• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Good Bass Head?

D

dylanrlarsen

Mar 13, 2012
34
0
#1
Hey Guys!
I'm looking at purchasing two 4x10 NEO Avatar cabs, but I do not want a Genz Benz amp, and do not want a tube amp that doesnt' have a bypass feature.

Does anyone know any powerful amps that can do this and provide a good clean sound for under $900-ish?

Thanks in advance! :hyper:
 
#5
bassgod0dmw said:
Why do you not want a Genz?
What do you mean by bypass feature?
Click to expand...

This, Genz is a pretty renowned company, if I could afford some avatar cabs and a genz head at the same time, I wouldn't think twice about the purchase. I think by bypass you mean a bypass of the tubes in the preamp, but I'm not sure as to why you'd want that - from the tube amps I've used I've yet to see any tubes simply stop working.
 
#6
I just didn't want the Genz Benz because it didn't have a tube bypass feature.
So I'm actually pretty naive about all of this.

What are the pros/cons of tubes versus tubeless bass amps?

I want to be able to have a CLEAN sound most of the time.
Maybe overdrive for rock sometimes.
I play mostly jazz :^)

inform away my lads!
 
#10
dylanrlarsen said:
I just didn't want the Genz Benz because it didn't have a tube bypass feature.
So I'm actually pretty naive about all of this.

What are the pros/cons of tubes versus tubeless bass amps?

I want to be able to have a CLEAN sound most of the time.
Maybe overdrive for rock sometimes.
I play mostly jazz :^)

inform away my lads!
Click to expand...

I think what you want is a GAIN knob for the preamp, not a bypass switch. For a switch to work you'd have to have both a solid state and a tube preamp and switch between them. I don't know of any amps like this.

Look at Genz Benz Streamliner. It has a Gain knob and a Volume knob in the preamp section. You can use these to set the amount of overdrive anywhere from a lot down to zero. The Streamliner is a "hybrid" amp with a tube preamp and solid state power amp section.

Much of what people talk about for tube amps sounding good is not distortion (versus cleanness) but things like:
warmth: hard to describe but for me it has to do with a microscopically slower attack in the note's envelope and/or a certain "fullness" in the low mids.
smoothness: referring to the natural compression you get from tubes. They tend to even out the volume.

At the end of the day there's no substitute for playing through them and choosing the one that sounds best to your ear.
Ain't gon' be no consensus roun' hea.
 
#11
dylanrlarsen said:
I just didn't want the Genz Benz because it didn't have a tube bypass feature.
So I'm actually pretty naive about all of this.

What are the pros/cons of tubes versus tubeless bass amps?

I want to be able to have a CLEAN sound most of the time.
Maybe overdrive for rock sometimes.
I play mostly jazz :^)

inform away my lads!
Click to expand...

Actually, I'd say to take a look at a Genz ShuttleMAX. It's got 2 channels...one is Tube the other is FET. You can do whatever you want with it.

Pros/Cons? It's all in the ear of the beholder.

You can get a clean sound with any amp, you just need to EQ it properly.
 
#12
dylanrlarsen said:
I just didn't want the Genz Benz because it didn't have a tube bypass feature.
So I'm actually pretty naive about all of this.

What are the pros/cons of tubes versus tubeless bass amps?

I want to be able to have a CLEAN sound most of the time.
Maybe overdrive for rock sometimes.
I play mostly jazz :^)

inform away my lads!
Click to expand...

What makes you think that a GB head won't give you a clean sound? My advice...? Right now there are 4 Shuttle 9.0s on sale in the classifieds from $500-$600. My advice is to grab one. The GB heads are very clean ... and can still get a bit of grind when you want it..the Streamliners even more so.
 
#14
dylanrlarsen said:
Hey Guys!
I'm looking at purchasing two 4x10 NEO Avatar cabs, but I do not want a Genz Benz amp, and do not want a tube amp that doesnt' have a bypass feature.

Does anyone know any powerful amps that can do this and provide a good clean sound for under $900-ish?

Thanks in advance! :hyper:
Click to expand...

Rockin Mike said:
Look at Genz Benz Streamliner.
Click to expand...

bassgod0dmw said:
Actually, I'd say to take a look at a Genz ShuttleMAX.
Click to expand...

Sav'nBass said:
Right now there are 4 Shuttle 9.0s on sale in the classifieds from $500-$600.
Click to expand...

LOL
 
#17
There isn't much difference between the tube and SS channels in the Markbass LMtube heads.

The Markbass TTE 500 (and probably the 800) however, are very versatile and somehow manage to do clean, warm, fast and bright with a rich characterful tubey-ness all at the same time. It will start to break up nicely if you crank the gain but it's mostly a clean head with a growly tight low end.
 
#18
Rockin Mike said:
For a switch to work you'd have to have both a solid state and a tube preamp and switch between them. I don't know of any amps like this.
Click to expand...

Carvin BX500 has just such a switch. This applies only to the first gain stage, however.

OP: the reality here is that you're going to have to go out and plug into some amps and get a feel for what you like. You'll get lots of suggestions on this thread, and then lots more, and then lots more but none will really tell you what they sound like. There are dozens of amps that will give you a good clean sound and also give you some grit if you want it and they're all from reputable brands (including G-B) and they will all have their advocates on this board.

I'm not saying the recommendations from TB aren't useful - they're very useful - but you need to have some sort of reference point, some basis for comparison. For that reason, I suggest you go out and try as many amps as possible to get a baseline (a bass line?) so that the suggestions here relate to something tangible. Once you've done that, you can say "I tried X and I liked it for this reason, but not for this reason. I liked Y for another reason. Which amp sounds more like Y?" We'd all be in a much better position to help you then.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back