Bass head straight into PA?

mastershake · #1 05-14-2011, 06:08 PM

what would be the best way to go about this without any sort of coloration. i would imagine you need some sort of dummy load. any suggestion perhaps a name of product?

OOZMAN · #2 05-14-2011, 06:09 PM

dude... just like plug it into the pa....

mastershake · #3 05-14-2011, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OOZMAN

dude... just like plug it into the pa....

i like sound i get through a tube amp though such as an svt

spaz21387 · #4 05-14-2011, 06:19 PM

im pretty sure its a bad idea to run a tube amp without a cab. why not mic the svt and cab? or get the tech 21 vt bass or sansamp? the sansamp will plug direct into the pa and sound similar to an svt.

mastershake · #5 05-14-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaz21387

im pretty sure its a bad idea to run a tube amp without a cab. why not mic the svt and cab? or get the tech 21 vt bass or sansamp? the sansamp will plug direct into the pa and sound similar to an svt.

i have the tech 21 vt bass unit and its good but i rather use a real tube amp, and i dont like the coloration of a speaker Cabinet.

MuzikMan · #6 05-14-2011, 07:25 PM

Both the Avalon U5 and the Countryman Type 85 can accept speaker level inputs but I am not well versed in how to introduce a dummy load to a tube amp so I can't help there.

4Mal · #7 05-14-2011, 07:29 PM

Amp ==> (speaker in) Avalon U5 (thru) ==>cab
Avalon U5 ==>(XLR) board

works great.

weird, the TB display is stripping the spaces I used to line that up. Looks nice in the editor though... basically amp out to the Avalon's speaker in and then the Avalon's thru to cab - you have to have a load! Then take the XLR out to the board and mic the cab, or not. There are dummy loads but most of them I've seen have either been amp destroyers (Altair, Scholtz...) or very expensive... ... and they typically are attempting to emulate a cab hich is not what you want anyway ... Palmer, etc ... Never used one personally.

I use the Avalon with a Fender Princeton Reverb - not exactly a classic bass amp - but man does it sound good setup that way. I drive a 15 as the load so I don't destroy the driver in the PR.

MNAirHead · #8 05-14-2011, 07:43 PM

Are you asking what kind of DI box to get?

Why use a head if you're going DI?

mastershake · #9 05-14-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

Are you asking what kind of DI box to get?

Why use a head if you're going DI?

because i want the sound of my amp without the coloration of a speaker cabinet. i sometimes want that overdrive you get out of a tube amp

Rick Auricchio · #10 05-14-2011, 08:08 PM

You definitely cannot run a tube amp without a load.

A lot of the sound of an all-tube amp is the coloration provided by the output transformer under load. You won't get that without a speaker. Even a dummy load is not the same as a speaker, so it probably wouldn't sound the same.

maskedman72 · #11 05-14-2011, 08:08 PM

check out one of the palmer units.

JAMS Audio - Nashville, TN

Govier966 · #12 05-14-2011, 08:09 PM

ampeg SVP

mastershake · #13 05-14-2011, 08:37 PM

i thought of palmers but the words speaker simulator makes me think their trying model certain speaker cabs which im not looking for unless it means they act like a speaker in the sense that they absorb wattage like dummy load/attenuator. is it speaker modeling? as for svp which is preamp how does it sound in comparison to the svt3 pro amp?

anonymous122511 · #14 05-15-2011, 01:59 AM

REDDI

JimmyM · #15 05-15-2011, 03:30 AM

i would not try to crank any 200-300w tube amp with a dummy load. i can't imagine it leading to anything but way too much heat.

anonymous122511 · #16 05-15-2011, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i would not try to crank any 200-300w tube amp with a dummy load. i can't imagine it leading to anything but way too much heat.

Plain and simple it's the wrong tool for the job. With all the great sounding DI's out there why pound nails with a saw?

JimmyM · #17 05-15-2011, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff arddun

Plain and simple it's the wrong tool for the job. With all the great sounding DI's out there why pound nails with a saw?

agreed. a reddi + a boost pedal could sound awfully close in the pa to a cranked tube amp. or maybe one of those jule monique preamps. a bit pricey, but sounds amazing and would be much better for running ampless than an svt into a dummy load.

Jools4001 · #18 05-15-2011, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mastershake

i have the tech 21 vt bass unit and its good but i rather use a real tube amp, and i dont like the coloration of a speaker Cabinet.

What does a PA use to project sound?

There's no getting away from it, a speaker cab has to come into the equation somewhere - and the ability of a PA cab to deliver without any colouration at all is also questionable (outside of esoteric, hugely expensive touring rigs, and even then.......).

mastershake · #19 05-15-2011, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jools4001

What does a PA use to project sound?

There's no getting away from it, a speaker cab has to come into the equation somewhere - and the ability of a PA cab to deliver without any colouration at all is also questionable (outside of esoteric, hugely expensive touring rigs).

i figured that pa speakers would have less coloration than bass speakers would. unless theres a cabinet/cabinet combination thats for bass that has less coloration but i don't know if that exist.

Jazz Ad · #20 05-15-2011, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mastershake

i like sound i get through a tube amp though such as an svt

What you like is the sound coming out of the speaker, not what comes out of the head.