How attached are you to your amp?

[deff]

I'm pretty attached the sound I get. I've kinda worked pretty hard to get that to the point where I'm happy. I probably am most attached to my cab Berg NV412T. It does everything I need it to very effectively.

If there was a lighter weight cab solution that gave me something I could work with and I could afford it, I'd switch.
I'm also always open to listening to what amps other people have to determine if they have something that sounds better. Then I might try that. I've wanted to try out some Ashdown and Quilter heads. I don't know if any would replace the V4B though. But if they sounded better and functioned at least equivalently I would at least get one if it was lighter.

 

[LoTone]

I have one of those...

I live in an apartment building. I rarely use it but I cannot part with it. It looks and sounds so good.

 

[Ron Berenato]

I love to FEEL the music when I stand in front of my amp. I love the way my 15" speaker breaks up when I play the higher register similar to Larry Grahams "The Jam". Can't get that from ear pieces or monitors.

 

[dalkowski]

See, that's it: I'm not attached to my amp. I use a wireless system.

Well played, brotherman. We're done here.
/thread

 

[Solude]

Don't even have an amp in my Helix presets so... not at all? DG B7KU though, very

 

[Medicine Man]

I can make do with iem or whatever backline rig. My Quilter bb into an AK Hathor has killed my desire for any other amp and cab setup. I guess I'm not attached to my amp, just my cab.

 

[Bent77]

The cheapest way to 2x15s?
It’s really not too bad. I’d rather have some tubes in there, but using a decent tube preamp, it’s not bad. Being able to utilize the EQ on both amps separately is really nice just take pictures before you move any knobs.

 

[MingusBass]

I've been playing an Aguilar AG700 since they first launched and have had very little desire to try anything else(I also own a DB750 and up until recently a DB751) it just does the trick for me. I have experimented quite a bit with different cabinets though, even if they're all Aguilar.

 

[CallMeAl]

Anymore, as long as I have the headroom for the task at hand, I’m happy. I have several combos in various locations and they all “do it” for me.

 

[Bent77]

I'm less concerned with the sound of my gigging amp. I just need it to be light, easy to move, loud enough to hear on stage with a clean, pre-eq and master volume DI. Really a gigging amp is just a glorified stage monitor, if you run direct. I'm most picky about the sound of the amp I use to practice solo, because then I can hear every detail and want to be inspired to practice. This might be the opposite of a lot of people here.

No I agree with you 100%

 

[FirewalZ]

I really like my GK combo. It's plenty loud and if I needed more juice, I'd go FOH anyway so it's not like I would need anything more powerful. With that said, I still miss my Subway setup from a few years ago. It has more features that I like and the aesthetic was really cool. I often wrestle with myself thinking I should try to get my old rig back, but with how expensive everything is these days and the fact I'm probably at least a few years away from gigging regularly again, it seems like a frivolous endeavor. Whenever I've ran direct, I've never thought to myself, "gee I wish I had my amp right now."

How attached are you to your amp? How integral is it to your overall desire to play?

I think I'm in the same camp as you, I have an old trusty GK MB212-ii combo, and Mesa Subway d800, 115 and 212 cabs. Overall i like the Mesa tone better, but I seem to take the Combo most of the time due to convenience. Also, I'm almost always wearing ear filters or IEM's, which take a bit away from the on stage tone. I also go through a SansAmp, so as long as I get a solid clear tone on stage, i can pretty much use whatever and ill be happy.

 

[Altitude]

I love my amp (GK head, Audiokinesis cabinets). But I love the load-out on an IEM gig more.

There are a few rooms around here I’ve played with both amps and IEMs. Some of them are unconquerable with amps, just a futile exercise in volume escalation and murk all night. IEMs work a lot better.

 

[rtslinger]

Very attached to my 1975 SVT with my 8*10 cab though it is retired from live gigs. I use it in my music room sometimes, only problem with that is, after enjoying playing through it for hours, my gigging rigs disappoint they just can't compare and one of the reason I am running sansamp and a IR cabinet sim live now.

 

[Michedelic]

I have often been inspired/titillated by certain amplifiers, immersed in their sound, far more more than the actual bass itself. Sometimes that can lead to frustration; although I’m a vintage Sunn fan, I’ve got a Sound City Bass 150 with tone that I adore, but the inherent hiss detracts from it. Still, I have to feel it…an IEM set-up is too prophylactic, plus I hate earbuds.

 

[Steve Dallman]

I own a lot of bass amps. I gigged with a GK 1001RB for years, but never bonded with it. I started using a BDDI with it, and was happier with it. When it died, I bought a PF500 and absolutely loved the amp.

After a few years of no trouble, I upgraded to a PF800. I have other bass heads, including a Rumble 800 head, but the Ampeg is perfect for me.

There's something about the slight grind that is always there and the midrange presence, plus the bass is just "right"...something that I didn't like about the GK.

 

[smoothbrain]

I proposed once.
Haven't heard anything back yet.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'm happy with my Subway 115 and 210 for most every situation. I have a 2xPJB C8 stack if I want to switch things up and a Genzler 350 / 12VT combo at the rehearsal space. But I'd still like to try the current Trace amp, maybe a Bergantino, maybe a Trickfish and the GR carbon cabs look interesting.

 

[wellshuxley]

I was quite attached to my first two "good" amps: first an Ampeg SVT, which I sold and then downsized to an Ampeg V4 (both from the early 70s, fixed up by techs in the mid-aughts). Something felt off whenever I played through a different rig, and I missed my amp dearly when I was unable to use it.

These days, though, I have a few rather diverse amps and I record direct through a number of different configurations. I still appreciate the Ampeg tube sound, but I've come to appreciate different flavors, and I'm generally less picky.

 

[thmsjordan]

How attached are you to your amp? How integral is it to your overall desire to play?

Attached by a 1/4" jack from bass to amp. That is all.

The only amp I might miss is my Upright amp. It is a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0. I searched a long time to find an amp with that kind of a sound for upright bass.

 

[EdO.]

I have over 50 amps. I think they all sound great in their own unique way.

I'm not bothered about the hardware, but I am attached to the sound my gear makes.

TLDR... When I went digital (Helix) I sold off all of my amps except for one small practice amp that I use off-and-on occasionally during home practice. Otherwise I practice the way I play the gigs, IEM's and wireless. Direct to FOH does the heavy lifting so I no longer have to. Or want to.

I have probably a dozen or more different basic amp/preamps available and then different variations on each depending on different EQ settings etc, then dozens of different speaker cab sims to mix and match or even just ignore entirely. Probably at least 8 different variations on just the SVT alone and then tweak from there if necessary. I find what works for each of my several basses individually to dial in the sound I'm going for in my head so I never have to settle for whatever limitations a physical amp/speaker combo may have, which of course never sounds the same in every different venue anyway. Much more consistent tonally and WAY easier on my back AND pocketbook. Made MY life SO much simpler but of course YMMV.