Tube Guitar Amp
One thing that I've learned about a serious guitar player is that a tube guitar amp can be one of those pieces of equipment that really shows he or she is really serious about their music.
Perhaps more important is the fact that the serious guitarist, is serious about how others hear their music.
Another thing I've learned is that this subject is a very personal and often hotly contested one.
That said, arguments often break out (sometimes very heated arguments) when a tube guitar amp is mentioned.
If incredibly pure and natural guitar sounds are extremely important to you, and you are willing (and able) to put up with a little extra expense and bother to work with what some call the finest amplification technology in the world, then you might be rewarded greatly for your attitude - and your persistence.
Before I go into any more detail, how about a little history on the common vacuum tube? The vacuum tube was developed nearly 100 years ago as an electronic method to amplify the faint and feeble sounds of a new invention called the radio.
Previously, the radio was heard through earphones, as, up until that point in time, there was no way to amplify the faint sounds of music and news that were just starting to be broadcast on public airways.
A few years later, another wildly popular invention called the phonograph, that relied entirely on acoustics for its sound reproduction, really began to blossom as a quality source of music as the hot little vacuum tube became widely used in sound amplification.
But, what does all of this have to do with the tube guitar amp?Starting right after World War 2 (around 1945), amplified guitar music began to grow become popular with the public, and since the transistor hadn't been fully developed at that point, the dependable tube amplifier was used to help make electric guitars sound great (and loud).
The early tube guitar amps didn't make a lot of lot of power, (most developed less than 15 amps maximum).
But these early tube guitar amps were plenty good enough, and helped make possible a completely new type of music - rock and roll - that came about just a few years down the road.
Even though tube-type amplifiers were amazingly good at sound amplification, they did have a few drawbacks.
First, they were quite expensive, as the tubes themselves were expensive to make.
Second, due to the heat developed, these early amps used a lot of power for the sound they produced.
Transistors solved both of these problems, and as sound requirements (and cost) became much more demanding, electronic engineers used the transistor to amplify sound more cheaply and with a lot more power and control instead of a vacuum tube.
Those who seek the absolute and purest sounds available on the planet will argue to the ends of the earth that the warm, glowing vacuum tube always gives a much higher quality sound than the cold and efficient transistor.
The answer to this argument? It 's purely a personal one and the choice is yours, but you can still get a quality tube guitar amp at a great price!
Perhaps more important is the fact that the serious guitarist, is serious about how others hear their music.
Another thing I've learned is that this subject is a very personal and often hotly contested one.
That said, arguments often break out (sometimes very heated arguments) when a tube guitar amp is mentioned.
If incredibly pure and natural guitar sounds are extremely important to you, and you are willing (and able) to put up with a little extra expense and bother to work with what some call the finest amplification technology in the world, then you might be rewarded greatly for your attitude - and your persistence.
Before I go into any more detail, how about a little history on the common vacuum tube? The vacuum tube was developed nearly 100 years ago as an electronic method to amplify the faint and feeble sounds of a new invention called the radio.
Previously, the radio was heard through earphones, as, up until that point in time, there was no way to amplify the faint sounds of music and news that were just starting to be broadcast on public airways.
A few years later, another wildly popular invention called the phonograph, that relied entirely on acoustics for its sound reproduction, really began to blossom as a quality source of music as the hot little vacuum tube became widely used in sound amplification.
But, what does all of this have to do with the tube guitar amp?Starting right after World War 2 (around 1945), amplified guitar music began to grow become popular with the public, and since the transistor hadn't been fully developed at that point, the dependable tube amplifier was used to help make electric guitars sound great (and loud).
The early tube guitar amps didn't make a lot of lot of power, (most developed less than 15 amps maximum).
But these early tube guitar amps were plenty good enough, and helped make possible a completely new type of music - rock and roll - that came about just a few years down the road.
Even though tube-type amplifiers were amazingly good at sound amplification, they did have a few drawbacks.
First, they were quite expensive, as the tubes themselves were expensive to make.
Second, due to the heat developed, these early amps used a lot of power for the sound they produced.
Transistors solved both of these problems, and as sound requirements (and cost) became much more demanding, electronic engineers used the transistor to amplify sound more cheaply and with a lot more power and control instead of a vacuum tube.
Those who seek the absolute and purest sounds available on the planet will argue to the ends of the earth that the warm, glowing vacuum tube always gives a much higher quality sound than the cold and efficient transistor.
The answer to this argument? It 's purely a personal one and the choice is yours, but you can still get a quality tube guitar amp at a great price!
