ok i own a VHT pitbull fifty and i just changed the EL34 tubes in it because one of the old ones broke. it sounded good for a few minutes and then made a bunch of weird noises and now when i turn it on, im not getting any sound.....does anyone know what the problem might be??

did you get matched tubes?

yeah as far as i know...they were given to me by our old guitarist, and he was always on top of shit like that

it's probably not a fixed bias amp....

whenever you put in new tubes, the bias on the amp has to be adjusted to match the bias on the tubes.

some amps have a "fixed" bias, while others have a bias adjuster built into them somewhere.

i imagine your problem is that you need to have the amp's bias adjusted to match the tubes. i'd bring it to a shop or someone who knows what they're doing....

that's my best guess....

throw it out an 8th story window, maybe 9th, i dont exactly recall, but that will usually solve the problem.

never change tubes yourself unless you know how to bias an amp. i.e. you need a voltmeter or whatever.

It needs to be biased, make sure your amp is set for EL34s and not other tube sizes (el34s are gay in the first place).

Never attempt to service your amp yourself if you don't know exactly what your doing, tube amplifiers like your VHT and store lethal amount of electricity in the tubes for years without even being plugged in.

hang on whats gay about EL34s?

danny, get that shit done by a pro. i dont want to see the pitbull mistreated. it hurts my heart.

buy solid state its 2005 for christ sake you dont NEED tubes to sound good anymore!

TUBE > SS

period.

anonymous said:

You're hurting my wee little ears.

SS for well over a decade

when I got my JCM900 though I never looked back

RustedAngel said:

= ss>tubes period

you ears > some tube snobs biased opinion






oooooooh snap

hahaha to be honest i like the tube snobs theyre amusing ,theyre always online looking for help ,wondering why there tube amps dont work then they go and defend the things. only in america do you see shit like that!

in communist russia, tube defends you!

danny p nli said:

we arent in russia dipshit were in the u s of kickin a and over here we melt the cheese and play solid state,and when we record we do it digital!!= tubes=

I'm sorry but 90% of solid state amps sound like ass. The only modeler that can stand up to a real tube amp is a POD but it will never be REAL. Vox Valvetronix amps have a decent modeling system as well, still not the real thing.

It has nothing to do with being in russia or being a 'snob'...very interesting how almost every metal (and not even metal) band records using a 5150/Mesa/Engl/JCM800's 900's. The most widely used probably the 5150 for even live situations.

i think you should go down to your local daddys{after you take your head out of your ass of course}and do some window shopping technology gets better everyday while your bullshit tubes get a little weaker.

i can definetly agree with tommy on certain spots, though. tube amps have a very distinct midrange which work wonderfully on recordings. but i can go either way as far as tube or solid state is concerned. i have owned both, and have thoroughly enjoyed both.

yeah i pretty much wish i never made this thread so anonymous herbs couldnt try and tell me what to buy....thats obviously blues line of work.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ps i made a fucking yakov smirnoff joke and no one got it...

i got it, im just not going to give you credit for being clever!

back to talking about amps! hah!

if you went solid state youd be playing guitar now instead of starting stupid 1980s threads about {i dont know what to do ! my tubes arent working ! wah wah wah}

dont act like youre any better by being biased to solid state, now.

to each their own. as long as your tone isnt shit, you dont have anything to worry about.

ps. i have another solid state amp im playing happily. all is well in the world of minding other peoples business

blue said:

im just relly fed up with this tube,analog bullshit ,old way of doing things people just cling to them and wont hear anything else about it talking to alot of those people is like talking to born again christians ,you can back up what you say with facts and a faraway look comes into there eyes and they just wont hear it,...but anyway your right ultimately the tones all that matters!

danny p nli said:

you started the thread fucko! i believe the title was "i need amp help" you kinda brought it on yourself anyway ...go digital or go home=

I use a pod into a mesa simul 295 tube amp...does that make me a hypocrite?

I think ss amps are great for practice amps, but recording or stage....Ill choose tubes forever.

and how proud we all are of you!!

well, ya....you should be, thats why I didnt ask for instant approval.

well, that and because I said it.
So its obviously gonna be right.

I changed the tubes in my head sometime last year myself and my head hasnt had a problem at all in the sound.... i dont know ive got a 5150 evh model. I agree with tom nothing can beat a tube sound its a warm and natural tone that nothing can directly copy, and believe me every solid state tries to mimic the sound of a tube head no matter what.

but falls short in the FULL dept. always.

show me a ss that sounds like a tube and acts like a tube, and Ill buy it.

believe me every solid state tries to mimic the sound of a tube head no matter what. >>

and theyve been doing it succesfully for some time now

name one ss amp that sounds like a tube amp

line6 spider when set up properly old marshall i think it was the 800's or 900's most of peaveys ss amps are great and i even had a floor processor rp20 digitech taht sounded every bit as good as tubes oops wait a second that might have had tubes anyway the problem isnt tubes its that they wear out arent reliable and most importantly arent necessary anymore!

youre in hand choke neck arent you?

danny, your amp rules. I hope it serves you well for many more years.

thing is fucking aces.

anonymous said:

yes.



Ive played a spider.....NEIN!!
that DOES NOT sound like a tube amp dood....cmon.

You say tubes arent needed? Then why are they still being produced? Why are so many tube ONLY amp companies still in business?

fear of the future and retards who just wont let go...

ha ha ha if you werent 23 percent gay youd understand ...

lol....right.
More like justifying being too frugal, and convincing myself my ss is as good as a tube......zing a liscious pally pal.... zing-the-fuck-aliscious.

ITS ONLY AT 23% CUZ I SHAVED MY SET ONCE.

ha ha ha the imp[ortant thing is that you like your sound wether its ss or tube can we agree on that?

powerkok said:

did she talk you into it or was it your idea?

Honestly, it was all me....but Im talkin pure frustration of Italian Jungle caused it.

anonymous said:

exactly pal....thats why I said I use a POD (ss) and a Mesa (tube)....in the first place, potty neck!!

ha ha ha if i was just ripping off old suffocation songs id need a tube amp also !!!

OHHHHH! OOHHHHH!

anonymous said:

now now im just kidding i actually like you guys alot

For the anonymous retard who's touting solid state: you're 100% correct. Solid state amps CAN sound like a tube amp. Especially, like you mentioned, some of the stuff line6 has been putting out.

The problem is, solid state does not REACT like tubes, and won't for a long time.

I like vanilla, you like chocolate. At the end of the day, it's all about who has the bottle of hot fudge. Dimebag made solid state sound righteous. Kurt Cobain made tubes sound like crap.

Solid state amps can definately sound GOOD, just as long as they don't say CRATE or GORILLA on the front.

As for Nikanzi's comment, tubes don't hold a charge. Capacitors do. However, you're right that a guitar amp that hasn't had it's capacitors drained can hold a charge (strong enough to knock you unconscious or worse) for over 3 weeks, so if you don't know what you're doing, don't work on your own amps. This goes for solid state amps as well. Anything with an output transformer in it.

ArrowHead nli said:

By extensive experience, you mean is that what I've found after playing guitar for over 15 years, majoring in applied jazz guitars in college, and playing a huge assortment of tube AND solid state amps over the years, including line6 gear for the last 2 years?

Yes, that's what I believe.

You should:
a) Be thankful someone agreed with you
b) Learn to sign your name to your posts so people take you seriously.

i dont want to be taken seriously! but i can tell from your long lists of accomplishments that you do by the way you could go to college for 666 years and still have a shitty ear so you should a.blow me b.stop taking yourself so seriously c.throw out your tube amp d.practice playing guitar instead of coming online with your fancy credentials and blowin smoke up my ass

waiting...

Actually, I went to college 3 freshman years, and dropped out.

a) I could never blow a man with no name.
b) I never take myself seriously. Most people here know that.
c) I just told you I've been using line6 for the last 2 years. I don't OWN a tube amp anymore. See? You're being a retard again. I HATE retarded people, seriously.
d) I'm practicing guitar right now, and do so for about 1/2 hour to an hour a night. What the hell does that have to do with anything, by the way? Firstly, I'm a singer. Secondly, as you've posted on my other thread, you should already know that I'm more than ready to admit I'm not as good a guitarist as half the people on here.

As for my shitty ear, I'm the only one here so far to agree with you about solid state sounding as good as tube, so you just hurt your own argument by insulting my ears.

Your wait is over. I could do this for hours.

wow Suffocation huh?
that s a first....Im flattered.

powerkok said:

just playing with you. i actually like your band quite a bit

ArrowHead nli said:

i cant believe this thread is still going...more proof people prefer to argue?

for anyone who comes to this thread later...this is about amps...not about bickering

for bickering, go to...well, go anywhere really....godammit

brian_dc said:

actually this thread is about how staggeringly superior solid state amps are compared to tube amps..but yes if you want to argue about that do it someplace else

Solid state is like the new metallica: some people like it, and some people know that it's pretty damned gay.

anonymousretard said:

Basically the more you push a tube amp, the tighter it gets; and the more you push a solid state amp the more broken up it sounds.

Tube amps have more measurable output for less measurable electric current.

Bottom line.

ArrowHead nli said:

Not a good analogy, since Metallica is gay, solid state amps are not. I've been abusing my Flextone II for about 3 years now and it sounds just as good as the day I bought it.

Higher end solid states sound good.
Solid states are meant to mimic overloaded vacuum tubes, but digital effects are often week because you can't sound exactly like a overdriven tube with an effect processor, it just doesn't work that way.

Solid states are an attempt to make amps for people who can't afford the quality of tube amps and aren't smart enough to service them. Solid states are not made as a 'difference in opinion' It's like epiphone Vs Gibson.

If tubes were lighter weight and lower maintenance, most of you would be singing a different tune.





The bottom line here is metallica is and always has been gay.

I still think the anonymous guy is a retard.

Saying guitar players should use Solid State instead of Tube Amps is like saying drummers should use Electronic Drums instead of real Drums.

to be frank, if I was going to say retarded shit supporting solid state I'd stay anonymous too.

I've used some great SS gear but it's not even close to the warm tones you can get from Tube. Even the brights are warm instead of harsh.

the only SS shit is like that early stuff where they were making it sound more like tubes and really just overall mid-range. That fucking awful shit that Crate and buddies were making in the 90s is so terrible sometimes.

the_taste_of_cigarettes said:

you are a fucking moron to put down crate.

HAHAHA!

I played a crate amp for the first 5 years I played guitar. I loved it, but man was the tone horrible. Ironically, my best friend had a rig where he had cut the pre-amp section out of his 50 or 60 watt crate combo, and rack mounted it into a stereo rig. He had some of the sickest tones I'd ever heard, even though it was the same exact pre-amp I had.

There's been a few solid state amps I've used that sound great, and for those that always say it's not as "warm" and such, I disagree. The sounds of a solid state amp can be IDENTICAL to those of a tube amp with 2 exceptions. I think a lot of the newer POD stuff, like the livext shows that.

The two exceptions:

1)Heat. As a tube amp is turned on, the tubes begin getting hotter. They gradually change in temperature as it warms up, and the tone is effected. Therefore, the amp you start playing on isn't the same sound as when you're done. SS amps are constant and consistent, therefore the sound doesn't tend to shift and breathe as much

2)Response. Tube amps respond to velocity and attack very differently. A solid state is very even. There's some attempts at being velocity sensitive with solid state stuff, but even the best line6 stuff doesn't handle dynamic playing well with distortion. Clean they do well, but with a high gain distortion there's absolutely no dynamic response.