Univox U-1246 Bass ... blast from the past .. any redeeming qualities?

[Rat Blitz]

I've got the opportunity to trade an old Univox hi-flyer bass (and $150) to get this Univox U-1246 Bass and cab.
It's only 60 watts which really concerns me and of course it's a two hour drive to check it out.
Just wondered if this amp had any redeeming qualities or if I should just pass because it's under powered?
Gotta admit ... old Univox gear looks pretty space age modern.

[recreate.me]

It may be 60 watts but that doesn't mean its underpowered. It really depends on what your needs are. I would use that in my band, it seems loud enough.

What does it sound like ?

[bongomania]

They have great tone, so it would make a great recording amp. Plus that cab baffle just looks so cool! I have the 1011 amp, and it can get quite loud.

[KramerBassFan]

Do it!

I love Univox amps.

[JimmyM]

seems like you're giving up an awful lot to get it, but i'd be tempted, too.

[throbbinnut]

I've got one of these heads, but not the cool matching cab. Anyway, it's like a 50 Watt tube head, so it's pretty loud, but probably not loud enough for a really loud band. It would probably work for practice or jamming. The head is a weird design - puts like 700V on the output tubes, which wasn't a big deal on 70's USA 6L6GC tubes, but I would worry about putting modern tubes in there and having them fail spectacularly. The output transformer is oddball too, so you can't just throw in a Fender or Marshall replacement output transformer and still get full power out of it. I don't know how much that bass you're trading is worth, but I probably wouldn't go more than $250-$300 total investment for the stack. And even then lots of people would call me crazy for doing that much.

Chris

[Chef]

user mlwarriner just flipped one similar to this.
you might get him to comment.