Dirt pedals and solid state amps

Kebabkid

Beexter said:

I've used solid state amps for years (currently have a Tech21 TM60, Roland Cube 60 & 80xl) and ALWAYS set them to be clean. Any dirt comes from pedals in to the front of the amp. I've found this to be very effective & 2 or 3 drive pedals can cover a very wide range of tones.

The Cube 60 on either the JC or Blackface clean setting takes pedals really well and that's an SS modelling amp - the actual overdrives in the amp are decent. A real JC120, although weighty, sounds great with OD pedals or a multi-fx feeding it.

You have a good board here. As mentioned in a couple of posts here, the problem may be to do with your Mustang amp.

monquixote

The problem isn't with the Mustang being solid state it's with it being a cheap modeller that doesn't like pedals.

I'd probably be gigging a JC120 if they weren't the same weight and size as a family car.

Danny1969

Had a guy in a few weeks ago with a solid state Trace Elliot amp and a tubescreamer. I couldn't see what he was using from the control room and was very surprised when he told me. Sounded awesome for the blues stuff his band were doing. Never seen one of those amps before but apparently he paid £70 for it secondhand

monquixote

Danny1969 said:

Had a guy in a few weeks ago with a solid state Trace Elliot amp and a tubescreamer. I couldn't see what he was using from the control room and was very surprised when he told me. Sounded awesome for the blues stuff his band were doing. Never seen one of those amps before but apparently he paid £70 for it secondhand

If it was a Tramp (the green one) I used to have one and it sounded great. ICBM says they are incredibly unreliable, but they were cheap and had a V30 in them which worked for me.

ICBM

They do sound great, when they work!

Actually better than the later 'Tramp Tube' version with a valve in the preamp, which are even less reliable.