Valve Amps

Valve amps are louder than most solid state amps because of compression. They squeeze a lot more sonic content into a narrower frequency range than any other type of amp. Not only are you getting a louder end result, but a more detailed tone too.

Tubes wear out depending on how long and how hot they are used. If you're playing at home at quiet to moderate volume levels, they could easily last 10 years. If you're gigging at high volumes every other week, you might need to have them changed and the amp re-biased every year. Power amp valves require changing more frequently than preamps.

Valve amps are generally considered the pinnacle of guitar tone because of the compression and finer details in the sound. When matched with a speaker cabinet, they provide an “in-the-room” air push you cannot get from their modelling amp counterparts. Although modelling amps have come a long way, many guitarists tend to record with valve amps for best results.

You can gig with a five watt tube amplifier if you're happy with lots of gain in your tone. When tubes are pushed hard, they begin to saturate. You will not be able to get a clean tone if you are competing with an acoustic drum kit in a small gigging situation. If that's not a concern, then you're good to go.