FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Fender Tube Amp

Question:
I have been a tube junkie for a long time. However my experience has been limited to audiophile tube amps. I am also new to playing guitar and have a gear question: I recently purchased a 65 DRRI and really like the sound, and the fact that it is all tube. May be mental may not be, who cares. Anyway my question is...... Does introducing a solid state pedal (such as a say Oh I don't know a Ibanez TS808) into the all Tube signal path deteriorate the sound quality of the ALL tube amp? I tried the TS808 and was not very impressed, but this could have been due to my skills and not using it correctly I know most people try to make them do to much so I kept it easy for the most part. I tried an Electro Harmonix English Muff'n which is a real tube pedal, and I really liked the sound. In fact I could not get a bad sound out of it.

Answer:
Got a tube preamp and an homemade TS808 clone (which by the way sounds very close to the original's samples i heard...). I use it, as one said before me, as a clean booster (high volume, low distortion) and it gives a real kick in the preamp's ass. I play lots of old school metal (Metallica, Megadeth) and I just couldn't get enough distortion (and tight enough) without the TS808 between the guitar and the preamp. It gives sustain and grit but certainly not attack. When i want the metalest of metalest sound, i'm sorry to say that i plug my Boss MT2 in the clean channel and it's awesome, much better than in a solid state amp. Anyway, it's a common scheme to plug a clean booster, often a TS9 or TS808 in a tube amp or preamp and no one complains. A tube pedal before the tube amp/preamp would certainly boost the signal for heavier clipping but you wouldn't get the tightness. Some care, some don't and i do.