Marshall Amps - Valve vs. Solid State comparison by The Clan's Craig McDonald 

Any guy who thinks choosing a SS or tube amp is going to make or break the deal is kidding himself. Let EVH or Jeff Beck plug into either of those rigs and I guarantee you they will make either one sound amazing. Spend your time practicing instead of worrying about gear. 90% of the sound will come from your brain and fingers. You either have it or you don't and the kind of amp you buy is not going to make a major difference. If you are not great, spending $1200 on a tube head is not going to make you into one of your guitar heroes. Talent and hard work may.

Clean Master Volume 1/2 Tube: 1:54 Solid State: 2:44 Clean Master Volume Full Tube: 4:08 Solid State: 3:26 Overdrive Tube: 5:28 Solid State: 6:34 Tube + Solid State Combined: 7:44

The Valve amp is like a warm grey, the Solid state is like a cool grey. Neither seems like better or worse, just different.

I prefer Marshall solid states, only for low volume practices in a small room. But if the volume gets louder like jamming with a band, I prefer the tube type. Great demo and playing, Craig !

Thanks for posting. The basic differences between valve and transistor are apparent: Valves are brighter and clearer, and transistors are darker and muddier.

From my experience, the reason these amps sound closer to each other than usual is that the speaker is by far the most important aspect to the sound of any amp. I believe it makes between 70 - 90% of the amps sound depending on the amp. This makes sense if you think about it because the speaker is what turns the electrical energy back into audible sound. If you play clean, the speaker makes 90% of the difference. If more distorted valves will produce a bit better sound due to the even harmonics produced by the valves. In this case the speaker makes about 70% of the difference. Why do $1000 valve amps sound better than $250 solid state amps? It's because if you build an amp for $250 you are not going to put a $150 speaker in it. You will put a Chinese made speaker costing $20 in it. If you spend $800 - $1000 building an amp then the manufacturer can justify putting a $150 - $250 speaker in it. Simple !!!!!!. This is why valve amps generally sound better and louder than solid state, it is nearly nothing to do with the circuitry, it is all about the quality and efficiency of the speaker. From a volume perspective, this is proven by the formula for the volume of any amp ---> Volume in decibels = 10 times the log (base 10) of the number of watts + the speaker efficiency measured in decibels per watt per metre. So if the speaker is 5 - 8 db more efficient, it is going to sound way louder even if the amps are the same wattage. Note all wattages should be measured in RMS (root mean squared). Any measurement of wattage in peak power or any other term is a load of rubbish. RMS is the only generally accepted measurement for wattage (electrical power).

The valve amp definitely has a more desirable tone (by most) and a nice full sound, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the tone of the solid state. It was not far off the general tone of the valve, and I'd say it would hold it's own fairly well. Great comparison and good explanation :) Thanks!

Valves will always bring a smile to my face as compared to solid state which sounds thinner! As an owner of both types of Marshall's, please bear in mind that the Valve(Tube) amps will be heavier, more expensive, and have a somewhat lower EQ, which I have always enjoyed.

It's like day and night for me, tube all the way! warmer and clearer, it has life by itself.

I actually think I liked the Solid State better, had a crisper, tighter sound.

Honestly, if you don't TELL people which is which, they will never hear a difference worth the extra money. Or you can tell someone they are hearing a cobweb-covered vintage amp from the 50's, play them a modern solid state amp, and they will swear all day long that they can hear the smell of hot glass and old wood.

That was a fantastic demo Sir!!! I much prefer the tone of the Valve amp. You personify the spirt of rock and roll and your playing is great. Greetings from Texas!!!

To me the Valve sounded better with the clean and blues, while the Solid state sound much clearer with distortion!

No average audience member in a club or bar would ever hear the difference.

"clean channel"

Great video Craig, thanks for taking time to put it together. I find it amazing that I get such sound changes by connecting a 412 to tube or ss combo amps. What I would say to young guitarists is, don't be ashamed to play through a ss if you can't afford a tube. -May take some tweaking, but a ss can sound great too. I have expensive tube amps, but often find myself on the run, picking up a ss and throwing it in my car to go and play at local events. This happens because my tube gear is so heavy that when I think about loading it in the car, back out of the car, across a parking lot, through grass, up a hill to a stage in a park or something I just end up grabbing a light weight solid state. And, if I am watching a guitarist, I am not judging them on the amp, but rather what they are getting out of it, be it tube or solid state. Craig is right in saying each amp has its own best setting, but my hats off to those stuck with one or the other and able to bring out the versatility they need to achieve on the spot. Rock on. Great vid.

I find that the reason why SS marshals sound extraordinarily crap are the speakers. That explains why it sounded pretty good in this video.

I listened through my stereo. I could tell the tube pushes through and how do I say, “speaks” everything you do in a clean punch tone. Every note is distinguished. The solid state when you turn it up gets “buzzy bees in a box” you can slightly tell is emulated and all of the notes seem to be “blahhhhed” together rather than on its own scale. I like how the 30 tube was as loud as a 50 watt dB wise and the tube punched through no problem. And the tube is running a cab twice in impedance “ohm” than the solid state. Tube =8ohm vs solid state is 4ohm. So you also get quality with power with a tube. I own a Marshall DSL40c, and with half the power 20/40 switched I can only turn it to 3/10 playing with an outdoor band. Lovely stuff. :)

i love the fact that you have a real time analyzer in a window while playing..

A week ago my digital and analogical electronics professor told us to design an amplifier of our choosing and since I play guitar, I decided I would build one seeing as how I could use it long after my class. My only doubt between the two were the sound. After this amazing comparison video, I now know that I can safely choose a solid state amp to build and I won't be missing out on too much even though I feel the SS amp has a slightly deeper sound. All in all, I am highly grateful for this video. Thank You!

Valve amp has more clarity. Solid state sounds muddier in comparison. I noticed the difference especially on the Chuck Berry riff. Compare @3:25(solid state) as compared to @4:08(valve). I prefer that sound myself. Has more personality. As far as the Judas Priest riff compare @5:28(valve) to @6:33 (solid state), Solid state just sounds more "compressed."

Finally a great demo where differences, just related to the amps, are audible.

I prefer the valve clean channel as adjusting the guitar volume does a great job going between clean and distortion without such a drastic variance

The best thing about this video is it caused me to check out this guy and his band, "The Clan". Good, fun, unpretentious rock and roll!

Thanks for the vid - really interesting. Surprising how similar they sounded! Preferred the valve but I bet in a band context the difference would be even smaller. I've used valve amps for years live and frankly, most audiences couldn't give a toss what amp you use as long as you play their fav songs and have drunk enough beer!

I dont ever comment on here, but watching this video I suddenly felt compelled. Being a guitar play and having used both solid state and tube amps I would like to share my opinion. I have mostly only played Fender tube amps but have played through some Boogies, and a few Marshalls. That being said I owned a Marshall MG50X? I cant remember honestly, but it had the sweetest all around sound to me for a solid state amp. I was always really impressed with its sound and overall ability to work with any genre. To me the amp differences concerning sound are hardly noticeable. Very little difference in my opinion(maybe I have a terrible ear?), but I have to say its in the player. Its always in the fingers and how you play. Ive seen guys play through the crummiest amps but they were such good players they made it sound amazing. Look at Derek Trucks. Gibson SG through a Fender amp no pedals and it sounds unbelievable and he can get almost any sound you could ever imagine. So, unless you are Joe Bonamassa and can afford to run through 4 boutique, vintage heads through custom cabs your best deal for the money is solid state...but Marshall because Fender solid state amps suck in my opinion. Unless you are just practicing...then they still suck.

Clean was more interesting on the Valve amp and the Overdrive was better on the Solid State, just my preference. Great demo! It seems that every demo I hear, the clean channel is the way to go on a tube amp and just drive it with the volume on the amp and on the guitar.

I did note one thing that I didn't see anyone mention in the comments, except for in a round about way. Transistor switching time. It's SUPER apparent in the spectrum analyzer that is shown in the lower right. Look at the left side of the trace. The tube amp has a smoother profile to it's curve than the SS amp did. This is a perfect showing of how different 2 modes of amplification can be, while accomplishing the same goal.

How in the world can you call the "clean channel" clean?! That's crunchy as hell! -_-

At last, a tonal comparison where the valve amp has not been deliberately sabotaged in some way. It's always easy to pick out the tube amp in these videos, it' the one that sounds obviously worse. Well done, mate. this is the only honest comparison video of valve vs tranny out of dozens. Good on ya

Most demos seem to go for the 12 o'clock settings but I've never used any amp with these settings. Dial in the best tone you can get would be a fairer comparison between amps.

The thing is, this post is now so old, Marshall has now brought out the Code series of modelling amps, funnily enough, I bought one and it sounds awesome.

Working guitarists agree, most drunks you are playing to in the clubs can't tell the difference so why bother with lugging a tube amp around? Solid state is more reliable and requires less maintenance, and the most important fact, they are much lighter.

The solid state held it's own much better than I thought it would. Price difference today about $500 for tube vs. about $175 for solid state for these models.

There are two main differences between valve and SS amps: 1. Great harmonic distortion ratio of valves that leads to an OVERDETAILED sound (WARM sound) 2. Smooth and creamy overdrive sound of valves. The first one cannot completely be achieved with SS amps, but there are some JFET transistors that add warmness to the sound due to their similarity in structure with the valves . The seconed can be easilly achieved with many of SS pedals.

This was really helpful and helped me have a "definitive" take on the matter. -The tube amp sounded more warm, mellow...colorful, it had this natural tone to it. -The solid state amp sounded more gritty, aggressive, urban, it had a more processed feel to it. I mostly play metally stuff and contemporary worship kinda stuffs. I feel the solid state is for me. But anyone into jazz, country, blues, "vintage" rock kinda music just can't compromise: valve amp all the way. Thank you for this Craig! :)

BREAKING THE LAW! BREAKING THE LAW!

All in how you set your eq is what I learned from this video. The rest is in the fingers. Good video.

I didn't know Han Solo played guitar

Very professional comparison ! The sound is different. This is visible also from the sound histogram. The valve amplifier has more detailed picture with more small and tin pics, and also lasting longer time by ending the music because is more sensitive to the small reverberations.

I would like to know on what basis you believe unplugging a guitar lead without going to standby is a problem. Do you really understand what the standby switch is for? I think not.Suggest you look it up. I have never had an amp fail because of this and I got my first valve amp in 1976. In fact that and a few others had no standby switch. Are you also suggesting that switching between two valve amps with an A/B switch requires putting the amp on standby first. difficult mid-song. Chill out.

Thanks Great video. Something that is never mentioned when talking about valve amps is that they require alot of care when replacing the valves and rebiasing. Solid state amps dont require this at all. I will be switching back to a solid state amp eventually and the MG series seems to be a good alternative.

I've played tube amps including top of the line Mesa Boogies and I'm done with those. Too loud and too heavy to carry around. I am looking at getting either a Marshall MG or Fender Mustang. Both are great non-valve amps.

the Marshall MG 100 FX Amps over the Valve Amps all day long..great video

The only noticeable tonal differences between tube and SS amps, to my ears at least, is the clean channel. SS cleans stay clean 100% of the time, where as tube cleans break up really early, making the tone not clean anymore. That, and the fact that SS power sections are for the most part tonally flat, which is great in my opinion. More highs and more lows fore more tone.

Love this video. Sonic and analytical comparisons were awesome. The valve does give that last 5‰ of richness. But I would encourage players to focus on their playing and not get too wrapped around the axle on valve vs SS. There is maintenance and reliability concerns with the valves. So getting 95% of the tone with 0% of the worries may be a great choice when you are up and coming. And if your lucky enough... Get one of each...

The valve on the left sounded better, this is why.. It was a warmer sound, had less distortion that the solid state,the frequencies didn't overlap like the solid sate did. The solid state sounded more tinny,less depth of colour in the mid range. The valve amp was excellent at allowing all the sounds (highs and lows) to all play together effortlessly the full audio range was warm, soulful, clean and undistorted, the solid state lacks in warmth and being able to clearly reproduce all the individual frequencies, the valve for me wins hands down.

For a guitar worn as much as that is, I expected him to be able to play the guitar. There's clearly a difference between the amps, but I don't think either is better than the other, just different. The tube DOES have a little better saturation sound, but unless you're recording a platinum record, no one will notice, especially in a live environment.

Tube amp clips softly, rich in nice overtones. SS clips hard, overtones not as pleasing or creamy.

Hi, the reason for using the 4 * 12 cabs was so that both amps were using identical speakers. The speakers in the respective 1*12 cabs are different. Craig

To my ears that subtle difference is saturation. With the valve amplifier.

The difference between tube and solid state is the warmth, or hard vs soft clipping distortion. Tubes give a softer clip, so a smoother distortion. It's nice to see a comparison using the same guitar, speakers, cabs and mics. I've always wanted to do that.

The valve amp sounds a lot warmer , the solid state amp sounds a bit flatter.

I have a Valvestate combo Marshall (valved pre-amp / solid state power-amp) and it's a piece of glory. It sounds warm and clean, and hard a as rock, you can do anything you want. Sadly they don't make it anymore. Mine is of the 90's.

Great demo!

Playing both simultaneously provides the best of both worlds!

Marshall has made some fine high gain transistor amps over the years, imp.

Well I don't have an extensive range of amps. I just used what I happen to own ;-) Plugging them into the 4*12 is so that they both use the same speakers for a fairer comparison. I do have a JCM 800 combo (and head) but they are single channel amps and I wanted to show clean/dirty channels. See the JCM800/SLP video for JCM800 demo..Anyway, thanks for watching and the feedback.

Clean: Tubes win.....crisper and midrangier. Dirty: Tubes again.....the SS dirty had a scooped sound compared to the ballsy mid-range sound of the Valves.

Pause @8:16 and (with the valve amp) you’ll see the smoother drop off in the frequencies above 5k, Where’s the solid state amp has bigger dips creating small peeks/spikes. This can create that harsher sound people hear in SS amps, but that’s why many people put a parametric EQ (or basic EQ) in the FX loop of their SS amp. It can really help in rolling off those harsh sounds, that are noticeable when SS gain/distortion added. Another trick is to “use a compressor pedal in the FX loop,” for creating that valve power amp sag. (If your going for that sound)

wow never thought i'd like the solid state more.

For clean tones, SS can be very clean, but it's also more sterile adding nothing to the over all tone. Tube amps are so loved because they do add harmonics and oddities, or "color", to the tone, which most guitar players love. The amp becomes an instrument or an added part to the instrument and is not just a method of amplification. SS is great if you want to amplify a given sound, such as for Hi-fi playback where you want the amp to reproduce with volume what has been given to it. Difference.

Neville Longbottom learned to play guitar. :-)

Loved your first vid- 1- dirty doesnt mean sloppy 2- A/B switcher nice vid

Its almost useless to compare different amplifiers on the internet, One must do that in a live situation...

This was a good demo, i was surprised the solid state sounded that good. I came across a 90's SS Head with a tube preamp that that was nice i think it's called Valve 100 or something to that effect. I will check out your other videos based n how much i liked this one. Merry Christmas and God bless

Why is Henry Winkler playing guitar

an interesting element of this demo is how good those amps sound going through the 4-12 cabinet, normally i wouldn't pay much attention to either of those amps but they both sounded good.

Helps when the guitar is in tune...

I've got a few Marshall amps the one I play most is the valve , but in the back room I have a Marshall code 100 it's a lot of fun . But my favorite is the value

i guess i will get the solid one because it has rollers on it so that i can move it from my living room to my bed room , yeah!

happy w what i got I got my english made marshall valvestate 8100 and that is perfect! SS clean and power and valve preamp lead channel

Tube sound are full and thicker specially at lower frequencies as it always does.

Somehow, the tube amp unifies the sounds better across the range. The solid state amp has much more clarity in the bass, but it seems to come at the cost of the bass being integrated into the sound 'melange'. Interesting comparison, thank you for doing it.

I have to say: I noticed a pretty big difference in the tone of both amps, I tried the same sort of test with my amplifier, a semi-tube 12AX7 based Hartke HA3500, and the tube gave a more rounded, mellow but still pretty bright and crisp tone, and when I swapped top the solid state, it had a bit more bottom end and sounded a little heavier, but driving the solid state side is a pain because it doesn't distort as well as a good old fashioned preamp tube does,,, hence... I use the tube preamp more than the solid state!!

I think the true difference, is the way the distortion FEELS when you play a tube amp vs SS. Tube- great pick dynamics, tighter not so loose and sloppy distortion, sounds clearer and replicates what you play thru it more accurately, plus the low end should pump, and not "flop" out as with SS distortion. Plus, IMO, just flat out sounds better. More "real".

much more harmonic content on the valve amp

I like the richness of the clean tone for valves, and the crunch of the SS with effects.. ;)

i heard i difference in brightness

One reason I like solid state is because you can have a lot of distortion while the volume isn't loud... If your in a quite setting and want distortion sold state is good

At the end of the day it all about the fingers

Thanks! Very useful, especially the EQ graphic. Using that you can really see why the valve has a 'warmer' sound vs the solid state (rounded vs jagged). Both amps sound good IMO, it's just a matter of what kind of sound you want. And more so, sound that is in the 'mix'.

BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW

The best amp i ever heard in my life was s Laney supergroup from 1969, i had one then sold it, guts me to this day that i sold it. It was without any doubt the best amp i have ever heard, the quality was outstanding.

At the end of the day it's all in your finger tips!

Great demo brother. My 2 cents... they both sound good but the tube won it. Solid State has come a long long way, but I don't think solid state amps will ever be able to match the responsiveness of a tube amp. I bet that Strat could tell a story or 2.

You gotta love these knob jockeys that turn their noses up at SS amps... BB king had one of the best tones on the planet, he used a Lab Series L5... yup, you guessed it... its a SS amp..... you gotta love the snobs...or should that be the sheep...lol

There is a difference in "tone" obviously, with the solid state a lot brighter than the valve, but that's less important, as different amps do sound different and it's down to personal preference which tone sounds better. The important thing to concentrate on here is how dynamic the valve amp is, and by that I mean how the amp reacts to the initial pick attack and how it sounds as the note dies down. The valve amp has a big spike of distortion on the pick attack, and then as the note decays both volume and distortion drops slightly, where as the solid state maintains the same volume and distortion throughout the entire note lifecycle. This makes the solid state sound very flat, and the valve sound bouncy and alive. Another example is when extra notes are added after the base note, the valve amp, distorts more in reaction to the increased input, whereas the solid state adds the notes to the mix but the amount of drive does not change.This is what people mean when they talk about the "feel" of a valve amp. It's not as apparent on youtube clips due to the compression in the recording signal chain, but is quite apparent in person.

can hear the individual striking better on the valve tube amp better.

finally a demonstration without a blind fold test

if he wouldn't have put the amps into the cabinets then the solid state would have sounded like shit BECAUSE OF THE SPEAKERS not the amp itself. no wonder people hate solid state when companies are cramming the shittiest speakers in the world into their SS combos. if you think your solid state amp is a bad amp, try plugging into or replacing the speaker in your amp. you will be very, very pleased.

Both sounded good to me. the real test would likely be to play them straight without a mic'd cab. For many players running through a plethora of pedals at relatively low (e.g. coffee shop) levels there would not be too much difference audible to the average human ear. At high levels, with less pedal usage, then the valve amps just sound more vintage and warmer. What I am getting at is the tone difference is marginal based on both the volume and style of music you play. I play blues and old classic rock (Stones and The Who) and love the effect of a warm overdriven tube amp. However, in a pinch I can dump an inexpensive overdrive and reverb into a well made Fender or Marshall SS amp and get pretty close to the mark, at lower volume levels. The added benefit of a SS is that if it blows at a gig, you can leave it behind to offset the bar tab.

Tune your guitar please

I'm probably in the minority here but I liked the clean on the tube amp better. The distortion, however, sounded brighter/clearer on the solid state. Which kind of surprised me because I generally prefer tube amps.

I prefer the tube amp for clean and solid state for distorted

In this demo the tube sounded better, the more distorted sound from the tube amp aside it does show what people like about a tube amp. It's not only the warmth or the tone (although that is a part of it) but the liveliness or dynamics as it would probably be called officially. Correct me if I'm wrong but solid state builders have been onto trying to get that lively aspect in solid state amps these days though, I don't know if this solid state amp has anything to make it respond more 'tube-like'.

solid state is muddier

I don't really comment on individual amps, my role is to let you hear them and draw your own conclusions.

valve no question

Biggest tell tale is feedback in a tube amp is controllable,Solid state cuts feedback,and some frequencies.You can feel the tubes ringing and swelling with feedback.