What famous performers use SS amps?

[RDV]

Here's a cool Brian May Vox amp.

RDV

[Ge_Whiz]

Woah, hang on there. The 'Deacy' was built by John Deacon, Queen's bass player, from a junk germanium transistor amplifier of unknown origin (possibly an old car radio). Brian May used it as a studio amplifier, miked up. It was hardly a stage amp! Almost certainly less than one watt, the exact circuit is not public domain.

[teemuk]

The circuit details of the original Deacy are not very well known indeed. As far as i know, it was built into an old "bookshelf" 12" x 6" hifi speaker box, yes, using germanium transistors. The circuit was reputedly based to an old 1960's car amp so i'm quite sure that the output topology was transformer coupled. I'd also guess that the circuit has been changed during maintenance more than once after the first build. The output power? Hard to say but that battery looks like the ones used for powering portable tube radios.
http://www.dawsonsonline.com/newlettpics/deacy2.jpg
http://www.guitarraonline.com.ar/set-ups/brianmay/chicas/05MAYfotoE.jpg

[RDV]

My previous post is a link(though you can't tell unless you put your curser over it) that has a picture of the original Deacy as well as the little Vox BM amp.

RDV

[Stompin_Tom]

Buzzo from the Melvins used a Sunn beta lead... nice amp, by the way. You can blend the two channels so you can have a clean signal mixed with the overdriven one... kind of like a tube screamer.

BB King and Ty Tabor(?) from King's X used a LabSeries L5 (although I've heard that Ty just ran the preamp through a tube power amp).

[Ge_Whiz]

David Gedge of The Wedding Present has always used HH VS Musician solid-state amps. I have one, so I can appreciate his choice!

[joecool85]

Isaac Raymond uses a Sunn Bass amp when playing with Cenedal.

[Ge_Whiz]

The Buzzcocks used HH IC-120 amps. Dunno if they still do.

[joecool85]

Buzz Cocks?  Older band or current?

[Ge_Whiz]

Buzzcocks, one word. Originally founded by Malcolm McLaren as support for the Sex Pistols, released the first independent UK single, had several hits. Reformed a few years ago.

[joecool85]

Huh.  Apparently they never really hit the US.

[Stompin_Tom]

Buzzcocks are one of the founding fathers of pop punk. I'd say they're just good pop (maybe because I'm not into their imitators... see new wave and greenday/fat wreck chords/epitaph/lookout records/etc.).

Watch out for that rock music history... easy to lose track of imitation when you never knew the original innovation.

Ok. sorry. I'm done side-tracking the thread.

[SECONDandBOWERY]

The Buzzcocks are great.

Since we're on the topic of punk rock, Greg Ginn of Black Flag was notorious for using solid state amps.  I quote from wikipedia (which probably quoted some other source):

He [Greg] has said that this Sound City amp was horrible and was the last time he used a tube amp. He has said that he dislikes tube amps because they round off the sound and he wants a sharper tone.

He used a Roland until 1985 when he began using a Yamaha preamp. He used a Peavey P.A. head for a while too.

Rock'n'Roll,
--Andy

[javacody]

Add Albert King to the list. Not sure what make/model, but I'm sure someone could google it.

[teemuk]

I googled.  He reputedly used Roland's JC-120 and SS Acoustic Control Corp. amp, I believe it was 260 (http://acoustic360.homeunix.net/products/main/260.html, http://acoustic360.homeunix.net/images/schematics/260_160.jpg). The same amp was also used by numerous other artists including Chuck Berry (this guy used whatever he got) and The Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger.