I want an all tube head for $1000

[ngh]

I want an all tube head for $1000 (preferably less)! what are my options! what are the pros and cons of said options.

Below is all the information about my current rig:


bass:1974 ric 4001 that has a 60's era gibson mudbucker in the neck position. and a costom mustang style bass with a sedowski pbass pickup in it. flats on both.

amp/cab: orange terror bass with a 90's ampeg 410

pedals: at the moment i am running
EH freeze > EH POG 1 (mostly as a sub octave generator) > Colorsound power boost > ZVEX Wooly Mammoth > EAR AD4096 delay

I play indie rock sort of stuff, and like to have a big round chesty sort of bass sound that is not "super clean" (ala jamerson). and then i use the mammoth to get crazy feedbacky fuzz or the colorsound to get a little grittier and add some girth. the rest of the pedals in my signal chain are for ambient stuff for the most part.

this rig has treated me well for quite some time now, it has seen the studio and a few tours. i got the terror bass about a year ago to replace a crappy GK head i found in the basement of a house i rented when i was in college. and it does the job, gets plenty loud and sounds fine, But I think i could do better!

so where do I go from here?

[Sid Fang]

Originally Posted by ngh

...
so where do I go from here?

To the used gear section of the largest music stores you can find.

[garmenteros]

Go used. You can easily pickup an ampeg svt in good to mint condition for that price. That's what I would go for.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Sid Fang

To the used gear section of the largest music stores you can find.

Right.

[DiabolusInMusic]

What were you thinking? You can find an SVT-CL for under $1000 quite easily. I sold mine last year (2005 USA made) for $900 and that is generally the going rate.

If you see the ads in the classifieds wanting $1200 for it... just wait... they ALL come down.

[Gabeja15]

http://traynoramps.com/bass/yba/product/yba200-2/

[Primakurtz]

A few options. You can generally find these at or under $1000:

Ampeg SVT models - SVT, II non-pro, 2 Pro. 300 watts of loud warm tone.

Mesa - 400, 400+, Buster - terrific amps, all of them. I am impressed at how well my Buster takes boosts and dirt, and how loud it gets.

Aguilar DB359 - hit the front end with a boost, and start smiling. Amazing amp.

Lots more out there, but these are the ones I have tried & liked.

EDIT: How can I forget the Peavey Classic 400? Rare, but pretty inexpensive. And great.

[RCCollins]

A grand will allow you a lot of options in the used market, maybe even an SVT or a 400+ IF you need that much power.

If you DON't need that much power (or clean headroom) you could easily save a couple hundred bucks (or put them toward a tech checkup and new tubes if necessary) and get something like a Traynor YBA200

[RCCollins]

Originally Posted by Primakurtz

Mesa - 400, 400+, Buster - terrific amps, all of them. I am impressed at how well my Buster takes boosts and dirt, and how loud it gets.

Mmmmmmm Buster. Pure, concentrated tone and character...

[CL400Peavey]

The first thing I would do is take your bass, cab, and amp down to a music store that has a tube amp or two. I would do some A/B testing and see if what you think you want, is actually what you want. Let your ears decide which is the amp that is right for you. Once you have some perspective look used as others have said.

If I had a K and was looking for an all tube head, I would pick up a Peavey Classic 400..

[dhsierra1]

Peavey VB-2 can be had for around $600 used.

[bassgod0dmw]

I'd be looking for an SVT.

What are you running for a cab?

[Caca de Kick]

+1000
You can get just about anything you want 2nd hand in that price range or less. Sometimes you can even find those big 400w Peavey tubers.

I recently saw an Ampeg SVT-II non pro at my local GC for $850. Cant beat that (and I'm a Mesa guy!).

[CL400Peavey]

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

What are you running for a cab?

+1
Tube heads are sometimes a little more picky about the cab they are paired with. i.e I wouldnt want to run an SVT that I owned through a 8 Ohm cab.

[ngh]

thanks so much for all the vary prompt help guys!

there is an old traynor yba1 for 400 that a buddy of mine is trying to get rid of and a yba2 for a grand at a local shop any of you guys have any feelings about these old traynors?

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

I'd be looking for an SVT.

What are you running for a cab?

I have an ampeg 410 from the 90's but have been considering switching out to two 12's. there is a bergantino 212 for 600 on cl at the moment. and that seems kind of hard to pass up.

[DiabolusInMusic]

I am not a traynor fan, they are Canadian Peavey basically. If you want an attempt at an SVT get one, I would personally pick a real SVT over a YBA ten times out of ten.

Be warned though, tube amps, the SVT especially, are extremely expensive to maintain. A re-tubing on my SVT cost me $400 when all said and done.

[kmqu601]

+1 for SVT (if that's what your going for). They can definitely be had for around $1000. If you want to pay about half that, try the Peavey VB-2. I have one that I use in a practice space, but recently had to start playing out with it because it just sounds too damn good

[BAMonBASS]

I use a stock 2011 Ric through a Peavey VB-2 and a Peavey tvx 410. Sounds great in my opinion and you could probably get the whole setup(- the ric) for under $1000.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by ngh

thanks so much for all the vary prompt help guys!

there is an old traynor yba1 for 400 that a buddy of mine is trying to get rid of and a yba2 for a grand at a local shop any of you guys have any feelings about these old traynors?

Only about 40 watts. Great amp for a guitar.

http://traynoramps.com/guitar/50th_a...product/yba-1/

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by DiabolusInMusic

I am not a traynor fan, they are Canadian Peavey basically. If you want an attempt at an SVT get one, I would personally pick a real SVT over a YBA ten times out of ten.

Be warned though, tube amps, the SVT especially, are extremely expensive to maintain. A re-tubing on my SVT cost me $400 when all said and done.

People still do full retubes? Too bad...unless you're in a doom band cranking everything up to 11, it's a senseless waste of money.