Good Bad and Ugly

The true sound of a great tube amp on full tilt is hard to beat - or is it?

Those little pesky silicon squares above are getting more and more clever these days with 'simulated' amps being all the rage - I prefer to think of them as 'virtual' amp emulators i.e not quite the real thing. When you actually come down to it, not a single one of these silicon wonders compares to the tube amp and I should know, I've been there a thousand times.

The marketing of the virtual amp emulations will have you believe that the little red box they are selling is the answer to everything - WRONG. At first, if you only have the amp emulator there it does sound good, and if you go 'direct' in to the desk it also sounds good.... that is, until you actually plug in the tube amp and play - loud!

The difference is amazing. There is, all of a sudden, the reason in your ears exactly why the best guitarists in the world use tube amps. After comparing the silicon emulators with the real thing, you will also agree far more often than not that the tube amp wins EVERY time. Like me, you will probably also sell your little red boxes and get the money back.....

I don't mind admitting that I have spent big money on these amp simulators. It's funny really, because no matter what it is, from which maker (they all say theirs is better than the rest) or how much it costs then the silicon emulator is the best - I don't think so.

Over the years there has been another tendency that is creeping back in once again - include a preamp valve that the user can see - that will make it a valve amp sound.. again, I don't think so. You see, the truth is quite painful, it is that VERY old technology still kicks the but off brand new little boxes with the latest graphics and innovations inside.

Makers like Marshall, Fender, Mesa and others simply don't use valves because they are cheaper - the truth is, any classic amp maker will tell you that the tube amps are the real answer and will probably remain so for some time.

Marshall have introduced transistor amps for a very long time and they always did sound crap. Maybe the very newest rocks, but not quite like the tube amps, that's one of the reasons why Marshall still makes tube amps, because they have little choice. The guitarists want tubes!

You might find pages appearing on the left of this page describing and (even) reviewing some of the silicon emulators (with sound bytes) so you can make up your own mind. I am also considering adding pages here that show the best (in my view), the worst (again in my view) and the downright ugly amps that you would not be seen dead playing through.

Keep this page bookmarked and we will see.