Other points to take note of are clean headroom and tonal characteristics. If you do have concerns about noise levels, you might want to check out a digital alternative for home practice instead. Without a power attenuator or master volume control, a 15-watt valve amp will likely be too loud for home use – even a five-watt tube amp can be enough to make the neighbours bang on the walls. That said, speaker efficiency plays a significant part, so be mindful of that too. It’s not so loud that sound engineers will hate you, but you won’t have difficulties being heard above the drummer. If you are able to mic up your amp through a PA, we’ve found that 15-30 watts is the ‘Goldilocks zone’ for most gigging players. ![]() Identifying whether your amp will accompany you on stage or remain in your bedroom is another factor to consider when looking at wattage. Too low, and you’ll struggle to find any clean headroom – although some would argue that being able to overdrive low-powered tube amps at sensible volumes is a big part of their appeal. Too high, and you won’t be able to properly turn your amp up to its sweet spot. If you’re stepping into the world of tube amplification for the first time, deciding on a power rating is a good starting point. Buying a tube amp: what should you look for? Their dynamic response, feel, articulation and harmonic complexity are still difficult for even high-end modellers to emulate. There’s also no denying that volume limits at live venues have become much stricter, and smaller, lighter amplifiers are becoming increasingly popular.īut convenience and practicality aside, there’s still something hugely inspiring and emotive about old-school tube amps. This is a question that’s been debated since the dawn of the transistor, but digital modelling technology has made major dents in the tube amp market in recent years. ![]() Tube vs solid-state: what should you choose? But the list that follows includes amps that span a wide variety of prices to help you find the ultimate valve companion for your budget – whether you want something pedalboard-friendly, easily overdriven, loud enough to drown out an obnoxious drummer or versatile enough for a small session. READ MORE: The best pedalboard amps to buy this year.And even the most popular digital amplifiers expend the majority of their processing power attempting to recreate the chest-thumping tones of old. Although technology has progressed quite a bit since the golden age of rock ’n’ roll, for many guitarists, vintage-style tube amplifiers still represent the high-water mark for guitar tone.
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