Top 5 Tube Heads??

[Noseferatu]

In your opinion, what are the top 5 tube heads that deliver in the bang for your buck department?

First ones I thought of were the VB2 and VB3.

[MAMMOTHvolume]

go second hand.

[kevbassman]

IMHO:
Mesa Boogie 400+ & older model 400
Mesa Buster 200 W head
Ampeg SVT
Yorkville
Peavey

[Noseferatu]

WWell, I think it's pretty much a given that Ampeg will be in all Top 5's.

[Greevus]

Jimmy must be busy...

[johnk_10]

IMO, and in not any particular order:

Ampeg SVT
Sunn 2000S
Ampeg V4B
Reeves 225
HiWatt AD200 (or Fender 400PS)

[NecroticImbecil]

I would agree with "go used." A one year old amp can be much cheaper than a brand new one, and considering the "new" one might have spent a year or more on display in a music store being subjected to horrendous tortures, there may not be much of a difference even in cosmetics. I haven't kept up with current used prices, but I can list some that I have gotten quite cheaply and been very happy with. I don't list Ampeg here, I've never gotten a great deal on one and on a bang-per -buck basis I find that they tend to be more costly than some of the alternatives.

Fender 400PS - sickening power (if you have the cabs for it), great Fender tone. A different animal tonally than an SVT, but certainly a heavyweight in more ways than one. Early 70's, often under $700 (mine was ~$550 IIRC)

Mesa 400 - quite similar to the 400+, option to use either 6L6 tubes for monstrous distortion at high volumes or 6550s for essentially the tone and power of a 400+, were $5-700 last I checked (a year ago?) should still be cheaper than a 400+. I paid $500.

Sound City - though prices are getting higher - various amps at various wattages, mine was $125, the store thought it was broken and worthless (they couldn't find the model in their research..it was a pretty rare one) but it's unlikely you'll find one that cheap. Still, Hiwatt-ish sound for less than a real Hiwatt. Getting pricier as people who can't afford Hiwatts buy them, driving demand up. Seems fairly common with certain models to mod them to be more like a Hiwatt.

Mesa D-180 - Less power than the 400, older, even more versatile. Insane distortion if you want it, they make killer guitar amps. Prices I've seen on these are all over the place, mine was $250 at the same store I bought my Sound City. This one was dusty. That's it. Again, doubt you'l find one at this price.

Peavey Alphabass - these should still be pretty cheap. Mine was $200. SOrt of a "poor man's D-180," around 200 watts, pretty versatile but doesn't have the awesome distortion of the 180. Cheaper though.

[robd]

PV classic 400 should be on the list along with the svt

[johnk_10]

Originally Posted by NecroticImbecil

...........Sound City - though prices are getting higher - various amps at various wattages, mine was $125, the store thought it was broken and worthless (they couldn't find the model in their research..it was a pretty rare one) but it's unlikely you'll find one that cheap. Still, Hiwatt-ish sound for less than a real Hiwatt. Getting pricier as people who can't afford Hiwatts buy them, driving demand up. Seems fairly common with certain models to mod them to be more like a Hiwatt....................

+1!
i agree about them being a GREAT tube bass amp. wow! IMO, you stole your's. i paid $900 for mine (working fine) about 5 years ago, but immediately retubed and recapped it, and, IMO, it's a pretty clean one.











and you're right about the 400PS being a monster tube head. have a really nice sounding one myself :

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Greevus

Jimmy must be busy...

or doesn't care but in the spirit of playing along:

svt vintage
svt vr
svt cl
v4b
400+

[Thornton Davis]

FWIW, i'll play along too.

Traynor YBA-3A Super Custom Special
Ampeg SVT
Traynor YBA-3 Custom Special
Peavey Classic 400
Fender 400PS

Honorable mention to the Sunn 2000S

TD

[KramerBassFan]

Marshall Superbass
Ampeg SVT ( i mean REALLY now)
Ampeg V4/V4B
Univox amps in general
Musicman HD120 (or is it 130? ) and HD150

[D.M.N.]

No mention of the Fender Bassman 300/Sunn 300T? Because that's definitely up there (For me anyways).

So, 5? That's a tough one:
Sunn 2000s
Fender Bassman 300
Ampeg SVT (Blueline)
Hiwatt/Sound City/Reeves (I couldn't choose which to put in, and they're all fairly similar)
Marshall Major (No one's mentioned this either!)

But I say, if you can get a Bassman 300 for like $750 (as I did), that's a fantastic bang for your buck. Or some of the old stuff, as in Sunn or Sound City's

[NecroticImbecil]

Originally Posted by johnk_10

+1!
i agree about them being a GREAT tube bass amp. wow! IMO, you stole your's. i paid $900 for mine (working fine) about 5 years ago, but immediately retubed and recapped it, and, IMO, it's a pretty clean one.

It was my best amp purchase ever. Not my favorite amp ever, but I got it and its matching cab for $250 total. The cab was missing the logo and pretty unimpressive to my ears and eyes. Only bought it because it matched the head. Inside, it looked like it was made of pressed crap, loaded with tired old Eminences. Sold it for $250. Then sold the GEC KT88s for ~$700, after deciding my ears liked the amp just as much with JJS. Even after the price of the parts and work it needed, I was still essentially paid a nice little sum to take the amp off their hands. It's just a US model, so no real Hiwatt DNA left in it at all, but it's like a 70's V8 Nova... not much to look at, modern tech may have surpassed its performance long ago in so many ways, but when you can get her out of idle and really open her up, the visceral thrill is hard to duplicate.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by NecroticImbecil

It's just a US model, so no real Hiwatt DNA left in it at all, but it's like a 70's V8 Nova... not much to look at, modern tech may have surpassed its performance long ago in so many ways, but when you can get her out of idle and really open her up, the visceral thrill is hard to duplicate.

some people think modern technology has passed amps like that by, but until they reproduce that visceral thrill, then tube amps will always be the tops in technology to me. nice score!

[Catalin]

No one mentioned Trace Elliot V4 or V6.

[perogato02]

Or Orange ad200

[jordie65]

Originally Posted by perogato02

Or Orange ad200

i'd say because its pretty darn pricey in most places!
though i scored mine for $2000 australian dollars new...SVT's are about $3,500 new here so i think i scored some "relative" aussie bang for buck on mine...

[perogato02]

Originally Posted by jordie65

i'd say because its pretty darn pricey in most places!
though i scored mine for $2000 australian dollars new...SVT's are about $3,500 new here so i think i scored some "relative" aussie bang for buck on mine...

Well, they are cheaper then SVT's here in Europe

[Pantsman]

Mine are, in no particular order;

Laney Nexus 400
Mesa 400+
Fender PS400
Marshall VBA400
Orange AD200