How to Tell Tube Amps & Solid State Amps Apart
- 1). Turn the amplifier around and inspect the back of it. Look to see if the amplifier has eight to 10 small bulbs sticking out of the circuitry. If so, it is a tube amp.
If your amp has a cover that blocks your ability to see the backing, simply use a screwdriver to remove it. Be careful to remember where each screw goes in the backing. Look for the bulbs and then reattach the cover. - 2). Plug the power cord into the amplifier and then into a wall socket. Turn on the amplifier and attempt to use it with an instrument. Listen for sound. If nothing comes out of the amplifier right away, then it is a tube amp. Tube amps require up to 15 minutes to start making noise after start-up. Before concluding that it's a tube amp, however, check volume levels to make sure that the reason you hear no sound isn't because the volume is turned down.
- 3). Use the amplifier normally and listen for a distinctive sound. A warmer or more appeasing tone suggests a tube amplifier; a more severe tone suggests a solid-state amplifier. Turn the volume up half way. If the amplifier is very loud, it is a tube amplifier; they tend to be noticeably louder than the solid state, even at half volume.