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Least expensive All Tube Amp Head

#21
Peavey VB-2...they can be had for a great price if you can find one...got mine NIB at GC for $500....I play the same type music with a Jazz,P,Stingray...all of them come alive with it.......SVTs are great but you WILL get tired of lugging it around by yourself....:)
 
#22
Sundogue said:
I've seen a few Mesa D-180's and 400+ ampheads. Look interesting. I played a gig a couple of years ago where they provided a Mesa 400+ through 215 cab. Awesome.
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There's your answer. Although it's not the least expensive. I'd suggest saving an extra month or so to pay for it. For tube sound, worth every penny. My opinion.

I sold mine because I went with Acme cabs which required a pre/power amp setup...but sold the Acmes and went with a Bergantino NV610, which would have absolutely shined with the Mesa. I pretty much regret it every day.
 
#23
markjazzbassist said:
+1

the dude keeps pushing the software too. play live with your bass and laptop, really cool man:eyebrow:


used v4 is a good bet or fender bassman.
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It is cool - same stuff you use in the studio you can use live.

You don't need to use a laptop.
Keyboard players and Guitarist even drummers are showing up more and more with it.
And for the OP - it's still lighter.

But if they think they want only real tubes - then have at it. Shouldn't be any problem offering alternatives on this board. Even in the days when there was only tube amps - there were still many brands and alternatives to buy.
 
#25
Sundogue said:
Anyone who KNOWS what real ALL tube amps sound like will NEVER be convinced that SS amps sound the same, regardless of all the technology one throws at it.
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Very good point. I own a Markbass LMII and a Sansamp VT pedal. Both very tubey sounding, and the VT is especially good at cloning tube sounds. Meanwhile, my main amp is a B-15 stack, and I just got my SVT out of the shop yesterday and will be using it on my gig tonight. The LMII/VT makes setups and teardowns a lot easier, and for all intents and purposes do about 95% of what a tube amp can do, but when I use them, I still find myself missing that 5%. So I use the tube amps most of the time, and the VT is relegated to use as an overdrive, and the LMII is a backup.
 
#26
JimmyM said:
Very good point. I own a Markbass LMII and a Sansamp VT pedal. Both very tubey sounding, and the VT is especially good at cloning tube sounds. Meanwhile, my main amp is a B-15 stack, and I just got my SVT out of the shop yesterday and will be using it on my gig tonight. The LMII/VT makes setups and teardowns a lot easier, and for all intents and purposes do about 95% of what a tube amp can do, but when I use them, I still find myself missing that 5%. So I use the tube amps most of the time, and the VT is relegated to use as an overdrive, and the LMII is a backup.
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Look everyone posting here is entitled to their opinion, but it's my thread and I was asking about ALL TUBE heads.

I've been doing the whole SS/tube preamp/modeling thing for YEARS. That's not what my thread was about. I already have about as close to an ALL TUBE head sound as I'm going to get without actually using an ALL TUBE head.

So yeah...I'm wanting that extra 5% too!!! ;)
 
#27
I play em' all, tube, ss, ss with a tube pre (I also like them all.) The harsh reality when it comes to all of the amps and tones we prefer, the audience in general, can't tell the difference and in fact, does not care what we play. I have my preferences and take what suits the gig the best.

Since you really only have to please yourself and you like the 400+, I would suggest you save yourself some grief and keep your eyes open for a used one. Have it checked out by an amp tech first if you can. If you don't get the 400+ and buy something else, you will always think that you didn't quite get what you wanted.
 
#28
Shane Carter said:
I play em' all, tube, ss, ss with a tube pre (I also like them all.) The harsh reality when it comes to all of the amps and tones we prefer, the audience in general, can't tell the difference and in fact, does not care what we play. I have my preferences and take what suits the gig the best.

Since you really only have to please yourself and you like the 400+, I would suggest you save yourself some grief and keep your eyes open for a used one. Have it checked out by an amp tech first if you can. If you don't get the 400+ and buy something else, you will always think that you didn't quite get what you wanted.
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Unless of course you don't like Mesa tube amps ;)

And while it's true that the audience doesn't care, -I- do. That's enough.
 
#29
Sundogue said:
Anyone who KNOWS what real ALL tube amps sound like will NEVER be convinced that SS amps sound the same, regardless of all the technology one throws at it.
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I kind of agree. If you had said this a few years back, I would have strongly agreed, but they are getting damn close at emulating old school tones now, IMO.

10 years ago, I could instantly tell if it was a ''real'' piano, or an electronic/keyboard/tone generator. But now, I sometimes can't tell the difference. Same for the B3 tone, many companies have it nailed. Electronic digital effects in general used to sound iffy, but the stuff TC has now, as well as others, is amazing. Same for digital recording. The simul class from Mesa is pretty close (but I agree, not yet there), but give it a few years, I think they'll nail it.
 
#30
Shane Carter said:
I play em' all, tube, ss, ss with a tube pre (I also like them all.) The harsh reality when it comes to all of the amps and tones we prefer, the audience in general, can't tell the difference and in fact, does not care what we play. I have my preferences and take what suits the gig the best.

Since you really only have to please yourself and you like the 400+, I would suggest you save yourself some grief and keep your eyes open for a used one. Have it checked out by an amp tech first if you can. If you don't get the 400+ and buy something else, you will always think that you didn't quite get what you wanted.
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You make a very valid point about the audience not knowing the difference. I wouldn't call it a harsh reality though. It's a reality I'm embracing.

I switched from rounds to flats for that very reason. I don't give a FL/FU what "my" tone is. I want tight, in-your-face, beat-you-about-the head, SIMPLE low end bass. That is the VERY reason I want an ALL TUBE head.

For all the technological advancements and the new crop of bass guitard wankers, I just want to go back to providing a tight, powerful rhythm section.

Bass (with Flatwounds) > Tube head > Cabs. To hell with everything else. Nothing could be simpler or more basic. This has less to do with "tone" than going back to basics. I'm not interested in pissing around trying out all the latest crap (expensive and advanced as it may be). I just want what I had when I started. Ampeg SVT was it. Now? As long as it gives me the same simple power, I'm game for any tube amp that will deliver (without costing me over a grand and not being quite as heavy).
 
#31
Shane Carter said:
Since you really only have to please yourself and you like the 400+, I would suggest you save yourself some grief and keep your eyes open for a used one. Have it checked out by an amp tech first if you can. If you don't get the 400+ and buy something else, you will always think that you didn't quite get what you wanted.
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+1, especially the advise on going used.
other thoughts-
-vintage traynors sound great, but i don't know any specs
-fender bassman pro's typically go for around $800 on ebay (too heavy?)
 
#32
thombo said:
+1, especially the advise on going used.
other thoughts-
-vintage traynors sound great, but i don't know any specs
-fender bassman pro's typically go for around $800 on ebay (too heavy?)
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Vintage Traynor:

YBA-3 "Custom Specials" are four EL-34's run with a high plate voltage for somewhere around 200 watts. Not very common.

YBA-3A "Super Custom Specials" are some really oddball tubes and a good amount of power. Very rare, so it's not worth worrying about.

YBA-1A "Mark II" is two EL-34's run with a high plate voltage for somewhere around 100 watts. Common. I have mine loaded with KT-88's and I love it.

YBA-1 "Bass Master is two EL-34's run at a more normal plate voltage and gives something around 50 watts. Common, but guitarists have discovered them so they're getting expensive.

YBA-2 "Bass Mate" Two EL-84's for about 20 watts. Cool, but not a loud bass rig.

I always keep my eyes open for old Ampeg V4-B's, Sound City and Sunn tube amps.

KO
 
#39
Trying to recall the sensitivity of the cabs back when I built them (based on the graphs in WinISD), I think they were around a high of 101-102 dB from about 70 to 135 Hz, pretty flat above that at 98dB. They dropped off fairly quickly below 65Hz, but there aren't a whole lot of commercial cabs that small that produce true fundamentals below 80Hz anyway.

So yeah, going to 8 ohms (via a series cable) might get the most out of a Tube amp (since the watts don't change).

Hey, keep giving my ideas. :D
 

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