Kick ass solid-state amps?

[amper]

I've got an Ampeg VH-140C 2x12 combo that I just can't get rid of because it sounds so damn good. What other solid-state amps do you love?

 

[Jon]

Tech 21 Trademark 60 + Power Engine 60 extension cab.

Also I've got an old Session Duette which I've had since the late 80s which is still my main home practice amp - sounds pretty good both clean and overdriven.

 

[ironhead]

roland jc 120. I love the cleans

 

[Randy]

Gallien Krueger 250 RL and ML. I used one in a rack setup for years and years. Held it's own against anything I tried against it and never let me down. I wish I still had it sometimes.

 

[Unburst]

Pearce.
Pritchard.

Some of the Roland amps sound good, JC120 and the later Blues Cube series sound pretty decent.
Lab Series were pretty nice sounding too.

 

[HHB]

I had great success w/ the old Marshall Mosfet 100 head , also the SS 9001 preamp and Valvestate power amp. I've been abusing a Tech21 TM60 for the last few years and really like it ( I also use tube amps )

 

[samtheman]

Pearce G2, 2x100 pure SS power with alesis FX, hard to find, rare I think?

sam

 

[Blueser]

I became a Pritchard believer after hearing the amp. Very tube like, but I still wouldn't abandon my tubes amps just yet!

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

Originally posted by samtheman
Pearce G2, 2x100 pure SS power with alesis FX, hard to find, rare I think?

sam

Pearce G2R... the BEST ss amp I've ever encountered. Better than a lot of the tube amps discussed here!!

Keith

 

[rwe333]

Cool nods already (Pearce, Tech21)...
I'd also add some of the old G-series Yamaha amps - great cleans...

 

[Carey Cox]

Another vote for the Pritchard. I have been a happy owner for almost 2 years.

 

[gkelm]

In the 80s I had a Yamaha G100-112 (or 112-100?). Smokin OD channel, really smooth. Bought it partly due to the fact that Keaggy was using them at the time. Nice through a 4x12.
Greg

 

[TieDyedDevil]

Originally posted by Blueser
I became a Pritchard believer after hearing the amp. Very tube like, but I still wouldn't abandon my tubes amps just yet!

That's an interesting hedge... What needs does the Pritchard fill that your tube amps don't?

 

[amper]

I don't know what Ampeg did to the preamp of the VH-140C to get it to sound like that, but I've never used any distortion pedals with it, because no pedal ever sounded as good to me as the on-board preamp...of course, it's not anything like a nice power-tube distortion, but as far as preamp distortion is concerned, I find it better than a lot of tube preamps out there...

Every time I think about selling it, I play through it for a while to make sure everything is working properly...and end up deciding not to sell it, after all...

Now if I could just find an SS-212EC stereo 2x12 extension cab to go with it!

 

[MikeS]

Lab Series L-5... Fantastic clean sound, cool onboard compressor that has a weird interactive vibe with the reverb, and built like a FRIGGIN TANK!!!

Also: (MikeS dons his flame retardant suit) I'd have to say the Peavey Special 130 (the original one with the big knobs) was a pretty road worthy amp that I've heard guys get great tones from.

 

[raz]

Here's another endorsement of the the Pearce stuff.

And I also have a two space rack with a Marshall JMP-1 and a Valvestate 8008 mosfet amp. That's half tube, and the rig has only one clean that's worth half a damn, but there's some killer crunch in there.

R
A
Z

 

[Riscchip]

The Tech 21 Trademark 60 is the best I've heard, and it smokes a lot of tube amps, too, in my opinion.

 

[herbie]

Vanous Evolution Head. Three channels... Clean,Plexi, & modern.. Best of all, it came packed in a cool James Bond attache road case. I still have mine and its been a while since I've fired it up.
This thread gave me the inspiration

 

[herbie]

Originally posted by MikeS
Lab Series L-5... Fantastic clean sound, cool onboard compressor that has a weird interactive vibe with the reverb, and built like a FRIGGIN TANK!!!

Also: (MikeS dons his flame retardant suit) I'd have to say the Peavey Special 130 (the original one with the big knobs) was a pretty road worthy amp that I've heard guys get great tones from.

Didn't Ty Tabor from King's X play one of those?.... That guy got some wicked tones!
His sounded much better than the one I played through in my high school garage band......Oh, maybe my technique had something to do with it???

 

[dazco]

A real sleeper, IF you can find one......pignose crossmix. And no, i'm not kidding. 75 watts, 2 channels that can be used simultaniously, real real real thick tone. I first noticed them when a band in a bar was using 2 of em and i was blown away by thier sound. The preamp was supposedly based on the rat pedal, tho of course more involved. If you find one it'll be cheap too. No one seems to know about them. But again, they're very hard to find.