I'm now thinking amps (for someday, will take awhile to save up). Right now I have a SWR Basic Black which I like but it can't really handle when my band does outdoor gigs. Plus, I like but dont' *love* the tone. It farts out at high volume (even when I attach second speaker, though the one I have access to is another 1x15, so that may make a difference).
Probably my touchstone, the one that sold me on the P partly, was playing it through a SVT-CL (here, except now I have flatwounds on it so not nearly so bright:
'73 P Bass 1 SVT CL Acoust 810 by ETThompson on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free). What I like about it is just the sense of a really deep, strong powerful, tight low end combined with musicality.
I like a real vintage sound but with note definition still intact. I play a wide variety of styles, rock, blues, funk, experimental, etc. I love your style(s) and your tone(s) so that's why I'm asking.
But, the SVT seems like overkill for my situation - mostly playing out to club dates and medium size festivals once in a while, otherwise indoors/in studio. The head alone weighs almost double the SWR! But if that's what I gotta do...
But, two others mentioned in various forums that sound pretty great are the B-15R and the Mesa Boogie 400. Does the B-15R, since its an Ampeg, have a very similar tone to the CL? How would you describe the MB 400 in comparison?
Of course ideally I'd try them all out in advance, side by side, but especially since I don't want to buy new I don't know if that'll be possible - the others (not the SVT) aren't even made anymore, right?
Thanks,
Eric
