I already stressed Jon in private on TGP and the discussion was coming up in another thread, so I'll take the opportunity to post a dedicated topic to collect more opinions.
Before getting into the topic, please bare in mind I'm a power new so I don't want to sound aggressive or judgmental (I'm not an English speaker so I lack that kind of dexterity), my questions come just out of pure curiosity. I may be missing some key elements here so that's another reason to open a dedicated thread.
About power amps, I've always been puzzled by the scarcity of options suggested. I know we humans are creatures of habits and we tend to do\emulate things that belong to a specific (sub)culture (deadheads searching for Jerry's tone, in this case) but still, I don't get why there are so few options mentioned besides:
- Vintage Mcs
- Carvin DCM200L
- Mosvalve
All these 3 units are vintage and they require people to look for good opportunities if they ever rise up as all these 3 options are out of production. Mcs are rare, expensive and heavy if you decide to compromise and not get the 50; they are also old so they require extra attention, good servicing and probably some mods. Carvins are cheap but they are getting rare. Mosvalve were a good mid-tier alternative; I remember Sarno explaining how these units behaved similarly to valve power amps, but they are getting rare too.
I saw a couple of posts around here in the last few years about Sarno suggesting ART SLA-1, but that's the only modern option I've seen.
Now, the whole guitar player shtick is to praise tube warm tones and valve power amps are mostly responsible for that. I know that people here love valve-powered Mcs so I'm wondering if there are modern units out there that are reliable, that behave similarly, that are available and have modern appointments. Maybe vacuum tubes?
The same goes for SS power amps. Among a sea of infinite options, is ART SLA really the only viable option for Jerry-like tones? I mean, it's only one option and the price range for Powe Amps is huge so shouldn't be there cheaper or more expensive alternatives, maybe better ones?
Before getting into the topic, please bare in mind I'm a power new so I don't want to sound aggressive or judgmental (I'm not an English speaker so I lack that kind of dexterity), my questions come just out of pure curiosity. I may be missing some key elements here so that's another reason to open a dedicated thread.
About power amps, I've always been puzzled by the scarcity of options suggested. I know we humans are creatures of habits and we tend to do\emulate things that belong to a specific (sub)culture (deadheads searching for Jerry's tone, in this case) but still, I don't get why there are so few options mentioned besides:
- Vintage Mcs
- Carvin DCM200L
- Mosvalve
All these 3 units are vintage and they require people to look for good opportunities if they ever rise up as all these 3 options are out of production. Mcs are rare, expensive and heavy if you decide to compromise and not get the 50; they are also old so they require extra attention, good servicing and probably some mods. Carvins are cheap but they are getting rare. Mosvalve were a good mid-tier alternative; I remember Sarno explaining how these units behaved similarly to valve power amps, but they are getting rare too.
I saw a couple of posts around here in the last few years about Sarno suggesting ART SLA-1, but that's the only modern option I've seen.
Now, the whole guitar player shtick is to praise tube warm tones and valve power amps are mostly responsible for that. I know that people here love valve-powered Mcs so I'm wondering if there are modern units out there that are reliable, that behave similarly, that are available and have modern appointments. Maybe vacuum tubes?
The same goes for SS power amps. Among a sea of infinite options, is ART SLA really the only viable option for Jerry-like tones? I mean, it's only one option and the price range for Powe Amps is huge so shouldn't be there cheaper or more expensive alternatives, maybe better ones?