Timeless amp

[vpermana]

What would be the today's amp that is potential to be a new timeless amp 10-50 years from today?

[tekdiver500ft]

Ampeg SVT-7PRO, Ampeg SVT-VR, Genz-Benz GBE1200, Genz-Benz ShuttleMAX 12.2.

[vpermana]

Can boutique amp such as monique jule amp or satellite become timeless too?

[RickenBoogie]

Mesa Walkabout, and probably the Carbines as well.

[vpermana]

anything else?

[JimmyM]

It ALL has an opportunity at timelessness if it keeps working Unfortunately, I can see a lot of micro amps becoming white elephants along the way since the technology still hasn't completely shaken out yet, and companies that are here now may not be here in the future. Stuff like that is really hard to predict.

[Baird6869]

GK 1001RB-II
Ampeg SVT and SVT-II

[tjh]

GK 400 and 800RB's ...

[B-string]

G-K Fusion 550 has that possibility as does the 700RB II.

[Tvrtko]

Acoustic USA

http://www.acousticbassusa.com/

[vpermana]

I didn't realize that GK has potential

[BogeyBass]

None of them

other than the early GK and early SWR

otherwise the well known timeless ones have it covered for a long time to come.
hence timeless and anything past that is just a copy or to complicated, poorly designed and over done
to even become considered timeless

but I would say the well knowns of the era..would be the Genz Benz shuttle series
or the Mark Bass whatevers and the Ampeg flop dingers and a few of the GK something somethings
never forget the TC electronics wonder bucket....not timeless just well known

[two fingers]

That's a tough one. Even some of the industry standard amps from the 80's don't seem to be around much any more. You don't see too many 800RB's floating around these days.

I think we're in a period of crazy growth and innovation in the bass gear market. Perhaps a few will stick around for a couple of decades, but after that I think the gear won't even resemble what we play through today.

That being said, if any have a shot I would guess the Mesa Walkabout, a couple of GK heads (700RB maybe), many of the modern era SVTs probably have some staying power (if nothing else but because of tradition), probably a Shuttle or Streamliner model will rise to the top over time and stick around for a while, any current all-tube offerings will probably gain traction with the new kids in a couple of decades.

There are currently more than 700 listings for bass guitar heads at Musician's Friend alone (and they don't carry all brands). It's a sea of equipment out there right now. It's really hard to say what will grab and what won't. A lot of that kind of thing is more marketing than quality. Interesting to think about though.

[vpermana]

What do you think about aguilar?

[rust_preacher]

Originally Posted by vpermana

What do you think about aguilar?

+1 - the DB751 especially. The TH500 as a close second.

[g4string]

Timeless IMO means being able to be repaired/serviced years down the road. The problem with most, if not all modern amps is that the point to point wiring done in the past has all been replaced with PCB's (printed circuit boards) and line replaceable modules (ie, most micro amps). This leads to a major problem becoming timeless.....how do you get parts for an amp that has been discontinued 20 years into the future when the manufacturer no longer makes that model, sells the parts, or has gone OOB. I would assume getting a pcb or module for a most amps being sold now 20 years into the future will be next to near impossible. There really is no aftermarket demand for such things when a suitable replacement will be cheaper than repairing the timeless amp you want to repair. Unfortunately, I think modern manufacturing practices have made most things we cherish nowadays non-timeles.

[scottfeldstein]

I wonder if the era of "timeless" amplifiers isn't largely behind us.

[g4string]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

I wonder if the era of "timeless" amplifiers isn't largely behind us.

Yep, have to agree. All the "new" timeless amps are reproductions of the old ones. Anything made with modern practices at some point will face obsolescence.

[scottfeldstein]

Originally Posted by g4string

Yep, have to agree. All the "new" timeless amps are reproductions of the old ones. Anything made with modern practices at some point will face obsolescence.

True, there are a parade of also-rans in the shadow of yesterday's timeless amplifiers. But even more importantly, tomorrow's equipment will obviate the possibility of "timeless" amplifiers altogether. As digital signal processing gets better and better, any amp can sound like anything you want it to sound like. Not like in the 70s when you had to have a certain brand and a certain model to get a certain sound.

[g4string]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

True, there are a parade of also-rans in the shadow of yesterday's timeless amplifiers. But even more importantly, tomorrow's equipment will obviate the possibility of "timeless" amplifiers altogether. As digital signal processing gets better and better, any amp can sound like anything you want it to sound like. Not like in the 70s when you had to have a certain brand and a certain model to get a certain sound.

True dat. Already happening in the recording world with amp modeling. Only a matter of time before its perfected and applied to live sound applications. With the micro power modules and a really good amp modeling pre, you truley could have a 5lb SVT...or Hiwatt, or orange or whatever floats your boat.