Soldano vs. Vetta 2

[danastas]

Well, I wasn't making a big deal out of it. If I thought it was a big deal, I wouldn't have bought a tube amp and put my Vetta up for sale.

I just mentioned that when you're doing a cost comparison, you have to factor in the tubes. That's all.

[sevser]

Don't take this too heavy but I think it's kinda funny how people make a big deal about tubes and tube replacement..."You need to pay a tech....Replacing tubes all the time..." It just seems to get exaggerated a bit....I have NEVER paid for a tech...hand a valve amp fail and been stuck at a gig...I always carry a quad set with me and a few 12ax7s...I know shit happens with valve amps but...Not like it a regular ordeal and expense. I have played the ass off my XXX for well over 3 years...Gigs and rehearsal...One set of 6l6's and one set of El34's...Both sets still going strong. Oh...I did have the original Sovteks too...So I did run them for a while...Still good too.

Besides...If I need help with tubes...I get it here for free from the two of you!

[Twisteramps]

You can have show-ending issues with tube amps too - I had a mesa .50 head that burned a hole in the PCB the size of a dime! Friend of mine lost the heater voltage on his TSL during a rehearsal - the fix was to reheat all the solder joints, but that's going to take too long at a typical gig to fix. Not all tube amp issues are "throw me some tubes and fuses".

The number of upper end pro guitarists who use Vettas doesn't hold water with me, as I just go for what sounds good to ME. I mean heck, how many real upper end pro guitarists play Jackson? I'm not talking about guys signed to Metal Blade or whatever - I mean guys going double platnium. Other than the Def Leppard guy, not many. How many guys in that stratosphere are using CAE preamps?

Don't forget I sold my Vetta a few years back, and am happy as a clam with the VHT I'm using now. But I was nearly as happy with the JSX and the Vetta was close too... I just like to switch things up.

Pete

[Cleveland Metal]

When the Vetta takes a voltage hit or some evil thing, is dead and unrepairable like my Voodu Valve (and not many places can repair something that serious), and a tube guys tosses a set of tubes in backstage and goes on. I'll be happy about replacing tubes.

What I'm curious about, is that I don't see many upper end pro guitarists saying they use Vetta's... Am I missing this? Who is using them really?

I did see Mike Romeo using one and his tone was horrid. Me and his bass player were both heckling him to go back to Mesa.

[skorb]

that in my mind says the vetta is the amp that can sound just as good or maybe better than multiple amps out there without the expense of buying many different amps. What other single amp can you buy that gets that kind of results?

that is precisely the logic that sold me on the Vetta.

do you have one Quakana?

[jgcable]

Just make sure your Vetta I already comes with 2.5...like I did.

The only thing you need to upgrade your Vetta to Vetta 2 specs (without the Variax or spidf ports) is a $30.00 midi interface and a pair of cheap midi cables. You don't have to install a new card to upgrade it.

The ONLY difference between a Vetta 1 and a Vetta 2 are:

The Vetta 1 has silver and gray appointments. The Vetta 2 is all black.
The Vetta 2 comes with a Variax direct port (like the XTL) and digital spidf outputs (for re-amping).
You can add this card to your Vetta 1 for $100.00 if you need to.

[Sanctuary]

If it's total money expended, then you also take into account the price of retubing, biasing (need a tech?) etc. Over the 10 year life of the Vetta, how many tubes do you go through? Need a tech to retube the thing?

True. Don't forget the spare set of tubes you need to carry around just in case. But anyway...

[Sanctuary]

one thing to take into account with the older Vetta models is that you need to buy the card to upgrade it, so that $700 price needs to account for the $100 card and the $50 midi cable to download 2.5. When you add it all up, at $1k you're getting a newer amp for 150 more.

Just make sure your Vetta I already comes with 2.5...like I did.

[danastas]

If it's total money expended, then you also take into account the price of retubing, biasing (need a tech?) etc. Over the 10 year life of the Vetta, how many tubes do you go through? Need a tech to retube the thing?

[quakana]

Here is a thought....if you have to spend hours with a Vetta and another amp to figure out which one is better....there cant be that much of a difference right...not to mention throw the other amp away and then put yet another amp beside the vetta and do the same thing...take days to figure out which one sounds better? Then there cant be that much of a difference again. Not to mention you just made the vetta sound just as good as two different amps with two totally different sounds....that in my mind says the vetta is the amp that can sound just as good or maybe better than multiple amps out there without the expense of buying many different amps. What other single amp can you buy that gets that kind of results? Tend to think that if a vetta and lets say a Soldano were up on stage at the same time you would be able to tell the difference between the two. In my mind versatility wins....the Vetta is King

[RacerX]

...which very nicely proves the resale value theory...

[danastas]

one thing to take into account with the older Vetta models is that you need to buy the card to upgrade it, so that $700 price needs to account for the $100 card and the $50 midi cable to download 2.5. When you add it all up, at $1k you're getting a newer amp for 150 more.

[Guitardude86]

Here's an upgraded head. Still like you said, around $1000 I guess.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Upgraded-to-2-50-Line-6-Vetta-II-HD-Amp-Line6-amplifier_W0QQitemZ300080983289QQihZ020QQcategoryZ43374QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Guitardude86]

This one has a crack at the bottom, see pics, but the price hasn't hit the roof just yet..

http://cgi.ebay.com/Line-6-Vetta-II-Guitar-Amplifier-2x12-Inch-2x75-Watts_W0QQitemZ230091435241QQihZ013QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[danastas]

Vetta 2 = $1000-1100

That's the market. I scoured through EBAY for about 2 months. That's what they're going for. I saw about 30 go off at that price, and then when a clean one popped up there, I hit the BIN.