Tube amps hideously hard to play!?

Frans-B--Cocq

So yesterday I walked into this music store in Helsinki. My intention was to try out the EHX Metal Muff, just cos people have said it's good and it's got a good name (and it's a pretty cool pedal BTW). The nice salesman grabbed it and plugged it into a 50w Engl tube combo - apparently all the testing was done with it... wasn't even for sale. I picked up a nice ESP, plugged in and couldn't believe my ears. It was absolutely horrible! Everything I played sounded crap. I was so ashamed I didn't even say goodbye and left quicly after five minutes. :'(

This isn't the first time I'm experiencing this. Odd thing is, my friend has a Laney full tube amp, and that's okay. Plus everything else - solid state, modeling, hybrid, whatever, bring it on, but tube - gah! It's kinda scary that however much I practice, you give me a tube amp and I can't play.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Help?

~Frans

AlanRatcliffe

My guess would be you're used to playing higher gain amps/amp models and the Engl you played was a bit more of a crunchy rock amp? The advantage of high gain is it works as a compressor, levelling out inconsistent playing and hiding all sorts of evils in technique. The better tube amps are very dynamic, which lets a seasoned player get a wider range of sounds just from the way they play the guitar, from clean to crunch and a variety of tones. The problem is that those same dynamics tend to put the microscope on your playing and make any inconsistencies stand out, things you usually get away with (sometimes without even noticing them yourself).

Sadly, the only cure is to practice playing with these amps and/or as clean a sound as possible. Work on technique and execution, getting the dynamics even and the notes clean. The nice thing is that this also benefits your playing when you plug into a high gain amp - you'll find the extra control you have developed will improve your tone and clarity even when playing with tons of drive or distortion.

Also, when you go to a store to test pedals, it's always best to take along your guitar and your amp. That way you know exactly what you are getting with no surprises when you get home.

Dirk

I like the clean sounds on valve amps, but is it just me or is the overdrive on vavle amps not very good? I just struggle to get a good sound out of it :-\

aja

Wow guys, I have never looked back to digital once I heard tube overdrive!

I guess SS amps are a bit better for distortion, but I happen to like the sounds you get out of tube amps, like the amp is struggling or something.

@OP: did you play the amp without the pedal? Maybe the guitar wasn't playing nice or maybe there was another problem

AlanRatcliffe

bLuEs wrote is it just me is the overdrive on vavle amps not very good? I just struggle to get a good sound out of it

Valve amp distortion is the drive sound that all others are measured by. However, different designs of amps have different sounding distortion and not all may be to your liking. For instance, I love the thick and creamy midrange drive of a Vox or the clang of a crunchy Fender, but don't give me a Marshall with it's upper midrange edginess or a Mesa with all the fizzy distortion in the preamp valves - nothing wrong with those sounds, just not to my liking or style of play.

Some amps drive sounds better with humbuckers (Marshall), some better with single-coils (Fender), some even sound good with both (Vox). Some amps have better cleans than overdrive (Fender Twin, Roland JC-120) and some better distortion sounds than cleans (Peavey 5150).

All the above very much generalisations and not always true. ? It depends on the specific amp and even the speakers you are driving with it. The important thing is to find an amp which suits your sound.

Cannon

Absolutely! Thats why Fender tend to keep it clean.
Take (in my opinion) one of the finest tube amps ever made:
59 bassman....they take all the effort and time in creating a perfect
clean chanel to bring out the best in your guitar and add a perfect
bass, treble, mid etc.....sweep which is very effective.

Now just add a good o/d or Rat baby!!!!

A lot of these other newer tube amps spend too much time compressing
and catering for heavier drives.....as explained above!

When valves.....stick to vintage my friends!!!
When solid state..... ☹aaaaaaaagggh ☹....whatever!!!

C.

Frans-B--Cocq

Well, I didn't play without the pedal. And the problem wasn't the guitar, I tried several.

Anyway, thanks guys. Looks like I've gotta go practice everything on super clean...