Rectifier tubes vs. rectifier diodes

[the drew]

Hello, I have been looking at Fender amps and was wondering which is better, tube or solid state rectifiers. My amp is a Fender Blues Deluxe and it has the solid state rectifier, also I see the Twin 65 RI also has solid state rectifiers. I notice the low and mid watt 65 Princeton and 65 deluxe has tube rectifiers. Is it that the high watt amps have the solid state rectifiers?

 

[RAG7890]

..............depends what you want............sag in the notes or really tight notes.

Typically if you play hard Rock / Metal...........SS Rectifier.

Typically if you play Blues / Classic Rock..........Tube Rectifier.

General rules only.

Generally SS Rectifiers are only used for Amps < 50W...............SS for > 50W.

As an example JTM45, JTM50, Dirty Shirley = Tube.............JMP50, BE100, Shiva, Ecstasy = Solid State

I prefer Tube Rectifiers but the BE100 & Shiva are SS Rectified & they are great Heads.

The Bad Cat Hot Cat from 2002 that I currently have on loan is an awesome Rock Amp & holds its own with the BE100 but it is Class A & Tube Rectified.

 

[moreles]

To my own surprise, having played lots of both types, I find that I like the clarity and fast response of SS rectifiers. For some reason, perhaps my own deficiency (?) I've never clicked with tube "sag." It's not a significant issue for me, but I find myself consistently ending up with SS rectified amps.

 

[Inside Guy]

Ill take a SS rectifier most days

 

[Pappy58]

Back in the tweed days high powered twins and two tube rectifiers. However once diodes became prevalent they became the clear choice for high powered amps and amps designed for more clean headroom. SS maintains voltages on the B+ outputs when a power amp is being pushed, where as Rudi states the tube rectifier will introduce a voltage "sag" when overdrawn. for smokey saturation this is the preferred affect. Fender went with Diode's in the BF era on Bassman, Bandmaster, Showman, Twin, but other 763 based amps intended for guitar kept the tube recto. These are my favorites, along with he Tweed era models.

 

[drmmrr55]

Yeah, it's really taste that dictates which is preferred. The harder you attack the strings, the more "sag" or a noticeable reduction in volume for just a couple milliseconds. Some love that sag, as it is true vintage technology, before solid state technology, amplifiers used tube rectification. I kind of like it for blues in particular, ("playing the amp" so to speak) but there is absolutely nothing wrong with SS rectifiers. They are cheap, very reliable compared to tubes, and sound just fine, no perceptible drop in output.

Just make sure your tubes are sufficiently warmed up before hitting them with an onslaught of loud playing. With SS rectifiers, your output tubes will be hit with max voltage immediately, and can die an early death if you play it loud without warming the tubes sufficiently. With tube rectifiers, you have some protection against that, thanks to the voltage drop (sag). Some of the best tube amps on the market have solid state rectifiers.

Another thing, if you get one that is tube rectified, you can make it SS rectified just by plugging in a "yellow jacket" SS rectifier in the tube socket, it only takes as long as switching a tube, so you can have one, or the other.

 

[Mookakian]

Tube have a soft response and elastic feel thats great for stoner rock and certain classic rock tones, even blues... a little more scoop in the high mids made for lush cleans too , SS is mire agressive and punchier... I had a switch to choose both on my old stiletto and its the only thing i miss with my new TC50, both mesa... I play a bit of kyuss and grungy blues, a couple of my own songs that were very grungy found tube rectification was awesome for this, soft but powerful.

 

[JohnnyN]

Besides having a softer attack and feel, tube rectifiers are more gentle on the tubes, and somewhat forgiving on tubes with a lesser max voltage limit.

 

[bulletproof]

I like’em both....

 

[Dolebludger]

I think there is much more to amp tone than type of rectifier. In the past I had two different Mesas at different times. I couldn't get a tone out of either that I liked. Too nasal, harsh, and "in your face". That's just me, I know, as other players get great tones out of the same models. My main amp is now a Soul Tramp Wraith, which the builder "voiced" to my request. It is a SS rectifier BUT it has more sag than either of my Mess did.

 

[morbidalex666]

I'll just add that ss diodes are way more consistent, because of their construction.
Tube rectifiers are tubes and, like all tubes, they have more variation in tolerance.
That's also why many tube buffs hunt down old stock tube rectifiers.

OP, the preference manufacturers show to ss rectifiers on their high powered amps has nothing to do with them being high powered. It's just cheaper, more efficient (and in this instance efficiency is a matter of personal taste more than anything), uses less real estate and eases the manufacturing process a bit.

The Mesa Rectifier series amps are a glowing example of high powered amps that have tube rectification as an optiion.

 

[rogue3]

I have them both. I have a supply of NOS replacement rectos, but the good ones last years and years.

Can't say i favor one over the other,as it depends a lot on the amps architecture. But there is nothing like a fullblown solo on a tube rectified amp.the notes just seem to swell more,at volume,even on light overdrive.I've never really needed this in a hard rock application, but in an indie setup,or R&B /blues, i like a lot.

For harder rock,i want the punch,that immediacy, of a solid state rectified amp.

 

[el84ster]

I'll throw in my .02$. BTW, I've been building tube amps and audio gear for the past 20 years, just so you know where I'm coming from.

I'll give you the advantages of tube rectification-
It makes your amp have a built in tube compressor in effect. For anything soulful it's great! Metal, maybe not. Also you can adjust the b+ voltage of your amp by swapping out various rectifier tube brands (not types of tube necessarily). Amp sound too harsh and ratty when driven? Swap your rectifier for one that kicks out lower voltage to sweeten your sound. Some rectifier tubes sag more than others, and some don't squish much at all and sound about like SS rectification. A GZ34 can be like this. A 5y3 sill usually compress pretty good.

My favorite type of amp in the whole world is a 1x12 open back, tube rectified combo with the B+ at vintage levels. If you like great tone with lots of soul, that's the stuff.

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

Even if you have a SS recto, you can sometimes do a Sag mod, which i think adds a resistor that will **somewhat** simulate the sagging of a rectifier tube.
And as I understand it, it only matters in Class AB, because Class A is usually already running near full dissipation at idle, so it doesn’t need to “start” delivering power; it already is. It’s been a while since i learned about that, maybe someone could explain it better.
I doubt my 2204 could be what it is without a SS rectifier.