All guitar amps except the cheapest ones are all tubes still. So is some high end hi-fi. But with the right eq. and processing transistor amps can sound just the same.
That every major amp manufacturer offers plenty of very expensive high end all solid state amplifiers. They all also offer a full line of tube amps, and tube hybrids as well. From Fender to Marshall, Ampeg to Vox and everything in between your choices of solid state, tube, or a mix of both are readily available, and it's pretty easy to spend a couple grand on a solid state rig.
Tube pre amps with solid state power output is pretty common these days. So are all solid state rigs with digital emulation of a wide variety of vintage amps. Couple years ago I had a Fender amp with a knob with about 20 positions, pre labeled and set up to emulate a wide variety of vintage amps. Just point the knob where you want it and sound like the amp you wish you could find and afford. For the most part it was spot on far as I could tell.
I spent about 40 years gigging, hauling gear, repairing gear, and listening to guitar players argue about crap like "I hate the solid state rectifiers. I don't get the output sag I expect when I'm running tube rectifiers". Like anyone in the bar crowd listening to "Freebird" is thinking "Damn, that guy's got tube rectifiers in that amp" LOL.
After all that I turned my Son into a musician and he's still a very active player who also repairs amps and builds them as well. I spent a lot of time hauling his gear around and repairing it.
TIB
But all true. I was just thinking the other day, I wonder if Tim's turntables use silicon diodes or a 5U4?
Or....the tried -'n- true 50L6....
Or the 117L7/M7GT.....
Now THOSE were "rectifiers"!!!!!
It was a wonderful read, by the way.
I really enjoyed it.
Brooce