SS clipping in tube amps?

[elberto]

I know most people bemoan the clipping diodes in JCM900s and the like, but can anyone think of tube amp designs that include SS clipping or amplification and sound great?

Years ago I once owned a custom high-dollar amp from a rather well-known modder/boutiquer, before I had any DIY knowledge.  I remember opening it up with an electrical engineering friend when the amp had a problem (when I emailed the manufacturer he of course strongly disapproved of the idea of me having the amp repaired locally).  My friend diagnosed the problem as a faulty part, he special ordered a replacement and all was well.  Cleaning out my parts drawer the other day, I found the bag for the replacement part:  an audio transistor.  My memory is a bit hazy, but I remember seeing a circuit board in the amp with this and some metal can-looking SS devices!  Keep in mind this was probably the sweetest sounding amp I've owned, with a rich, thick overdrive/distortion.

this was also an otherwise "tube" amp, 2x12AX7 and 2xEL34.

Anyway I ask because I've got an amp I've homebrewed that I'm up for experimenting with.  It's currently a clean-to-somewhat gritty amp, and I've been thinking of modding it for a high gain, metally sound.  With all this talk of jfet emulation and such, I'm intrigued by the idea that I could get the sound I want by just adding a jfet or two, or some clipping leds; something integral to the amp's design rather than using a stompbox.

[Paul Marossy]

Check out the Lab Series L5 guitar amp for some ideas. Totally SS, but it kicks some serious butt! You can hear the great tones that can be had from it by listening to some King's X albums (first four). That's what Ty Tabor was using at that time. I also have a friend who has one, and it can really rock. There's two channels, one is channel is great and  the other channel wasn't that exciting, but that had a lot to do with the tone stack configuration for that channel.

There is a schematic for it somewhere on the web, I found it once. Can't remember where, though...

[elberto]

ah interesting, i'll have a look!

not totally related, but I found some interesting rumors on newsgroups and the web about a jfet booster on the input of some Dumble amps, and this (click on "ODS jfet input"):

http://www1.korksoft.com/~schem/rumbleheaven.htm

[Paul Marossy]

OK, I found the schematic:
http://www.rru.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Lab/schem.html
Just had to find that before it drove me nutz!  :lol:

It looks like a well thought out design for a SS amp. Allan Holdsworth and BB King apparently used to play thru one of these amps.

Here is a little write up on it, too: http://www.rru.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Lab/index.html

[aron]

Just for amusement. Hawaii have a bunch of these floating around and most of us hated it at the time! hehehehehe

I remember them being very compressed and just not "open" sounding. Of course that was AGES ago!

[Paul Marossy]

Hmmm... that's funny. The clean channel isn't that exciting (to me), but I thought that the distortion sounded really heavy. Listen to the first few King's X albums. I was shocked when I heard that those albums were recorded with a Lab Series L5!  :shock: