Electric guitar amp series#
Electric guitar amp download#

When we compared the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb to an original ’65 Deluxe Reverb, it proved to be a much closer thing than anyone anticipated, with the Tone Master series offering some of the closest digital emulations of the vintage valve-amp experience than ever before. + Incredibly authentic Deluxe Reverb tones

Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor.

The best solid-state amplifiers at a glance… Do you want your digital amp to emulate the look and feel of a vintage valve amp, with just a simple array of controls to navigate? Or are you happy to navigate menu after menu on an LCD screen, or fire up an app for deep editing over Bluetooth? All of these options and more can be found in the list that follows. For example, Fender’s Tone Master Deluxe Reverb utilises a 100-watt solid-state power amp to emulate the output of a 22-watt tube amp. Where a 20-watt valve combo will be just fine as a gigging amp, a 20-watt modelling amp likely won’t be heard above your drummer.

Solid-state and digital amps don’t need to be driven hard to sound good, but on the other hand, the perceived volume of valve amplifiers is much greater. Impulse responses, amp-modelling, hybrid designs… there’s a lot of jargon to navigate but before you dive into our list, think about what you need from a guitar amplifier. Buying a solid-state amp: what should you look for?

Kemper and Axe-Fx are the go-to digital systems for touring pros but these days, you don’t have to spend a fortune to sound great, so let us be your guide. And even low-powered valve amps are loud.

Electric guitar amp download#

That said, many of the new generation of digital modelling amplifiers offer a stunning and endlessly inspiring array of tones and effects to play with, not to mention the ability to swap tones with other users and download profiles of classic tube amps that are way beyond the budget of mere mortals. On the other hand, how’s that smartphone from 2010 working out for you? See, we told you it wasn’t that simple. A well-maintained tube amplifier from 1955 is more than capable of delivering the goods on stage and in the studio for decades to come.

Sure, valves fail, but they are easy to replace, and tube circuits tend to be much easier for amp techs to repair than modern digital ones. Lighter, more affordable, no tube changes – what’s not to like about solid-state amps, right? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that. Tube vs solid-state: what should you choose? Although tube tone and feel is still the high-water mark, there’s never been a better time to make the jump to a guitar amplifier based on solid-state or digital architecture. Harnessed to a solid-state preamp, digital modelling tech is now so convincing that it can be hard for even the most discerning listener to hear the difference between the modelled sound and the ‘real thing’, especially in the context of a band mix. Over the past two decades, digital modelling has changed everything. Other than the Roland Jazz Chorus and a handful of other notable exceptions, throughout the 80s and 90s, solid-state amps were mainly confined to the bedrooms of beginners, with even the space-station-sized digital racks of stadium guitarists having valve preamps and power amps at their core. READ MORE: The best tube amplifiers to buy this year.For many years, the flattering compression, clipping, saturation and non-linear response of valve amps that most guitarists crave seemed beyond the capabilities of solid-state technology. Although solid-state guitar amplification dates back to the early 1960s, the lion’s share of the greatest electric guitar tones of all time were generated by vacuum tubes rather than transistors.