Lets talk BASS amps

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9Lb Tongue

9Lb Tongue

Oily Beau Hunk
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Ever since I bought a bass a few months ago, I have really been into playing it and
messing with picking and finger playing on a daily basis.

I have been lucky that my bass player usually leaves his amp here and I have access to to anytime.

Since the holidays though, he took it home and I've been without for 2 weeks. We took a short hiatus
from playing until after the 1st.

So, anyway, I've reached a point where I know I will continue my pursuit of this instrument and now I want to get me a nice amp.

Im not looking to spend big bucks on a huge Ampeg Svt or anything, but I do want something tube, and loud enough to be heard over drums but also semi compact.

My bass player uses 2 Ashdown Combo amps as a stack and it sounds really nice.

Im open to suggestions. I'm not too keen on Peavey or Behringer stuff though.

thanks
 
I have this: http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Rumble-100-Bass-Combo?sku=480721

Every bass player who plugs into it in my practice space comments on how nice it sounds. It is also gig-woorthy for venues holding 100-150 people assuming you are not playing ear-splitting music.
 
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(broken attachment removed)Traynor YBA-1A Bassmaster 95 watts tube amp, also good for guitar and has the vintage vibe.
 
A couple of the small Ampegs have 'that sound'... the B-100R and the new Micro VR baby stack both are a pretty classic Ampeg sound for pretty reasonable price (much cheaper used).

Or.. pick up an old black/silverface Bassman head - and grab a bass cab for it... then it doubles as a world-class guitar amp as well.
"-)
 
I had a yorkville 200W 2x10 it wasn't bad but I sold it to finance a Les Paul....Now I run into my YCV40 (yes a guitar amp) and run a cable from the FX Sent to the FX return or my Peavey Windsor 100W tube head......I use the single 12 in the YCV40 and a 2x12 and a 1x15 on the peavey....
 
I got a Kustom Groove combo 310C over the summer.
Musicians friend had it marked down from $1500 to $500.
Best deal I've ever gotten. Too bad it's discontinued.
You can still get the head, but....$770.

The three 10" speakers make it sound so clear. No slop whatsoever.
And, the thing is as loud as loud gets. I can knock stuff off the shelves with it.
It's technically got a 12 band EQ (including the high, mid, and low knobs).
I get just about any sound out of it, from funk slap bass to death metal growling.

Sure it's solid state, but I don't really mind that in a bass amp.
 
mtarrani said:
glassprison68 said:
Sure it's solid state, but I don't really mind that in a bass amp.
Click to expand...

Every bass player I know will plug into a solid state amp without hesitation. Every guitar player I know won't. Go figure, right?
Click to expand...

Simple, actually... you're more likely to want a clean bass sound than a clean guitar tone. Solid state distortion is yuckier than tube in general. More accurately - it's EASIER to get a good tone with tubes on a guitar.
 
Another vintage option is the old Acoustic Control Corp amps from the '70s. I had an Acoustic 370 with an Acoustic 404 cab with 6 - 12 Speakers, it could blow a wall down.
 
If you are looking for a good bass amp, here are a few suggestions from someone who has been fixing, restoring and modifying them for years:

First, DON'T buy a tube bass amp. Tube amps are great for guitar players, but not for bass players.

Tube amps can be clean; however, the main issue is what is called slew rate. That is the total amount of time it takes for the sound to come off the speaker after you hit the string.
Tubes themselves have a fast slew rate; however the output transformers that are needed with them do not. The output transformer is what makes tube amps sound the way they do. Great for guitar but not for bass.

Average or beginning players may not notice this, but the real pro's do and most don't like it. It’s like putting a super heavy spring on your kick pedal and expecting to lock in a groove. You could get used to it and compensate if you want, buy why bother?
Also, a tube amp will be heavy. No problem if you don't care, but most guys do, especially later on.
Ampeg SVTs are a bit of an exception if you want that sound.

Second, you need a lot of power for a good tone on stage. 200 watts is the minimum unless you plan on doing low volume gigs.
It is not so much that you need the power to be loud, but you want headroom for the bass notes.
Keep in mind that you will need at least six output tubes in an already expensive tube bass amp to get that kind of power. You will pay for it up front and again each time you need to re-tube the amp.

Third, consider the rooms you will likely play in. Several 10" speakers are best for small to mid-sized rooms.
If you will be playing larger rooms, 15"s will be a better choice.

Some good amp choices are GK, Fender, Trace-Elliot and Ampeg. I do not do a lot with some of the newer Ashdown, Eden, Aguilar, etc. stuff to know how they stack up. I do not personally care for the sound of Peavey, SWR or Behringer bass amps. Certain old Acoustic amps can sound good, but they need to be gone through by someone who knows how to straighten them out to assure they will be reliable.

Steve
 
Steve L said:
If you are looking for a good bass amp, here are a few suggestions from someone who has been fixing, restoring and modifying them for years:

First, DON'T buy a tube bass amp. Tube amps are great for guitar players, but not for bass players.

Tube amps can be clean; however, the main issue is what is called slew rate. That is the total amount of time it takes for the sound to come off the speaker after you hit the string.
Tubes themselves have a fast slew rate; however the output transformers that are needed with them do not. The output transformer is what makes tube amps sound the way they do. Great for guitar but not for bass.

Average or beginning players may not notice this, but the real pro's do and most don't like it. It’s like putting a super heavy spring on your kick pedal and expecting to lock in a groove. You could get used to it and compensate if you want, buy why bother?
Also, a tube amp will be heavy. No problem if you don't care, but most guys do, especially later on.
Ampeg SVTs are a bit of an exception if you want that sound.

Second, you need a lot of power for a good tone on stage. 200 watts is the minimum unless you plan on doing low volume gigs.
It is not so much that you need the power to be loud, but you want headroom for the bass notes.
Keep in mind that you will need at least six output tubes in an already expensive tube bass amp to get that kind of power. You will pay for it up front and again each time you need to re-tube the amp.

Third, consider the rooms you will likely play in. Several 10" speakers are best for small to mid-sized rooms.
If you will be playing larger rooms, 15"s will be a better choice.

Some good amp choices are GK, Fender, Trace-Elliot and Ampeg. I do not do a lot with some of the newer Ashdown, Eden, Aguilar, etc. stuff to know how they stack up. I do not personally care for the sound of Peavey, SWR or Behringer bass amps. Certain old Acoustic amps can sound good, but they need to be gone through by someone who knows how to straighten them out to assure they will be reliable.

Steve
Click to expand...

Steve, thanks for the run down. much appreciated. I have been doing a lot of reading over the past 2 days and I agree about what you said about NOT getting atube amp for bass.

I saw a real nice goldline? GK amp I liked. I also have a line on a 4 x 10 combo Ashdown
MAG C410T - 300 EVO 2.

This amp will not see gigs, but it will see fairly loud practicing competing with my drums
and a full stack JCM800. I'm guessing the amp has tube preamps?
 
The YBA-1 MArk II Bassmaster tube amp I have is now used as a guitar amp. It has point to point wiring and a monster Hammond Transformer. It is very similar to a MarshallJTM-45.

Traynor makes some very good solid state bass amps under the Yorkville sound name. You can get a 200 watt with 2 - 10s or with a 15 for $200 used. Built like tanks like the old Traynor gear and very reliable.

I have one like in the picture with two tens and a fifteen inch cabinet as well.
 
9Lb,

Looks like a decent amp as far as the specs and features go. I have not worked on any of these yet to be able to give an opinion, however that is actually a good thing since I usually only see amps when they are broken or when people are not happy with them.

I don't think it has a tube preamp, however I could be wrong. A tube in a bass preamp is fine. It is when they are used for outputs that the stuff I mentioned comes into play. (By the way, I should have mentioned that the slew rate issue manifests itself as an ever so slight delay in the initial attack of the note when you play. I can't stand it.)

If you can try it with your band first, that would be best, however if not, it looks like a reasonable bet.

Steve
 
My brother is a bass player, so I feel I have some authority on this.
We had a Behringer combo amp (is actually mine when I was in the bass phase), that works nice, but doesn't get loud enough. My brother has a 212 Gallien Kreuger Cabinet, with another 112 stacked on it, and a GK amp head. It's got colossal sound! And so many adjustments available I get lost when he starts talking about sound EQ'ing. I heard a 410 cabinet is faster, and punchier, but he prefers the low end growl he gets from his 212. GK has service centers all over the states. There's actually 2-4 in NC alone. They've been the name in bass amplification since the '70s.
There's also a brand well known for their 410 cabinets, called Hartke, or Hatke, or something to that effect.
I've noticed 410 cabinets seem to be all the rage in Jazz, and 212 seem to be more dominant in rock music, but 410s pop in plenty.
212 means two 12" speakers, and 410 means 4 10" speakers, by the way.
 
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