fool me as I bootlegged the show and hav listened to it many times over the years. John Mooney is one of the most distinctive and powerful blues players alive and Cranston basically had the history of southern rock/blues/soul/country guitar in his fingers. It was a magical night. Another in a long list of fabulous Jazz Fest experiences.

Great lineup this year. Headed down second weekend.

Cranston is a local legend who can play just about any style, with aplomb. Between Cranston and Dave (his brother) they have the entire NOLA scene wrapped up. I started to see Cranston back in the late '80s and we used to go every Thursday night to the old Howlin' Wolf to see the Clements Brothers..back in the day. Yeah, I guess I am revealing my age. Used to see Mooney all the time at Madigan's..when he was a nobody. His Fiance' has been my favorite bartender since before Katrina.

NOLA, Brah. NOLA.

Mike

[mr-hat]

Hi guys,

i know the last post of this thread has been a while ago now but i´ll just try it.

The problem is, that my old yamaha g50 112 series 2 is broken. The guys from my local music store say that its the poweramp is down and that a new one would cost around 300 €/500 usd. I loved that amp, not only because it belonged to my grandpa, but at the moment thats FAR to much money for me to spend for a repair. can anyone help me to find a cheaper solution?

thanks

[va3ux]

Resurrecting an old thread. I was reading about the Yamaha G series in this thread. There's a G50-112 available locally (not sure yet if it's series '1' or '2'). I'm after clean and warm (fingerstyle jazz) - don't care about distortion at all. Looking for opinions if I should hold out for the G100 or if the G50 would suffice. I have plenty of speakers to experiment with. From the thread here it appears that the Series '1" had a conventional tone stack while the series 2 had a parametric EQ. Any preference/opinions ?

Thanks...Phil

[rick31797]

This is an oild post but thought i would comment..I bought mine in 1977 its the G115. with the 15 inch Yamaha speaker .has alot of balls, and i still use it...


http://pic70.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1788/10214735/18832167/399213817.jpg


http://pic70.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1788/10214735/18832167/399213818.jpg