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BoDeans’ Good Things: Tubes

BoDeanslogo1While the BoDeans have built a loyal fan base over the course of the 24 years since the release of their T Bone Burnett-produced debut, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, the duo—Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas—is best known as the band whose “Closer To Free” became the theme song to ’90s TV show Party Of Five. But the BoDeans are fine with that and instead focus on making the kind of music they want to, then bringing it to their devoted followers. New album Mr. Sad Clown (429) features more of the duo’s trademark roots-based rock and intricate vocal harmonies. Neumann will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with him.

AmpTubes2Neumann: Tubes, man. Vacuum tubes, to be more precise. Technically speaking, a vacuum tube is a device used to amplify, switch or otherwise modify—or create—an electrical signal by controlling the movement of electrons in a low-pressure space. What? Right? Actually, they are the beautiful glass bulb-like things hanging out of the back of my amps that glow that gorgeous gold/orange/blue color. Hot, hot, hot. The hotter the better, I say. They are the reason the amp has the spongy warm tone that it does. The reason for the chunk and the grind that sings and stings—oh so fine. I bought my first Fender Super Reverb amp back in the ’80s for $175. It came loaded with 6l6s and 12AX7s. I see Super Reverbs for sale in vintage guitar stores now for $2,000. You know why? Tubes and tone, man. It’s a beautiful thing.

Video after the jump.