Is solid state the way to go?

[Dirtyclinic]

I am a guitar player that uses tube amps exclusively but I don't know what to get as far as bass amps. Is a tube amp the way to go or is solid state fine?

[stflbn]

It depends what your needs and preferences are.

[WhiteNinja]

Solid State is definitely more popular among bass players than with guitarists. I myself prefer tube amps, but you'll find many others here prefer SS.

[Martin89]

SS works for me, but I get away with a solid-state amp for my guitar too so what works for me may not be the same for you.

[JMarkD]

Don't worry about what's "under the hood". Try a bunch of amps and pick the one you like the best. The tube/ss debate will never end and is pointless. It doesn't matter. What matters is that YOU like what you hear in the context of the type of music you play and your playing style.

[Mr Antt]

There's always the option to get a solid state with a tube pre-amp.

But, it's entirely up to you. As already mentioned, buy what you like. At the end of the day, it's your decision based on what sounds good to you.

[nysbob]

It's not MY way to go, but whatever works for you is good.

[jakelly]

Originally Posted by Mr Antt

There's always the option to get a solid state with a tube pre-amp.

But, it's entirely up to you. As already mentioned, buy what you like. At the end of the day, it's your decision based on what sounds good to you.

Or in my case, buy what you can afford or get a deal on. I had Peavey solid state to begin with. My first four bass amps were Peavey solid state. Played many a gig with a Peavey Max 700. It was fine. Sounded pretty good and was reliable.

Now I have a Mesa M-Pulse 600 with a tube pre and solid state power. Sounds pretty good and is reliable.

I guess my point is, whatever works for you, and/or whatever you get you'll make work or adapt to.

[Dirtyclinic]

I am looking through a Musician's friend right now and as far as i can tell all I see are ss amps. I like the looks of the $379 ampeg amp with the 15" speaker. It fits my price range and is a brand I have heard of. Anyone have an opinion on that amp?

[NKUSigEp]

There's not a big difference between all-tube, solid state, or hybrid these days. It seems like the two most decisive factors are weight and tone. If you get a good tone out of two amps but one weighs half of what the other does, most guys are likely to go with the lighter amp.

[jakelly]

Originally Posted by Dirtyclinic

I am looking through a Musician's friend right now and as far as i can tell all I see are ss amps. I like the looks of the $379 ampeg amp with the 15" speaker. It fits my price range and is a brand I have heard of. Anyone have an opinion on that amp?

No opinions on that amp because I've never used one. Its a combo amp right?

You might want a head and cab instead of a combo. You can get into a 300 watt solid state Gallien Krueger Backline 600 for $299 (if they still make that model) and add a good used cab for not a lot and have a pretty decent rig. I have a Backline 600 that I use for rehearsal and backup and it sounds great, IMO.

[Mr Antt]

Go down to a local music shop and try what they've got. See if there's anything in there to your liking. If that's not an option you can always find used gear online for great prices. My full stack has cost less than £400 in total and it's all used gear I got online.

Just shop around really to see what's out there, try what you can. You're bound to find something you'll like sooner or later.

[rocketduck3000]

Originally Posted by NKUSigEp

There's not a big difference between all-tube, solid state, or hybrid these days. It seems like the two most decisive factors are weight and tone. If you get a good tone out of two amps but one weighs half of what the other does, most guys are likely to go with the lighter amp.

Agreed. Tube emulation has come a long way. I'd let your ears be the judge. My 2 cents: I have an Ampeg PF-500, a class D solid state amp. Sounds great, fits in a laptop bag.

[mpdd]

i can get a pretty usable tone with either

when i use solid state i use my wmd geiger counter in front of it to grit it up with a little warmth, when i use my tube head i play my coolest sounding bass overdriven to taste

[BassmanPaul]

Step one would be to forget everything you think you know about amplifiers. Virtually none of it is applicable to the electric bass. To gig, generally, you'll need a minimum of 300 watts and a 4x10 is pretty much the minimum too. A 2x10 plus 2x10 stack works well especially if stacked vertically. If you decide to go with two cabinets they should be identical. Never mix a 4x10 with a 1x15. you see it in adverts all the time but it doesn't actually work very well. Each cabinet should be 8Ω as , when paired, this will result in a 4Ω load that is pretty much the minimum for the vast majority of bass amps.

Lastly remember you are now the BASS player. Your job is to support what everybody else is doing. Listen and attempt to lock into what the drummer is doing. Your bass has to provide a foundation for the rest of the band and to provide a focus of where the soloist has to return to. Bass solos are great bet not all the time or they can get boring.

One last thing, it's perfectly fine to pedal on a single repeated note if that is what works best for a particular tune and the lower regions of the neck is where the money is.

Good luck

[Joe Louvar]

Is solid state the way to go?

Where are you going?

[Munjibunga]

I like a hybrid amp usually (tube preamp with solid state power amp), although I like solid state amps too. The thing about bass is that you need a lot more power than the guitars to be at the right level in the mix. Solid state amps can provide that without breaking your back. Right now, my go-to amps are the hybrid Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0 (900 watts, four pounds) and the solid state TC Electronic RH750 (750 "watts", 9 pounds).

A 300-watt tube amp is going to weigh in at about 50 pounds or more. Some people love the tube amp's ability to break up when driven hard, but I don't care for that sound. Even so, many solid state amps have pretty decent tube emulation circuits, so the tube growl is available. The RH750 does a good job of it, and the Aguilar AG500 does too.

[Thumpking]

I agree with it is all in what your needs dictate. I have a Fender 300W all tube, a 1978 Fender 100W all tube, and a SS Gallien-Kruger RB1001 II. I will say the the best sounding head I ever had was a 1980 Ampeg SVT made in the MTI era. That head smoked every other amp I had ever had, and maybe I had ever heard. But at 96lbs, $500.00 to retube, and PCB failure always looming, I had to send it away.

Tube Pros: Warmth, growl, thicker sound at lower wattage (color)
Tube cons: More expensive up front, have to retube eventually, weight, always that chance of blowing a tube at gig time.

SS pros: Usually lighter on the wallet, reliable, lighter to hump, usually more effects options
SS cons: Can sound thin, less warmth and growl, needs higher wattage to cut through


Tube emulation has come quite a ways, much like CD's and digital recording setups when it comes to bass emulation. But IMHO, nothing beats the real thing. Just my 0.02¢

[grendle]

Tube preamp solid state power amp gets my vote.

Usually on guitar you want to hear those tubes when you push the power amp. You may want to hear that on a bass amp , but most usually don't. Now getting some grind out of the preamp is a different story. On bass a lot of folks want to hear the preamp tubes get a little grindy. It's all personal preference as to what you like though. To me SS amps don't sound good when pushed. It's what ever you like though.

[Thumpking]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Lastly remember you are now the BASS player. Your job is to support what everybody else is doing.

While I agree it is our job to guard the basement, there is no law against decorating it a bit.