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Most Underrated Tube Head?

#23
Most underrated tube bass amp?
Peavey VB2. Hands down.
Not only is it ridiculously inexpensive, I think it's the best amp out there.
I've been alternating gigs between the VB2, my tube SVT's, GK 1001RBII and my SansAmp RBI and for me, the VB2 wins. It blows away my SVTs.
It sounds like a HIWATT, only much more powerful and with a better tone control arrangement. After decades of companies either copying the SVT with 6550 or staying with 6L6, I'm glad to see someone make a modern and truly powerful EL34 bass amp.
I think the VB2 is worth 2-3 times what they sell for.
It's the best kept secret in bass amplification.
VB2.jpg
 
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#25
KPAX said:
Most underrated tube bass amp?
Peavey VB2. Hands down.
Not only is it ridiculously inexpensive, I think it's the best amp out there.
I've been alternating gigs between the VB2, my tube SVT's, GK 1001RBII and my SansAmp RBI and for me, the VB2 wins. It blows away my SVTs.
It sounds like a HIWATT, only much more powerful and with a better tone control arrangement. After decades of companies either copying the SVT with 6550 or staying with 6L6, I'm glad to see someone make a modern and truly powerful EL34 bass amp.
I think the VB2 is worth 2-3 times what they sell for.
It's the best kept secret in bass amplification.
VB2.jpg
Click to expand...

Absoloutely agree. I had a Marshall Major head in my younger days, and the VB2 has completely cured me of any GAS for another one. The VB2 reminds me of my Major alot, except it's much more versatile and reliable.
 
#27
#28
Yeah, I bought a Fender 300pro a couple weeks back, and I love it's clean channel. It's such a good amp. I've played a SVT (a VR, not sure if it was US or Viet), but the 300pro is so much better IMO. And yes, as mentioned before, it's stupid loud. I haven't put any knob above 3 yet, and it can hurt. I tried a guitar through it the other day, and had to keep the thing on 2 to keep from rupturing my ears.

But I'd love to try one of those 400ps one day, or get a Sound City.
 
#34
Kirk Bryant said:
I just got a Sunn 200S off Craigslist the other day for $280. It needs a little TLC but I can't wait to get it up and running. I know it's a lot less powerfull than most of the ones you guys are listing here but I'm sure it will have the all good tube goodness everyone loves! :cool: Cant wait!! :hyper:

peace Capt. Kirk
Click to expand...

IMO, tone-wise, a 200S is as good as it gets.
 
#35
+1 on VB-2. Currently wrestling with whether or not to abandon my 2x15 aspirations for this head.

Carvin Nomad
For recording tube sounds, I've been using my Carvin Nomad 50 watt tweed combo to much success!!! It has a "speaker voiced" 1/4" out that works perfectly for getting a great tube bass sound.
The VB-2 has an xlr tube DI and probably is better for this. I'm just recording to garageband, graduating down to an 8th inch jack on my macbook.
 
#36
johnk_10 said:
IMO, tone-wise, a 200S is as good as it gets.
Click to expand...


yep. and those amps have some of the best iron ever put into any amp; the trannies came from dynaco. the outputs from a st70 for example are considered some of the best ever made. sunn 200s's used a dyna power section mated to their own preamp design. pair one with a couple of super efficient 1-15 cabs and you'd have yourself one ridiculous lo-po rig with tone to the bone. same thing goes with the huge 2000s, which used a quartet of kt88's. sunn's heyday came roughly during the middle ages of the bass amp volume wars; they were competing with fender traynor and guild but it was before the svt and the acoustic 360/370 era really took hold. now things are swinging back around and folks (especially guitarists) are using much smaller amps and letting the pa do the work instead. hopefully tube bass amps will follow this trend and we can all save our ears. 60 watts can be really loud, IF you know what you're doing at the design stage. anyway it's a funny thing about sunns to me, although there were a million of 'em built you rarely see them come up for sale. it's as if they all dissapeared or something. they are truly great amps
 
#37
KPAX said:
Most underrated tube bass amp?
Peavey VB2. Hands down.
Not only is it ridiculously inexpensive, I think it's the best amp out there.
I've been alternating gigs between the VB2, my tube SVT's, GK 1001RBII and my SansAmp RBI and for me, the VB2 wins. It blows away my SVTs.
It sounds like a HIWATT, only much more powerful and with a better tone control arrangement. After decades of companies either copying the SVT with 6550 or staying with 6L6, I'm glad to see someone make a modern and truly powerful EL34 bass amp.
I think the VB2 is worth 2-3 times what they sell for.
It's the best kept secret in bass amplification.
VB2.jpg
Click to expand...

What kept me from getting this head, was the sub par performance, through an 810. If I had a smaller cab, say a 410, 212, 210 etc, I would have went with the VB2.
 
#39
KPAX said:
What was your VB2/8x10 experience?
Mine RIPS through my Mesa Powerhouse 8x10.
Click to expand...

Ampeg 810e, in the store, the very same one I own. Compared to some of the 300 watters, SVT CL, VR, and Fender 300 pro, the VB2 had to be run much harder in comparison.
I was under the impression, that the harder you run your head, the more taxed your tubes get, is this an accurate statement?
I'm a tube Noob ;)
 

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