October 31st, 2010 | 
Author: How would a high-gain distortion pedal for guitar work on a tube amp? I’ve heard they work better on solid state amplifiers, but I’m not sure. Just looking for a good metal tone.
Hello there,
I don’t know why a distortion pedal would not work with a tube amp. I had my first distortion pedal back in 1968 or 69. I got my first solid state amp nearly 20 years later, Maybe that person who told you that was referring to some particular pedal or, more likely, just did not know what they were talking about. Jimi Hendrix used distortion through this Marshall tube amp. So has a great many guitarists since.
The overdrive pedals are designed to sort of give you a tube effect with solid state by trying to duplicate the clipping effect of an over-driven tube amp.
If you have a tube amp, about any distortion pedal I can think of will sound fine with it.If you are considering whether to buy a tube amp there is a lot more to consider than just whether a distortion pedal works with it. I have played tube amps a long time and I am very fond of them. But I do play some on solid state. I currently like the B-52 solid state amp. It works quite well with distortion. I love vintage tubes, but still play some other amps on occasion. I also believe that tube amps are not for everyone, especially newer players who not have the experience level to give the tube amp proper care and maintenance.
Frankly, I think your speakers have as much to do with the quality of your sound with distortion as does the question between tube or solid state.
later,
Posted in tube amps
It doesn’t really make much difference. You usually use distortion pedals on your "clean" channel anyway… the thing that sets a tube amp apart from solid state is the overdrive.
Using a pedal to give a tube amp an extra kick in the ass is what they were first developed for, so whoever told you that they’re designed for solid-state amps is an idiot. They were specifically invented to get more distortion out of a tube amp.
I would never sacrifice the dynamics and response I get from a good cranked tube amp for a solid state… not ever. There’s no comparison. But that doesn’t mean I don’t use distortion pedals too.
References :
I like the Tube Driver.
References :
Hello there,
I don’t know why a distortion pedal would not work with a tube amp. I had my first distortion pedal back in 1968 or 69. I got my first solid state amp nearly 20 years later, Maybe that person who told you that was referring to some particular pedal or, more likely, just did not know what they were talking about. Jimi Hendrix used distortion through this Marshall tube amp. So has a great many guitarists since.
The overdrive pedals are designed to sort of give you a tube effect with solid state by trying to duplicate the clipping effect of an over-driven tube amp.
If you have a tube amp, about any distortion pedal I can think of will sound fine with it.If you are considering whether to buy a tube amp there is a lot more to consider than just whether a distortion pedal works with it. I have played tube amps a long time and I am very fond of them. But I do play some on solid state. I currently like the B-52 solid state amp. It works quite well with distortion. I love vintage tubes, but still play some other amps on occasion. I also believe that tube amps are not for everyone, especially newer players who not have the experience level to give the tube amp proper care and maintenance.
Frankly, I think your speakers have as much to do with the quality of your sound with distortion as does the question between tube or solid state.
later,
References :