tube amp discussion

fulben · #1 01-19-2013, 05:08 PM

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for my next bass amp, and since I'm not really a huge tech guy, I'd would welcome any opinion/advice/recommendation.

situation: i had an swr working pro 400 + 4X10" cab for the last couple of years, but for our next recording session in the studio i've borrowed an Orange Rockreverb 50 guitar amp from a friend. It worked out perfectly, since then I'm in love with tube amps.
It gave me a stunning clear (bit distorted) sound, but also managed to get the best rock/ hard distorted bass sound i've heard.

so I'm looking for a new amp, and i'd like too check out different types.

I play in a progrock band, using a lot off pedals (od, fuzz, delay, bla bla) and tend to play a lot of chords. I play an active Fender Jazzbass. I'm looking for an amp which has the rock sound of this orange, but is reliable to use in concert situations regularly.

thank you for your answers!

TorontoAlex · #2 01-19-2013, 05:12 PM

Seams like the Orange 200 watt all-tube bass head is an obvious choice.

floridagatorfan · #3 01-19-2013, 05:19 PM

Ampeg SVT's have a great rock sound and can get good and gritty.

B-string · #4 01-19-2013, 07:39 PM

Off the top of my head (no pun intended), the top new production all tube heads would be Ampeg, Fender and I believe Marshall still has one? Depends on how much power you are wanting. Traynor still in production for all tube heads?

guymanndude1 · #5 01-19-2013, 09:52 PM

I really like my Peavey VB2, especially with the Electro Harmonix 6ca7's which I'm using, in place of the EL34's. Not monstrously heavy, and has a really sweet break up in the low mids, with a full bottom end.

B-string · #6 01-19-2013, 09:59 PM

Thanks forgot about Peavey's VB2 and VB3.

P-oddz · #7 01-19-2013, 10:25 PM

If you were digging the Orange, as mentioned above the AD200B seems the obvious answer. I actually just picked up a used one today, and I've had a smile on my face all day long. Everything I've played thus far pales in comparison.

Downunderwonder · #8 01-19-2013, 10:57 PM

How are you thinking to get bass into the PA?

Amps with built in transformer DI get plus points. Not sure if the Orange has that. The new Ashdowns do. Fender 100T does. No doubt different tones there. Some soundmen jib at using them and you're back to their crap DI.

Next question, do you see yourselves playing hard out on stage when the venues get bigger? There's a camp that doesn't believe in keeping a lid on the stage volume to get best sound out front for 300 I'm not in that camp.

One of the 100W tubes with a couple of 2x10 and sympathetic bandmates would be a wonderful way to do great sound.

JimmyM · #9 01-19-2013, 11:30 PM

You can always add an outboard DI to any tube amp to do speaker level DI and get the output transformer in the tone. But I've found many soundmen treat it with the same amount of disdain as they did the mic. Dopes.

Well not always. It's really easy to go too far afield with the tone and volume controls when speaker DI'ing. Seems to be a lot more sensitive to slight changes than solid state. But that's why I finally dropped bread on the REDDI. Simple DI that has the tube sound...I don't complain, they don't complain.

fulben · #10 01-20-2013, 04:09 AM

first: thanks for all the answers!

second: yeah, concert situations are my concern. in the studio we had a great sound engineer and he managed to get the great sound with a mix from the amp mics and with the guitar's direct sound.

But I cannot see that amps work live for bass. We're starting to break out of smaller venues, so it's essential that the techs can work with it...And sadly in my country only around 20% of soundmen can get a decent sound from miking the bass amp

Downunderwonder · #11 01-20-2013, 04:35 AM

Most of us are still using our amps for live bass! Must be your English is getting in the way, but hey it's better than my Hungarian or whatever.

Soundmen sometimes have a bad attitude to mic for bass as Jimmy was saying. You can have the best mic and they will still want to use their crappy DI on your instrument.

If you can confidently mic up your own cab with your own mic you stand a better chance. Be reasonable with your EQ so it doesn't need a lot of change to fit the house mix. Scooped out mid tone gets lost and they will often try to scoop you some more so you turn into boom and click. Don't stand for it.

husky123 · #12 01-20-2013, 06:19 AM

Be sure to check out Fender's new Super Bassman. For me it has moved my Ampeg SVT into the number 2 spot. It has 2 channels (vintage and overdrive), DI, auto bias feature, speaker cut off for studio use, etc.). Great, great, great sounding amp.

Mr. Foxen · #13 01-20-2013, 09:28 AM

Matamp is top of the pile for build quality, might work out expensive, but they love pedals. They are kind of to Orange what Fender is to Squier.

Aussie Player · #14 01-20-2013, 10:15 AM

I used my Marshall VBA 400 yesterday through a Hartke VX2x15 500W 4Ohm cab with my 2 guitar players using Marshall stacks and Les Pauls. This, is THE amp for a bassist. Whether plain Jayne Fender Jazz, Fender Accoustic or Alembic Essence 5, I had the sound of bass players' dreams.
The matching VBC 412 arrives this week os I will report on that later.