Cabs are the friggin' key... amp+cab combo! I've 'personally' have found sealed 10s to be 'my' thing. I love the responsiveness.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Cabs are the friggin' key... amp+cab combo! I've 'personally' have found sealed 10s to be 'my' thing. I love the responsiveness.
Definitely meant the SVT, not the micro, haha! You're not missing anything. To my ear, I've never played a SVT that sounded EXACTLY like I want, plus they weigh 80 lbs and cost more than I want to spend. So....I've never had any desire for one. What I can say is that certain aspects of the all-tube sounds I've achieved with the SVT, Strategy, PF50T, and AD200 is painfully close to what I want, but none of them work exactly. If there was something that got the SVT warmth and the mid presence of the AD200 or Strategy, that's what I think would get my sound.
I know about the ultra-low switch, so I've toggled through it while playing. That said, I can't say for sure how much the cabs were contributing. It was at the OKC GC, and their bass gear doesn't seem to move much. The same SVT probably sits there for a year while random people bang around on it for who knows how long. And the price stays at the new amp price. Dumb. They also have them hooked up to all kinds of cabs in all conditions, so that changes the picture quite a bit.
I'll pay more attention to the cab next time I play one. I absolutely LOVE my MB212 combo. Probably the best bass setup I've ever owned. Superior to both the TH500 / Berg 212 and TH500 / Greenboy 15/6 setups I ran for a while. Yes, I just said that.
Anyway.....my guess is that the Berg might have been a great cab had I ever paired it with a all-tube head.
Compared to my SVT, my 800rb sounds superb through the same cabs. Just as loud but unlike my GK MB212II with that low volume knob on my 800 I can get really warm tones.
So maybe the 800RB would be something you might wanna try. Totally opposite of your OP though.
So maybe the 800RB would be something you might wanna try. Totally opposite of your OP though.
While I can't help you stick to your all tube budget, I can share what has been the absolute best tube rig I have played through. Shaw B150 into a barefaced Four10. Absolutely incredible. There is one currently in the classifieds if your budget could be stretched. As far as Tubey pedals go, I recently had JohnK build a beautiful 903B Bass Overdrive. It uses a 12AX7 running at the full 300 volt plate voltage. Something like that in front of your GK may get you close to where you want to be.
CTM-100 is what I have and I love it. Playing it through either an Eden d210-4xlt or Ashdown ABM210. Prefer the definition and warmth of the Eden. Had a pf-20t through a pf115 which I imagine is pretty similar to the pf50-t but less decibels. It bored me but was surprisingly thick with volume considering it was only 20 watts. Although, as most would agree, it would not have enough for most gigs. I imagine 50 watts would be enough for a lot of venues.
Cabs are a huge part of it IMO. Once the SVT210av’s came out, they have been the best match for tube heads for me. I would get some, sell them for something else (usually for cosmetic reasons to match a new head) then have to buy them again. You can pick up one for like $250 or less, and they weigh 26 lbs. With a vintage V4, you can use 1, 2, or even 4 of these cabs due to the 2/4/8 ohm switch! I have an Ampeg B25B and with one of these 210av’s, it is the perfect small room or acoustic rig. Very small footprint.
That said, I am now in love with my new Sunn and JBL d140 in a Guild cab. What a tone. I love it so much that I bought two JBL K140’s and am planning on either a 200s cab or separate 1x15’s for them to use with my Sunn 200s or Ampeg V4.
Couple of pics because I love my amps and no one else in the world cares about them except TB people lol. I don’t have a pic of the B25B with the single 210, but I do of the V4 with the single 210. The B25 pic is on an old Fender 2x12 Bassman cab loaded with Rola Celestion g12-65s from circa 1983. That setup is for the Les Paul, which the B25B sounds great with.
That said, I am now in love with my new Sunn and JBL d140 in a Guild cab. What a tone. I love it so much that I bought two JBL K140’s and am planning on either a 200s cab or separate 1x15’s for them to use with my Sunn 200s or Ampeg V4.
Couple of pics because I love my amps and no one else in the world cares about them except TB people lol. I don’t have a pic of the B25B with the single 210, but I do of the V4 with the single 210. The B25 pic is on an old Fender 2x12 Bassman cab loaded with Rola Celestion g12-65s from circa 1983. That setup is for the Les Paul, which the B25B sounds great with.
If you're serious, then I urge you to put in the time and read the thread that I copied you on. You can't imagine how much there is to learn from the perspective of others. I've been playing through a solid state Markbass 1200SD, with two Markbass sealed 4x10's, and two Markbass sealed 4x8's (both with horns).
Eveyone has always smothered me with comments about my pristine tone, and while I agreed, there were times when I felt anemic and empty. I knew that tubes would be the answer, and when I started shopping, same as you, none to try, heavy and expensive to ship... and tons of conflicting opinions.
The V4B had the killer appeal to me, but I IMMEDIATELY dismissed it because I thought (for no good reason) that all Ampegs were vintage and muddy, and it was a puny 100 watts when I'm use to 1,200 watts.
I reached out to Jimmy M and he basically said, you'll love it, get over it. He was right... a little too right actually.
I was so hooked, that I immediately picked up an Ampeg Heritage 810 cab, but I didn't like now having to move the V4B back and forth between the recording and rehearsal studio, so I now wanted another tube head!!! BUT! The head that I really always wanted was the Mesa Prodigy or Strategy... and while looking at them, I saw their Standard PH412 cab.
So like you, a lot of money to consider, none to try, and more differences of opinion than Ford vs. Chevy.
I think 50% of the people on this forum will disagree with whatever I say, but I think they'll all agree with this...
If you stay a bass player, then sooner or later, you're going to get tired of dreaming about what you want, and you're just going to want it and be done. Cutting corners with gear will only ever be a fleeting substitution. If the sound that you want comes from something that you know exists, then just do what you have to to get it.
However far from reach it may seem, it won't look that way when you're buying your first tube amp at age 70!
Glad you said that. I Concur.
I was going to mention that cab choice is as much a variable as head choice. I really love the Eden and ashdown cabs but wasn’t really jazzed about the ampeg portaflex cab. One of these days I will try the svt’s.
Agreed. I've always matched heads to cabs and while it looked great, the sound was not the best. I got an SVT212 with my V4B it it is just mega, superman, sweet, awesome!
12's are my new thing... I'm use to 8's... so for me, 10's big! So 12's fill a huge void. SVT 212 kicks.
I use one of these Invalid Link Removed with my B25B head as well so you can run two 8 ohm cabs in series off the 16 ohm output on the head. Makes for a nice little mini stack. I also wired my B25B with the 8 and 16 ohm taps on their own jacks so that's also a bit more convenient.
Great post. I've been down all the lower/mid tier amp rabbit holes, chasing tones for the last several years. The MB212 combo will be my go-to gigging setup simply due to portability. But my next purchase will be an all-tube head for rehearsal and the occasional gig. After a lot of reading, its looking like a V4B or 100T will be my main choices, with a lean towards the V4. I may expand my budget a bit and try to snag a V4 soon and just give it a shot. Ultimately, it'll come down to my tonal preferences, spaces that I play in, basses, and cabs.
12’s are cool, I’ve owned a 212av and a V4 4x12 filled with basslite 2012’s. Both were great. The V4 cab was a beast to move though, so I sold it. I wish I still had it though.
Now I am getting deep into the JBL D/K 140’s and Sunn because it’s all new and sounds unreal!
I agree with the cutting corners comment. If you don’t get what you want, you will spend way more trying to get close and never getting there. There are several heads/cabs that I’ve bought that eventually sold because it didn’t get me 100% there and I wanted to try something else. I used to think a vintage SVT was the be-all end-all after playing through one about 20 years ago. It was magical. I ended up buying one and a vintage 8x10. It was cool, but a pain to move, total overkill for my band, and not as great as my memory of the first one I tried 10 years prior. I am just now remembering that the one I played on was not going through an 8x10. It was a couple of 1x15’s that we’re probably loaded with JBL’s. Maybe the JBL’s were the real magic!
Point being is with the internet, you can try and sell and not lose your shirt too bad in the process of you are a smart shopper and know how to deal. I now do not have any gas for any tube head except for maybe a Sunn 2000s or a B15S. I’ve owned and flipped everything else Ive wanted to try. There’s really nothing left after 13 years of trying different stuff.
Now I am getting deep into the JBL D/K 140’s and Sunn because it’s all new and sounds unreal!
I agree with the cutting corners comment. If you don’t get what you want, you will spend way more trying to get close and never getting there. There are several heads/cabs that I’ve bought that eventually sold because it didn’t get me 100% there and I wanted to try something else. I used to think a vintage SVT was the be-all end-all after playing through one about 20 years ago. It was magical. I ended up buying one and a vintage 8x10. It was cool, but a pain to move, total overkill for my band, and not as great as my memory of the first one I tried 10 years prior. I am just now remembering that the one I played on was not going through an 8x10. It was a couple of 1x15’s that we’re probably loaded with JBL’s. Maybe the JBL’s were the real magic!
Point being is with the internet, you can try and sell and not lose your shirt too bad in the process of you are a smart shopper and know how to deal. I now do not have any gas for any tube head except for maybe a Sunn 2000s or a B15S. I’ve owned and flipped everything else Ive wanted to try. There’s really nothing left after 13 years of trying different stuff.
I have a Palmer cab merger too for my B25. I haven’t used it on a gig yet, but it seems like the perfect companion to a B25B in today’s world. I have been using the dummy plug trick to get to 8 ohms with the B25 at the house.
I play against a speed metal thrash drummer, a full tube Marshall stack, and a full tube Mesa stack, and yet my new V4B easily handed them all their walking papers on 1/3 gain and 1/2 master. More importantly, it was the most clean, defined, sweet, and punchy tone that I've ever heard myself produce.
I'm going to be hard pressed to not get a V4B tattoo
I first used two Markbass, sealed, 4x10 cabs with horns, then an SVT212, and then a Heritage SVT810. All had what it took to sound pristine at the 1/2 volume settings that I mentioned, but I liked the Mark 410's the best personally.
I will say however that I ran the Marks and V4B using a graphite and mahogany bass with a soap bar pup, and the SVT's using a P with a split coil... So, that did have an effect, and for that reason, it's hard to say that I wouldn't have liked the SVT cabs as much, had I used the same bass.
We covered the heck out of this topic and I drained TBers for all they were worth in that other thread, and I will tell you that the most consistent high praise of any all tube head out there was the V4B by a landslide...
I will have the Heritage SVT and Mesa Strategy within a week and then I'll close that thread with my opinions on all of it... but even then, my experience, and what I've gathered from our comrades here, is that the V4B is in a class by itself anyway.
Even if the Heritage and Strategy are the be all end all... my new V4B and SVT212 is here to stay... and I'll even add a second SVT212 some day... When you consider that it's a killer looking rig, with all JJ tubes, the most affordable all tube out there, light, loud, and versatile... off the top of my head, what else can do all of that?
Plus, as a side bonus... since the V4B will run at 2ohms, and my Markbass 4x8's and 4x10's are all 8ohm cabs... I can run all four cabs off the V4B at once! So... I won't, but it's nice to know that I can.
