Newbie Wants a Bass sound!

[CarlosElJackal]

Hi there, Im a fairly recent convert from Guitar to Bass playing.
I am a bit of a vntage man myself, i love analog and tube sounds. I play a fairly Indie/Stooges Rock sounding bass style and I recently have been giging playing through our guitarists marshal vintage plexi leed head, while our guitarist is out of town. Barbaric i know.
When he comes back im back to either scabbing bass rigs from other bands or using a peice of junk bass amp or slowly destroying a combo guitar amp.
Im in need of assistance, ive got money and amps to spare and am willing to get myself somthing sweet.
Ive tried out Ampeg SVT classic and i think a VT or heritage or somthing with a new p bass with new strings and while i was impressed by the overall warmth, grunt and smooth finish i still felt that there was somthing lacking. I am considering getting a Marshall Super Bass head or the like but fear it will be over kill to have both the plexi and the super bass going.
I need brand names, i need stores any suggestions.
Amp heads to try out. Also whats the deal with the speaker cabs, if i put a new classic through an older speaker in good knick would that maybe give me more of an edge? Are the new classics as good as the early ampeg stuff and is there much difference from amp to amp?

Im in Melbourne Cheers

[CarlosElJackal]

Anyone?

[iriegnome]

Do a search in the Amp thread. There are hundreds of choices and everyone in here has an opinion about each. Sounds to me like you don't mind heavy huge amps, but they are not everything. IF you actually have a bass, that would be a start. Take the bass with you to music stores and try out the bass rigs. That is going to be the best way to find something that will work. Personally, I hate the heavy all tube rigs. IMHO and much respect to those who swear by them

[RickenBoogie]

+1 buying a bass rig is like buying shoes- you simply MUST try them on first.

[delta7fred]

Originally Posted by CarlosElJackal

... I recently have been giging playing through our guitarists marshal vintage plexi leed head, while our guitarist is out of town. Barbaric i know.

I played bass through a 100W valve (tube) lead head and either 1 or 2 412 lead cabs for years, it's amazing what you will do when you don't know any better (and have 3 kids so are flat broke).

Lead gear is ok but it does lack a certain something - bottom end.

[deeptubes]

2 letters: GK

I played through Ampeg for more than 9 years. Like you, I felt like something was missing. I sold my Ampeg rig and bought a GK 1001 RB-II and an SWR Workingman's Tower (8x10). Like my former Ampeg, it's full, deep, bassy, and bone-rattling loud. However, unlike the Ampeg, it's clean, crisp, and articulate. The difference is night and day. To me, it's like the difference between humming a song and singing a song. I found that my GK and SWR are more versatile. I can make my current rig sound like my old Ampeg, but I couldn't make my Ampeg sound like my GK and SWR. I would recommend my current rig to absolutely anyone.

[B-string]

"Lead" or "guitar" amp heads can work just fine, it's the cabs that don't work well.
Disconnect the combo's speakers and run a decent bass cab? New or used? Names for equipment G-K, Ampeg (don't overlook the new PF or 7), Mesa, Traynor, Marshall, Genz Benz, Markbass just to name a few in no particular order.

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by CarlosElJackal

Anyone?

GB Shuttle 9.0 Amp
Shuttle Series | GENZ BENZ
Barefaced Super Fifteen Speaker
Barefaced Bass - Super Fifteen

[JimmyM]

The VR is the one that's closest to the original SVT's, one of which I have (mine is from the very first run), and in all honesty, I don't think I could tell the difference in a blind test.

So you're missing that guitar amp grind with the SVT? Well an SVT will do grind, but the VR won't grind until you turn it up to deafening volumes, and the CL and Heritage will let you do quieter grind with the pre tube but it's not the same as cranking a non-master volume tube amp. So here's what you want to do if you want to go legit with it and you don't mind the haul...get an SVT and a lower wattage guitar combo amp, like maybe 35-50w at the most should do it, split your signal, roll off the lows from the guitar combo, then blend the two to taste. You'll get that guitar amp grind with the SVT sound. Ampeg actually makes a 50w guitar combo that would likely work well for that purpose and isn't too expensive. Or if you like Marshall, they do, too, but I don't know what the prices are.

[walls]

What about an OD pedal? I use one with my Showman head just to get some grit and it sounds killer.

[CarlosElJackal]

Yeah, I'm really not looking for grunt, or crunch at all.
I want velvet distortion if that makes sense, i get a subtle feel of it from the CL and im sure with the right fuzz it could work out well, im probably just not used to going for the sound that sits under everything, does anyone use a Marshall super bass? There are only demo's with stupid guitarist hacks using them and half of them seam to be modded into leed amps.
Im fairly certain that I am a ded set analog/tube man.

[JimmyM]

Chris Squire of Yes has used a Superbass for decades mixed in with his SVT's. Lemmy uses them.

[One Drop]

I'd go Ampeg VR or a '70s SVT with a Bergantino NV cab. Gives you that little something extra (i.e. more definition, clarity and a bit less upper mid scoop) compared to the Classic head and cab combination.

Same grunt, punch, basic tone and so sweet for nailing those Stooges tones and their ilk.

Or you could go the big clean rig with a VT pedal in front, but that's WAY less fun to stand in front of, heh heh

[Zoa]

One Drop has got it pretty much covered. A VT Bass pedal will give you more tone-shaping options, but its not a carbon copy of the real thing. I don't think you'll find very many people here who will recommend a Marshall over an Ampeg or many other brands, really.

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by Joe Louvar

GB Shuttle 9.0 Amp
Shuttle Series | GENZ BENZ
Barefaced Super Fifteen Speaker
Barefaced Bass - Super Fifteen

Have you even played this stuff? or are you just recommending from what you've read on here?

I ask because I keep seeing you recommend Barefaced stuff (and questioning the constant reccomendations of fEARful designs) and I know there are very few of them in the US.

I'm intrigued by them as well, but wouldn't recommend anything unless I had some experience with it in the situation the OP is describing. This sounds like a super clean rig with a very modern sound, great but he would need at least a pedal or so in front.

[One Drop]

Another solution I would recommend could be a 7Pro with a Bergantino HD212 (I'm basing this on the AE212 I've played- insanely good sounding, and if the HD sounds as described you get a bit more oomph, even better)

Huge, imposing and aggressive if you want, but copping the Ampeg clean tube sound at any SPL you can realistically want.

I used to use a real grindy '70s tone for the Stooges songs we cover, but lately I've dialed out a bit of the mids through my VT pedal, bigger lows and low mids with a bit of a scoop, and enough treble to get some pick click. Makes a killer huge and tight sound in combination with the kick that really propels these songs forward and highlights how much these tunes are based on the drum patterns. Also leaves more room down the middle to hear the subtleties of those psychedelic guitar parts.

I use enough OD to cover the punch in velvet like you describe, softens the attack a bit, just a beautiful tone in this kind of a mix.

[Joe Louvar]

One Drop - I finely got a chance to play with a GB Shuttle 9.0 and it’s awesome but I’ve only read about the Barefaced Super Fifteen - however, everything I’ve read about the Super Fifteen I personally like better than the fEARful 1515/66. For example I don’t like the extra weight of the 1515/66 or the larger size, nor do I want mid drivers or a crossover to worry about overheating. I hope this answers your questions. I think the only reason why there aren’t more Barefaced speakers in the US is because there isn’t a US distributor - yet. Money is a little tight for me right now with Christmas, my wife’s birthday, our anniversary and income taxes all coming up - but I’m planning on ordering a GK Shuttle 9.0 and a unheard Barefaced Super Fifteen soon after.

EDIT:

Im fairly certain that I am a ded set analog/tube man.

Carlos, if that’s the case my recommendations may not be best suited for you. I like a little bite with clean power you can feel and fuzz isn’t really my thing. Good luck with your hunt.

[Dark Horse]

You might look for an old Acoustic 360 head and cabinet ... cool beefy tone and a great fuzz built in. Also, look into the old Sunn tube bass amps.

[FooHead]

Not sure if you can find one in Aus but the new Traynor YBA-300 is and all tube head with gobs of power and tone. There's some good info on here you can dig up.