Most Minimal Bass Amp

BjornStravinsky · #1 03-05-2011, 05:47 PM

Are there any amplifiers out there that take the classic Fender Champ school of thought and just have an on/off switch and a volume knob?

No bass, middle, and treble controls, no graphic EQ, no preamp, no clipping cut, just the bare essentials of an amplifier. I think it would be nice as an exercise in forcing the bassist to rely almost entirely on their fingers to get as much tone as they can.

BrianBOBO · #2 03-05-2011, 05:59 PM

I'm gonna be the jerk and suggest leaving all settings on you amp flat and just use the volume knob if the idea is to force you to learn and use your hands to get desired tones. With that said, I do not know of any.

Mojo-Man · #3 03-05-2011, 06:01 PM

Find an Ampeg B50R or B100R combo. (Used)
Great tone, and it don't get much simpler.
Or a late 60's early 70's Bassman head. I prefer the Bassman 100 for bass.
Pair with any good cab.

Passinwind · #4 03-05-2011, 06:06 PM

Any amp is an artificial construct, but the Champ has a ton of baked-in EQ. Play an upright ?

I actually do have a rig like you describe though. Here's the frequency response curve of the preamp, which I built myself. I don't find that it helps me get "more" tone, just a more limited range of them. Just don't use any knobs if you think they're somehow evil. That's a perfectly valid exercise though, IMHO.

AwkwardLoudness · #5 03-05-2011, 06:35 PM

Your criteria narrows this down to a slave/power amp. You would at least need some type of pre-amp to boost the input signal. This would be my choice:

http://hiwatt.org/pix.php?p=slave400
http://hiwatt.org/pix.php?p=slave400r

superbassman2000 · #6 03-05-2011, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwkwardLoudness

Your criteria narrows this down to a slave/power amp. You would at least need some type of pre-amp to boost the input signal. This would be my choice:

http://hiwatt.org/pix.php?p=slave400
http://hiwatt.org/pix.php?p=slave400r

yeah, why not just go direct to a power amp with something like the EHX 22 caliber, which is just a boost?

vincenzomauer88 · #7 03-05-2011, 06:39 PM

I played a Fender Musicmaster Bass amp recently. Fantastic bass amp. Two inputs, Volume, Tone... THAT'S IT!

http://media.photobucket.com/image/m.../z100_3179.jpg

Jeff Scott · #8 03-05-2011, 08:02 PM

For a modern, non-vintage amp (such as the above Musicmaster Bass amp), a Markbass Minimark comes about as close to what you're looking for, I think.

James Simonson · #9 03-05-2011, 08:06 PM

Hartke lh1000 is simple

greenboy · #10 03-05-2011, 08:23 PM

Sam Hain · #11 03-05-2011, 08:42 PM

^Thats totally awesome!!!!

pasta4lnch · #12 03-05-2011, 08:42 PM

I guess the Mo Mark could do the trick . . . since I dont use the VLE and VPF my minimark is pretty much that too. I'm gonna say that I dig the "color" added by certain amps. In fact I look for as much pleasant coloration as I can get in an amp . . . but less knobs is cool too. in fact I'd dig a volume, gain and notched tone knob

Sartori · #13 03-05-2011, 10:31 PM

Electric Power Unit has pretty minimalist controls.

SJan3 · #14 03-05-2011, 10:54 PM

I played an Ampeg B12 Portaflex today. Volume Bass and Treble...that's it. Might be tough to find but this one was a beauty and an exercise in simplicity.

My name is Mudd · #15 03-05-2011, 10:59 PM

Epiphone Valve Junior head; input jack, volume knob, on/off switch. Works great for bedroom bass.

NortyFiner · #16 03-05-2011, 11:00 PM

You could always play through an Epi Valve Jr., I guess...

EDIT: LOL, two of us posted it at the same time. JINX!

seanm · #17 03-05-2011, 11:07 PM

A good clean boost with no tone control into a power amp. Hmmmmm.... that gives you two volume knobs. Build a boost and/or preamp with no volume and control the volume from the power amp.

madmatt · #18 03-05-2011, 11:10 PM

Hartke 2500 would let you turn the EQ off.

seanm · #19 03-06-2011, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmatt

Hartke 2500 would let you turn the EQ off.

So do the iAMPs.

A band used my iAMP at a gig. When I got back, he had the treble maxed out, the bass on zero..... Too bad the flat button was on so that the EQ didn't work

As an aside, has anybody else noticed that guitar players who play bass tend to want lots of highs?

Standalone · #20 03-06-2011, 05:54 PM

Gigging amps are better with a well designed EQ. Rooms and cabs need a little adjustment on the amp. I don't see it as changing MY tone. This is why I got away from Eden style EQs, which I used to love.

I've settled on the GK 400 and 800 RB for three reasons. First, The 1 Mohm input makes pickups sound great. Second, the natural tone of the amp is what I'm looking for. And lastly, the 4 band EQ is simple, musical, and well designed for making gig or rehearsal space specific adjustments, especially with the bass knob, which seems set perfectly for supplementing deep depth in a big absorbent room or pulling out room boominess in a hard walled or small space.

I think that's what EQ used to mean-- EQUAL-izing the output to adjust for cab or room issues, rather than radically sculpting what comes out of your fingers into something else.

I'm with you on making the effort to use technique rather than technology. Picking closer to the bridge does the same thing as turning down a bass knob, doesn't it?