Tube Always Better??

[VintageTone]

Hey im looking to upgrade from my
marshall mg30dfx, ive been looking around
and i can get a marshall valvstate 2000
avt 50watt head and 4x12 cab for a very good price
or something like an all tube peavy valveking?
as you can see my budget is very low and cant afford much
just wondering weather the marshall hybrid is better or worse
than the peavy valveking or something simliar in that price range

thanks, vintagetone

 

[riffdrive]

On paper the ValveKing looks good, but the few that I've played have sounded rather sterile for an all-tube amp.

Just about everyone here is going to recommend that you save your pennies for however long it takes and get a real all-tube Marshall. Deep down that's probably what you want anyway, and buying anything else will just be disappointing. That being said I know lots of guys who have valvestates and love them, so if you've played through one and you like it, pull the trigger.

 

[GibsonSlash]

You could probably get a used DSL 401 within that price range and just skip the AVT.

 

[p3dsman]

IMHO, save up, and absolutely go with an all-tube Marshall, you can't go wrong. In the longrun, I think you will thank yourself. I played with solid state this or that for a long time, and I have my own Marshall stack now and will never part with it...I hear what I have been missing for so long now.

 

[GibsonSlash]

That's a sweet looking Marshall stack you got there

 

[00jett]

alot of ppl diss the jcm 900 amps but you can get them for very cheap these days and they still have that incredable all tube sound. iv seen some combos sell for 500 - 800 bucks. and thats canadian. say what you will about them they still have that incredable tube sound that cant be had with a valvestate.

 

[p0ss3s3d]

Yeah, I don't know your budget excatly but you can read a thread i started, but as said previously a jcm900 is a great first valve amp especially because they cost so little in the us

 

[p3dsman]

That's a sweet looking Marshall stack you got there

Thank you GibsonSlash! It's an honor to have it.

 

[p0ss3s3d]

p3dsman, yeah nice set-up how do you find the volume on the DSL?

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

Hello. if you do a search, you can probably get a good DSL or TSL very cheap. I saw a DSL 100 for about $600 at gc, but they can be found for even lower from a private seller, so I'd say up too since it may not take too long.

I once owned a Marshall Lead 100 mosfet and can say that it was a very good amp. Granted, the clean channel wasn't all that, but it really was all about the gain. If you can find one, I suggest you try it and see what you think.

 

[guitaryellow]

Hey im looking to upgrade from my
marshall mg30dfx, ive been looking around
and i can get a marshall valvstate 2000
avt 50watt head and 4x12 cab for a very good price
or something like an all tube peavy valveking?
as you can see my budget is very low and cant afford much
just wondering weather the marshall hybrid is better or worse
than the peavy valveking or something simliar in that price range

thanks, vintagetone

Are you looking for a home amp or an amp to take out?

 

[VintageTone]

Hey thanks for the info on the mosfet,
theres one on ebay right now for £100
as im olny 14 i never have any money
and my dad wont buy it for me
any tips on persuading people to
buy you a new amp?

 

[VintageTone]

guitaryellow, im looking for an amp for both
i do have a mg combo which i can use for home use
so.....

 

[p3dsman]

p3dsman, yeah nice set-up how do you find the volume on the DSL?

Thanks. Well to start, I quite enjoy playing loud, who doesn't? Most of the time it's neighbors or family that I keep it down in respect. Thankfully, I don't get to worry about either since my house is separated quite a bit from other houses and my family enjoys the sounds cranked up a bit. I also have the amplifier in our living room, the room itself is about 20ftx15ft and 10ft ceiling with the old concrete walls, so the acoustics are pretty cool sounding.

I usually play at 3-5, depending on my mood lol, but I realistically haven't yet found a need to go past 5 on this....it's mind blowing. I turned it up one day for my brother in-law to about 7 and his exact words were "I am not used to hearing myself this loud, it's a bit unnerving".

I have my cabinets wired mono, 16 ohms for a total load of 8 ohms to the amp, just like Marshall recommends. It's fantastic sounding!

I can also play at civilized levels around 1-2, it's a little muddier since it's just the preamp tubes in use, BUT, if I stick my OD pedal in front, it sounds pretty close to the cranked sound IMO.

----


For the poster, VintageTone, I just can't stress enough how much the tube amps are worth it! Like I said I've played solid states, and even used PC Software like Amplitube and Guitar Rig....they are great sounding, but the real tube amp sound is a perfect 10/10 in my book. They are really expensive, almost too expensive, especially for the good ones. If you are not able to get the one you want right now, then just save up in the meantime, even if it takes you a few years...you get what you pay for with a tube amp IMO, and doing it that way will give you more time to learn about what you want in a tube amp. When you finally have the $$$, you will get that tube amp you have always wanted and feel ever proud playing it.


.

 

[Purgasound]

i agree with saving up some money. it may take a while to get the cash but if you buy a proper Marshall once, you'll never have to buy it twice. Upgrading little by little will just cost more money over a longer time and all tube Marshalls hold their value really well also. I know how it is at 14 though, I had a 100w Crate combo amp for what seemed like forever until I finally got a DSL. I can never go back now!

 

[Riffraff]

Keep your's eye's open searching Craig's list for used amps. Affordable DSLs and 900s come up often. Get off your butt and mow some lawns for the few hundred more you'll need to get your first real Marshall. You won't be sorry, believe me. American Viking is dead right, they hold there value and you can flip them and try another when G.A.S. strikes because it will. If you try that with a solidstate you will lose most of what you put into it. Ask anyone that played in the '80s what they got for their rack gear when they decided to sell it and go back to all tube amps.

 

[Jesstaa]

Hey thanks for the info on the mosfet,
theres one on ebay right now for £100
as im olny 14 i never have any money
and my dad wont buy it for me
any tips on persuading people to
buy you a new amp?

I'm 14 too, and I have my own JCM900 head.
I had to save up like $600 of my own money, and then I convinced my mum to LEND me $500 more, note the lend part, I fully intend to pay her back, try that with your Dad.

And being 14 and having your own valve Marshall head will be all the greater dude, trust me.

 

[theflyingmat]

Hey thanks for the info on the mosfet,
theres one on ebay right now for £100
as im olny 14 i never have any money
and my dad wont buy it for me
any tips on persuading people to
buy you a new amp?

Ok...when you state 100 quid, I take it you live in the UK. Is that the case?

 

[rockinr0ll]

The MG and AVT are cheap and easy to bring around for gigs and practices because you don't have to worry about it breaking and that is why I use the AVT.

The other tube amps I have tried did sound way better though, but are not always practical for the jamming musician.

 

[Jesstaa]

The MG and AVT are cheap and easy to bring around for gigs and practices because you don't have to worry about it breaking and that is why I use the AVT.

The other tube amps I have tried did sound way better though, but are not always practical for the jamming musician.

Think of it like this - Guitarists who use bulky Marshall valve heads will get big muscles and get all the chicks =P