anyone using solid state stuff besides sunn/acoustic?

[justinhedrick]

our drummer has a really old peavey duece combo with a crazy phaser on it. it is one with chrome knobs, no tubes, and the different channel inputs are at either side of the chassis. thinking of using that thing w/ my VTM 60 2x15 rig.

anyone use any solid state stuff?

[Danny G]

I thought Deuce combos were tube?

My friend in HS bought a Deuce that had been cut in half and turned into a head. All tube.

[beardofcthulhu]

I've been using the same Peavey Transtube Supreme head for about 10 years.  the tone on it isn't very remarkable, but a cranked clean channel with a little tube screamer sounds pretty authentic. ( I bought the head in conjunction w/ a 5150 412 for $350)  It's served me well since day one, and I've learned to live with its shortcomings.  That being said, I'd slaughter a village of pygmies for a JSX...

[VOLVO)))]

I used an Ampeg SS-70 for a long time, and before that solid state Randalls like Crowbar used.

[Chovie D]

Yes. My gigging amplifier is an Evans. I use it for pedal steel and guitar live. Why?  because its extremely light weight (i have an injured back)and sounds killer on pedal steel. It took quite a bit of experimentation to get a useable guitar tone out of it tho. For guitar I put a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic preamp pedal in front of it and am satisfied. If I was just playing guitar I'd bring my tweed deluxe clone instead.

SS amps can be  good on instruments like bass and pedal steel or any application where you need clean power.

[hayseed]

I had a B52 solid state half(LS100 head with AT412 cab) that really sounded good. It was my last solid state guitar amp before entering into the expensive land of tubes! It never failed me. Solid build.Had a nice crunch and cut through mix very well. Strangely enough, the longer you let it "warm up" before playing, the better it sounded and i have no idea why. I used to turn it on at least 15 min before practice or gigs. I really don't ever hear much about these amps and i am still the only person i know that has owned one.

Also used to love my Orange Crush 30r. Great amp for recording!

[Hemisaurus]

Recent guitarists I worked with, one used a Hughes and Kettner Vortex, another used a Randall GH100, another a Marshall MG, and one a Marshall AVT, our current guy is using a Fender at home, and an old Crate at the practice space. Some of those Crate SS heads sound really nice, but they are a real bear to work on, I mean absolutely horribly designed, weird ground paths, strange component choices etc., so just pray it doesn't break down. Though I can say the same for the H&K, the Marshalls and Randalls are a little easier to work on.

Yeah I end up fixing everyones amp, in the end

Oh and one guitar player we had used my super green Yamaha bass head, with  the built in distortion.



Especially if you use a pedal for dirt, a lot of bass amps are pretty good, as they can be damn loud, and you can get tube preamps in some of them which warm the signal up. Nick from Hellfire Trigger used to use a SS Ampeg B1 on tour driving a pair of 4x12's

[clockwork green]

I've always wanted an Ampeg VH150 but they're hard to find.

[Hemisaurus]

The Ampeg VH's and the Crate G XL series have similar (not identical) preamps, the Crates can be a little easier to find.

I thought there were VH140s?

[clockwork green]

There is a 140 and a really common 140c (chorus). The 150 an uglier sounding amp of evil. The 140 is a bit more compressed high gain metal. I've only heard 150's at shows and on records.

[spookstrickland]

I really like the Marshall MG100 Heads.  They take some dialing in but once you get them set they sound pretty good.  They are super cheap and easy on the back.  I also like Peavey MKIII bass heads for guitar if I'm tuning down and using fuzz just about the heaviest sounding combo on the planet with tons of power!

[eyeprod]

wow, that green yamaha is pretty cool lookin' Hemi! I used to own the guitar version, the G100. Was a damn decent little head, but I sold it once I bought my concert lead. I like having a few amps. but no need for too many just sitting around gathering dust.

[ROWDYBEER]

I have an 80's Marshall lead 100 MOSFET that rips for punk rock and roll never tried it for anything else.

[Ranbat]

I've bounced back and forth over the years. My first 2-12 combo was a Randall. Loved that amp! Then I went to a VTM120 half stack and loved that amp even more. After that it was a Crate XL head. Then a Peavey Classic Chorus 2-12 combo. Then a Butcher and a VTM120 and now I'm running a Fender Stage 100H head. Oh, and some early 70s Fender Pro Reverb that looks like something out of Lost in Space. I always find a sound I like. For clean I really dig the solid state stuff though.

[giantchris]

I'm using a hybrid SS with a tube preamp for my bass (Yorkville XS400) but I generally don't use the tube pre.   What I really want is an old Kustom Tuck n Roll 200 or 300 to match up and run a biamp setup but I'm waiting for the right price. 

[Hemisaurus]

wow, that green yamaha is pretty cool lookin' Hemi! I used to own the guitar version, the G100. Was a damn decent little head, but I sold it once I bought my concert lead. I like having a few amps. but no need for too many just sitting around gathering dust.

Amp $50
Knob and Pot $10 from the Shack
Fluorescent Green spraypaint $5
 

[Danny G]

I used a Peavey Supreme 160 for 10 years til I bought my JCM800.


The distortion on it wasn't too bad either, sounded better than any pedal I threw in front of it.

[db3jed]

I've been using a Peavey Transtube Special 212S for the last decade or so.
This is the original black and silver series.
Swapped the Sheffields out for a combo of Celestion V30/G12H30s.
I use it with a Fender 212 bottom also loaded with V30/G12H30s.
If the specs are to be believed the amp is putting out 220 watts with the extension cab.
The sumbitch mo' naturally moves some air.

*edited due to drunkenness.

[beardofcthulhu]

I'm curious to know what the difference is between the original Supreme 160 and the subsequent series (TT Supreme, Supreme XL, and XXL)  I'm pretty sure the XXL was a 3-channel, but that's all I can come up with.  Anybody have any insight?

[db3jed]

I'm curious to know what the difference is between the original Supreme 160 and the subsequent series (TT Supreme, Supreme XL, and XXL)  I'm pretty sure the XXL was a 3-channel, but that's all I can come up with.  Anybody have any insight?

The Supreme 160 (blue stripe graphics) was superseded by the Transtube series (black/silver styling).
The primary difference would probably be the Transtube circuitry.
It featured passive tone ctrl. circuitry.
It was not a bad amp by any stretch and had a good sound and was rugged.
It had a head cab similar (the same?) as the VTX series of tube heads.

The XXL was indeed a 3 ch. amp (it was basically the head version of the Special 212).
It featured passive tone ctrls. on the clean and lead chs. with active tone ctrls. on the ultra ch.

The Supreme more or less a 2 ch. version and featured passive tone ctrls. on both ch.

The Supreme XL was 2 ch. also but was designed/marketed as an all out metal machine.
While it still featured Transtube circuitry it didn't have the T-Dynamics ctrl. and used small voicing switches.
It had passive tone ctrls. on the rhythm ch. and active on the lead ch.
It also featured a garish aluminum face plate with "tribal" or "crosshair" graphics.

The Transtube Supreme/XXL/Special amps (1st gen. black/silver) were really good amps in my opinion and pretty much bullet proof.
They really lost something in the 2nd gen (black/red) series.
These incorporated digital efx and voicing switches.

I told the story once or twice on SR.com of my friends Special 212S starting to make weird popping/distortion noises one night at practice.
It wasn't as loud as usual and had some bizarre overtones on the distortion channels too.
While he was cussing it as a piece of shit amp, I shined a flash light down through the vent grilles on top and realized that the chassis pan was full of water and the circuit board was completely submerged.
We had not realized that the roof had been leaking and there had been a major rain storm a week earlier.
Anyway, a screwdriver, paper towels, a hair dryer, and 10 minutes later the amp was fine.
He's still using that amp today (5 yrs later) and it's never had a problem since.
He also puts an amp cover on it after every practice now too.

[beardofcthulhu]

I'm with you 100% on the bulletproof theory.  It's a real shame that Peavey doesn't still offer a high wattage solid state (sans digi fx).  The Bandit, I'm told, is still a monster...as far as 85w 112 combos go.  I have to give credit to sr.com's jam room, it was ideas culled from reading the threads there that got me to tinkering with my Supreme's settings, to make it sound more natural.  The T-dynamics pot is really useful, rolling it back really allows that amp to blossom.  Less pre-gain, more post-gain, and lots of mids! 

[db3jed]

I'm with you 100% on the bulletproof theory.  It's a real shame that Peavey doesn't still offer a high wattage solid state (sans digi fx).  The Bandit, I'm told, is still a monster...as far as 85w 112 combos go.  I have to give credit to sr.com's jam room, it was ideas culled from reading the threads there that got me to tinkering with my Supreme's settings, to make it sound more natural.  The T-dynamics pot is really useful, rolling it back really allows that amp to blossom.  Less pre-gain, more post-gain, and lots of mids! 

Yep, and I'm with you on the less pre/more post and also watch the treble and presence.
The T-Dynamics circuitry is a seriously misunderstood and highly underrated asset of these amps.
You are absolutely right, the amp seriously blooms, breathes, and is more dynamic with the T-Dynamics knob backed off.

It really is a shame that most of the SS amps out there now are strictly being marketed as "do everything" amps with digital BS as a part of the design.
Of course that's probably what's gonna' sell these days.

[justinhedrick]

I want a supreme now . . . which one to get? the non-red graphics trans tube one?

[db3jed]

I want a supreme now . . . which one to get? the non-red graphics trans tube one?

If you're going with a Transtube model then that would be my personal recommendation.
You might actually like the 2nd gen models though so give 'em a spin if you run up on one.

Like I said earlier, the Supreme 160 (blue stripe) is a good amp too.
It's loud and reliable (in my experience) and I've seen a few for sale lately in the $150-225.00 range.

[beardofcthulhu]

I believe it's commonly referred to as the "block letter" model.  Has a different than usual Peavey logo on the front..plenty to be had on Egay, for a very affordable price.