Classic Bass Amps

[4Mal]

V4B should be on that list.
The original GK400 & 800 for sure.

 

[burk48237]

My criterior for a classic for it's era would be number one: Fairly common, yeah Glockenlag Souls are great amps but far out of the reach of most players. Number two: They ushered in new features or sound: The Avatar stuffis great for the money but not really innovative, Where as the Hartke 4 X 10 changed the business. Number three:They are associated with the Music of the Era, Ampeg B 15's deffinently qualify for the sixties!
Now My list : Eden Traveler, first highly portable, modearatly priced, high power head.
SWR Goliath: Changed the market and made "paper" 4 X 10's popular again.
Eden 210XLT: proved you don't need a huge cabinet to move a lot of air
Epi 310UL: openend up the light weight cabinet market!
Line Six Bass POD:I would never own one but they deffinently brought modeling technonolgy to bass players
Thats my list for now, there is plenty of stuff out there that maybe "better" than these "classics", but do they have the "impact" that these have had?

4Mal, Your right there should be a GK on the list, I lean toward the 800RB, It was kinda of the "pro rig standred" for a while there,
Realdeal, 400plus deffinently, not sold on the SM 400 ,The Alembic FX1 fits the profile, kinda of established the market for tube pres, The Demeter didn't really have that big an impact did it? Agular may be in couple of years I still don't see many guys playing them in clubs, too quote our overseas friends there bloody expensive. One other addition the Avalon U5, Again an impact item that is what all it's competition has to measure up too. Sorry, the thuderfunk is way too new, same with the schrooders, but in a couple of years who knows, too me if they don't change the market they don't qualify!

 

[MrBonex]

How quickly we forget Trace Elliot (thanks, Gibson).

When Trace came out, what was on the market? Ampeg. Fender crap. Acoustic(? my time-frames might be a bit fuzzy). Marshall crap (I'm sure that I have forgotten someone!). They totally revolutionized the expectations of bass players IMO. The first higher-fi amps -- but still phat and warm. A first for solid state. They popularized the 10" speaker for bass. Great combos. Great eq. Tube/solid hybrid.

Pro-level quality, played by many, many big name bassists.

The V-series will also become classics -- both amps and pre-amps.

And well-distributed world-wide. Trace was, at one time, THE bass amp company.

Thanks again, Gibson.

 

[vision]

not sold on the SM 400 ,The Alembic FX1 fits the profile, kinda of established the market for tube pres, The Demeter didn't really have that big an impact did it?

i disagree with this...the sm400 was THE sought-out amp late 80s-early 90's, and there's still tons of guys playing on them (and the sm-400s and sm-500...basically the same amp) that amp set the standard for the hi-fi tone in bass amps...

also the demeter preamp has had a huge impact on the industry-its been around for over 20 years now and is still one of the top pre's...plus when you consider its impact on the whole eden line its gotta be considered a classic...

 

[realdeal]

First off, Wesley, this is a damn good thread! I really like the subject-very thought-provoking, cool!

I would add GK for sure, either the 400 or 800, 'cause besides the GK punch, Bob Gallien had one of the first real pro level ss heads at a reasonable size that could fit a working bassist's
budget--still does. And I forgot about the MicroBass, and I have one sitting in it's gig bag right here. Pretty classic!

I thought that Steve Rabe's SWR was one of the first and best hi-fi, bass- guitar- out-front rigs designed from the ground up with feedback from some of the major talent.
That qualified the SM-series for me, and the Workingman was the first lower-priced yet pro level combos offered as an option from a high end mfr. The 12 was, and is, really something.

Of course SWR in a sense lead to developing Eden, and their cabs and WT heads carved a place. I think the portable 300/400 is a classic.

Walter Woods goes without saying-

Maybe one of the Ashdown units will be considered classic sometime too-- besides the unique VU and slider eq, they had a lot of people excited about their tone when they first arrived.
Maybe an offshoot of Trace-Elliot's, huh?

Really good idea for a topic- lots of history and great tone to think of....

Oh, and a final thought-----

????Fafner????

Jes' Kidding- I know EBS is good stuff!

P.S.....
I am now bowing in reverence and gratitude to the purveyors of ACCU-GROOVE!!!
They most definitely will be classics!