Hi TB, For my Texas country band I normally use this rig: Bugera BVP5500 (just the power amp) Aguilar ToneHamer Pre/DI (as the pre amp/DI) Eden D210XLT 8ohm Eden D115XLT 8ohm The bass I normally play is a Deluxe American Fender Precision, with a G&L MJ-4 Tribute as my back up. SO I love everything about my rig tonally right now, it sounds badass, but I'm curious what I could replace my BVP5500 with. Perhaps the tubes are bad but the pre amp just doesn't sound very nice. I want a beefier sounding tube sound but I'm kind of settling for the Aguilar TH pre, which does kick ass and all but what are my options for the tubey pre I could replace the Bugera with? Please ask questions I'll answer. For reference the BVP is a ripoff of an SVT-3 pro (which is on the list) My needs: Work for 2 8ohm cabs, with head room (250w @8ohm or so) Somekind of sweepable mids/9bandEQ/midrange voice selector etc. (at least 4 band eq) Tube preamp DI out, preferably with gain control Power amp input (okay not really a need but hey) Any kind of an onboard compressor limiter would be cool Durable/rackmountable is preferred Okay so whats out there? I am aware of the WTP series Eden, Ampeg and what I already have but want to see if there are more options., I'm sure this is something that is out there sheesh Thanks!
Quilter BB800 on its own is good but you can add a Shiftline Mark lll bass tube preamp and you'll be set.
{} GK MBF-800 checks all those boxes except for the 2 ohm. But I’ve never needed 2 ohms capable amps ever.
Mesa Subway d800. Best non tube amount I've ever owned. And I've had several. It has a tube preamp as well.
Doesn't take away the fact the amps are the best out there for tone shaping and lightweight portability .
The Mesa Subway amps are indeed some of the best out there. I played a D-800+ for a year. Then I went back to Gallien Kruger. Better punch. More power. Tube pre. And the presence and contour controls do more for tone shaping than the HPF on the Subway. GK was what was best for me.
Right but I'm really into the tube pre amps I've heard and would prefer to narrow my searches to tube preamps hybrids
Seriously. The fusion 800 from Gallien Krueger is what you described in you original post. Sweetwater is gonna give you the best price and free shipping. GK gives you a 2 year warranty and those tubes in the pre will last for years. Or you can swap them out for different tonal bias.
Genz Benz shuttle 6 has everything you're looking for except built in comp. And the tube pre compares favorably with an SVT, but can also do warm cleans. Up it to a shuttle max if you want the option of channel switching (FET and tube) and blending. I have the ShuttleMax 9.2 and it's pretty great overall. Still working on consistently finding "my" sound between different rooms and cabs, but the EQ is pretty flexible. With my 6 string, I like it best with my GK 412 so far. The amp seems to have a lot of low end, while the GK cab is on the brighter side, so they pair well. If you're not too concerned with weight/size the previous series of Trace stuff would be a good bet. The AH 600-12 has EVERYTHING you want. Flexible tube preamp with a switchable drive circuit, switchable 12 band graphic EQ (plus switchable pre shape), switchable dual band compressor, VERY flexible input and output routing (stereo/biamp/etc...), and a beefy 600w old school SS power section and a f* off toroidal transformer. Built into a heavy duty plywood shell.
yeah wow I'm really into the 12.0. On that amp I suppose 300w would go to each 8ohm cab? or would it send 600w to both 8ohm cabs? The 6.2 looks badass otherwise. I like the two channels idea, it would be easy to take that on a doubler gig if I need more sound than my acoustic image. Man thanks for hipping me to that, that is so badass.
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