Double Bass New Amp Day Peavey Max Bass 208

[kerrycares]

My buddies have been telling me about this little amp and I found one used for $299 at GC.
I plugged in direct ,no HPf or Preamp.
Upright , David Gage Lifeline, straight in.
First impressions are clear , full, transparent sound.
200 watts , 2x 8"
The angle mounted speaker design within the cabinet works really well.
A little hiss when you boost the highs but overall it sounds as good as gear I've owned at 5-7x as expensive.
I'm shocked and this may be a game changer.
Gotta go play a gig with it.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

So it's an updated Baby Blue? Where was it made?

 

[Michael Case]

This is tempting.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

That looks great! I love the compact feature set, and the 208 speaker array has always been one of my favorites for DB.

 

[Scott Lynch]

Subbed. Curious to hear the gig report.

 

[Ric Vice]

So it's an updated Baby Blue? Where was it made?

Liked the Baby Blue 2x8 cabinet, the head not as much. Aren't all Peavey's built in Meridian, Mississippi? I know that used to be the case. I'd be suprized is Hartley Peavey would do anything else. But that

was his claim to fame years ago.

 

[Jay Corwin]

Liked the Baby Blue 2x8 cabinet, the head not as much. Aren't all Peavey's built in Meridian, Mississippi? I know that used to be the case. I'd be suprized is Hartley Peavey would do anything else. But that

was his claim to fame years ago.

Sadly China now.....(says the guy who plays Ampegs also made in Asia)

 

[Ric Vice]

Wow, that's interesting, hey we all play gear that's got Asian parts. The only amp I own that doesn't have any is my B-15N(C) and I'm not even sure of that 100%

 

[kerrycares]

Now I'm wondering if the Trace Elliott with the 2x 8" is a better sounding cab.
I think it has "better" speaker components , 8" Faital drivers.
I had the Elf head and the compressor was too over the top with no defeat switch.

 

[Ric Vice]

Now I'm wondering if the Trace Elliott with the 2x 8" is a better sounding cab.
I think it has "better" speaker components , 8" Faital drivers.
I had the Elf head and the compressor was too over the top with no defeat switch.

I played through one with the Elf head when I was visiting family last year. They also had a Doubler Mark II and the Wizzy 10's. The EA head and cabinet was the winner, but that's kind of a no brainer. The Elf cabinet remided me of a SWR Baby Blue with smoother mids and clearer highs. With all that said and done, if you want an 8" cabinet, Mike Arnopol has the real deal.

 

[kerrycares]

I played through one with the Elf head when I was visiting family last year. They also had a Doubler Mark II and the Wizzy 10's. The EA head and cabinet was the winner, but that's kind of a no brainer. The Elf cabinet remided me of a SWR Baby Blue with smoother mids and clearer highs. With all that said and done, if you want an 8" cabinet, Mike Arnopol has the real deal.

I played through the MAS 45 and 18 and they were both great choices.
Ergonomically, I think the Peavey trumps them all and is the best bang for the buck at $399 retail for the price/volume.
I may revisit the Elf cab and pair it with my Aguilar Tonehammer 700 that way I'd have one head with an upright cab and use my 2 SL112 cabs for electric.

 

[Ric Vice]

I played through the MAS 45 and 18 and they were both great choices.
Ergonomically, I think the Peavey trumps them all and is the best bang for the buck at $399 retail for the price/volume.
I may revisit the Elf cab and pair it with my Aguilar Tonehammer 700 that way I'd have one head with an upright cab and use my 2 SL112 cabs for electric.

Wow, that's quite a endorsement. I guess I'll have to visit GC and take a look.

 

[kerrycares]

Be careful of the rabbit holes, they're in every store then they magically appear on the gig......
Well I just finished A/B the two Peavey products.
Max Bass 208 and Trace Elliot Elf 208.

Max Bass was Slightly heavier
Elf had a smaller footprint.
Max Bass was more open, articulate and natural sounding.
Elf was more smoother and hi fi sounding.
My $299 gamble paid off and I think Peavey may have accidentally hit a homerun for upright bass.

I am going to remove the Peavey logo , that thing is hideous... lol!

 

[kerrycares]

As you can see from the pic from the top of the cab, the speaker baffle is on an angle which greatly contributes to the open sound.
I thought the angle would be greater.
Now with the grill removed you can see the ports and speakers.
And with the logo removed , well .
I almost went down another rabbit hole to switch out the speakers but I restrained myself so I wouldn't turn my $299 deal into a $699 deal.

 

[Ric Vice]

I almost went down another rabbit hole to switch out the speakers but I restrained myself so I wouldn't turn my $299 deal into a $699 deal.

Good idea, I decided that my SWR Baby Blue cabinet would be improved by switching over the 16 Ohm Bag End 8"drivers to the 8 ohm Celestions they used for the revision 2. That way the output of the amp be higher. It was louder but didn't sound nearly as nice.

 

[kerrycares]

ELF 208 returned to GC with no hassle.
Dodged another rabbit hole.
Nice work Peavey.

 

[Jay Corwin]

View attachment 3342665 Be careful of the rabbit holes, they're in every store then they magically appear on the gig......
Well I just finished A/B the two Peavey products.
Max Bass 208 and Trace Elliot Elf 208.

Max Bass was Slightly heavier
Elf had a smaller footprint.
Max Bass was more open, articulate and natural sounding.
Elf was more smoother and hi fi sounding.
My $299 gamble paid off and I think Peavey may have accidentally hit a homerun for upright bass.

I am going to remove the Peavey logo , that thing is hideous... lol!

Hahahah....is this brand shame?

 

[Ric Vice]

ELF 208 returned to GC with no hassle.
Dodged another rabbit hole.
Nice work Peavey.

Whew! that was a close one, GC's good about those things and that's a good thing.

View attachment 3342665
My $299 gamble paid off and I think Peavey may have accidentally hit a homerun for upright bass.

Which is usually the case, I don't think the Fender Rumble series was intended for DB either, but they sound pretty good.

 

[kerrycares]

Now I hear the the AER amp 3 is an amazing 2x 8" 200 watt combo.
My buddy has one he digs even over the MAS 45 and MAS 18.
A bit expensive.
MAKE IT STOP!

 

[Ric Vice]

Please make it stop. I've played through a Bass Cube 1 it sounded nice, not a MAS 4x5.5 or a MAS 1/8, but nice, it weighed 48 lbs. Just my take. Since the Peavy sounds great, I'd go with that. A friend of mine has the Amp 3 once agian it sounds good and has a very solid build. IMHO the MAS 1/8 has a lot more going for it.