What adjectives would you use to describe the Ampeg sound and the Mesa sound?
Not in a trolling condescending tone....really just asking.
Not in a trolling condescending tone....really just asking.
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new mesa all tube amp ?????
- Thread starter Bassragerstitch
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To MY ears, Ampeg = big, fat, round, old-school tube amp, and Mesa = punchy, fast, articulate, fat, modern tube amp.
- Apr 3, 2003
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I might use those words to describe the B-15 tone (at some EQ settings), but to me, the SVT tone is aggressive yet clear, with a bit of hair on it; chest-thumping lows, but plenty of high end. By contrast, I think my Bass 400 is more smooth and refined, but just as full and just as clear. Of course, it has the ability to get some grit/grind to it, and I think that its overdrive is a bit more chewy, whereas the SVT overdrive is a bit more snarly/barky.
But, as always, YMMV...
I've had 5 of the Peg hybrids, and they're to me actually more colored (not necessarily muddy, but can't "clean up" like a Mesa- just has that inherent tone on it) than a full on SVT. I had a 70's V4-B and that got pretty gnarly/grindy at volume and since it was "only" 100W you got there pretty quick. It busted though so I moved it on. When I've backlined SVT's before you don't even get close to that point or you'd be blowing out the club w/ volume. So it still stayed "cleaner" but a Peg "clean" =/= a Mesa "clean" which different people do/don't want or like.
Yeah. And when I say Ampegs are muddy. To me they are. They might not be in comparison to 90% of the amp world....but compared to the Mesa they are.
Just those adjectives...."chest thumping"....that's going to be a bit less responsive and slower. "A bit of hair on it". Swimmers shave because that hair slows them down. Ha. Yes. That was a bit of a joke. But I'm not a troll just because I took something that is kinda true (if a sound has some hair on it, it will slow it down slightly) and make it a bit humorous.
I understand the Ampeg might be clear on the high end....but throuhout the entire spectrum, it's muddier than a Mesa. The crazy thing is that's what Ampeg lovers like about it. They like that the low end knocks you down. They like that it's the Ron Dayne of the amp world and the low end bowls you over. Embrace it. It's why you buy that amp and rock it out. No need to be butt hurt that someone says your booming RB isn't as graceful as Barry Sanders was. It's impossible to be both.
Just those adjectives...."chest thumping"....that's going to be a bit less responsive and slower. "A bit of hair on it". Swimmers shave because that hair slows them down. Ha. Yes. That was a bit of a joke. But I'm not a troll just because I took something that is kinda true (if a sound has some hair on it, it will slow it down slightly) and make it a bit humorous.
I understand the Ampeg might be clear on the high end....but throuhout the entire spectrum, it's muddier than a Mesa. The crazy thing is that's what Ampeg lovers like about it. They like that the low end knocks you down. They like that it's the Ron Dayne of the amp world and the low end bowls you over. Embrace it. It's why you buy that amp and rock it out. No need to be butt hurt that someone says your booming RB isn't as graceful as Barry Sanders was. It's impossible to be both.
yeah it seems to me that SVTs are pretty tight and punchy with grind, and a 400+ smoother and cleaner. If I had to use one of those to cop a B-15 tone, though, it would be the Mesa - in THIS case. How useful is it, really, to compare brands instead of specific amps?
- Apr 3, 2003
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I guess I associate "muddy" with being indistinct, not clear, and not having good note-to-note separation, and those are all categories where I think the SVT in particular does pretty well.
I hear what you are saying, though, and I agree that the Bass 400 - at certain gain/EQ settings - can sound more pristine/refined and less "aggressive" than the SVT. If I could only own an SVT or a Bass 400/400+, I'd stick with my Bass 400. That being said, I have a lot of respect and love for the SVT (and the B-15 and the V-4B).
- Apr 3, 2003
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scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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This is the first time I've heard an Ampeg bass amp desribed as "muddy". I suppose it's all in the eye of the beholder...
I'll say this though (and I've never even owned an Ampeg, just played through literally hundreds of rental SVT's and dozens of studio B-15's): I've seen Ampegs used on every major stage and in every popular style & sub-genre I can think of. Even though I own 2 Mesa amps & LOVE their bass gear, I'm not sure I can say the same about Mesa. Seems to suggest supreme flexibility (particularly for the ubiquitous SVT)!
I look forward to trying these new tube Mesa's. Fender has come out with a lower-power winner recently & I'll bet the Mesa's kick butt as well!
I'll say this though (and I've never even owned an Ampeg, just played through literally hundreds of rental SVT's and dozens of studio B-15's): I've seen Ampegs used on every major stage and in every popular style & sub-genre I can think of. Even though I own 2 Mesa amps & LOVE their bass gear, I'm not sure I can say the same about Mesa. Seems to suggest supreme flexibility (particularly for the ubiquitous SVT)!
I look forward to trying these new tube Mesa's. Fender has come out with a lower-power winner recently & I'll bet the Mesa's kick butt as well!
I'm not that pleased with the way bass is treated in the major recording industry, scotch. I mean, it is a point, but most of the time, the bass is just seen as something to shadow the rhythm and be like a low end extension of that sound. Or it can line up with the drums and be a big boomy unfixed pitch extension to the beat. There's not a lot of people holding down there own. Again, JMO. But I like my stuff very clean, articulate, defined, and pristine. Not as much as a solo artist or slapper. But more so than the average rocker. Kind of ironic because that song in my sig....eh....I kinda feel like when it got sent of to be mastered that dampened my sound and made it like an extension of the guitars. Blah. Not so much of a fan of that one. But the guitars rock in it. Ah well.
IMO, the Ampeg slagging was needless and a diversion. The conversation was about Mesa being apparently locked in with 6l6s and fixed bias these days, and 6550s as an option. Mesa did--of course--use 6550s in the Bass 400 (nonplus), so I have no idea why Ampeg was even brought up.
Hello Combatants,
uh, I mean fellow bassists
while we're at it does anybody own, OWN A MESA BUSTER 200?
I'd like to hear from Buster owners as I am considering getting one. If you own one I'd like to know the good, the bad and the ugly about it before I make the deal.
It would be great if we were all "open-minded" regarding gear but we are not but we could be respectful of other bassist choices, even if in our opinions they are spot on or wrong.
thanx in advance for the Buster review and
Peace and Happiness to all, even the !@#$%^&* brand users!
sunnmon
uh, I mean fellow bassists
while we're at it does anybody own, OWN A MESA BUSTER 200?
I'd like to hear from Buster owners as I am considering getting one. If you own one I'd like to know the good, the bad and the ugly about it before I make the deal.
It would be great if we were all "open-minded" regarding gear but we are not but we could be respectful of other bassist choices, even if in our opinions they are spot on or wrong.
thanx in advance for the Buster review and
Peace and Happiness to all, even the !@#$%^&* brand users!
sunnmon
Mr. Foxen
Commercial User
Not worked on any of the Mesa 400 heads, what are they like to get into? Hoping from the simpler pre that they are easier than the guitar heads.
Right on.Hello Combatants,
uh, I mean fellow bassists
while we're at it does anybody own, OWN A MESA BUSTER 200?
I'd like to hear from Buster owners as I am considering getting one. If you own one I'd like to know the good, the bad and the ugly about it before I make the deal.
It would be great if we were all "open-minded" regarding gear but we are not but we could be respectful of other bassist choices, even if in our opinions they are spot on or wrong.
thanx in advance for the Buster review and
Peace and Happiness to all, even the !@#$%^&* brand users!
sunnmon
I was hoping to check out a Buster combo at a local store recently, and got good feedback here in advance about the amp. (Unfortunately, the amp had been sold by the time I got there.) The Buster has been described as one of the cleanest, "quickest", most solid-state-sounding tube amps out there. But the graphic EQ apparently provides a decent amount of flexibility. Maybe others with actual experience can tell you more.
Mr. Foxen
Commercial User
That's a weird boast. Are they competitive in price with SS amps? SS amps with some hot glue and valves?
I don't think it was a boast, merely a description. I'm simply repeating what was stated by a few folks who have used them.
The Buster is a tube amp with tons of clean headroom, and it IS quick, with minimal sag, oh, and it does have a crisp, defined high end, but the Buster doesn't *sound* like a solid state amp. It has a tonal richness at every frequency and every volume that is unmistakably tubey. And despite its reputation for clean, it WILL grind if you use a bass with hot pickups or just boost the signal a bit.
Report harassing posts instead of goofing on them? OK, done.
Anyway, that was clearly done to get a rise out of Ampeg fans, and congratulations, you succeeded. But before I exit your vortex, I'll just say that I can get any sound I need out of my Ampegs no matter what it is, including that low end that doesn't overwhelm you, and a clear and tight treble. Just because you can't figure out how to do it doesn't mean nobody can.
OK, now I'm done. Enjoy your life.
Anyway, that was clearly done to get a rise out of Ampeg fans, and congratulations, you succeeded. But before I exit your vortex, I'll just say that I can get any sound I need out of my Ampegs no matter what it is, including that low end that doesn't overwhelm you, and a clear and tight treble. Just because you can't figure out how to do it doesn't mean nobody can.
OK, now I'm done. Enjoy your life.
Let me emphasize that what I repeated was a relative statement about the Buster vs tube amps in general.
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