Chapter 6

Tubes, Solid State, and Digital.

The 80s is seen as the advent of electronically simulating vintage gear. The silicon era had more transistor component options to choose from, and printed circuit boards became cheaper to do. Electronics becoming smaller also allowed for more experimentation.

The mass manufacturing of guitar amp and pedal gear meant that new markets could be engaged. Unfortunately, expensive electric guitar equipment was only accessible to most musicians through the used market. These affordable secondhand items often passed through several professional musicians before the price dropped enough for a want-to-be electric guitarist to get their hands on the gear.

Before the 1980s, in many cases, you took whatever you could get with an electric guitar. Pawnshops were also a possible bet for cheap gear. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain used pawnshops to obtain his guitars. However, it must be said that they bought costly equipment at budget prices. They also modded them (pickups). Secondhand online retailers, especially auctions, probably have that market corner covered today. It is pretty much the way to obtain vintage gear.

Transistors

In the 1980s, the primary component manufacturers had their eye on replacing was the glass vacuum tube with the much more manageable transistor that didn’t need replacing as valves did. Valves can sometimes come loose, but transistors are fixed onto circuit boards. Tubes are made from glass and can break. Transistors are far more robust. Tubes were getting more expensive to use in general as anything using them was switching to transistors, so transistors were mass manufactured at lower prices.

The transistor also allowed the new possibility of stomping on a pedal. A printed circuit with transistors meant not worrying about an essential tube component inside breaking. Transistors made small, robust pedal designs possible. Today, the longevity of many pedals is entirely unknown, with some pedals having been stomped on for over four decades and retaining the same qualities they did when fresh out of the box.