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Kevin Shaw Amps
- Thread starter Mike Arnopol
- Start date
Resurr. post . . . Any updates from owners? Sold it? Still Love it?
Have you found these amps to tend towards a darker sound?
Any problems getting enough clarity/cut on a gig? I'm coming from Sunn tube world . .
Love tubes and love to hear people's experiences with current production offerings . .
Has anyone recorded sound clips with this amp? Particularly interested hearing a mic'd cab!
Have you found these amps to tend towards a darker sound?
Any problems getting enough clarity/cut on a gig? I'm coming from Sunn tube world . .
Love tubes and love to hear people's experiences with current production offerings . .
Has anyone recorded sound clips with this amp? Particularly interested hearing a mic'd cab!
Engaging the Pull/bright switch on the treble knob, there is loooots of clarity.
If you're referring to the B-150 tube amp (I don't have experience with the preamps or the micro head), I can verify that...
...maybe more than with any other amp or preamp I have. You can access a good deal of top-end clarity with the pull bright disengaged, but I find myself turning the treble control up a good deal higher when that's the case, and then the emphasis hits in a different place. With pull-bright disengaged and knobs at noon, I find the amp a little dark for my taste, but, again, with it engaged, it can get really bright if you want it to -- bright enough that I roll back the passive tone on my bass more than with other amps and bright enough that I would never engage that and turn the treble all the way up. I'd be fine with a "half-bright" switch, actually -- that would be plenty for me -- but you can still dial in a wide variety of usable tones.
I posted some clips (with a buzzy tube) back in post #85. They were recorded via the DI, not miced, but perhaps you'll find them useful.
I've been playing the Shaw lately through an Audiokinesis Hathor 1203 atop a Mike Arnopol Soundworks MAS 110 sub. The stack is a little more efficient than my MAS 112 (my go-to cab, in most instances, for medium-to-loud venues) and the voicing seems to match up well with the Shaw head. I haven't played this combo out, yet, but, in practice at home, it's kind of ridiculous -- palm muting is insanely chunky and remains clear and articulate.
For what it's worth, I've gravitated to running the mid-position switch on 5 or 6, whereas I used to run it on 4 most of the time.
I still love mine! I don't have any sound clips, but I posted a video earlier in this thread with good audio. We're in the middle of recording material now. I'll see if I can get something that I can post.
The mid switch gives you a bunch of versatility.... Plus it has a pull bright switch, and a low end shift. I tend to run with the mids on 5. At 6 it's all B15. 4 is very svt'ish. At 5, it's a mix of the two. It sounds incredible. I run a 115 that Kevin built for me, and it is perfect The mids are a thing of beauty. I think my tone sits in the mix perfectly, and I have no trouble being heard. My guitarist plays a Shaw Full Tilt 18 watt head with a 112 from Shaw. We are always complimented on our tone. I also have a Ampeg Heritage 810 that sounds great with the Shaw.
18 Watts and a 1x12... your guitarist sounds halfway reasonable.
He wasn't always so reasonable....
We did a live radio thing a few years ago, where we really had to watch our volume. He played a '64 Champ (Kevin had just recapped it and put a 10" speaker in it), and I played my '65 b15. We sounded and played great! It was sort of like some kind of revelation. We started playing lower stage volume for everything from then on. You have to see the look on a sound guys' faces when we tell him we need the stage volume turned down a bit! The volume on my Shaw is rarely above 3. Anyway, I think we're a better band for it. My mates would agree.
Btw, the balanced out off of the OT on the Shaw is just beautiful!
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Overdue update (repair, below, was accomplished months ago), but here it is, anyway.
Hadn't played the Shaw in awhile, but plugged into it today and was reminded of what a great amp it is.
What I thought (and was told) was a buzzy tube turned out to be a bad hum-balance pot. Got that replaced and, even in my electrically noisy domicile, it's possible to get the amp very quiet, now. I haven't tried recording off the DI with it, but will probably give that a shot before too long. It's definitely quiet enough even for quiet performances -- between songs at a coffee shop? no problem -- but we'll have to see how it does for direct tracking. It's way quieter than before, though.
I mentioned earlier that I'd be okay with a "half bright" switch (or a variable Presence control), if the Shaw had one. Well, while getting the hum-balance pot replaced, I had something like that done. The tech tried a few different values of capacitor (I think that's the component that's engaged) in there -- he wrote down the original and new values, if I still have the ticket, somewhere. The result is that, with the bright switch engaged, I can turn up the treble control (which brings some of the mids with it -- where and how much depends on how you set the six-position "Mid" switch) a little more than I did before. Between that and the passive tone control on my bass, I've got fairly nuanced control of the top end. For me, the result works a little better than before -- feels more useable -- though I suspect I've lost a little of the potential for raw brilliance that the amp had before, in trade (it can still get very bright -- I'd still never turn the treble up to 10 with the bright switch engaged).
My main bass with rounds, I'm liking the "Mid" Control on 4, sometimes 5. My P-bass with flats, 4 or 3 about equally well. Also experimented with dialing back the treble and bass controls a bit (maybe to 4/10), and dialing up the volume to compensate, to achieve a bit of mid-boost, as a starting point.
The Shaw, the Arkham Zephyr preamp, and the Handbox R-400 (a nice little A/B amp with a tube front end -- somewhat reminiscent of a more open, more neutrally voiced Mesa Walkabout with a simpler EQ) all have variations on this simple and old-school Bass/Treble (I think James) tonestack. The Arkham has a "Range" control that shifts the pivot-point of the stack. I'm not sure what, exactly, the "Mid" switch on the Shaw does, but I can hear that it moves the pivot point around, too. The Handbox, the pivot is fixed (as on a lot of old amps, though there are one or two other goodies, too).
As a... detailed-oriented (there, that's a nice way to put it), occasionally gear-obsessed and tone-chasing adult, those kinds of tone stacks always drove me slightly crazy. Whatever kind of sound I'm dialing-in, I'm always trying to maintain an even response across the fingerboard. Dial-in some bass boost, boost the treble a bit, and suddenly you've got a mid-scoop that might or might not work with that. Being able to slide it around is nice, but I'm always aware of it -- I want to be able to address the mids directly, with a mid-control, or two, possibly semi-parametric... I still have that urge, but I've come more to terms with this type of old-school tone-stack. It took a little time, but I feel that I'm more able to dial-in a few sounds that I really like and maintain an even response across the fingerboard. I do really like how, on an amp with a nice, open top-end (that you can still tweak at the amp) the passive tone-control on a bass suddenly becomes a much more flexible and nuanced control. I also feel that these simpler tonestacks (with, I assume, fewer parts) might contribute to the very coherent sound of the amp. Not that that's the only way to do it -- and not that there aren't other EQ schemes I like for different reasons -- but the Shaw sounds great in any case; open, coherent, dynamic...
I mentioned that I hadn't played it in awhile. It's my only bass amp with a tube power section. I have some class D amps and some class AB amps -- also, as mentioned, some tube pres. Honestly, I think it's all pretty good stuff. I've been favoring the AB stuff over the class D -- not making any universal pronouncements, but, among the examples I have to work with, it feels more solid and focused to me -- more connected to the instrument and more confidence-inspiring to play. The Shaw takes that feeling of connection to the next level -- amazing how reactive it is to your touch. Sound is also super-detailed and 3D -- maybe, in part, because of how open the top-end is, but I think there's more than that.
There is palpable -- and very quick -- compression on every note. I haven't played with a lot of compressors -- just on-board stuff, mostly, some of it better than others -- also some plug-ins -- but I've never played a compressor that I like the action of as much as I like the natural compression I'm getting from the Shaw -- again, feels very connected, natural, reactive to technique. The tube pres do this to varying degrees, but not to the same extent and not with the same feeling of depth and nuance. (I'd be curious to see how Kevin Shaw's tube pres compare in this regard, but I have to think that a lot of it is due to the tube power-section.)
The Pull-Shift increases gain (not sure where, exactly) and "roughs up" the sound a bit -- adds harmonic distortion, changes the touch -- a little more relaxed. Not sure if it shifts the EQ/voicing in any way, too, or not.
I don't know that a tube amp is always the most practical thing for me -- in fact, I know that it's not. My lifestyle, gigs, and cabs are not optimized for it (the cabs sound great with it but are only moderately efficient... still, can get pretty loud) and there are times when that tube touch/response/compression are not what's called for (sometimes, a solid, uncompromising, SS lead-sled is what's called for -- and that can be a nice touch in its own way).
That said, the B-150 is a special amp. It's the only tube bass-amp I've ever owned, but I've played through a few (and dozens of SS amps along with a few pre+power rigs) and I don't think that I've played anything else quite like it. It's not the sound that I always want for everything (not that it's only capable of one sound), but it's one of the best executions of a sound that I've heard (if that makes sense). It's a fantastic sounding amp.
I was thinking of packing it up for awhile (I live in an apartment and am trying to make my living room look less like a small, badly-organized music store than it does now), but I'm stuck at home for playing -- at least for now -- and the amp sounds great, feels great -- and there's no fan noise. No reason I shouldn't spend some time playing it.
That's all for now. Hope everyone reading this (and those not!) are well and safe.
Hadn't played the Shaw in awhile, but plugged into it today and was reminded of what a great amp it is.
What I thought (and was told) was a buzzy tube turned out to be a bad hum-balance pot. Got that replaced and, even in my electrically noisy domicile, it's possible to get the amp very quiet, now. I haven't tried recording off the DI with it, but will probably give that a shot before too long. It's definitely quiet enough even for quiet performances -- between songs at a coffee shop? no problem -- but we'll have to see how it does for direct tracking. It's way quieter than before, though.
I mentioned earlier that I'd be okay with a "half bright" switch (or a variable Presence control), if the Shaw had one. Well, while getting the hum-balance pot replaced, I had something like that done. The tech tried a few different values of capacitor (I think that's the component that's engaged) in there -- he wrote down the original and new values, if I still have the ticket, somewhere. The result is that, with the bright switch engaged, I can turn up the treble control (which brings some of the mids with it -- where and how much depends on how you set the six-position "Mid" switch) a little more than I did before. Between that and the passive tone control on my bass, I've got fairly nuanced control of the top end. For me, the result works a little better than before -- feels more useable -- though I suspect I've lost a little of the potential for raw brilliance that the amp had before, in trade (it can still get very bright -- I'd still never turn the treble up to 10 with the bright switch engaged).
My main bass with rounds, I'm liking the "Mid" Control on 4, sometimes 5. My P-bass with flats, 4 or 3 about equally well. Also experimented with dialing back the treble and bass controls a bit (maybe to 4/10), and dialing up the volume to compensate, to achieve a bit of mid-boost, as a starting point.
The Shaw, the Arkham Zephyr preamp, and the Handbox R-400 (a nice little A/B amp with a tube front end -- somewhat reminiscent of a more open, more neutrally voiced Mesa Walkabout with a simpler EQ) all have variations on this simple and old-school Bass/Treble (I think James) tonestack. The Arkham has a "Range" control that shifts the pivot-point of the stack. I'm not sure what, exactly, the "Mid" switch on the Shaw does, but I can hear that it moves the pivot point around, too. The Handbox, the pivot is fixed (as on a lot of old amps, though there are one or two other goodies, too).
As a... detailed-oriented (there, that's a nice way to put it), occasionally gear-obsessed and tone-chasing adult, those kinds of tone stacks always drove me slightly crazy. Whatever kind of sound I'm dialing-in, I'm always trying to maintain an even response across the fingerboard. Dial-in some bass boost, boost the treble a bit, and suddenly you've got a mid-scoop that might or might not work with that. Being able to slide it around is nice, but I'm always aware of it -- I want to be able to address the mids directly, with a mid-control, or two, possibly semi-parametric... I still have that urge, but I've come more to terms with this type of old-school tone-stack. It took a little time, but I feel that I'm more able to dial-in a few sounds that I really like and maintain an even response across the fingerboard. I do really like how, on an amp with a nice, open top-end (that you can still tweak at the amp) the passive tone-control on a bass suddenly becomes a much more flexible and nuanced control. I also feel that these simpler tonestacks (with, I assume, fewer parts) might contribute to the very coherent sound of the amp. Not that that's the only way to do it -- and not that there aren't other EQ schemes I like for different reasons -- but the Shaw sounds great in any case; open, coherent, dynamic...
I mentioned that I hadn't played it in awhile. It's my only bass amp with a tube power section. I have some class D amps and some class AB amps -- also, as mentioned, some tube pres. Honestly, I think it's all pretty good stuff. I've been favoring the AB stuff over the class D -- not making any universal pronouncements, but, among the examples I have to work with, it feels more solid and focused to me -- more connected to the instrument and more confidence-inspiring to play. The Shaw takes that feeling of connection to the next level -- amazing how reactive it is to your touch. Sound is also super-detailed and 3D -- maybe, in part, because of how open the top-end is, but I think there's more than that.
There is palpable -- and very quick -- compression on every note. I haven't played with a lot of compressors -- just on-board stuff, mostly, some of it better than others -- also some plug-ins -- but I've never played a compressor that I like the action of as much as I like the natural compression I'm getting from the Shaw -- again, feels very connected, natural, reactive to technique. The tube pres do this to varying degrees, but not to the same extent and not with the same feeling of depth and nuance. (I'd be curious to see how Kevin Shaw's tube pres compare in this regard, but I have to think that a lot of it is due to the tube power-section.)
The Pull-Shift increases gain (not sure where, exactly) and "roughs up" the sound a bit -- adds harmonic distortion, changes the touch -- a little more relaxed. Not sure if it shifts the EQ/voicing in any way, too, or not.
I don't know that a tube amp is always the most practical thing for me -- in fact, I know that it's not. My lifestyle, gigs, and cabs are not optimized for it (the cabs sound great with it but are only moderately efficient... still, can get pretty loud) and there are times when that tube touch/response/compression are not what's called for (sometimes, a solid, uncompromising, SS lead-sled is what's called for -- and that can be a nice touch in its own way).
That said, the B-150 is a special amp. It's the only tube bass-amp I've ever owned, but I've played through a few (and dozens of SS amps along with a few pre+power rigs) and I don't think that I've played anything else quite like it. It's not the sound that I always want for everything (not that it's only capable of one sound), but it's one of the best executions of a sound that I've heard (if that makes sense). It's a fantastic sounding amp.
I was thinking of packing it up for awhile (I live in an apartment and am trying to make my living room look less like a small, badly-organized music store than it does now), but I'm stuck at home for playing -- at least for now -- and the amp sounds great, feels great -- and there's no fan noise. No reason I shouldn't spend some time playing it.
That's all for now. Hope everyone reading this (and those not!) are well and safe.
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I still love mine! It's not the most practical amp for grab and go type stuff, but I use it whenever possible.....just placing on top of my cabinet and wheeling it in isn't all that bad. That tone is worth it! It really is a special amp.
I definitely regret selling mine. That amp through a barefaced 610 setup was glorious. I just read MarkA’s repair story. I had the same thing happen. Replacements the tubes thinking one was faulty, turned out to be the bias Pot.
love the head. use it more than the V4B reissue i purchased. played my first gig in 5 months last saturday. heatwave made me use a sold state head which was a silly idea.
Martha and the Vandellas made you use a solid-state amp? Did you switch back for the other songs?
If I were still playing gigs, I would never have traded my B-150 amp. There was just nothing not to like about it and its weight is very manageable (especially compared to the Reeves C225). I apparently like brighter tones than @MarkA , as I never felt any need to modify it. The low end isn't as huge as the Reeves, but I see that as a good thing in most gig situations.
