Why No Inexpensive Tube Bass Amps?

[bigchiefbc]

Originally Posted by BillyB_from_LZ

I think the Bugera 1960 is a fine sounding amp and the price is very reasonable.

I've mentioned it in another thread, but the 1960 is now my main amp, and yes I do gig with it. Sometimes with FOH support, sometimes not. And it keeps up very very well with a guitarist playing a 100W half stack and a heavy-handed drummer with a double bass set. It can even stay clean to a pretty high volume, I find that it stays basically clean up until around 5 on the normal channel. I actually use a power soak to kick it down a few dBs and then crank the volume up to 7 or so for the dirty songs. Or you can crank it all the way and go for full on Lemmy.

[JELIFISH19]

I've had this question for a while now and didn't get any good responses but this might be a good thread for it. I want a tube amp but what are the qualities that make a guitar amp good for bass? I'm thinking about getting a Carvin V3M. Do you think it will work well?

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Originally Posted by JELIFISH19

I've had this question for a while now and didn't get any good responses but this might be a good thread for it. I want a tube amp but what are the qualities that make a guitar amp good for bass? I'm thinking about getting a Carvin V3M. Do you think it will work well?

Probably an amp without an overabundance of gain in the preamp. A lower gain/old-school preamp on a guitar amp goes a long, long way to making a nice bass amp be it tube (like the 1960) or solid state (like a late '70s/early '80s era Yamaha G100 II that I use for rehearsal with a really, really loud hard rock/metal band...it sounds great (clean or slightly dirty) through a sealed 6x10 cabinet).

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by JELIFISH19

I've had this question for a while now and didn't get any good responses but this might be a good thread for it. I want a tube amp but what are the qualities that make a guitar amp good for bass?

A big 'ol hefty output transformer. That kind of answers the OP's question, since they don't come cheap.

[JELIFISH19]

Originally Posted by Passinwind

A big 'ol hefty output transformer. That kind of answers the OP's question, since they don't come cheap.

The part that confuses me about that is plenty of guitarists go to bass or near-bass territory. Using a trem can get you lower than a bass' low E. 8-string guitars are becoming more popular and those are only two semitones away from bass. Then there are sub-octave fuzzes. People are using all of these through guitar amps and guitar speakers at very loud volumes without problems and sounding good at the same time.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by JELIFISH19

The part that confuses me about that is plenty of guitarists go to bass or near-bass territory. Using a trem can get you lower than a bass' low E. 8-string guitars are becoming more popular and those are only two semitones away from bass. Then there are sub-octave fuzzes. People are using all of these through guitar amps and guitar speakers at very loud volumes without problems and sounding good at the same time.

None of those things sound good through any cheap tube amp I've heard though --especially if clean low bass is the goal. It just plain takes a lot of power to make clean low noises at substantial volume.

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Musician's Friend has the Ashdown Little Bastard as their Stupid Deal of the Day today. Marked down from $839.99 to $399.99.

Link

[JAUQO III-X]

The new Asgdown 15 watt all tube bass amp would be perfect for practice and recording with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebgPW0vcBP4








Ashdown endorser.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by BillyB_from_LZ

Musician's Friend has the Ashdown Little Bastard as their Stupid Deal of the Day today. Marked down from $839.99 to $399.99.

Link

I would guess this would answer the question of 'why there aren't many low powered tube amps', since MF is already blowing them out. Looks like a great little amp with very limited sales potential... kind of a niche of a niche of a niche.

Great deal for those who are looking for a kind of 'tube amp to play at home without breaking the bank'.