Reggae Bass

[RASHOSS]

Greetings All,

Some months ago I posted here with the same subject as above. The feedback I received was wonderful. Amazingly, the most useful suggestion I received was to dampen the strings with a "sponge". I did this and really like it for what I'm trying to do...create a thumping reggae "woofery" sound.

I now have another question specifically concerning the head/cab:

I've been looking at MarkBass and it appears to be "up my alley". One of the absolute masters of reggae bass, Robbie Shakespeare, is using the Standard 104HF and TA503, so it must be great

Someone is offering to trade me their Markbass Little Tube 800 and Markbass Classic 4x10 (fairly new) for my Ampeg SVT-CL and Ampeg 8x10 (10+ years old).

1. In your opinion, is this an equal/unequal trade?
2. For the sound I'm looking for, I wonder if I should get away from tubes all together. I believe the Little Tube 800 has (1) tube in it. Ideas?
3. Anybody have a recommendation on what my gear is worth:
a. Ampeg SVT-CL (10+ years old, great condition, in Anvil case)
b. Ampeg 8 x 10 cabinet (10+ years old, pretty torn up exterior, but speakers still rock)

Thank you very much!

Hoss

[will33]

The trade is highly unequal. If it were me, you'd have to give me at least 2 of the markbass rigs for the svt. Your rig is a time tested industry standard. The markbass is just another SS amp and 1/2 the speakers.

[BurningSkies]

Don't do it.

[will33]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

Don't do it.

+1

And here I thought you'd take this opportunity to throw up another pic of that sweet reggae rig of yours.

[vin*tone]

Nope

[msquared]

For what your gear is worth it depends a lot on condition. You can do your research in the TB classifieds section or on Ebay for starters.

+1 on it being an unequal trade. Hopefully this wasn't a friend of yours.

I wouldn't get out of the tube rig for reggae unless you specifically dislike it. Entire careers have been made playing reggae bass with tube amps and yours in particular is iconic across several genres.

There is no "reggae amp". Regarding Markbass itself, Robbie is using the PA anyway. He's not filling a stadium or even a club using his Markbass rig.

[alexofc69]

Id sell off the SVT before trading it. I play reggae, not the roots dub stuff, but early reggae/skinhead reggae/rockseady/ska & soul So, the sponge to dampen the strings isnt for me. i can get that effect with my fingers and hand.
I get all of the tone I need from my genz benz streamliner 600 and two genz benz 112 NEOX cabs.
My opinion is the Little mark 800 will get you there, but with two cabs.

[RASHOSS]

Sheesh, by the quick responses I've received, I'd say I asked a dumb question

Even though "dampening" the strings has been helpful, I still struggle to get the stage sound I'm looking for. You know how wonderful it is when you play your car stereo LOUD and it feels like you are INSIDE the bass? Is it possible to replicate that feeling on stage, or should I turn my journey in another direction?

I know the Ampeg setup that I have is extremely versatile, but I wonder if it's TOO versatile...I mean almost anybody that plays it is "satisfied", but when we look even deeper into the bass playing sounds of roots reggae and "2Tone" style ska, is it the most "preferred" set up?

The only reason I carry on, is because I know the TalkBass Membership likes to discuss this stuff

Thank you,

Hoss

[RASHOSS]

Originally Posted by alexofc69

I play reggae, not the roots dub stuff, but early reggae/skinhead reggae/rockseady/ska & soul So, the sponge to dampen the strings isnt for me. i can get that effect with my fingers and hand.
I get all of the tone I need from my genz benz streamliner 600 and two genz benz 112 NEOX cabs.
My opinion is the Little mark 800 will get you there, but with two cabs.

This is the kind of reggae we're playing too, even though I specified "Roots"...over the years we've played a lot of Skatalites, Gladiators, Ethiopians, Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller style stuff plus Specials, Selecter, English Beat type stuff

I've never heard of the gear you're using...gotta check it!

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by RASHOSS

Sheesh, by the quick responses I've received, I'd say I asked a dumb question

Even though "dampening" the strings has been helpful, I still struggle to get the stage sound I'm looking for. You know how wonderful it is when you play your car stereo LOUD and it feels like you are INSIDE the bass? Is it possible to replicate that feeling on stage, or should I turn my journey in another direction?

I know the Ampeg setup that I have is extremely versatile, but I wonder if it's TOO versatile...I mean almost anybody that plays it is "satisfied", but when we look even deeper into the bass playing sounds of roots reggae and "2Tone" style ska, is it the most "preferred" set up?

The only reason I carry on, is because I know the TalkBass Membership likes to discuss this stuff

Thank you,

Hoss

Yes. Check out the fEARful cabs with loads of wattage on tap. They go LOWER than production cabs without any BS.

Also, if you really are looking for a 'sub bass' feel, while an 8x10 is great for a traditional reggae feel (which was never about a sub bass feel in the live arena) its time to get into effective DSP. Unfortunately, the Maxxbass 107 is now out of production...

I was never a real lover of the SVT/810 setup because I look for a more clean tone, but I can certainly make one work on stage. There is no parity in that trade you listed no matter what.

Also, I'm not a fan of the foam mute, but just effective right hand technique and finger muting while you play.

I've also covered the variety of Jamaican musics, from traditional ska, rock steady and reggae from Skinhead style, roots, dub, and dancehall.

[blen dem]

plus 1,000 on don't trade it! I play/have played similar roots reggae like you but not so much of the ska stuff but I do play some Dance Hall from time to time... For years I had an Ampeg SVT paired with an SWR Goliath Jr. (2 10's) and a Big Bertha (1 15') for the booty but boy was that a load that my back did not appreciate! Sadly, nowadays my Reggae calls are seldom and the last two I did this past month was through my current rig (4 years now) of a MarkBass LMII paired with a couple of Bergantino AE112's. Will say off the bat that it doesn't shake the earth like my old rig but it's about 100 lbs lighter and does a pretty darn good job of keeping the riddims low n heavy...

[alexofc69]

Originally Posted by RASHOSS

This is the kind of reggae we're playing too, even though I specified "Roots"...over the years we've played a lot of Skatalites, Gladiators, Ethiopians, Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller style stuff plus Specials, Selecter, English Beat type stuff

I've never heard of the gear you're using...gotta check it!

ah, cool. Yeah, you can get thumpy with your own hands.
The SVT is definitely a excellent choice for any reggae. But, its not fun on your back and takes the fun out of gigs. I mean the Ampeg rig is 222+ lbs and you cant just load in your trunk and go. You need a truck, SUV or van and people to help you load in and out. My prior Ashdown rig was at around 230lbs and i hated the end of the gig.
You really havent heard of Genz Benz? The streamliner comes in 600w and 900w. Its all class A tube with 6 gain stages. Bye bye SVT !
I chose the 600 because i felt it had all of the headroom I need. And bigger venues have PA support and the streamliner has one of the best DIs Ive heard in a while.
My Genz Benz streamliner weighs in at 6 lbs and each of my two 12' NEOX cabs weigh in at 33 lbs each.
So, I have a 600watt rig that weighs 72lbs total vs your Ampeg rig at 300watts and 222lbs and it gives all the booty I need and some. Of course the 8x10 has that extra surface area pushing air that gives more mass to your tone, but you get very close here. I think you should give it a try. I had a Little Mark II and two 121H traveller cabs. I liked it, but I like the streamliner a whole lot more. you can get good deals on them. zzsounds and american musical supply price match and beat the price.
Streamliner 600

Streamliner 900

Genz Benz 112 NEOX cabs

Check out Ed Friedlands review of the 900w version

sell off that SVT!

[The Mouse]

1 - It is an unequal trade. Dude keep the SVT.
2 - Tubes are always good!
3 - I have no idea how much your gear is worth.

Try using flatwound strings on your bass for extra thunk. Until you can carry heavy gear no more I suggest you keep your rig. It doesn't take that much effort to move it around eh?

[sm3rk]

i was/m also thinking about GB Streamliner.
I m using LitlleMark 250 and markbas NY804 now. I think this cab is great for reggae, it has huge bottom (with its size) but it has still very fast respond and concrete sound, it is OK as stand alone for clubs, for bigger and open air stages is usable, but with another the same one or some 15 cab it will probablly better.
Problem is that LM is with this cab too "obedient". I m looking for some more dirty and vintage sound and streemlner looks like the right choice . Finnally i did not bougth it, cos i could bought MarkBass LM rocker for really nice price, so i did it (today). LM Rocker is declared as rock amp, but with little boosted drive it would get a nice tube touch , and it should fit nicely with my cab. I will see if it will be posible to produce that right sound .
Streamliner will be next to try .
Also new MarkBass TTE500 looks and sounds great!!! But it is little big for me, but definitely much more lighter than SVT.

It depends if you want or need smaler and lighter rig . If not keep the SVT and 810. If you want to down-sezied, sell the ampeg and there are many nice lighter posibilities.

btw that Ed´s STM 900 video is nice and the sound at 9:08 is really lovely, i think this little crunchy warm vintage sound is great for 2-tone, northern soul, skinhead reaggae... When I heard it i started to thinking about new amp

[alexofc69]

Originally Posted by sm3rk

i was/m also thinking about GB Streamliner.
I m using LitlleMark 250 and markbas NY804 now. I think this cab is great for reggae, it has huge bottom (with its size) but it has still very fast respond and concrete sound, it is OK as stand alone for clubs, for bigger and open air stages is usable, but with another the same one or some 15 cab it will probablly better.
Problem is that LM is with this cab too "obedient". I m looking for some more dirty and vintage sound and streemlner looks like the right choice . Finnally i did not bougth it, cos i could bought MarkBass LM rocker for really nice price, so i did it (today). LM Rocker is declared as rock amp, but with little boosted drive it would get a nice tube touch , and it should fit nicely with my cab. I will see if it will be posible to produce that right sound .
Streamliner will be next to try .
Also new MarkBass TTE500 looks and sounds great!!! But it is little big for me, but definitely much more lighter than SVT.

It depends if you want or need smaler and lighter rig . If not keep the SVT and 810. If you want to down-sezied, sell the ampeg and there are many nice lighter posibilities.

btw that Ed´s STM 900 video is nice and the sound at 9:08 is really lovely, i think this little crunchy warm vintage sound is great for 2-tone, northern soul, skinhead reaggae... When I heard it i started to thinking about new amp

I think the LM 250 may be a little underpowered for this type of music. I had an LM II and it was warm for solid state so i suspect the LM Tube 800 to be nice and the rocker should fit right in.
Like I said I have the streamliner 600 and its great. It has the same tone as the 900 in the vid, just not the headroom.

[rodl2005]

Try the GB Streamliner in a band & with the cab/s you'll be using first imo.
I loved the tone of the STL by itself, but found I couldn't get it to sit in a band mix. It was just a muddy mess-everybody thought so.
Maybe it's my playing, as many do love the STL.
I found it sounded much better with my AE410 than thru my AE212, but I wanted an amp that'd work with any cab.
I really like GB's Shuttle 6.0-that amp I CAN EQ to virtually any sound. Muddy if I want, or gnarly, or clean & tight. Great amp.
For Reggae-any quality amp should do it fine.
I wouldn't sell the Ampeg rig, especially not for that deal listed above. Even tho the Mark Bass rig you mention is a nice one.
Imo, simply the fact that the great Robbie Shakespeare uses a MB rig (he uses 2 410 cabs iirc), goes to show that ANY Quality gear will work well!
He used to use Ampeg SVT/810 rigs. & there was nothing wrong with his sound (of course-PA's supply the FOH sound.)

[charlie monroe]

last time I checked, you had to be a supporting member to ask "what's my crap worth?"

[alexofc69]

Originally Posted by rodl2005

Try the GB Streamliner in a band & with the cab/s you'll be using first imo.
I loved the tone of the STL by itself, but found I couldn't get it to sit in a band mix. It was just a muddy mess-everybody thought so.
Maybe it's my playing, as many do love the STL.
I found it sounded much better with my AE410 than thru my AE212, but I wanted an amp that'd work with any cab.
I really like GB's Shuttle 6.0-that amp I CAN EQ to virtually any sound. Muddy if I want, or gnarly, or clean & tight. Great amp.
For Reggae-any quality amp should do it fine.
I wouldn't sell the Ampeg rig, especially not for that deal listed above. Even tho the Mark Bass rig you mention is a nice one.
Imo, simply the fact that the great Robbie Shakespeare uses a MB rig (he uses 2 410 cabs iirc), goes to show that ANY Quality gear will work well!
He used to use Ampeg SVT/810 rigs. & there was nothing wrong with his sound (of course-PA's supply the FOH sound.)

I had a Shuttle 6.0 before the STL600. It was very versatile and I could have just kept that. I like the STL600 as it is warmer. I agree that the STL seems to have to be matched with the proper cabs.

[Session1969]

I doubt(highly) you'd be happy after you did it, anyway. You should also keep in mind he gets paid endorsements and others on this forum have incentives as well. WHAT YOU HAVE(hint, hint) has been used by alot of reggae bassists in the past. Why do you want to get rid of it ?

[RASHOSS]

Originally Posted by charlie monroe

last time I checked, you had to be a supporting member to ask "what's my crap worth?"

Ha, I didn't know Please excuse my poor etiquette.