Hybrid Rig questions.....

[charley]

If one was to piece together a hybrid rig, which piece do people feel would be essential to have tubes? I am a loud&clean player....

Solid state pre and tube power amp?

Tube pre and solid state power amp?

Everything would go through guitar cabs, fyi.

I'm trying to decide between getting a Twin Reverb preamp with a Matrix power amp, or a solid state pre with a mesa 2:50.....

Opinions please!

 

[Lance]

I would go with TR pre & Matrix power. If you run it through a JBL E-120 it'll sound quite a bit like Jerry Garcia.

 

[rumbletone]

I think it really depends on the pieces and the tones.

Recently I've run a Wampler Black 65 into the fx return of an amp in order to add a clean option to what is otherwise a hotrodded Marshall style amp, and it sounds surprisingly good (much better than 'rolling down my volume' for clean tones). Pretty sure no one - including my bandmates - were thinking it was some type of 'compromised non-tube tone'. That said, it's still hitting the second half of a tube fx loop and then the phase inverter, and I'm hitting it quite hard, so perhaps that helps.

 

[nnajar]

I use a 3+se into a matrix power amp and a pair of 1x12 cabs and it sounds massive. That matrix is a terrific poweramp.

 

[Fndrbndr]

I think it really depends on the pieces and the tones.

Recently I've run a Wampler Black 65 into the fx return of an amp in order to add a clean option to what is otherwise a hotrodded Marshall style amp, and it sounds surprisingly good (much better than 'rolling down my volume' for clean tones). Pretty sure no one - including my bandmates - were thinking it was some type of 'compromised non-tube tone'. That said, it's still hitting the second half of a tube fx loop and then the phase inverter, and I'm hitting it quite hard, so perhaps that helps.

Interesting!