# Tube effects pedal



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

What would some of you recommend to someone using a transistor amp and looking for a nice warm tube sound. Types of music vary from top 40,disco,countyr rock and roll. Nothing metal or hard rock.
Is there something out there that will give me a tube sound with a transistor amp. Dont like the distortion on S.S. amps.
Thanks


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Honest to goodness, I have NO idea what a "tube" sound is. Forty-five years of building and using distortions, with tube amps, solid-state amps, hybrid amps, reel-to-reel mic preamps, and I honestly couldn't tell you. Some folks conceive of "tube" sound as what the front end (preamp) does, while others associate tube sound with a non-master-volume power stage.

A lot of times it comes down to settings, rather than technology. You say you want a "nice warm sound". That may well do with having enough treble cut on the pedal to be able to get the overdrive sound you want from the amp itself.

I think much of what people associate with "tube sound" is something that does not go from clean to hard distortion at the drop of a hat, but responds a little more dynamically, adjusting the degree of clipping with pick attack. To achieve that, you'll want a signal path in which the clipping is not all concentrated in one stage, but distributed across several. The Way Huge Red Llama attempts to do that. Some of the various JFET-based overdrives from ZVex, or Catalinbread also do that.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Duncan Twin Tube Classic might do it for you. Basically, a twin tube pre-amp in a large pedal. These can be had for about $120 used and are fairly plentiful, miniature military tubes last forever.


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## Samsquantch (Mar 5, 2009)

Kingsley Jester....or you could spend that money to buy an actual tube amp.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

marcos said:


> What would some of you recommend to someone using a transistor amp and looking for a nice warm tube sound. Types of music vary from top 40,disco,countyr rock and roll. Nothing metal or hard rock.
> Is there something out there that will give me a tube sound with a transistor amp. Dont like the distortion on S.S. amps.
> Thanks


 Not trying to be coy..........I think you might have to use the real deal, or, at least a hybrid.
Most hybrids I've looked at have it bass- akwards.
The solid state stuff should be at the front end with a tube phase inverter and output section.IMHO


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I think marcos needs to identify what he means by "warm tube sound" first. "Warm" is a rather ambiguous term in itself. I'm certainly not scolding marcos. Cripes, I've been reading Guitar Player since the early 70's and I _still_ don't understand half of what they mean when describing how things sound. Same goes for the last 20 years of Vintage Guitar.

It may well be that everything marcos imagines in his head is perfectly captured by any of the tube-based overdrive pedals that stick a 12AX7 in a box, or any of the amps that stick one in the front end of the amp, and use that to push a standard solid-state power-amp chip.

On the other hand, it may not, and nothing less than a fully glass-powered amp from input jack to power transformer will do.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

It could also be that he has skinny knees yea

Synesthesia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sound can translate to temperature, or colour or scent. "Warm" may indeed be warm and not use a colloquialism.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

OK 'I'll take a crack at defining the "warm tube sound"
Solid state amp at clipping= Mazda RX 7 rally car - YouTube not bad.
Tube amp at clipping= Aston Martin V12 Vantage Zagato Start and Rev - YouTube a little warmer,bigger ,fuller?
Oh yeah, I forgot, smoother.
:food-smiley-004:


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Don't forget tube amp "sag" - the sponginess of the tone. It's there...


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Actually, I don't see why you cannot do "tube sag" with solid state easy enough. Any signal in over 1v being magnitude-amped 10X to 40X (simulating a rage of voltage drops in tube rectifiers and being level responsive) and used subtractively in a shunt regulator should have the same/similar starving effect no? Drive the signal in harder, less voltage from the shunt regulator more starvation for the power tubes??


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Although not 'tube', a really nice boost pedal, like an Xotic RC Booster might get you the sound you're after.


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## hummingway (Aug 4, 2011)

I have a few thoughts, informed by my preference and experience but not by any specific knowledge. The transients of a tube seem to be more random. To my ear, part of being musical is variation in the waveform. A sampled guitar may be beautiful when a single note is played but a phrase played from samples lacks the interaction of the waveform's that occur with the real instrument. We do it with our hands and the imperfections of the instruments and I suspect this is part of the appeal of a tube. Disclosure: I've only owned 2 solid state amps and probably 50 tube amps. Amongst pedals I have two tube distortions and one solid state. The solid state is tighter but I find the tube distortion more interesting.

To the OP's question: I have a Tonebone Classic and a Mesa V-Twin. I like them both but find for more subtle distortion I like the ToneBone. I also have an Empress and it's an excellent pedal but, to my ear, it lakes the subtlety of the other two.

OK, there's a bunch of nebulous, subjective opinion for you.


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## Petey D (Sep 8, 2011)

^ Good call. I was going to suggest the Tone Bone. I think I know what you have in mind marcos, and the tone bone will likely give you what you're after. Or... you could take that $120 + what ever you could get for your ss amp, and try to turn that into an actual tube amp. Good luck, I hope you find what you're looking for.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

marcos said:


> What would some of you recommend to someone using a transistor amp and looking for a nice warm tube sound. Types of music vary from top 40,disco,countyr rock and roll. Nothing metal or hard rock.
> Is there something out there that will give me a tube sound with a transistor amp. Dont like the distortion on S.S. amps.
> Thanks


Most ppl that i know that have complaints about SS distortion, is because they have their amp too scooped. I was one of them as well.
Boost the mids, turn down the treb, maybe a hint of reverb or delay.
Maybe consider using a dist / OD pedal as well for some of the tone/dizziness.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

How true, how true.

Now, if the pedal in question has enough EQ control to counteract that, then you're in good shape. The problem arises when people set their amp for a big bright sound via the amp's EQ, and the pedal ends up exaggerating that.


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