If you’re shopping for a guitar amplifier, there are a lot of models to choose from, but they all fall into two broad categories; either the amp has tubes or it doesn’t. A lot of professional players choose tube amps, and it’s because of the tone. Famous tube amps by Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie and many other manufacturers, have set the bar for popular guitar tones – they’ve shaped the very idea of what we think a guitar and amp should sound like.

Over the years, there has been a vast array of new technologies brought to bear on achieving tube-like tone, without using tubes. Some of those technologies have been amazing. Check out amps that feature ‘modeling’ and you’ll hear what I’m talking about. They typically digitize the signal from your guitar, crunch and flavour the bits, and convert back into an analogue signal to come roaring out of the amp’s speaker(s). You can go from Marshall to vintage Fender to Mesa Boogie with the turn of a knob.

You might be asking at this point, if guitarists generally agree that tube amps sound better, then why doesn’t everyone just buy tube amps? Well, tube amps have a few characteristics that may make a player think twice:
• tube amps are more expensive than solid-state amps, feature for feature
• tube amps are heavier than a comparable solid-state amp
• tube amps require more maintenance, as tubes wear out and have to be replaced
• tube amps might be more prone to damage if handled roughly
• tube amps produce more heat

When it comes to features per dollar spent, a solid-state amp delivers more than an equivalent tube amp in most cases. For lots of players, the advantages a solid-state amp offers make them a better choice.

Personally, I’ve owned different amps over the years, both tube and solid state. My first amp was a small tube amp, and I moved to solid-state amps. I found they were much more reliable, and I could afford more power (RMS wattage rating = louder). The other key factor is they were a lot lighter, which at 2AM as you lug an amp up or down a long flight of stairs after 4 hours of playing your heart out, makes a difference.

At this point in my life, I own two guitar amps, and they’re both tube amps. I put up with the extra weight because for me, the tone is worth it. It’s hard to describe the difference, but it’s like when I play through a solid-state amp the sound is good, but it’s two-dimensional. When I play through a tube amp, it adds a third dimension. There is something there that I can’t put my finger on, but the sound is more satisfying to play into. If you blindfolded me and made me listen to someone playing through different amps and asked me to pick out which was a tube amp and which wasn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if you fooled me. But if I was playing through the amp myself, blindfolded, I think I’d be able to tell the difference. Hmmm, maybe I’ll have to try that sometime.