Your preference: clean or colored amp heads?

[Oobly]

I voted clean, same reasons as scottfeldstein, although I definitely want my PREAMP to colour my tone.

And I don't mind tweaking knobs, I don't expect to get a particular bass tone with a flat EQ on the preamp, I just want all my shaping to happen before the power amp so it sounds as close as possible to what will come through the FOH.

I don't really want the band to hear one tone on stage and the crowd a different one.

On the other hand if you KNOW you can always have your rig miked it may be nice to use the amp and cab to color your tone. Problem is it will always be part of your tone and if you want to sound different and the amp/cab doesn't get you there you need to buy a new cab or amp.

Clean amp and cab makes the rig more flexible, too, since you can use it for other purposes (keyboards, PA, whatever).

Buy (or build) once, get any tone you like.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

I bet it sounds awesome. But the drawback is, you can't go direct to the FOH with a DI, you have to mic your cabs, if you want your sound out front. You'll also have to do that when recording. And if you like to do silent headphone practice, you won't sound the same in that scenario, as it may bypass your amp (certainly your cabs).

I usually don't have PA support at gigs. When I do, I've gotten my cab mic'd after the first time.

Recording, my cab is mic'd, except when I'm recording upright or ABG, in which case the bass itself is mic'd and I also go out from the pickup to DI.

Silent practice I just don't plug in at all.

[JGR]

I voted color, but I don't take it to mean an extreme baked-in or hyped voicing. I like subtle textures from the amp and speaker cab in the same way that the wood, strings, pickups, bridge, etc. all add to the overall tone of the instrument itself. The secret is getting it to all work together as a system.

[Old Joe]

Carrots.

But I really like all three options. Specially with blue cheese dressing.

[Toastfuzz]

So this was partially a loaded question, and I posed it vaguely initially to see the responses. Thanks all for the feedback!

To JimmyM's point, I agree, no amp is gonna be a 100% clean representation, and in any situation you have to adjust EQ to the room and situation.

I was thinking more in terms of Scott Feldstein's interpretation, that he likes his amp/cab sound to be the same as his DI sound (ie, the amp/cab just "amplifies" the sound its given, not changes it.)

Duke21 straight up said, he loves the classic Ampeg and Marshall tones. We all know those tones, this is the "color" I speak of.

To Joe Louvar, for examples of clean amps, I'm talking about the givings of Markbass or Carvin which are generally thought of as "clean". But to others those amps sound "shiny" or too bright/hi-fi. I guess that clear hi-fi 80's tone is what I'm getting at when I say "clean".

Jim Nazium's comment is good, he prefers as clean as possible amp/cab, and no effects... this would be the most accurate representation of the sound that your bass makes. I'd bet he likes to play fancy basses!

What drove this question, is chaosMK's point, that the SVT 3Pro has too much influence in my tone. I'm a pedal junkie, and my basses are all polar opposites of each other, so I want that really different sound out of each configuration, and sending the sound to an amp that will more clearly represent what I'm sending it without adding too much flavor of its own. It was fun for awhile, but now getting tiring to have to adjust the EQ across my bass, VT Bass, and amp, then if theres a fuzz or other pedal engaged, adjusting the mids and EQ of those as well. You may say to ditch the VT, but the Character knob hits the high mid freq. that I spent years trying to dial in... I'd keep it just for that feature alone. Point is, various EQ's competing with each other and stomping each other out... and I can spend an hour honing them in at home, take it to a band situation, or a live room, and its back to the drawing board.

If I went straight bass -> amp, then I'd be looking for the best sounding / unique and characterized amp I could find. I realize now that when I want SVT, I can twist a knob on my VT Bass and be there, but for the rest of time I don't want SVT, I can adjust my VT to taste (or turn it off.)

I'm not knocking the 3Pro, its served me well over the last couple years. But I found I never use the tubeyness of it (always have Tube Power maxed out for clarity) and it just doesn't have the brightness/crispness I'm looking for. So I bought this Carvin B800 to try out... gonna keep the 3Pro for awhile in case I'm off base, but it will likely hit the chopping block as on paper, the Carvin serves my needs much better. Of course I'm running through an Ampeg HE 4x10 cab, and that may really be the crux of the issue.

Oddly I dig the tone of my 3Pro through a cheap Acoustic 4x10 more than through the Ampeg 4x10. Neither cab sounds as good to my ears as the first amp I ever had, a Peavey 300 combo with a big 15" Black Widow speaker... if I found a deep 2x15 Peavey cab, I think it'd replace both my 4x10's instantly. Thats why I'm keeping the 3Pro for awhile, when I find the cab that suit my needs, going to give it a fair comparison against the Carvin... if my issue is just the cab, then I'll keep both amps. But if the 3Pro is truly too dark for my tastes, I'll have to sacrifice it.

However, now that its getting warm again, I might pursue fEARfuls as I've wanted to for a long time, based on hype alone. My father used to build cabs for hi-fi home systems as a hobby, and is a carpenter by trade, but he's got the same problem as me of starting epic projects and leaving them half-completed, so would take some serious motivation between the two of us to get them finished.

Interestingly the poll results are near equal, with alot of Carrots choices.... you guys must really like your veggies!

[dspellman]

Originally Posted by seamonkey

Clean and I can add any color, any shade, any hue that I want.

Pretty much this. When I picked up a bass the first time a few months ago, I also bought a used Bass Pod XT. Lots of "colorizations" available there. But in an amp, I'd rather have clean to start with, and then add what I like.

[Joe Louvar]

Toastfuss

Do you prefer a clean, minimally EQ'd head unit? Or do you like the inherent sounds contained in Ampeg/Orange/GK/etc. heads?

Give me some examples of what you consider clean bass amps?

To Joe Louvar, for examples of clean amps, I'm talking about the givings of Markbass or Carvin which are generally thought of as "clean". But to others those amps sound "shiny" or too bright/hi-fi. I guess that clear hi-fi 80's tone is what I'm getting at when I say "clean".

Ampeg, GK, Mesa/Boogie, etc were all popular bass amps in the 80s (still are too) and Markbass, Carvin, Peavey, etc are colored amps too. A cleaner (less colored) amp ‘to me’ would be something like a QSC, Crown, etc stereo PA amp before adding a preamp. I’m going to go out on a limp and assume you’re referring to or wanting the recorded bass tones found on CD’s from the 80’s as appose to any actual live bass rigs of the 80s?

[spector_boogie]

I like the clean and immediate response from amps like my M9. If I want some grind/dirt, I just get some pedals and it gets close enough for my tastes.

I've considered doing something like a Johnny A rig and going a nice recording preamp+nice power amp but my Mesa works fine as is.

[pickles]

I think every bass amp should do both. Distortion pedals never sound as good as a real overdriven preamp.

[spector_boogie]

Originally Posted by pickles

I think every bass amp should do both. Distortion pedals never sound as good as a real overdriven preamp.

When you're taking a DI from an amp or a box, the difference isn't that "different" tho... if I had my choice I'd run at least 2 or 3 lines to the board to blend but like most folks I'm stuck to direct 95% of the time. It actually may sound better. The DI off my ex-400+ was pretty meh at best.

[Toastfuzz]

Originally Posted by Joe Louvar

Ampeg, GK, Mesa/Boogie, etc were all popular bass amps in the 80s (still are too) and Markbass, Carvin, Peavey, etc are colored amps too. A cleaner (less colored) amp ‘to me’ would be something like a QSC, Crown, etc stereo PA amp before adding a preamp. I’m going to go out on a limp and assume you’re referring to or wanting the recorded bass tones found on CD’s from the 80’s as appose to actual live bass rigs of the 80s?

Nah you're overthinking this a bit, and maybe I was off in referring to the 80's sound. After all I wasn't even born until 87. Actually scratch anything I said about the 80's, I was probably just thinking of the general lack of fuzz or OD in 80's pop tunes that I've heard.

To my ears, any Peavey / Markbass / Carvin amp I've heard pretty much don't affect the sound of your bass... its why I always jam a Markbass when I want to hear the distinctive qualities of different basses as Guitar Center. VS. if you demo'd a bunch of basses through the same Ampeg SVT rig, while they'd have subtle differences, alot of what you're hearing is the rig. Thats why I think some people are so disappointed to buy an instrument and take it home and it sounds nothing like it did in the store through a $1000+ rig. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference between Peavey / Markbass / Carvin in a blind test, if they were all EQ'd similarly. Also to me, I dont think these amps are really meant to be overdriven, but rather deliver a clean tone at their maximum power. In comparison, while I couldnt tell the diff between a low volume Marshall / Ampeg / GK / Sunn, at high volume and overdriven states they become distinguishable.

I'm far from an amp genius, so you can probably poke holes in my assertions like swiss cheese... I'm not arguing, just saying how my ears work. With what you said on the clean power-amps, you'd have to figure out what kind of pre you use... a typically "clean" pre or one with intentional baked in tone? I know nothing of stand-alone pre's so not even gonna open that can of worms.

[Toastfuzz]

Originally Posted by pickles

I think every bass amp should do both. Distortion pedals never sound as good as a real overdriven preamp.

Is that a fact?

Maybe you use all the right amps that your ears like, and all the wrong pedals? For me, no amps make the type of overdrive and distortion I'm looking for or that fits in my band mix, but there are plenty of pedals that fit the bill, and the interchangeability along with the quality of amp modelers these days makes your opinion-as-fact assertion sound pretty weak.

[svtb15]

There is no such thing as 100% uncolored,,, Its only theory... There are only different degrees of "less alteration" to sound..So i voted CARROTS..
All cabs sound different, as do Mics, basses, strings, FB type,.DI boxes, much less different EQ types ie. Fender /RCA tone stack, Baxndall etc.

[MSUsousaphone]

Originally Posted by Toastfuzz

Is that a fact?

Maybe you use all the right amps that your ears like, and all the wrong pedals? For me, no amps make the type of overdrive and distortion I'm looking for or that fits in my band mix, but there are plenty of pedals that fit the bill, and the interchangeability along with the quality of amp modelers these days makes your opinion-as-fact assertion sound pretty weak.

Amen to that. I have yet to hear an amp that overdrives better than a Swell, Darkglass, DHA, or even The Elements.

I also can't stand Ampeg. WAY too much influence on my tone. It's like THE go to brand people pick to cover their bad technique.

[spector_boogie]

Originally Posted by MSUsousaphone

Amen to that. I have yet to hear an amp that overdrives better than a Swell, Darkglass, DHA, or even The Elements.

I also can't stand Ampeg. WAY too much influence on my tone. It's like THE go to brand people pick to cover their bad technique.

bast post evar lol

[JimmyM]

What a bunch of crap. I choose Ampeg because I love the sound of their gear, and I'll likely smoke the both of you on technique. Then again, maybe not But out of the ridiculous stuff I've ever heard about why people don't like Ampeg, that is the by far the most ridiculous.

[BurningSkies]

Most of them are black or silver, but one or two seem to be blue or red these days. My power amp is silver, and I tend to team it with a black preamp. At one point, I did have a sparkle blue amp though.

[spector_boogie]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

What a bunch of crap. I choose Ampeg because I love the sound of their gear, and I'll likely smoke the both of you on technique. Then again, maybe not But out of the ridiculous stuff I've ever heard about why people don't like Ampeg, that is the by far the most ridiculous.

What's ridiculous is you're paid to have to say that.

Do you actually get your "tone" to the board or just DI like most "fridge" setup users have to?

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by spector_boogie

What's ridiculous is you're paid to have to say that.

Do you actually get your "tone" to the board or just DI like most "fridge" setup users have to?

I'll take this.

1) Jimmy isn't 'paid'. I think he gets an artist discount, which is probably somewhere between wholesale and retail pricing. He's stumped for Ampeg for YEARS if not decades before they gave him an endorsement deal.

2) for years Jimmy has been a proponent of mic'ing his rig, thus his sound getting out front. Recently switched to a REDDI for a DI since its similarity to a B15 front end.

3) You're new here. I understand, but you should probably have more information about the situation before posting off-the-cuff accusations like that.

[jnewmark]

I give this thread about a minute before it explodes.