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All tube combo?

#23
yes, Mesa Buster (which was already mentioned above)

Mesa made 2 versions, a 2x10 wedge and a 1x15, both with the same great all-tube 200w amp. Cleanest tightest all tube amp I ever heard. These are definitely in the same tonal family as the Fender ultra-linear all tube amp designs, but with typical Mesa improvements. Clean clean clean, big tube tone combos.

One downside is that they weigh a ton though.
 
#24
seamonkey said:
No - there's no market for it.

People can't hear the difference between a tube amp and an amp with built in emulation, or a pedal to add compression and distortion.

But if you insist, you can plug a 10w head into a big efficient cabinet and it will sound surprisingly loud in your bedroom.
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the ridiculous "can't tell the difference" tube-hating agenda aside, yeah, i'd say there's no market for a 10w tube bass amp. but a 25w tube amp, that's a different story. judging by how many people own b-15's and keep buying them for pretty high dollars, i'd say there's a pretty good market for them.
 
#28
seamonkey said:
No - there's no market for it.

People can't hear the difference between a tube amp and an amp with built in emulation, or a pedal to add compression and distortion.

But if you insist, you can plug a 10w head into a big efficient cabinet and it will sound surprisingly loud in your bedroom.
Click to expand...

:rollno:

I'm likely getting Ashdown's 30w head as soon as I get a chance to try it out. There's definitely a market for low-wattage all-tube bass amps!
 
#29
Inconnu said:
Hi!

I see lots of small all tube combos for guitar (Fender, Blackheart, etc.) at affordable prices. Some have less then a 10 watts rating. Is there anything similar existing for bass?
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If you are okay with a used amp, check out the Fender 200 Studio amp. It's a 200 watt all-tube combo with a 15" speaker. It's pretty heavy though!!!

If you want a new amp, check out Old School Amps. They have a 20 watt version and a 75 watt version. Hand-wired, all tube. Granted, the head and speaker are not contained in the same box, so I guess it's not a true "combo" per se, but it is close enough (and it makes carrying the items easier since the two separate items will each weigh less than one combined item). Here is their link:

Link Removed

I have no affiliation.
 
#30
anderbass said:
As much as I pretty much always disagree with him and share more of your views jimmy, I just thought it was kinda Ironic that the results of your own "The Tube Challenge: threads ended up giving him some ammo for his point...
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lol anderbass! that's very true. i did give him ammo. but that's listening, not playing. playing, i'm reasonably confident i could tell which was which 100% of the time.
 
#31
The debate and opinions of preference are all musician centric. From a non-musician if the tone is half-way decent, what you play and sometimes how you play is immaterial.

If you can drag an all value amp (pre AND power supply) around and dig the tone great. Buy anything that has 4 to 8 HT88s, 6L6s, and enjoy. Look to the 60s and 70s vintage for the Amps. Most combos will be 100 watts or less from Sound City, Univox, Traynor, Fenders, Ampeg and the holy grails of Hiwatt, Orange, Matamp, Sunn, etc...

For a high powered combo that were never made, you'll need to customize by getting a head and building a airhead cab. Just to note that Mesa's Bass Buster is probably a good reference in that ALL tube combo category.
 
#32
JimmyM said:
lol anderbass! that's very true. i did give him ammo. but that's listening, not playing. playing, i'm reasonably confident i could tell which was which 100% of the time.
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Exactly!!!

There are those that compare clips they heard on the internet & make conclusions in chat rooms. Then there are those who actually use the stuff everyday live and in the studio. Results from the respective groups are predictable...

You just plain do not play the same when plugged into a really nice B-15 amp as when you're patched into a computer running SVX software. And, consequently, you end up playing different things!

I use software emulation from time to time. And,.. it sounds pretty decent. But it's far from the same! Tube amps are far more reactive- they often sound a little different each time you put the same note into it. Plus, as the amp heats up, the sound even changes. Some people don't dig it (which is totally fine), but some of us adapt and find inspiration.

Whether some jerk sitting at his computer listening to my music in the background while playing online poker can 'tell' the difference or not matters nothing to me. Whatever enables me to perform in new and inspiring ways is what makes me excited.
 
#33
TAZ said:
The debate and opinions of preference are all musician centric. From a non-musician if the tone is half-way decent, what you play and sometimes how you play is immaterial.

If you can drag an all value amp (pre AND power supply) around and dig the tone great. Buy anything that has 4 to 8 HT88s, 6L6s, and enjoy. Look to the 60s and 70s vintage for the Amps. Most combos will be 100 watts or less from Sound City, Univox, Traynor, Fenders, Ampeg and the holy grails of Hiwatt, Orange, Matamp, Sunn, etc...

For a high powered combo that were never made, you'll need to customize by getting a head and building a airhead cab. Just to note that Mesa's Bass Buster is probably a good reference in that ALL tube combo category.
Click to expand...

Immaterial to the audience? Yup, to the largest extent. Immaterial to me as a performer? Nope - it makes all the difference sometimes.

I love my Buster combo, btw! It's heavy, but worth it!
 
#39
scotch said:
You just plain do not play the same when plugged into a really nice B-15 amp as when you're patched into a computer running SVX software. And, consequently, you end up playing different things!
...
Click to expand...

And then there's "Special pleading". i.e.
Psychics can never seem to produce their ESP claims when they're put under scientific scrutiny.

Special pleading lets you dump a wad load of money on some "real" amp then attempt to "Confirm" your purchase reasoning by making up some new claim about something can't be measurements, recorded and reproduced.

Maybe you have "Golden Ears" or "Golden Feel", I doubt it. You could of course, do something to prove it.

I naturally present my bias along with other listening tests, and players testing, and null testing that have confirmed modelers do the job. And they can do more. At much more affordable prices.

Check the market - much bigger market for modelers than tube combos. The major manufacturers and smart enough to archive their golden reference amps in modelers, and put their name brand on the box.
 
#40
seamonkey said:
And then there's "Special pleading". i.e.
Psychics can never seem to produce their ESP claims when they're put under scientific scrutiny.

Special pleading lets you dump a wad load of money on some "real" amp then attempt to "Confirm" your purchase reasoning by making up some new claim about something can't be measurements, recorded and reproduced.
Click to expand...
spoken like an arrogant guy with poor english who never played a tube amp in his life.
 

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