Are the big amps history?

[SactoBass]

Well, the mighty SVT came out in 1969. It's now 2017, 48 years later, and SVT's are still around and being used and enjoyed. So my answer to the OP's question is no......big heavy tube amps aren't going away. They provide a tone and feel that many bassists prefer.

Other bassists choose the easier schlep of lighter gear, and that's fine too. And some of those bassists are satisfied with the tone of those lighter rigs.

But the big guns are not going away. They just sound and feel too darn good!

 

[bobyoung53]

The best sound at big concerts I've ever encountered have been at two different McCartney concerts, one 27 years ago at an outdoor football stadium in Ma and another in Lima, Peru a few years ago. The one in Foxboro stadium, Foxboro, Ma was amazing for the sound, I was way up near the top at the opposite end of the field and it was like listening to a good stereo, clear as a bell and balanced. The Lima concert also sounded very good and there was no roof on the place (does not rain in Lima). Whoever those sound engineers were they were top notch.

 

[GreyBeard]

In all fairness, unless you have great seats, you are a lot closer to the sound source. Same with a bar band vs a stadium act. Pretty easy to blame the sound engineer but filling a 20,000 seat arena with the appropriate volume at every wave length to every seat in the house has to be very difficult.

Is the current technology capable of producing clean and articulate bass in a stadium type venue?

 

[Manticore]

Not the ones I worked on, for the most part the FOH guys were all pretty darn good.

I'm right there with you AgedHorse! Sure, once in a very great while I run into "training day" for a new FOH engineer. However, on almost all of my gigs over the last 15 years, a period neatly corresponding to when I stopped using an amp on stage on a regular basis, I've found the engineer is at least as professional and well-trained at their job as the musicians on stage are at what they do. I seldom have complaints about the quality of the sound either on stage or in the house.

Which raises a fascinating point. The path of this thread was virtually pre-ordained. The pros and cons from the proponents of big iron and those preferring either no amp or a small amp start with reason. Reason gave way to passion some time ago, with the ampless folks electing to move on to other topics. Looking over the past few pages, the thread has become a thinly-veiled rant against the house engineers. The fascinating point, if one takes an objective step back, is the rant against the engineers is waged by the proponents of heavy iron. The ampless and small amp folks haven't chimed in at anywhere near the fervor. With a modicum of objective ratiocination one might conclude the proponents of large stage amps are experiencing poor quality sound on stage, and in the house (which complaints tend to lack credibility as the pro-iron camp tends to shun wireless connections), precisely because of their impassioned insistence upon using a large amp. It's merely an observation...

 

[bobyoung53]

I'm right there with you AgedHorse! Sure, once in a very great while I run into "training day" for a new FOH engineer. However, on almost all of my gigs over the last 15 years, a period neatly corresponding to when I stopped using an amp on stage on a regular basis, I've found the engineer is at least as professional and well-trained at their job as the musicians on stage are at what they do. I seldom have complaints about the quality of the sound either on stage or in the house.

Which raises a fascinating point. The path of this thread was virtually pre-ordained. The pros and cons from the proponents of big iron and those preferring either no amp or a small amp start with reason. Reason gave way to passion some time ago, with the ampless folks electing to move on to other topics. Looking over the past few pages, the thread has become a thinly-veiled rant against the house engineers. The fascinating point, if one takes an objective step back, is the rant against the engineers is waged by the proponents of heavy iron. The ampless and small amp folks haven't chimed in at anywhere near the fervor. With a modicum of objective ratiocination one might conclude the proponents of large stage amps are experiencing poor quality sound on stage, and in the house (which complaints tend to lack credibility as the pro-iron camp tends to shun wireless connections), precisely because of their impassioned insistence upon using a large amp. It's merely an observation...

I use an SVT and have had no problems with sound engineers, in fact most of the ones I've met loved them and were used to them, 20 years ago? No, engineers hated them but nowadays they seems to realize that they are by far the best sounding bass amp out there and not the loudest by a long stretch anymore. I think maybe the premise of this thread that the big amps are history has been heartily disproved in this thread and perhaps has had a bigger impact on all the small amp proponents leaving this thread than any other reason. I mean why stay and fight a losing battle?

 

[Son of Wobble]

I use an SVT and have had no problems with sound engineers, in fact most of the ones I've met loved them and were used to them, 20 years ago? No, engineers hated them but nowadays they seems to realize that they are by far the best sounding bass amp out there and not the loudest by a long stretch anymore. I think maybe the premise of this thread that the big amps are history has been heartily disproved in this thread and perhaps has had a bigger impact on all the small amp proponents leaving it than anything else. I mean why stay and fight a losing battle?

Your avatar betrays your allegiance in the size wars!

 

[bobyoung53]

Your avatar betrays your allegiance in the size wars!

Jeez, I forgot about that

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Not the ones I worked on, for the most part the FOH guys were all pretty darn good.

So how do I contract you for an event (semi local/serious)

 

[Michael Schreiber]

Is the current technology capable of producing clean and articulate bass in a stadium type venue?

It is. ManOwaR's FOH proved it to me. Astonishing, really. Both, live but also in big indoor stadiums, which is more of a challenge, as far as I understand.

Pretty easy to blame the sound engineer but filling a 20,000 seat arena with the appropriate volume at every wave length to every seat in the house has to be very difficult.

Maybe not the FOH, but at least the management would be to blame - for reasonably priced concerts, that is.
Who takes €75 or even more ($80+) shall deliver at least appropriate sound, IMO.

 

[GreyBeard]

Maybe they should just not put any bass through the FOH, Place SVT's with 8x10's at strategic spots in the venue and drive them wirelessly. ...........................just kidding

 

[agedhorse]

So how do I contract you for an event (semi local/serious)

I'm pretty much retired from live production (other than 6 weeks and 9 systems at Cal Expo every summer) after almost 40 years. Do I miss it? Some parts absolutely but other parts not so much

 

[agedhorse]

Is the current technology capable of producing clean and articulate bass in a stadium type venue?

Absolutely possible, it's done all the time. Stadiums are not generally as difficult as arenas due to the acoustics of a fully enclosed venue.

 

[B-line]

This neck of the woods, it's Showtime U.S.A.

Besides the music, good & bad, large & small, from residencies of Brittney (No Comment) to J-LO (No comment) to Celine Dion (Double No Comment); to stuff like "Blue Man Troupe" the many "Cirques," and much more-
The Sound Engineering Staffs do wonders; I mean A-Mazing work projecting it all to the House.

 

[mesaplayer83]

I'm right there with you AgedHorse! Sure, once in a very great while I run into "training day" for a new FOH engineer. However, on almost all of my gigs over the last 15 years, a period neatly corresponding to when I stopped using an amp on stage on a regular basis, I've found the engineer is at least as professional and well-trained at their job as the musicians on stage are at what they do. I seldom have complaints about the quality of the sound either on stage or in the house.

Which raises a fascinating point. The path of this thread was virtually pre-ordained. The pros and cons from the proponents of big iron and those preferring either no amp or a small amp start with reason. Reason gave way to passion some time ago, with the ampless folks electing to move on to other topics. Looking over the past few pages, the thread has become a thinly-veiled rant against the house engineers. The fascinating point, if one takes an objective step back, is the rant against the engineers is waged by the proponents of heavy iron. The ampless and small amp folks haven't chimed in at anywhere near the fervor. With a modicum of objective ratiocination one might conclude the proponents of large stage amps are experiencing poor quality sound on stage, and in the house (which complaints tend to lack credibility as the pro-iron camp tends to shun wireless connections), precisely because of their impassioned insistence upon using a large amp. It's merely an observation...

I don't know that your observation is very accurate, to be honest - and *maybe* your bias towards not using an amp is skewing your perception of the conversation - just an observation, lol...

 

[Geri O]

"Are the big amps history?"

Maybe so, but we all know that, for better or worse, history has a way of repeating itself.

 

[FNHScar17s]

Damn agedhorse I thought you had to be doing sound engineering and electron ics for some time to have the knowledge you have. At 40 years that makes perfect sense to me your knowledge level. I always enjoy your posts. I am a fledgling engineer and electtonics tech for a mere 7 years with 6k hours of studio experience. I have just now gotten really into electronics desings copying proven desings for my purposes and modifying features for my purposes. Makes me feel a little better. Lol anyways keep up the great work

 

[Rambazamba]

For my style of music I need big cabs with big speakers. You can't put a serious dub subbass through 8" or 10" speakers. I would like to carry a lighter and smaller amp, though - but I have a massive problem with how stupid these rigs look: tiny little amps on huge cabs. It's ridiculous but I actually keep my heavy big amp because of looks...
I have to admit I'm very into these classic rigs of doom as well. I even built an amp style case for my 19" amp for that traditional look...

 

[JimmyM]

For my style of music I need big cabs with big speakers. You can't put a serious dub subbass through 8" or 10" speakers. I would like to carry a lighter and smaller amp, though - but I have a massive problem with how stupid these rigs look: tiny little amps on huge cabs. It's ridiculous but I actually keep my heavy big amp because of looks...
I have to admit I'm very into these classic rigs of doom as well. I even built an amp style case for my 19" amp for that traditional look...

SVT 410hlf. Serious dub bass through 10s.

 

[Goatee]

There is so much snobbbery about amplification and how people love to stand in front of a big valve stack but at the end of the day, the reality is, you can buy a quality valve pedal pump it out through a decent front of house system, and you will still sound awesome

 

[JimmyM]

There is so much snobbbery about amplification and how people love to stand in front of a big valve stack but at the end of the day, the reality is, you can buy a quality valve pedal pump it out through a decent front of house system, and you will still sound awesome

I can't hear it, can I?