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Looking for a vintage bass head...

#21
Hi guys,

Sorry for resurrecting the thread.. I followed all your suggestions and did some more researches.

The new Ampeg PF20T and PF50T are quite rare here, so I can't try them. I listened to some clips and wasn't really impressed - I found them quite sterile and cold. I'd love to try them in person though, but I'm afraid it's not gonna happen.
the V4B new is out of my budget, and used has more or less the same price.
Right now I'm thinking about a Fender Dual Showman Reverb (which could be quite useful in the studio, it's a classic guitar amp too! but I'm afraid it will have too little mids and too much highs), a blackface Bassman (which could have not enough headroom though) or a Music Man HD 150 (which i fear has a less characteristic sound, compared to the other two Fender)..

Again sorry for the endless rambling, I just want to be sure before investing that much money :-)
 
#25
are you doing live recording or multi-tracking? this is important. if live then you will need amps with some wattage and power. if just multi-tracking then it doesn't matter you can get the tone you prefer with the right amount of overdrive and adjust with your console.

also since you are in europe, check out Orange stuff.

live -
fender bassman 100, 135
fender studio bass
ampeg v4b, Svt
orange or80, or120, od120
Sunn 2000s

Multi-tracking -
fender bassman 50
ampeg b25
sunn 200s
selmer treble n bass
guild thunderbass or thunderstar
fender bassman 20 (great small all tube combo amp)
 
#26
markjazzbassist said:
Multi-tracking -
fender bassman 50
ampeg b25
sunn 200s
selmer treble n bass
guild thunderbass or thunderstar
fender bassman 20 (great small all tube combo amp)
Click to expand...
I've got a 1970's selmer treble n bass 50 and I rate it highly. There is a 100 watt version too.
Is there anything that was made in your country? Here in nz people used to slag off locally made jansen holden and gunn amplifiers. Now more and more people agree they are ok; a great sounding piece of our local history.
 
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#28
I will mostly use the amp in the studio.. Old italian amps are quite unreliable and often mount rare tubes (usually the same they used to put inside television in the Sixties).
I'm quite interested in the Carlsbro because it seems like a cross between Marshall and Hiwatt, it could be useful for guitar too (actually almost all the heads mentioned in this thread are) and can be found super cheap (under 400 euros)
 
#29
I highly recommend an Elk Viking 100w bass amp, so far my Elk is the queen compared to my other vintage tube amps.
 

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#30
I know you're looking for a vintage bass amp, BUT...
If the B15 sound is what you're after, and don't have that kind of money to spare, hunt down a used Ampeg B100R. Yeah, it's solid state, but it will get you 90% of the way to B15 tone. It's perfect for the studio. I own some 70s Ampeg tube bass amps, and I have zero problem taking my two B100Rs anywhere to play. It's that good, and looks the part, too.

BTW, I own a Hiwatt DR103 and it makes a great bass amp - but it's not a B15. Totally different character
 
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#31
I'm not necessarily after the B15 sound, just some random warm, "vintage" sound for studio use:) But the B100R sounds remarkably similar to the B15, at least judging from the very few clips I found!
Right now I have a lot of choices in different price ranges, going from under 500 (Ampeg B100R, Carlsbro TC100) to 600-1000 (Ampeg Pf20 and 50, various Fender Bassman and Showman heads, Music Man heads) to 1000-1300 (blackface Fender Bassman, Ampeg V4B or B15, Orange OR120).
Fortunately I still have a pair of months to do some researches and eventually choose, my studio will open in early April
 
#32
You want vintage tone, but vintage frequency response is nothing to strive for, IMO. I'd make sure to have a good cabinet with plenty of low-end but not in the contemporary full-range, hi-fi style. The JBL 4695B is a good example.

As for the amp: Ampeg. The SVT is too much amp for the studio. The V4B is almost too much amp. The B25B would be great or an orphaned vintage Portaflex head.
 
#33
If I needed vintage tube for my studio only I wouldn't even fool around with an amp and cab. @Azure Skies makes the Bro-Ton P-15 preamp. It is a B-15 clone.

I have one and I must say it really is amazing. I took mine to a studio I've used for the last two records and put it up against the studios 73 SVT and the 69 B-15 and the P-15 sounded exactly like the B-15. Myself along with the fellow who owns the studio and a couple other musicians could not hear a difference in a blind test. It also pulls double duties, live it is my DI.

@Dave Hill can get you a witness.
 
#34
10cc said:
If I needed vintage tube for my studio only I wouldn't even fool around with an amp and cab. @Azure Skies makes the Bro-Ton P-15 preamp. It is a B-15 clone.

I have one and I must say it really is amazing. I took mine to a studio I've used for the last two records and put it up against the studios 73 SVT and the 69 B-15 and the P-15 sounded exactly like the B-15. Myself along with the fellow who owns the studio and a couple other musicians could not hear a difference in a blind test. It also pulls double duties, live it is my DI.

@Dave Hill can get you a witness.
Click to expand...

not sure if you do a lot of studio work but the preferred recording setup for every studio i've ever been in is a clean DI line (Radial JDI) and a mic'd tube amp. hence him wanting a warm tube combo. you blend the 2 to taste. a colored DI doesn't give you the option to have clean or 2 tracks of bass to blend.
 
#35
Aside from the quality of the end results, many bands love it when they go into the studio and are presented with a selection of cool gear to do their tracking through (classic amps, acoustic piano, vintage keys etc), or at least I know I do. Even if you could get the sound with a plugin or a little preamp box, a lot of potential customers value that sort of user experience.
 
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#36
markjazzbassist said:
not sure if you do a lot of studio work but the preferred recording setup for every studio i've ever been in is a clean DI line (Radial JDI) and a mic'd tube amp. hence him wanting a warm tube combo. you blend the 2 to taste. a colored DI doesn't give you the option to have clean or 2 tracks of bass to blend.
Click to expand...
Sure it does. I use the transformer out of my PF-50T or my REDDI and they both do clean quite easily.
 
#37
markjazzbassist said:
not sure if you do a lot of studio work but the preferred recording setup for every studio i've ever been in is a clean DI line (Radial JDI) and a mic'd tube amp. hence him wanting a warm tube combo. you blend the 2 to taste. a colored DI doesn't give you the option to have clean or 2 tracks of bass to blend.
Click to expand...
No I hear ya. I've always tracked bass like that. Usually a SVT or B-15 with mics and a clean DI usually some radial one and then do it just like you said. That's why what my P-15 did surprised us. You can send the B-15 tone out of the preamp and a clean (dry) signal from the same unit (to do with as you please)

Trust me I know what your saying
 
#38
JimmyM said:
Sure it does. I use the transformer out of my PF-50T or my REDDI and they both do clean quite easily.
Click to expand...

that's not clean jimmy it has a baked in "Tone" to them. REDDI and PF50 are ampeg flavors. the JDI has no baked in tone, that's what i meant. Usually most engineers like the baked in tone from the amp combined with the air from the Mic.

but to each his own. i've recorded just DI before as well, but much prefer an amp.
 
#40
markjazzbassist said:
that's not clean jimmy it has a baked in "Tone" to them. REDDI and PF50 are ampeg flavors. the JDI has no baked in tone, that's what i meant. Usually most engineers like the baked in tone from the amp combined with the air from the Mic.
Click to expand...
Yes and no. They still have very flat response (have to put PF-50T's controls at noon for it but it's there). Might be a little harmonic distortion in them, but other than that they're both quite flat.
 

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