Any TB Bassplayers also play Guitar?

GBassNorth · #1 12-20-2009, 09:02 AM

If so, I'm looking for advice. I play bass (mostly a precision thru a SVT VR/Berg 610 rig) and intend to remain focused on bass... but my wife just gave me a nice Les Paul guitar as a birthday present. As opposed to returning it and getting a bass I thought I'd give the guitar a whirl, figured it can't hurt to develop some additional backup skills.
Now I'm faced with what amp to get and know nothing about guitar amps. I've played thru and like the sounds of the Vox AC30 combo amp and the Fender Hot Rod DiVelle and the flexibility of the Peavey Vypyr 120. All are tube amps, the first two are very basic and expensive the Peavey has a lot of effect features and modeling options (which I thougt might be handy since I don't really know what effects I'd eventually need or use and it would give me a chance to try a lot of them out first).
I'll probalby stick to blues, classic rock, grunge and alternative rock, no heavy metal or country. Don't like twang and do love warm smooth creamy tones (guess thats the bass player coming out in me).
So here's the question - any advice on the three cabs listed above?
PS - I know this is a bass forum, but I value and trust most of the advice I get here. I'll eventually post the question on a guitar site but wanted to get a combo bass/guitar players perspective first.
Cheers.

frozilla · #2 12-20-2009, 09:06 AM

I'd take the Deville. I used to work at a shop that dealt Peavey. They sound good, but they're a little junky. I'm not sure about the Vox though.

ihateusernames · #3 12-20-2009, 09:10 AM

the fender super champ xd is worth a listen. tube and digital together, not as complicated as other modeling amps, still true to fender tone. priced @ $300. the hot rod deluxe is a nicer amp than the deville imho. the issue i have with the current line of fender tube amps is the price point.

personally, i'm not a fan of the vox tone so no valuable comment on that choice from me.

there are a lot of really nice low wattage combo's on the market now, i'm researching them myself to scale down my guitar rig - the super champ xd is in the lead so far.

fretno · #4 12-20-2009, 09:10 AM

Fender Deluxe ri
any old oddball like a Kay , Supro or Silvertone
I actually like the new Fender Champ XD's which is a hybrid
Boutique , Dr Z are cool and several have a Vox vibe

what is your budget and volume requirement ?

carlos840 · #5 12-20-2009, 10:00 AM

I would stay away from amps with built in effects and stuff like that...
The vox AC15 is the same as the AC30 but with only on 12", its more than loud enough for most situation and sounds great...
Its also cheaper.

MrTAteMyBalls · #6 12-20-2009, 10:01 AM

it's depending on budget, but the vox ac-30 is the ultimate amp. it's smooth, creamy, rich, warm, bright, etc etc.....and can be pushed into screaming territory with a pedal. they are made in china now i think, so that may sway your desicion.

the peavey classic 30 or 50 smokes that fender hot rod deville, IMO. I used to work for a peavey dealer also, and they were the most consisted line of gear we had quality wise.....even beating out fender and gibson/epiphone. but really, i just prefer the tone of the peavey classics over the fenders.

the Dr z stuff is really nice, high end stuff that can be found used, but is the most pricey of anything mentioned.

the peavey vypr is the best modeling amp i've heard.....way better than the line 6 counterparts. I bought the 15 watt 8 inch combo as a first amp for my nephew and that little thing smokes! a/b'd with the line 6 of the same caliber...the L6 sounded like a toy(granted thier higher end models sound much better).

these are my opinions from 15 yrs playing guitar. i hope it helps in your quest for face melting tone.

obligatory ymmv imho.....etc.

Jim C · #7 12-20-2009, 10:11 AM

Playing bass & guitar is like masturbation; it will make you go blind.

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and Peavy Classic 30 are the 2 greatest, low cost combos amps available for your application, IMO. Also hold resale value very well.

TrooperFarva · #8 12-20-2009, 10:33 AM

I have your same rig (VR->NV610). Great tone.

Anyway, I'm not sure how much you're looking to spend. My guitar player uses a Rivera Quiana. It's all tube, 55W, and it's the best tone I've ever heard. I've heard individual amps that sounded as good as the Rivera, but those amps only really have one or 2 voices. Example: My guitar player wanted an AC30 for years. And we tried them out relentlessly. But the AC30, for better or worse, has "the Vox tone." He can get 95% of the way towards the Vox tone with the Rivera, but he can also do Fender, Marshall, and a few others, just by tweaking the knobs. The Rivera does it all, it sounds awesome every time I hear it. He uses a Les Paul and a Tele, both sound amazing. You can pick up a Rivera Quiana combo for about $1500 used.

Another option is the Vox AC4TV. I just bought this for my father for Christmas. It's a 4 watt, all tube, 10" combo. It sounds just like a smaller AC30, and it can get damn loud for 4 watts. It has controls for Volume, Tone, and Power Output (4W, 1W, and 1/4W), so it's low on features, but for the tone, and the price ($250 new), it's not that big a deal. It may be a good place to start, because it's cheap, sounds good, and has a surprising amount of flexibility.

GBassNorth · #9 12-20-2009, 10:45 AM

Appreciate all the help so far.
I haven't tried the Hot Rod deluxe yet so I'll give it a try today. Love the sound of the Vox AC30 but your right, its twice as expensive as the AC15. Hadn't looked into the Peavey Classic 30 but will try to do that today as well.
I can get the Vox AC30 and Fender Divelle hot rod for about $800 or less used and assume both would hold their used value fairly well. I could get the Peavey Classic 30 for a little less than that new. I hadn't planed on purchasing seperate amps for practicing and giging, thats why I was leaning towards the AC30 vs the AC15 but your right, they both sound great.
So, looking at the evolving list - between the Fender Hot rod, the Vox AC30 or the Peavey Classic 30 are they all equally good with the Gibson LP humbuckers or does one of these combos really stand out compared to the others?
Is one of these amps better with acoustic/electric guitars (I have an old Yamaha laying around somewhere covered in dust)?

waleross · #10 12-20-2009, 10:50 AM

I have (2) squire electrics and 1 prsmith....Anyway I just started guitar lessons at the local music shop...not too pricey. About $17 @ 1/2 hour. The guitar teacher is teaching me the correct way, so it seems. The main benefit is having to practice guitar and meet a deadline. I'm taking 2 to 3 lessons a week in an accelerated format. Everybody is different. I have many of the online DvD packages sold for guitar. You can't beat a live person to help you. As far as an amp, I have one of those $99.00 little squire guitar amps. You could also try one of those "pocket rockets" for either bass or guitar....whatever works for you........

GBassNorth · #11 12-20-2009, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

I have your same rig (VR->NV610). Great tone.

Anyway, I'm not sure how much you're looking to spend. My guitar player uses a Rivera Quiana. It's all tube, 55W, and it's the best tone I've ever heard. I've heard individual amps that sounded as good as the Rivera, but those amps only really have one or 2 voices. Example: My guitar player wanted an AC30 for years. And we tried them out relentlessly. But the AC30, for better or worse, has "the Vox tone." He can get 95% of the way towards the Vox tone with the Rivera, but he can also do Fender, Marshall, and a few others, just by tweaking the knobs. The Rivera does it all, it sounds awesome every time I hear it. He uses a Les Paul and a Tele, both sound amazing. You can pick up a Rivera Quiana combo for about $1500 used.

Another option is the Vox AC4TV. I just bought this for my father for Christmas. It's a 4 watt, all tube, 10" combo. It sounds just like a smaller AC30, and it can get damn loud for 4 watts. It has controls for Volume, Tone, and Power Output (4W, 1W, and 1/4W), so it's low on features, but for the tone, and the price ($250 new), it's not that big a deal. It may be a good place to start, because it's cheap, sounds good, and has a surprising amount of flexibility.

Thanks Trooper! I'll look into the Rivera also. Kind of pricey but as I found with my Ampeg VR/Berg rig, sometimes ya just gotta poney up to get the sound you want. I'm just looking back at all the wasted time and money I spent on gas and gear swapout as I tried to find my bass sound and hoping to avoid some of it this time around on the guitar. Again, thanks for the input and keep groovin with your "Amberg" rig.

jimmy rocket · #12 12-20-2009, 10:58 AM

Take the Fender. The Deluxe has tone oozing from it.

I actually use a Blues Jr because it's got the tone, but a little less to heft around. It'll also smoke most other amps in it's class.

beans-on-toast · #13 12-20-2009, 10:59 AM

The thing about the Les Paul is either you love em or you hate em. And they are not all the same. Some have chunky necks and they are heavy which people find can make them difficult to play. It would be worth trying several different model guitars and get one that feels comfortable in your hands and sounds good.

As for amps, you can use your SVT to start with. Otherwise, a small tube amp can provide the rich smooth tones that you are looking for. For example, Clapton playing Layla on a Fender Vibro-Champ or Neil Young with his Fender Deluxe. The amp you choose will depend on how clean or distorted you want it to be and if you want to use pedals to help achieve the sound you want.

TrooperFarva · #14 12-20-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

Thanks Trooper! I'll look into the Rivera also. Kind of pricey but as I found with my Ampeg VR/Berg rig, sometimes ya just gotta poney up to get the sound you want. I'm just looking back at all the wasted time and money I spent on gas and gear swapout as I tried to find my bass sound and hoping to avoid some of it this time around on the guitar. Again, thanks for the input and keep groovin with your "Amberg" rig.

Yesterday, strangely enough, my guitarist actually picked up another Quiana. He has the 4x10 combo, and he picked up the 2x12 combo. We spent several hours yesterday comparing the voicings of the 2 combos, he's only going to keep 1. Ultimately, there's very little difference between the two of them.

Like I said, I don't know how much you're looking to spend. Since it seems to be your first guitar, you probably don't want to jump right in to some expensive gear, but if you want a versatile amp that also works well with your current bass rig, that's one option.

GBassNorth · #15 12-20-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beans-on-toast

The thing about the Les Paul is either you love em or you hate em. And they are not all the same. Some have chunky necks and they are heavy which people find can make them difficult to play. It would be worth trying several different model guitars and get one that feels comfortable in your hands and sounds good.

As for amps, you can use your SVT to start with. Otherwise, a small tube amp can provide the rich smooth tones that you are looking for. For example, Clapton playing Layla on a Fender Vibro-Champ or Neil Young with his Fender Deluxe. The amp you choose will depend on how clean or distorted you want it to be and if you want to use pedals to help achieve the sound you want.

Great advice! Now you've really got me thinking.
I'm set on the guitar front - all my basses are 5 string necks so I'm used to chunky and I really do like the LP tone vs the Strat and Teles. But you've mentioned something I hadn't considered.
Along with my main bass rig (the Ampeg/Berg) I already have a backup rig which consists of a thunderfunk 420 and Berg HT322. Will either of those components work very well for guitar? I mean if the Thunderfunk will give me a nice clean tone and it works well with distortion, reverb and chorus pedals I may only really need a 410 or 212 guitar cab. Is something like that feasible or will I just get laughed off the stage?

Sound Chaser · #16 12-20-2009, 11:46 AM

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...ku=483408#used

MrTAteMyBalls · #17 12-20-2009, 11:47 AM

i wouldn't think it would sound too great, but it might be passable if you dont want to spend a ton. the thunderfunk is solid state power section right????? if so, the tube svt will probably sound better. i gotta be honest i've never tried that but my opinion is that it would work, but wouldn't be great.

Jim C · #18 12-20-2009, 11:59 AM

I believe that Jim has set up his cabinets to burst into flames when 6 strings are played through them.
However, if you insist on tempting fate, I am sure that you would get a wonderfully clean tone, similar to plugging into a PA system which in my view would be good for acoustic but lousy for blues / rock guitar.

The nice part about buying a reasonably priced, used, 30-50 watt tube combo is:
* They are small enough to use for practice
* They are reasnable to transport
* You can absolutlely play a large gig with them
* Are very liquid and have great resale (which I found to not be the case with most new boutique amps)

beans-on-toast · #19 12-20-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

I already have a backup rig which consists of a thunderfunk 420 and Berg HT322. Will either of those components work very well for guitar? I mean if the Thunderfunk will give me a nice clean tone and it works well with distortion, reverb and chorus pedals I may only really need a 410 or 212 guitar cab.

I can't comment on the guitar-Thunderfunk combination. Some bass amps work well with guitar, others don't. Since it won't cost you anything, it sounds like it would be worth giving it a try and see if it works for you.

JimmyM · #20 12-20-2009, 12:34 PM

i can't stand to play guitar out of a ss amp, although i know some guys who do and they sound fine. i would still get a deluxe or classic 30, though a les paul pushing an svt is a sweet sound indeed...see richards, keith.