Light, Class D combo amps with vintage tone?

[SJan3]

I learned to keep an open mind when posting gear questions on TalkBass. It helped me expand my horizons and learn about things I’d never heard of. So, there’s that.

That's fair but in this instance, the OP was very specific about his request:
A class D Combo with vintage tone. And here we have people recommending tube heads and external pedals, preamps etc.
Not even close to the OP's clear desire for a simple, light weight, grab n go package that provides his tone goal.
I mean, let's try to stay in the same ballpark.

 

[Lowbrow]

Considering the OPs original post was extremely vague and it's pretty much sop all over the internet as well as TalkBass, ppl are trying to be helpful and offer solutions. Those jerks.

Helpful perhaps, but tone (and I don’t mean bass/amp tone) matters as well. When an OP retreats for 20 hours I take it as indication that they’ve become unwilling to step in to the whirlwind.

 

[SJan3]

Considering the OPs original post was extremely vague and it's pretty much sop all over the internet as well as TalkBass, ppl are trying to be helpful and offer solutions. Those jerks.

I can see not recommending an SVT, but you have a lot of folks on here saying things like "I tried that, the best way I saw to do it is with pedals and a combo, that's my advice." I don't think that is a bad thing. If I was in OPs place, and I have been in the past, I would appreciate that advice.

I didn't call anyone any such thing. Those are your words so let's be clear.
And, extremely vague? I think he was very clear on what his list of desires are.

 

[moon-bass]

I didn't call anyone any such thing. Those are your words so let's be clear.
And, extremely vague? I think he was very clear on what his list of desires are.

Yeah man, hence the smiley face, I was trying to lighten things up. Welcome to TalkBass. I've got no dog in the hunt and I'm not about to spend my time arguing with some rando over ppl trying to be helpful. If you feel so strongly about this, the mods exist for a reason. In the meantime I'll try to be helpful to others.

Oh yeah and the term "vintage." That's very clear

 

[Zak TMD]

Didn't see this yet but both the Orange TB500c or the OB1-300c could hit that mark for you. Hybrids with tube pres.

Unfortunately, both are no longer being made, so their prices are subject to the insanity in the used market.

Edit: here's one of the TBs. Orange BT500C Terror Bass Combo Amp 2010’s 500W 2x12 | Angel's Gear Depot | Reverb

Got neo speakers too, so pretty light.

 

[marchone]

That's fair but in this instance, the OP was very specific about his request:
A class D Combo with vintage tone. And here we have people recommending tube heads and external pedals, preamps etc.
Not even close to the OP's clear desire for a simple, light weight, grab n go package that provides his tone goal.
I mean, let's try to stay in the same ballpark.

That’s fair too. The OP got two specific recommendations to his combo query: a Traynor and a Tech 2. He also received more questions to help narrow his options. As in which vintage tone he/she has in mind?

 

[J-Mags]

Clock numbers: Cut bass to 11, push high mid and treble to 2. Low mid to taste. (And get a jazz bass lol)

Rumble 500 can be a little fussy even then. I wish there was a little parametric EQ to take a bite out that one frequency that's right in between the lows and low mids. The Mustang bass in my avatar works great with everything at noon, or with the treble rolled off a little. With my J-bass, you gotta take out some of the good stuff to get rid of the bad stuff. Either the lower mid knob or the Bass knob help a bit. With the J, I usually put everything at 11:00 with the upper mids at noon or one.

It does have a relatively vintage tone, though. The Rumble 200 was somewhat more open sounding and less boomy with the single 15.

 

[agedhorse]

Actually, the OP got quite a few combo suggestions, as well as add-on pieces (pedals) that might help a combo get closer to his goals.

Now what exactly is "vintage tube" is open to gross interpretation and hasn't really been answered in generalities. Why is that? Because there are many forms of vintage (and even non-vintage that might pass better as vintage) tube tone.

 

[micguy]

Fender Rumble Club

The combo really struggles with all settings at noon. It's muddy and fights to keep up volume-wise. I tried the settings in the link above with my 500c and it made a huge difference.

It’s a Fender. It has a Fender tone stack, which means that all knobs at noon is NOT flat - it’s mid scooped. You gotta “goose” the mids on the controls if you wanna keep up with the rest of the band.

 

[moon-bass]

Rumble 500 can be a little fussy even then. I wish there was a little parametric EQ to take a bite out that one frequency that's right in between the lows and low mids. The Mustang bass in my avatar works great with everything at noon, or with the treble rolled off a little. With my J-bass, you gotta take out some of the good stuff to get rid of the bad stuff. Either the lower mid knob or the Bass knob help a bit. With the J, I usually put everything at 11:00 with the upper mids at noon or one.

It does have a relatively vintage tone, though. The Rumble 200 was somewhat more open sounding and less boomy with the single 15.

Yeah, so again, not what the OP was looking for, but in your case, you may want to try a little parametric EQ pedal. I've found that they are very useful, especially to take the boom out of the room. I was in the same place as you, and the little pedal was a perfect solution, it's a must have for me on any board.

I think there is an EMC one in the classifieds for sale for pretty cheap, no affiliation.

 

[DuluthDank]

Did you turn the knobs?

Yes! Tried some pretty extreme eq settings. My GK MB112II was a night and day improvement in terms of muddiness in the space, but the preamp doesn't behave so well with my tech 21 vt. I'm hoping for a middle ground between the rumble and GK. I think the Rumbles would really benefit from a HPF, just haven't tried it.

 

[SJan3]

Yeah man, hence the smiley face, I was trying to lighten things up. Welcome to TalkBass. I've got no dog in the hunt and I'm not about to spend my time arguing with some rando over ppl trying to be helpful. If you feel so strongly about this, the mods exist for a reason. In the meantime I'll try to be helpful to others.

Oh yeah and the term "vintage." That's very clear

Agree on not wasting time. Have a nice day!

 

[groovepump]

Quilter?

Absolutely Quilter. If you take all of 10 seconds to play with the gain vs. master, and tweak the EQ a bit, you get the grind and grunt that make tube amps so wonderful. I'm VERY happy with the sound from my BB802. And it drives speaker loads without hesitation.

 

[macmanlou]

The Broughton P-15 was recommended, and I agree that it's a great piece of kit.

Here's a couple of other pedal suggestions, and they're less expensive than buying most other amps:

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https://www.sushiboxfx.com/sbvt

 

[dponbass]

I never met a class D amp I liked the sound of until yesterday. On the 2nd trip to check out the WD800, I got what I wanted which is a full, non mid scooped sound with some force. SVTs are slightly scooped to me, Fenders were very scooped and the Mesa 400 w/6550s seemed a bit less so than the 6L6 400+, but for me the WD800 finally made me want a class D amp. Amazing work Andy! Not sure if this is the same kind of tone you are looking for, but if so try out a WD800.

 

[808P123]

I had an Ampeg PF-500 which I never much cared for. I have been very happy with the Quilter BB802 tone wise and especially for being able to toss it in a backpack. FWIW i have about 8 tube amps but the Quilter goes on the gig 99% of the time.

 

[Cave Puppy]

QUILTER? QUILTER!

 

[jazzbass_5]

Yes again on the Quilter BB800, BB802.
Suprised I didn't see this in here. But the BA210V2 does a decent job with the scrambler circuit. It's essentially a Ampeg SCR-DI with a class D amp and a 2x10 speaker cab. So there's that.

 

[BassNugget]

 

[Stranger Danger]

Rumble 500 can be a little fussy even then. I wish there was a little parametric EQ to take a bite out that one frequency that's right in between the lows and low mids. The Mustang bass in my avatar works great with everything at noon, or with the treble rolled off a little. With my J-bass, you gotta take out some of the good stuff to get rid of the bad stuff. Either the lower mid knob or the Bass knob help a bit. With the J, I usually put everything at 11:00 with the upper mids at noon or one.

It does have a relatively vintage tone, though. The Rumble 200 was somewhat more open sounding and less boomy with the single 15.

Yeah I prefer the 200 over the 500 quite a bit