Best Amp for a Gibson Bass?

[Hamerguy]

Well, I must admit, the SG does sound quite well in the Nevada Music demo. I really know the SG only from old 60's /70's albums (besides Jack Bruce, Stanley Clarke in his Return to Forever days comes to my mind) and never liked the sound of it. Is the SG bass sound the sound people define as "Gibson sound"? What about newer Les Paul basses, Grabber/Ripper, RD, Victory and Thunderbird? Do they all sound the same? Well, no...

 

[Jim Carr]

 

[BassfulOne]

There is really some truth in this statement. My favorite two amps with my Gibson SG Bass are my Sunn 200s and my guitarist's Marshall 100 watt.

Having said that, I once took my SG bass to the local Guitar Center to demo an Ampeg SVT II non-pro (which I liked - just not as much as the Sunn or Marshall). While there, for kicks and curiousity, I plugged into the Acoustic 260 mini rig.
It sounded AWESOME with the SG bass. You can pick those up new for under $300 all day long. If you just want a great sounding small rig, and are not too worried about stage volume down the road, that one is great with the SG. In fact, if it had a line out to run to a PA, I probably would have bought it.


EDIT: Just checked Guitar Center on line. They are blowing out the Acoustic 260 amp and cab at $179.
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I'm tempted to go and see what these Acoustic Amps are like, but they're "In Select Stores" only, so I don't know if I want to pull the trigger on something I can't try before I buy. =/ Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[funkytoe]

Doesn't Guitar Center still have their no risk return policy? If you don't like it, send it back for a refund.

Some nice YouTube videos of this amp was well. I don't usually endorse GC products, but I was really taken by this little guy. So, I'm sticking my neck out. It's a really good match for the SG.

 

[JimmyM]

While that may be, don't expect it to sound like a wall of Sunn tube amps

 

[hdracer]

Fender 100T run the OD channel up and run it through some good 15's and you can play Cream all night.

 

[D.M.N.]

While that may be, don't expect it to sound like a wall of Sunn tube amps

Exactly. Nothing sounds, or for that matter, feels the same.



And while my previous response stating Marshall and Sunn amps were the only amps for Gibson basses was supposed to be somewhat serious, there is truth to it. I don't think a SG or EB-3 is really being done justice unless it's being played through a vintage style Valve amp.

Is the SG bass sound the sound people define as "Gibson sound"? What about newer Les Paul basses, Grabber/Ripper, RD, Victory and Thunderbird? Do they all sound the same? Well, no...

Well, there should be some clarification. The EB-3 was the classic Gibson bass of the 60s & 70s, used by such players as Jack Bruce and Andy Fraser. The current SG "Reissue" bass really isn't anything like the old EB-3 except in shape. The current incarnation features only three control knobs (V/V/T) and no varitone, and the big ole neck pickup is actually a modern T-Bird pup in disguise, not the vintage style mudbucker. The generally accepted Gibson sound is the sound of those fat humbuckers, due to their use in the original and most prolific Gibson basses: EB-0, EB-1, EB-2, & EB-3s. The other Gibson you mentioned are not really thought of as the "Gibson" sound, because, with the exception of the T-bird, they were never nearly as successful.

 

[War Pig]

My main bass now is, don't laugh, a very hot-rodded Epiphone EB-0. Grover tuners, bone nut, Dimarzio Model One pickup, new knobs, new electronics, looks great, plays alright and very old school tone. But I play it through an old Marshall JTM45 and a 1x15". My guitarist actually recommended I go with the JTM45, he plays a Clark Beaufort (Tweed Deluxe clone head) through a J-Designs cab, and although an old Tweed-era Bassman head (before the 4x10" combo) into a decent, vintage voiced cab would have matched his sound nicely, he figured a Marshall would go better with the EB-0. I've got NOS tubes in the preamp, a JAN GE 5751 in v1 (less gain than a 12AX7), and 6L6's in the power section, so I am running it kind of like a Tweed Bassman anyhow. To me it sounds like a bass should sound... low, grunting, growling, moaning. Not the girlish scream of a guitar, more manly!

 

[Aussie Player]

My Gibsons have been used with Marshall, Wasp, Peavey,Sunn and Hartke. I'd recommend any of those except the Peavey.

 

[majortoby]

This is what you should do:
bass--->Tech 21 British (with the Jimmy mod(s?))----> as many power amp watts as you can afford, preferably around 1000RMS-------->TWO JohnK Starliners loaded with 3015s.
This will get you what you want. If not, it'll still knock stuff over and frighten children for miles.