Solid State Amps Suck

Okay, we all know that solid state amps suck. The lack of vacuum tubes and more up-to-date circuitry basically speaks for itself. But in this article I want to look at a few different solid state amps and break down why they’re terrible-- and maybe just break down personally, too, if there’s time.

You know, for science.

The guitar was first electrified in 1931. The very first amps were tube amplifiers and they sounded great. The difference between a solid state amp and a tube amp is that solid state amps don't have vacuum tubes. Those vacuum tubes have been replaced with more modern transistor-style circuits which, frankly, suck. Let’s find out exactly how much.

Vox Pathfinder 15R Amplifier

First up is the Vox Pathfinder 15R. 15 stands for 15 Watts and R stands for reverb. This amp came out in the year 2000, the same year that I graduated high school and became a real man. It’s surprisingly small, and it also had the distinction of being used as a prop in a little production called Pedals: The Musical. The controls are on the top, and it has a really nice tremolo channel.

If it weren’t a solid state amp-- which we all know sucks --I’d say that this was a really quality amplifier that works especially well with the reverb maxed out and the gain knob set at halfway. I might even say that it has amazing spring reverb and is really touch responsive. It’s a shame.

Electro-Harmonix Mike Matthews Freedom Amp

In 1972, the United States faced its biggest scandal to date, Watergate, and the same year Electro-Harmonix released their first amp. Let me repeat that for anyone who missed it the first time: Electro-Harmonix had only been in business for about five years, and they were already making a name for themselves in the amp sector. No big deal.

Their first amp was called the Electro-Harmonix Mike Matthews Freedom Amplifier. Yup. Mike Matthews named his first amp after himself. This amp was designed by Bob Meyer, who designed all the original Electro-Harmonix gear: the LPB-1, the Big Muff, the Memory Man, and Bob told me that this amp was literally a mistake. They accidentally created an amp that totally messes with the high-end frequencies, Mike loved it, and the rest is history.

Now, I like to set the volume on this at about 80% and max out the tone. The Mike Matthews amp has a healthy amount of mid range, which I normally really like. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that this was a solid state amp, I’d probably say it was fantastic. Too bad.

*Electro-Harmonix Mike Matthews Freedom Amp*

DOD Grunge Reverb Amp

In the 1990s, DOD started focusing more on their Digitech line (their digital line of pedals based out of Salt Lake City), and the company was basically handed over to a guy named Jason Lamb, who designed some of the strangest and most popular DOD pedals ever made. I’ve actually done an episode on Jason Lamb, but in this article I want to focus on his 1997 release: the DOD Grunge Amplifier with Reverb. Yup. They combined arguably their most popular circuit ever, the DOD Grunge, with a real spring reverb, and put it all inside a tiny little package in the form of an amp. When I play through this amp, I like to crank the “grunge” knob all the way up and let my inner Kurt Cobain go wild.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: this sounds too good to be true. They created a solid state amp with a built-in grunge pedal, both of which sound amazing? Give me some credit here, I wasn’t born yesterday. This can’t be real.

Marshall Lead 12 Micro Stack Amplifier

The Marshall Lead 12 Micro Stack was released in the eighties. The 12 stands for 12 Watts, and it’s called a micro amp because they manage to pack a huge sound into a (relatively) small enclosure. Basically, this is a quality-made solid state amp that functions exactly how it’s made to function.

If it weren't so terrible, I’d say it was brilliant.

*Marshall Lead 12 Micro Stack Amplifier*

Templo Nomad Amp

The Templo Nomad is a 50-watt battery-powered amp. Yeah. Battery-powered. The battery lasts for up to ten hours, which means that if you had this amp, you could actually realize your eighties-music-video-inspired dream to jam out on your electric guitar on some deserted mountaintop somewhere. No electricity needed. That’s the definition of cool.

Now, I’ve been pretty firm so far that solid state amps suck, but in this case I’m going to make an exception: the Templo Nomad is actually one of the best amps on the market today, but that is in spite of its solid state amplitude, not because of it. You get me?

This amplifier features reverb, though it’s more in the vein of slap-echo, which is very cool. When I play through this amp, I like to max out the tone control and the slap-echo, and play it at about 70% volume. The results are magical, but-- I can’t stress this enough --completely unrelated to the fact that this is a solid state amp.

Quilter Labs Steelaire 200-Watt Combo Amp

Next up is an amplifier invented by Pat Quilter of Quilter Amplification/Quilter Labs. It’s a 200-watt amp featuring a 15-inch speaker with a three-inch cone. It's made for steel guitar players, so the sound is beautiful and crystal clear. This tone is so clean that Adrian Monk could play it and not freak out. It’s a perfectly-designed, beautifully clean amplifier, if you go for that kind of thing, but it’s also a solid state amp, which we know sucks.

Or does it? I’m not sure what to believe at this point.

*Quilter Labs Steelaire 200-Watt Combo Amp*

Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Amplifier

In 1975, Roland released the JC-120 Jazz Chorus Amplifier. It's a 120-watt amp that’s been used by bands like Metallica, Limp Bizkit and The Cure. Basically, this is one of the most legendary amps ever, but sadly they built it as a solid state amplifier, which by definition sounds awful. What’s even crazier is that a year after its release, the Jazz Chorus inspired the BOSS CE-1, the world's first ever bucket brigade chorus. In turn, the BOSS CE-1 spawned the BOSS CE-2, which is a more simplified pedal based on the success of the CE-1. It's true stereo. It’s quality. It’s BOSS.

And, honestly, I think I have to check my assumption with this one. Roland and BOSS don’t create pedals or amps that suck. They just don’t. So, if the Jazz Chorus is a solid state amp, that pretty much disproves my theory, which is honestly a relief more than anything.

Now I can officially go on the record saying that all of these amps in this article are baller, and that you should go out and buy all of them as soon as you can. Cool? Cool.

Guest UserJune 4, 2021