TUBES> PEDALS

"Vacuum tubes (valves) were by far the dominant active electronic components in most instrument amplifier applications until the 1970s, when semiconductors (transistors) started taking over for performance and economic reasons, including heat and weight reduction, and improved reliability. High-end tube instrument amplifiers have survived as one of few exceptions, because of the sound quality."

Wait, so.... what?

Tubes are more expensive than transistors, they fade over time, are sensitive to oils, movement and most everything else... so why do players choose tubes over transistors? The sound! the warmth, which is dictated by the power regulation, is unmatched by the associating transistors, but is inconsistent. therefore, if one is looking for reference speakers, they wont desire tubes, due to the constantly changing sound timbre. A guitar player on the other hand, will LOVE tubes, for the sound quality, and continue replacing tubes, in order to continue pursuing the highest fidelity.