I have no problem understanding why fender tube amps are popular for surf. However wouldn't a good clean sounding solid state amp ala Roland Jazz chorus or so work even better?
Just like many in country also prefer solid state?
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Solid state amps?
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Joined: Jul 11, 2010 Posts: 135 Norway |
Posted on Jul 11 2010 09:02 PM
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Joined: Nov 09, 2008 Posts: 1140 Davenport Iowa 
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Posted on Jul 11 2010 11:54 PM
In theory yes, but missing something —Give me reverb or give me death! |
Joined: Mar 17, 2007 Posts: 839 United Kingdom
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Posted on Jul 12 2010 12:34 AM
Tubes compress a bit and have a slightly warmer sound even when clean but both of these affect the 'feel' to the player more than they affect the sound to the guy sat in the audience. I have no doubt that a decent Surf sound could be wrought from a good solid-state amp with a reverb tank. Like nearly all questions like this, of much higher importance is how good is the tone you create with your hands. —http://www.myspace.com/thepashuns Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery. |
Joined: Dec 23, 2008 Posts: 3324 Pittsboro, NC 
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Posted on Jul 13 2010 08:14 AM
I'd say if many modern surf guitarists actually DID play clean, SS may have caught on more, but a lot of the surf many of us know and love is fairly colored (and a lot of it is downright overdriven, such as MoAM.). I think trad players (who are inclined to play cleaner) are also into the historical aspect of surf music too, which means using the equipment available during the early 60's. — |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 13 2010 11:29 AM
Very true, Morphball. DD, Eddie Bertrand, Randy Holden (of the Fender IV), the Atlantics, Larry Weed of the Original Surfaris - these guys did not have a clean amp sound. Their amps were clearly cranking pretty good, providing a fair amount of overdrive that only tubes can. Also, for the surf players that did play clean, well, you know, there's clean and then there's CLEAN. Solid state does sterile, tight clean very well (think many '80s guitar sounds), but surf guitar needs that 'warm', looser clean. Some solid state amps CAN do it pretty well, and in fact, the Ventures used the Roland JC120 quite a lot in the '80s. But there's a difference. —Ivan |
Joined: Dec 26, 2008 Posts: 122 Binghamton, NY 
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Posted on Jul 13 2010 12:11 PM
I tried for years to use solid state, I found a GK 250 rl into a Marshall cabinet, with a Tech 21 Tri Od almost worked. Solid state is lighter to carry, and less maintance, but the best it can be is a good backup. I plug into my tube amp and there is the tone that is worth all the problems. Last edited: Jul 13, 2010 20:11:21 |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3848 North Atlantic 
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Posted on Jul 13 2010 04:30 PM
I used a Roland JC 120 at the very beginning of USK (no recordings available). It did indeed lack something for surf. I did use it for a clean sound in my pre-surf days (along with a Peavey 5150 for mondo crunch). Those 2 amps were just too big to carry around. Rev —Canadian Surf |
Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan 
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 12:09 PM
Daikaiju use Roland JC120s don't they? But they do not play anything remotely like trad surf. |
Joined: Sep 29, 2015 Posts: 479 |
Posted on Dec 23 2015 12:21 PM
Your forgetting the importance of the unicorn blood that is vacuum sealed inside tubes for extra magicality. |
Joined: Sep 28, 2012 Posts: 925 Berlin, Germany
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 12:42 PM
When I saw the Kilaueas last weekend both Ralf and Tom were playing their Yamaha solid state amps. Nothing sterile there: Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin) |
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Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 12:45 PM
Yes, I think you can sound awesome on any decent amp if you can play well – and have a tank!!! |
Joined: Mar 23, 2011 Posts: 518 colorado springs
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 01:44 PM
I see nothing wrong with SS. I play with tubes now, but some of the best surf sounds I ever achieved were in a Fender Frontman 25R. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 01:49 PM
Due to a string of poorly received Solid State amps, the industry stopped making 'professional' solid state amps for a long time. Now the technology is back, the demand is there(for lighter, more portable, lower cost), but what is not there is the trust. There are those out there making good solid state amps, but it will take time to convince the industry. And Fender tube amps are relatively inexpensive, we are very lucky we don't play amps by other companies. |
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Joined: Feb 28, 2013 Posts: 350 
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 02:48 PM
I got this SS amp a couple of months ago. Supposedly a bass amp w/2x12 (70's?), it works very well with guitars/baritones.
Last edited: Dec 23, 2015 14:49:22 |
Joined: Mar 11, 2011 Posts: 819 Semass
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 03:27 PM
I had a vintage vox ss amp. It sounded like you'd expect any vox to, and being that it was a small combo, it broke up early and low, and did its thing really well. My only problem with it was: it sounded like a vox! I'm not against ss amps at all. I'm just in the "it ain't broke (yet)" camp so I'll keep using what I have. |
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Joined: Jul 13, 2008 Posts: 782
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 04:06 PM
I still have my Fender Showman heads, but my Quilter Mach 2 Micro Pro is the only amp I take on all gigs now - big, deep headroom, nice reverb, surf 6L6-style tone, everything I need to get the job done, with excellent response and feel. Never thought I'd switch, though! |
Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2778 Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 05:02 PM
I have a Kustom K-200 PA amp head that powers our vintage Kustom PA occasionally, and I plugged it in recently. It sounded surprisingly good. I had used a Kustom as my main guitar amp for a couple of years in the late '60's and the PA head reminded me of just what one of Bud Ross's rolled and pleated monsters was capable of. Too much "transistor blow" for me to try it with the band, but still kicking. Tough, really tough amp. We had three-three 15 K-200's in Charcoal! Wish I still had mine............ ed —Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps? |
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Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2778 Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 05:06 PM
JO, I'm not sure what Daikaiju is currently playing out of, but for a long time they used silver face Twin Reverbs at The Clarkson Surf Fests. ed —Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps? |
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Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Dec 23 2015 08:28 PM
I think Daikaiju was using the JC's when they played the Redwood last year. They don't depend on Fender-type tones. I have read that the Ampeg SS140C has design issues that make it hard to fix when it breaks. I do put a lot of stock in their quality though. I had a little Marshall Valvestate combo that would inexplicably go quiet form time to time, and the Ampeg has done that to me so I would have to get it fixed before gigging with it. I read that it has big ribbons of leads inside and is a bitch to fix. — |
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Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2778 Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Dec 24 2015 08:29 AM
Those wide ribbon cables are notorious for being problematic. My Mackie 32-8 has had ongoing challenges with the aux sends that are related to those cables not making adequate contact with the cable conductors where the connector is pressed onto the ribbon cable. Mackie at one point offered a fix- it kit of cables but I never fooled around with trying to replace them as I generally only use two of the aux sends. I have found that when they get flakey, I just blast a high level signal through them and that usually seems to help re-establish the contact. ed —Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps? |
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