Um, it is a Mesa bass amp. Well, technically it's both a guitar and bass amp, but it seems better for bass.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Most Underrated Tube Head?
- Thread starter sammyfallen
- Start date
Um, it is a Mesa bass amp. Well, technically it's both a guitar and bass amp, but it seems better for bass.
yeah, 200W, 3-band & graphic EQ - low on "features" but high on tone. If anything, the buster has more headroom and a more "hi-fi" sound.
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!Cant wait!!
peace Capt. Kirk
Congrats!
They sound great for fretless! I own a Sunn 2000 and
it 's very clean- use it with my F ' 6 fretless & Marcus Miller
5 for the blues gigs only(at JJ's.)
My vote goes to any of the old Music Man heads over 100 watts. They aren't all tube and are bacwards from what most manufacturers are doing because they use a solid state pre and a tube power amp. I'll stack my HD-150 up against just about any modern 400 watt or less head around. The 6L6s just sing.
I'm glad someone mentioned the Thunderbass. I used one as my main amp for years in the 70's. Never gave me a hint of trouble and would just roar through my Traynor 2x15.
Ah, see, I mainly use the D-180 for massive amounts of grit at whatever volume I want.
Hmm, I'm rapidly learning that "under rated and under priced" tube heads are still fairly spendy. Would I be right in saying $500-600 would be a bare minimum on the used market?
I got my VB-2 new from guitar center for 530 bucks. It really depends on what your going for.
?!?! Really? How long ago was this? The VB-2's I see on ebay are for $700-800. Hmmm....
I can honestly say the Ampeg SVT-2 PRO gets looked over ALL the time here.
I was not an Ampeg fan at all.. I actually thought the sound of an SVT was muddy and incoherent instead of punchy and clear all the SVT's I played through seemed to prove that to me.
When I heard the SVT-2 PRO it HAD to be mine, i even sold my Mesa D180.
Scoff all you would like but I think it is WAY underrated.
I was not an Ampeg fan at all.. I actually thought the sound of an SVT was muddy and incoherent instead of punchy and clear all the SVT's I played through seemed to prove that to me.
When I heard the SVT-2 PRO it HAD to be mine, i even sold my Mesa D180.
Scoff all you would like but I think it is WAY underrated.
Weren't those Fender 400's 4x100 watt's , i played threw one in a music store when they first came out thru a big ,what i think was a 18" cab.(not sure) it looked like a lesile cab. ,it sure sounded great i think it was an 18 it was called a pro somthing ,it was a long time ago, they also had a brand new 370 acoustic there , i fell in love and never looked back, i think what turned me off at the time was playing thru and old fender bassman amp the 135 i think and i remember having to turn the bass up to get any volume out of it with a 2-15 bassmen cab.it probaly needed a retube,i tried the earth amp's and sound city ,too much distortion, the old traynor's were great,ampeg's also great but too costly for me at the time i am talking about the 70's, i got a montgomery ward's tube amp with the separate 15 jenson sounded pretty good i think it had 2 6l6's first the jenson went i replaced with a square magnet eminence 8 ohm's sounded better then the head stopped working had it fixed used it for about a month stopped working agian threw it away,then i got a 2-15 kustom 200-with cts great amp club burned down with our equipment in it ,i found a 360 used that was a great sounding amp,at rehersal i use an old traynor the old wide one i think it might be a yba 2 or 3 it is the top of the line thru a traynor 2-12 cabinet with jensen mod's that amp is heaven man the tone is dripping butter,at any volume only problem is it belong's to the guitar player and he won't part with it,I have gone complete circle after playing thru this rig, i went out and bought a yba2 the new one , i tried and tried but could not get what i needed out of it.They don't make them like that any more that's for sure.
Traynor YBA-1A
They aren't supposed to be loud enough, they aren't supposed to be as good for bass as for guitar. Whatever. I've tried them out, they are loud, beautiful sounding bass amps. I know it doesn't make sense on paper, but they just work.
They aren't supposed to be loud enough, they aren't supposed to be as good for bass as for guitar. Whatever. I've tried them out, they are loud, beautiful sounding bass amps. I know it doesn't make sense on paper, but they just work.
I do like my 400+ can push big wattage speakers and sound gritty and clean without the mud. 800 watt cabs seem to muddy a little at high volume.
