Verellan vs Reeves

[edbass]

Originally Posted by basswest

I have a single channel Meatsmoke from 2010 with matching custom Verellen kappalite-loaded cabs. The amp runs as clean or dirty as I want and is definitely more versatile than either of my old SVT's, most notably where the grit turns to grind, and beyond that into full blown distortion. Both cabs together (the meat stack) are capable of putting out a force of low frequency dynamite. I usually need to back off the master in that configuration.

Post some clips, everything I seem to find on the web is pretty gnarly sounding. IMO based on the vid I linked there is no denying the Meatsmoke sounds cool, but even the "clean" example on the link I posted (I assume it was a factory vid) is pretty "wooly", not real articulate.

Of course tone is in the ear of the beholder, and there are differing opinions of what "clean" actually is.

[basswest]

Sorry to say that I'm not set up for posting anything other than my thoughts here. I have never even uploaded a photo yet, let alone an audio clip. Finally got a floor tuner a few years ago but no other kind of pedals ever (I'm old, okay?). This was one of the reasons I decided to go with the Meatsmoke; knowing that I could get a reasonable array of usable tones with ultra simple operation and setup. The Reeves C225 was coincidentally in the running, but with Verellen being located right across town plus the lifetime limited warranty and all, it just made good sense. He's also good about staying in touch like everyone says. Never actually got around to contacting Reeves, though, to be fair. I'm sure they're great too but I have the last big amp I'll ever own.

[basswest]

Too bad I didn't know of a bass rig like this around 20 yrs ago BTW, when my crowd were younger, and my need to rule and slay more age appropriate...:0) We grew up in the same town although Ben was probably only about twelve back then so I doubt he was building amps yet, who knows?

[Oddtime]

Ursa Minor,

I received my Reeves Custom 225 last August as part of my AMP quest for 2012. I did quite a lot of research on tube amps for the better part of 4-5 months before ordering the 225. After all the websites I visited, all the data and forum posts I found on the Reeves products (focusing on the bass amps), I chose the 225.

I contacted Bill at Reeves in early June, paid the deposit at the end of June and I received the amp exactly when he said I would in August. There were no customer fulfillment issues whatsoever.

The amp arrived expertly packaged and was in perfect shape. As this was my first all-tube amp, I really took the time to savor the build quality upon receiving it. It is certainly a thing of beauty and the craftsmanship is excellent. As I design and build things for a living myself, I am quite persnickety and this new acquisition left me thoroughly impressed.

Upon firing this up and letting it get to temperature, I was greeted with tube goodness that my ears had never experienced. The tone was very clean yet not clinical. It had phenomenal depth and felt three-dimensional as I played my P-Bass through it. Certainly for me, the sound I heard in my head and the tone I was after were satisfied completely - I had made the right decision for me!

I also checked out the Verellen Meatsmoke and it was neck and neck with the Reeves in my assessment. Again, for myself, this was the right call. I would love the opportunity to hear a Verellen and perhaps do an A-B on it...maybe Mr. Bowlus will do this at some time in the near future (by the way, Tom's comments and reviews on the Reeves were a big factor in my decision).

The only pedal I use occasionally is an Effectrode PC-2A Class-A Compressor and it does pair very well with the Reeves. Other than that, its only the P-Bass and the Reeves through a Wide-body Composite TC115 built by Mike Arnopol. My opinion is the tone is just sublime! However, that is my opinion...

I really don't think you can go wrong with either of your choices. My parting comment would be to listen to both if possible as I was not afforded that luxury.

Best of luck with your tone quest!

Oddtime

[UrsaMinor]

Oddtime,

Thank you for your reply, among many others here. I would like to inform everyone that I would be stupid not to give both of these amps a fair shot, and that I am looking into one of these amps very hard. However, and this is just from another viewpoint, if I can't save enough money up(hard times nowadays), I may look for a used SVT VR or SVT II(non pro). I hear these amps are quite nice, and I can usually find them for around $1000-1200. Not near the $2500 price tag for the MS/RC225, but I wouldn't get the amazing warranty of either. I would, however, get my tech to go through it fully, and thoroughly.

In my quest for a great sounding amp, among best playing basses as well, I have came to a few conclusions:

1. I am a plug and play player, so the simpler, the better for me. I don't like to dial in 300 knobs. Exaggerated, but you get my point.

2. Weight is an issue, but one of these heads will most likely be inside a live in roadcase at some point. I like to baby my equipment, and I like to make sure it's comfortable.

3. A reliable amp is something that I want, and I know with a good run through, that most tube amps will outlive me, and most likely outperform me as well. This isn't to say that SS amps aren't the bees knees(lol), but I had a few over the years, and I am much more into Tube amps. There are a lot of them out there, but the Reeves/MS are what I am after. However, as I stated above, if I run into money issues, then I may end up with one of the SVT models.

[father of fires]

The Meatsmoke is a 300 watt Bassman. Just think classic bass tone. The Reeves is a Hiwatt. Just think glassy tone.

The Meatsmoke is designed to get dirty. The Reeves is designed to stay clean.

Where are you getting your dirt from??? Pedals or tubes???

[UrsaMinor]

I would be getting it more from tube saturation, but would use a few pedals when needed.

[basswest]

Originally Posted by father of fires

The Meatsmoke is a 300 watt Bassman. Just think classic bass tone. The Reeves is a Hiwatt. Just think glassy tone.

The Meatsmoke is designed to get dirty. The Reeves is designed to stay clean.

Where are you getting your dirt from??? Pedals or tubes???

Okay, I had occasion to spend time with a friend's 1968 Bassman and would agree about similarities with the Meatsmoke. With a matched set of 1x15 cabs, it was convenient leaving one at the rehearsal space and one at home. I would just move the head to and from practice until our main guitarist one day offered me the idea to park his old Bassman on my home cab. So I tried each setup both at home, in a much quieter setting, and at practice. No need to spell out reasons for the remarkable difference in depth, nuance and headroom when using the Verellen vs a 50 watt Bassman.

My main point is that I am inclined to agree with father of fires' Reeves/Hiwatt vs Verellen/Bassman comparison, but have never played through a Reeves or Hiwatt. Having previously owned two SVT's (both pro and non-pro) it makes me wonder if I've already experienced the "glassy" side of all tube bass tone.

What I can say is that my SVT's failed to breakup anywhere near as cool as the Meatsmoke. So have I missed something important in big amp land?

[edbass]

Originally Posted by basswest

Okay, I had occasion to spend time with a friend's 1968 Bassman and would agree about similarities with the Meatsmoke. With a matched set of 1x15 cabs, it was convenient leaving one at the rehearsal space and one at home. I would just move the head to and from practice until our main guitarist one day offered me the idea to park his old Bassman on my home cab. So I tried each setup both at home, in a much quieter setting, and at practice. No need to spell out reasons for the remarkable difference in depth, nuance and headroom when using the Verellen vs a 50 watt Bassman.

My main point is that I am inclined to agree with father of fires' Reeves/Hiwatt vs Verellen/Bassman comparison, but have never played through a Reeves or Hiwatt. Having previously owned two SVT's (both pro and non-pro) it makes me wonder if I've already experienced the "glassy" side of all tube bass tone.

What I can say is that my SVT's failed to breakup anywhere near as cool as the Meatsmoke. So have I missed something important in big amp land?

The Reeves gets pretty hairy when you wind it up but stays more articulate than the SVT does. Even wide open it doesn't tonally degenerate into sludge like the SVT will or the Meat Smoke clips I've heard do.

Think "Live at Leeds" if you are looking for an example of what a Reeves sounds like on "11", that's about as close of an example I can think of in a popular recording.

[nysbob]

I own and operate a magnavox SVT. I have played through a Reeves. They're both terrific bass amps, but the SVT definitely does not have the full bandwidth the Reeves does. Not everyone needs or even wants that, but I could get real used to it.