So I’m really excited… I got a new guitar amp a few days ago and it flippin rocks!
I’ve spoken with several guitar players that I respect a great deal. They all had many things to say, and two of them were consistent with everyone:
- Go out and play some amps.
- Tubes.
Tubes? There are all kinds of jokes in here including what to do if the amp breaks (get it fixed! Get it? Fixed? Get its tubes tied? Nevermind…). Seriously, the tubes are related to vacuum tubes! I’m not makin’ this up! The same kind of vacuum tubes that used to be inside computers when they took up a whole room at IBM.
Think about a rock guitar that uses a little bit of distortion. That distortion is created by overdriving a tube (or tubes). In the 80s, circuits were used to re-create that overdrive and amps were made in a “solid state” form.
Since then, many musicians have found more warmth and better tone (and overtone) in amps with tubes. And after playing a solid-state amp next to a tube amp I can’t help but agree. It’s awesome!
So what did I buy? I bought a Peavey ValveKing 212 Combo. It’s 100 watts, 7 tubes, and all rock. Check out the links on the left side of the product page for a little taste…