Valve amps VS Solid State amps. Let the fight begin!

To first get into the subject, here is some basic background information.

Since the dawn of the almighty electric guitar, valve amps have been present throughout,  where as solid state amps were introduced in around 1970. Primarily, the distortion sound from valves were not wanted when the amp was cranked up, which is why someone designed solid state amps which runs much cleaner in higher volumes. For years, guitar enthusiasts have argued over which is best. Both have advantages and advantages in all areas.


1) The first round, will be about value for money. If you have £300 pounds budget for an amp, and need an amp with enough power to compete with a drummer at a gig, a solid state amp has your back. You'll most likely get a channel switching, built-in effects and a good range of tones in a package that won't put a permanent curve in your spine, along with good headroom.

In the case of valves,  £300 may buy you a fine five watt amp, (which is very loud for 5 watts) like the blackstar HT-5 which is what I have, or a Marshall class 5. You're not going to get a fire-breathing gig monster, but the amp will be easy to crank into harmonic distortion overdrive (will talk more about this later), and it is easily miked up if you have the extra gear.

Who wins this round? Up to you, and your budget!

2) The second round, will be about consistency and reliability. Solid state amps are often lighter, do not run as hot, and sound pretty much the same (tone wise) at any volume, apart from when it is cranked to the very max. Valves on the other hand, run hot, are heavier and the valves are vunerable to breaking if dropped. On saying this,  I know many people who have had valve amps for over 10 years with the original valves still in. Myself? I have had my blackstar HT-5 for 3 years, with no faults. My solid state amps (line 6 and fender) have only had minot faults.

Who wins this round? I'd say it's a tie.

3) This round goes to pure tone! This is where valve lands the sucker punch. When valve amps distort into overdrive, they distort harmonically (twice) which gives the sound and tone a feel of natural warmth and crunch. Also the bass mid range frequences generally sound clearer always triumphs over the tinny sound from solid states. On saying this, there are plenty of decent solid states that still sound quite good, such as the Randalls, which are hybrid amps, which combine the technology of both, using "mosfet" tubes.

Unless you're using pure clean tones, (buy a fender if so), valve amps will generally always sound nicer.


In conclusion, most guitars agree that if money was no object, a backline of valve amps would be their choice. Many heroes such as Slash, Paul Weller, Dimebag Darrel (rip, and yes he endorsed valves in 2004 before he died),  Brian may, and the beatler used and preffered valves. And even so, many solid state amps try to base their sound around classic valve amps. Still, in the end, the ref's final word counts for nothing.

Go down to your local shop, try many different amps! I hope this review helped, any questions will gladly be answered.

 Amps used-

Blacstar HT-5
Line 6 spider IV 75watt
Fender frontman 15R
Marshall JVM 215C
Vox AC30

P.s - Who knows? Maybe in the future we'll be arguing Solid state VS Valves VS Digital? But hey, that's a fight for another day.

Digitech T L 2 Distortion Pedal

So a few months ago I decided my guitar rig sounded a little bland, only just breaking into a heavy rock sound. I purchased the Digitech T L 2 distortion pedal for £50 (ex-display), and was not disappointed.

I have tried around 4 Distortion pedals, ranging from the Marshall Guv'nor2 to a  Ibanez Ds7, and I have to say the versatility on this pedal is just simply astounding.

The pedal features a loose mode, and tight mode, changing the all round tone to a fatter, bass-ier sound (loose) and tight which is a more controlled and harsher, crunchier sound. Tight Mode gives you a responsive, percussive low end with smooth high frequencies. Loose Mode features a low EQ that best suits detuned guitars and produces a massive amount of low end grind.

In addition to this, it features the usual adjustable bass,treble, (high & low), mids and freq, gain and level. The frequency shifts the contour of the sound, and can really transform the sound.

The pedal is run through a standard 9v charger or battery, and the quality of build is also great, very sturdy, extremely reliable due to stomplock knob guards and true bypass circuitry.


The only real downside I can think of is possibly not being able to change to different sounds on the go, but this doesn't bother me.

I rate this pedal 10/10, well worth the money, sounds great, versatile for rock to extreme metal, possibly even blues with loose mode and a amp fiddle. 

Jackson RR3 Guitar review!

The Jackson Pro Series RR3 Rhoads™ - Alder body, bolt-on maple neck and compound radius rosewood fingerboard.

The Jackson Pro Series RR3 Rhoads™ comes equipped with Seymour Duncan® humbucking pickups, Jackson low-profile double-locking tremolo and black hardware.

Jackson Pro Series RR3 Rhoads™ main features include:

• Black Finish
• Body: Alder
• Neck: Bolt-On Rock Maple with Scarf Joint Head Stock
• Neck Dimensions: 1st Fret: .745”, 12th Fret: .810”
• Tuning Machines: Sealed Die-Cast Tuners
• Fingerboard: Rosewood with Compound 14” to 16” Radius
• No. of Frets: 22 Jumbo Frets
• Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB4 Humbucking Pickup
• Neck Pickup: Seymour Duncan® Jazz™ SH2N Humbucking Pickup
• Controls:
  Master Tone
  Volume (Bridge Pickup)
  Volume (Neck Pickup)
• Bridge: Floyd Rose® Licensed Jackson® Low Profile JT580 LP Double Locking 2-Point Tremolo
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle:
  Position 1. Bridge Pickup
  Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
  Position 3. Neck Pickup
• Strings: NPS, Gauges:
  .009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042
• Scale Length: 25.5” (648mm)
• Width at Nut: 1-11/16” (43mm)
• Jackson 6-In-Line Pointed Headstock
• Compound (14” to 16”) Fingerboard Radius
• MOTO Shark Fin Position Inlays
• Ivoroid Binding on Neck and Headstock

The price varies from £500-700

The guitar is absoloutly amazing for all metal heads out there, however there are minimal disadvantages.
The first being the Floyd Rose, if you have never had one, they are extremely difficult to maintain, and do not allow alternate tunings without ruining the setup, unless you either block the bridge, or look into products such as the tremol-no.


If I were to go back in time, I would personally buy the Jackson dinky, as the V shape does get boring after a while and becomes annoying for playing, (you have to sit in a classical position). Either this, or a Ibanez S-series, without a Floyd Rose. Although don't get me wrong, with a Floyd Rose you can create some pretty amazing dive bombs and new tones, however it'd be likely you'd keep it one one tuning.


For further details just ask! :)

My rating - 8.9/10, as it sounds brilliant, plays well and is just amazing. Downside - not versatile at all, and doesn't feature EMG pick ups

Blackstar Ht5 Guitar-Amp Review

The HT-5 is the ultimate studio and practice amp, packing all the great tone and innovative features of the award-winning HT valve pedals into a two channel, foot-switchable valve combo. The patent-applied-for ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) circuit gives you infinite adjustment over the characteristics of the tone control network and takes you from the USA to the UK and any where in between. So now you can effectively design your own tone and finally find ‘the sound in your head’.

It features-

• Innovative 5 Watt valve amplifier • 1xECC83 and 1x12BH7 valves • Unique push pull power amp design • Award winning HT Pedal preamp • Two footswitchable channels • 10˝ Celestion speaker • Enhanced tone controls • Patent-Applied-For Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) • Fully equipped for studio or practice • Speaker emulated output with 1x12 or 4x12 voicing • Effects loop with effects level switch • Footswitch included This amp is ideal for those wanting the pure sound of harmonic distortion and the mighty roar of valves, whilst retaining a affordable price. In addition the 5watts make it great for bedroom use, and the output features make mike-ing the amp up to a bigger system easy 5/5, a fantastic little solid amp.