Best SOLID STATE amp with tube sound...

[guitarman3001]

I see the orange crush getting mentioned in this thread a lot

I played through a crush 120 pro half stack at my rehearsal space last week because I was feeling lazy and didnt want to bring my twin. Huge mistake. that thing was utter garbage. not a single good tone in there. don't understand the positive reviews in the slightest

Interesting comparison. But if you're used to playing through a twin, it's no surprise you didn't like the Orange sound. Kind of like someone who is used to playing an Orange and then suddenly switches to a Twin and wonders where all the Orange tone and gain suddenly disappeared to.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Interesting comparison. But if you're used to playing through a twin, it's no surprise you didn't like the Orange sound. Kind of like someone who is used to playing an Orange and then suddenly switches to a Twin and wonders where all the Orange tone and gain suddenly disappeared to.

I mean, I really liked the Thunderverb 50 I used to have. That crush just did not sound good to me

 

[Ray175]

When I scoop the middle setting my 1986 Laney Linebacker 50w combo gives a good imitation of my Princeton's blackface sound.
Equally satisfying is my Tone Master Deluxe Reverb.....

 

[108]

BluGuitar Amp1.

 

[ucnick]

While it can be a bit noisy cranked. ( Its 300w, no need to crank ) the late 60s, early 70 Sunn Coliseum Lead x 8 JBL D120S ( Sometimes they used the DF ) (DF is just Fender Branded, same as JBL D120S ) is KING of SS Amplifiers as far as I'm concerned. Its the best sounding SS amp ever made.

I don't use mine anymore, and have long ago taken out the D120S and have them in other amplifiers ( Mainly 2 Twin Rvbs, Fender Bandmaster, and 1 x Princeton Rvb Head, and 2 x 12 ).

Clapton used 2 of these at the Dominoes Fillmore Concert,. Not sure how many speakers, but believe he also mixed Marshall/Celestion, x Sunn cab/JBLs.

Jeff Beck also used this amp x Univox 6 x 12 cabinets.

Tim Borgart is also using them.

Can be used for, and is also made to be used for Bass. Not the Univox cabinets/speakers.

In the Clapton photo you can see 2 x Coliseum Heads stacked, by his left shoulder, and a Sunn 4 x 12 by his Right side. Actually behind him.

Isn't that the Who?

 

[71strat]

Isn't that the Who?

Yep. All those Sunns and JBLs are Entwistles.

 

[HomeInMyShoes]

I am now a fan of Orange solid state amps. Good clean and groovy dirty channel. All from simple controls. Not much to not like, unless you don't like the colour orange. Of course they do come in black if that's really a problem.

 

[5F6-A]

Marshall Lead 12 with a G10L-35 speaker. Killer.

 

[guitarman3001]

Not sure if I mentioned this before in this thread, I know I didn't have the amp until a couple of months ago, but the BluGuitar Amp1 ME sounds and plays just like any decent tube amp. I honestly can't tell the difference and in some cases, the Amp1 is even better.

 

[Henry Terry]

I think that the Fender Frontman 212R (made from 2008 to 2013?), had a great clean Fender sound. I recall being in Guitar Center one day and hearing excellent Curtis Mayfield licks being played through a Fender Twin Reverb (I have owned two). I went over to compliment the guitarist about his playing. He was playing through a Frontman 212R, not a Twin Reverb.

 

[ThePitbullofLove]

My current faves


Old school...

 

[JereDigi]

Yep. All those Sunns and JBLs are Entwistles.

When is Fender going to revive the Sunn brand? Such a huge following (doomers) and great reputation. I have a studio lead that sounds great and beta lead is legendary, and both are solid state:


Fender released a Model T years ago - I wonder why no dedication to this brand?

 

[DonaldDemon]

I've owned a JC120, Blues Cube 60, Sunn Concert Lead, Pathfinder 15r, Katana 50, and have played through bunch of others that friends or rehearsal studios owned like the THR10, VH140C & SS140, Marshall Mosfet Lead, AVT100, etc. I've sold them all, none of sound as good as a tube amp to my ears, but some were cool in their own way.

The Sunn sounded and felt the closet to a tube amp, almost indistinguishable if playing clean. JC120 of course was great. I liked the dirty channels on the Ampegs and Mosfet, sort of good for one sound but so are a lot of tube amps.

I see the orange crush getting mentioned in this thread a lot

I played through a crush 120 pro half stack at my rehearsal space last week because I was feeling lazy and didnt want to bring my twin. Huge mistake. that thing was utter garbage. not a single good tone in there. don't understand the positive reviews in the slightest

I hear that, I played one a few times after hearing for reviews and it sounds like a cheap toy amp to me, not good. The THR10 sounded like a toy too, but a good one.

 

[Anomaly]

Don’t know if it’s been meantioned but what about Randall RG100es and RG80es

Those are awesome boosted. I had a rg100es and a rg100ht as part of my main rig for years and they killed.

 

[Daytona57]

A Fairfield Barbershop, will give your solid state amp, tube emulation. I use one with my ss practice amps.

Bass players have used them with high wattage bass amps for years. Google Talkbass.

 

[TP Parter]

i'm interested too. It seems the Roland Jazz 120 is the only SS amp with "good" tone according to the internet circle/audiofiles. But ever other SS amp that gets praise are only praised for their value, and not specifically their tone. I'm not looking to model 100 types of amps. I just want one amp that can get a good tone and i'll work from there.

Barf. I cannot stand the JC60/120 tone. I may be biased with my general distaste for chorus, but cannot think of a more sterile sounding amp. I much preferred the Fender London Reverb for a similarly powered amp. I will take Fender cleans and spring reverb, a graphic EQ, and a Paul Rivera designed high gain channel over a crappy chorus anyday. Even stereo can barely save it.

Sorry, but aside from Andy Summers and Kurt Cobain most artists get about 30 seconds of chorus before I change the tune. Maybe if I was in a Police cover band? When I saw them he was playing CAE's. Sounded pretty damn good, no harshness or shrill tones, but still very bright and present.

 

[TP Parter]

'80s-'90s Fender SS amps are awesome, Marshall Mosfets, old Ampegs, Randall, Peavey, all made solid gigable SS amps that could sound good to great depending on what they were asked to do.

 

[AcceptableNorm]

My little Katana 50 mkii sounds close enough for me that I don't really think about once I'm actually playing and just enjoying the fact that I'm playing through a good sounding amp.
For the price it does the job for me quite well.
Does it sound exactly like a tube amp? No. Does it sound like a tube amp? Yes.
But it does feel a lot like one when it comes to playing and the sag thing.

 

[TP Parter]

Interesting comparison. But if you're used to playing through a twin, it's no surprise you didn't like the Orange sound. Kind of like someone who is used to playing an Orange and then suddenly switches to a Twin and wonders where all the Orange tone and gain suddenly disappeared to.

Lol. The Crush series is not "the Orange sound", this is...



To be fair there is not a SS amp, modeler or otherwise, that can nail that harmonically rich searing and raw but not harsh tone.

 

[83stratman]

That era Fender SS amps are great IMO. I have a Harvard Reverb II and love it, but Paul Rivera had nothing to do with the design of them, as per Paul Rivera himself.

Barf. I cannot stand the JC60/120 tone. I may be biased with my general distaste for chorus, but cannot think of a more sterile sounding amp. I much preferred the Fender London Reverb for a similarly powered amp. I will take Fender cleans and spring reverb, a graphic EQ, and a Paul Rivera designed high gain channel over a crappy chorus anyday. Even stereo can barely save it.

Sorry, but aside from Andy Summers and Kurt Cobain most artists get about 30 seconds of chorus before I change the tune. Maybe if I was in a Police cover band? When I saw them he was playing CAE's. Sounded pretty damn good, no harshness or shrill tones, but still very bright and present.