It’s Friday, March 18, 2022 as I type this.  Russia has decided to invade another country and is busy bombing maternity wards in Ukraine, and most of the world has decided to not do any business with Russia.  Sanctions have caused the Russian economy to almost collapse.  Nobody knows what the future will bring, but many guitarists are very concerned about the availability and costs of tubes for tube amps.

Musicians are a weird lot, and guitarists are even weirder.  We hold up tube amps as being the ultimate way to achieve great guitar sounds – meanwhile, bands like Metallica have been using modeling amps on the road for years.  Many of today’s largest acts use different modelers.  Modeling is more versatile, less expensive, and far more reliable.

I own two tube amps as well as an HX Stomp and Helix Native.  What do I prefer for recording and gigs?  Modeling, and it isn’t even close.  But if you invite me to a guitar jam, I’m bringing my Fender tube amp, because it’s small, loud, and sounds good.

Tube technology is very old, very impractical, bad environmentally, expensive, somewhat fragile, and in most cases modeling makes more sense.  Tube amps are still around because guitar players aren’t logical.  Same reason that people pay crazy top dollar for vintage synths – some go for 20 grand, and you can get an almost identical sound from a $50 plugin.  It’s stupid.  Companies can make a wonderful sounding modeling amp.  Some already do.  Consumer bias is working hard to keep tube amps on top.

The pedal market is also silly for most players.  If all you want are the basic booster, chorus, phaser, flanger, delay, reverb, etc, get an HX Stomp for the same price as 3 pedals, and you’ll get 40 pedals plus amps and cabinets and studio processing.

Does this mean I hate tube amps?  Nope.  I love my Bassbreaker 15.  But it does mean I’ll likely never buy another tube amp again, unless it’s crazy cheap, and that’s not likely.  Tube amps will get more expensive, not less.

They can sound bad or OK or great.  Your audience can’t tell the difference.  I prefer modeling.  And no, I’m not selling my tube amps.  Are you crazy?