How attached are you to your amp?

[Rip Van Dan]

I am very attached to my amps and cabs. I use DNA and Eden amps plus DNA and Eden cabs. I love the clear clean and articulate sound I get out of them.

I use a class D Eden TN226 (225-watts rms into 4Ω, weighs 4.7-lb)) for small venues into an Eden EX-112 cab. I can carry in or out amp, cab, gig bag, and bass all in one trip, and it has all the power I need for a small brewpub. And it all fits very nicely inside a chair.

I use a DNA-800 class D amp (400-watts into 8Ω, 800-watts into either 4Ω or 2Ω) into my DNS-210 cab (handles 700-watts rms). I use that for almost all indoor venues including large venues. If a large venue is particularly long, I'll drive that DNS210 with my WT500/800 amp bridged at 800-watts rms into it.

My DNA-800:

My Eden WT500/800, which is a WT500 dual powerblock amp that has been upgraded to 800-watts bridged into 8Ω.

I'll use my DNS-410 (handles 1400-watts) for outdoor venues and depending on how open the venue is I'll use either my DNA-800 (puts up to 400-watts into 8Ω) or bring along my WT500/800 amp and bridge it at 800-watts into it. I typically use it with the big Eden amp at wide open music festivals, but have to keep the master below 10:30 on it or I will be told to turn down. I don't mind that though because that means I don't need to drag an 810 cab around anywhere.

Here's a shot of both of my DNS cabs with my Eden WT500/800 amp on top. I can only bridge into one cab and at this venue I only used the 210. My 410 was just an amp stand here...cool looking amp stand, but only an amp stand. I can actually run both of these at once with my DNA-800 amp.

 

[Coot]

I love my Mesa Subway gear and my Traynor gear. I appreciate the skill and engineering that went into the design and final form of these amplifiers. Using technology to help us create our art that we love is humanity at its finest. IMHO. My gear produces the tones I've been looking for, makes me happy, and makes me want to play as often as I can.
(I miss my old 70's Acoustic 370 that I once had and wish I still had. Nostalgia maybe?)
I read this entire thread and what I'm a little confused about is the number of people posting about not having or needing any amplifiers and mainly using IEM's in a thread labelled " How attached are you to your amp?" in a Talkbass forum called " Amps and cabs " ??
Everyone's welcome and to each their own , but I don't get it personally.

 

[roccobass]

This current set of Mesa D800 plus and PJ C4 has been my go to rig for the last year. Most of my gigs, this is all I need. It’ll be a keeper for now.

 

[msb]

This has the presence of something that weighs a lot more.

 

[_Obra_]

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 have no desire to play without an amplifier. It's that simple.

I tried with in-ear and all other possible and impossible digital gadgets. From plugins, through IRs, preamps, wireless, to pre-recorded backing tracks and live programed loopers in PC....and I hated all of that!
It took 3 years of my life with countless rehearsals with a band and who knows how much money in equipment, fight with a latency, bad mix...no love, no energy, no synergy, no feeling...nothing! Just pure sterile songs like they are reproduced from some media. I imagine that it would be very interesting and relieving, for example for a band on a cruise ship..or wherever.

And to repeat, I have no desire to play without an amplifier ever again, that's how attached I am to my amplifier!

 

[bobdabilder]

You're welcome. Happy to speak the truth.

golly! thanks for sharing. there's one in every thread

 

[tshapiro]

I play out and tour a bunch. I love my amps, Hartke LH1000’s with obsolete old Markbass cabs with ceramic speakers. I’m very attached, but I’m accustomed to road damage and the occasional drug addict player who steels and hoc’s the bands gear. So, I have a several backups for each. As for sentimental gear, I have several basses associated with certain tours or bands going all the way back to the 80’s and 1 tube amp combo that stay my place rarely to be played and never to leave the house.

 

[pfschim]

You're welcome. Happy to speak the truth.

and in to the stupid bin you go ... see ya!

 

[IvanMike]

I’m quite attached to them. I’ve played through Bag End cabinets for decades. The Alembic and the Demeter are old favorites and old friends. I’ve really been happy with the Mesa Subway heads as well.

I’ve played through quite a few amps in my time, and these have kept me coming back.

 

[Jeff Scott]

How attached are you to your amp?

Only when I'm plugged in.