It’s a debate for the ages. What kind of electric guitar amplifier is the best: Solid State or Tube/Valve? The first thing to mention that I’ve learned over the years; there is no ‘best'. When it comes to guitar gear and music, best is what is best to you. Everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences. I’ll keep the world of digital amplifiers out of this discussion and save that for another day. I am not an expert in electronics, so with that in mind, let’s talk about the basic technical definitions of these two types of amplifiers.

What is a Solid State Amplifier?

I’m going to take a moment and borrow some definitions from the ‘howstuffworks’ website:

“Solid-state gets its name from the path that electrical signals take through solid pieces of semi-conductor material. Prior to the use of solid-state devices, such as the common transistor, electricity passed through the various elements inside of a heated vacuum tube. Solid-state devices, such as a transistor, use conductors to control the flow of signals through a circuit. In a transistor amplifier, a small change on the input signal's amplitude is immediately reflected in larger amplitude in the output within a transistor”

What is a Tube Amplifier?

Again from ‘howstuffworks’ website:

“In a vacuum tube amplifier, after the tube warms up, a signal is applied to the "grid" of a tube and the resultant output of the same frequency is at a much higher amplitude.”

So there you have a couple basic definitions of solid state (transistor) and tube (also called vacuum tube and/or valve). I could get into more technical details, but I’ll leave that for the experts. My quick take is that solid state offers a quick power on, and tubes take a few moments to warm up and provide sound. It’s obviously more complicated than that, but that’s the basic info that most people are familiar with.

It’s all about the Tones

Now here is where thoughts and opinions can get divided. The overwhelming opinion that I’ve heard over the years is the people prefer tube amplifiers. So why doesn’t everyone just stick to tube amplifiers? There are a number of factors to consider when deciding whether to buy a solid state or tube amplifier. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of type. Keep in mind that these are my personal opinion and you may not agree with all of them.

Pros and Cons

Here is a quick summary of my personal pros and cons for each amplifier, based on actual use and experience.

PROS

Solid State

• Affordability - In general the price of solid state amps is less than a comparable tube amplifier.

• Reliability - I have yet to experience a solid state failure during performance. They are very reliable.

• Lower Weight - Less heavy electronic parts inside can significantly reduce the overall weight of the amplifier.

• Cool Running - Solid state amplifiers do not generate much heat.

• Instant Sounds - Solid state amps turn on and can produce sound instantly.

Tube

• Tube tones - This is always a personal thing, but there’s just something about the tones you can get from a tube amp that you cannot get from a solid state amp.

• Louder - Tube amps are generally louder when compared to the equivalent wattage solid state amplifier

CONS

Solid State

• Lower Volume - Solid state amps may not be loud enough for performing with a live band. I have experienced this myself when using a 60 watt amp.

• Tones - Again, this is a personal taste thing, but you can’t get the same warm, natural sounding tones with a solid state amp.

• Power Pop - Sometimes powering on and off a solid state amp will produce a loud pop sound.

Tube

• Tube Maintenance - This is a reality of tube amps. The tubes can fail, and the frequency is often unpredictable. Luckily replacing a tube is not a difficult task, but it does take some work and money to replace.

• Heat - Tubes heat up and run hot. This may not be a concern, but they will heat up a small room, much like a heater.

• Higher cost - In general tube amps will be more expensive to purchase up front. There’s also the long term maintenance costs associated with replacing tubes.

• Heavier Amps - The internal components of a tube amps, especially the tubes themselves, can add significant weight to the amplifier. They can be extremely heavy and a hassle to home around.

• Too Loud - Unless your tube amp has an attenuator (allows you to lower the wattage), you may find that a tube amp is way too loud for home usage.

• Sound Delay - Because the tubes need to warm up, there can be a short delay from powering on to being able to hear a sound through the amp.

Hear THEM for Yourself

Reading and hearing somebody talk about their personal tastes is much different than experiencing the tones for yourself in person. If you are able to, try hearing both types of amplifiers in person. And also keep in mind that different brands of amplifiers can provide a different tonal experience.

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on this whole debate? I will say that I don’t think either type of amplifier is better than the other. I own both types of amplifiers and I like certain things about one and dislike certain things about the other. In the future I hope to discuss the more modern entry in the guitar world: Digital Modelling Amplifiers. Until then, I’ll continue to use both solid state and tube amps as much as possible.

Take a look at my video comparison of two amplifiers that I own. See if you can guess which amp is solid state and which is tube in the blind tone challenge.