Head for 5-string????

I would be much more worried about your cabinet choice than your amplifier choice. That being said, go try some stuff out. If it sounds good, buy it.

 

Since I heard an all EBS rig (My teacher's a dealer, heard it in his place, and I heard it when I heard Marcus live, and Bailey live), I've sworn by it and got one of my own. I LOVE its clarity, when you plug in a different bass it sounds like you've plugged in a different bass, and lotsa different controls, on top of my J-Retro'd basses I get ALL kindsa different tones from that thing I'm VERY VERY pleased.

 

If you really want to get a powerful low B that projects well, I think you'd be best off to get as many watts as you can... IMO, at least 500-700 watts to really have enough clean headroom for the low B. Of course, your choice in cabs has a huge influence as well. Some cabs are designed with the low B in mind (like the Ampeg PR410HLF) and some aren't (like your average Ampeg 8x10).



Thats my .01

 

Don't buy an all-tube amp for 5-String. Used to play a Dingwall 5-String through my vintage svt, didn't like the sound of the low-B at all.

 

I have an Ampeg PR410hlf, and it's a monster man... It handles the B sooooooo well, it's insane! Get one used too, I got mine for $400 with a custom cover, casters, and some strings in mint condition.

 

That's more a cabinet/amp interaction than an tube amp issue in an of itself. Tubes have absolutely NO problem with frequencies below 40 Hz. Most output transformers are rated at 10 Hz on the low end and that's just because most tube amp power supplies can't sustain the current required for those extremely low frequencies. I play my fivers through my tube amps all the time, even the low powered B15N and it sounds great.

 

You could get an SWR WM 4004 amp. It is designed for that cab and delivers a good HI FI tone. You could also add an SWR WM 1X15 to that rig, which would handle the low B pretty well. You could also go with a 350 or 400 for some more $$$.

 

I think that most of the problem that I had with the low B and a vintage tube rig was that the low B on the Dingwall is 37" long the longest low B out there (sounds like the voice of God) and using an svt sealed 810 cab probably doesn't help either vented cabs would make a big difference as well.

 

The best to produce a decent low B with enough volume is to use 2 cabs, like a 4x10 + 15"

Recently I bought a EBS 4X10" cab wich is rated at 800/1600 watts.
I thought; now that I have 1 high rated cab, so I don't have to buy a second. WRONG....
It wasn't loud enough.
So a bought a second 15" with it(400w), and it was a hell of a difference, it sounded twice as loud and moved twice as much air...