Obsolete bass amps

[Mastermold]

That's what I used to say. At 63 with several nagging injuries to my arms and shoulders, I have a different view.

SVT is the holy grail for me. Ampeg PF-800 is acceptable for me.

I get that. And I'm a fan of the Ampeg PF heads, used a PF 350 as my home practice amp for several years now.

 

[Pauly 4001]

I just retired and see no reason to get rid of my Ampeg B-25, my Plush 1000s with 3x 15" matching stack and the Fender 400 PS but I did feel it was necessary to go out and buy a Bag End S15D or whatever it is so I can play bass in my office or anywhere else I care to plug in my trusty early and modded SWR SM400.
It's been a blast so far and the seller of the Bag End did rather sanctimoniously tell me when I bought it that with front of house PAs and new technologies that there was no reason to own such a speaker.
Whatever dude.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Ok, we know the SVT and V4B are still viable but what about all of the other brands (mostly SS amps) that appeared in the 80's until the latest class D amps sort of 'took over'?

I have an Eden Metro and a GK 800RB both of which i think are solid even today....even my Music Man HD150...getting into bass from a guitar world i was taken with the number of brands to choose from that i saw on stages thru the past decades.

Which of these amps that were at one time considered 'top tier' are now relegated to the scrap heap, possibly in terms of weight and size being a factor?

Are many not even worth repairing even though they may have been among the preferred examples just a few years back?

The old Fender, Vox and Marshall circuits have survived in the guitar world...but what is still viable in the bass amp world?

With covid keeping everyone trapped at home, it doesn't matter how heavy your amp is. But there will be plenty of ears around whining, "Can you turn it DOWN?"

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I guess the OP is not aware of the vintage market. But I think it applies more to guitar gear than bass. Think about a Fender Vibrolux or an old Marshall.

OP here, i am totally aware of the guitar vintage tube amp market! I got in decades ago when folks were buying Peavey and other SS guitar amps...try to get some of the old Peavey gear repaired.....next to impossible and most can be bought for dirt cheap (not talking of their basses) even when functioning.

 

[D.M.N.]

I just retired and see no reason to get rid of my Ampeg B-25, my Plush 1000s with 3x 15" matching stack and the Fender 400 PS but I did feel it was necessary to go out and buy a Bag End S15D or whatever it is so I can play bass in my office or anywhere else I care to plug in my trusty early and modded SWR SM400.
It's been a blast so far and the seller of the Bag End did rather sanctimoniously tell me when I bought it that with front of house PAs and new technologies that there was no reason to own such a speaker.
Whatever dude.
View attachment 4084493

Is that a Hoyer? I've been watching one on Reverb what's it like?

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Wasn't the original tweed Fender Bassman amp rather obsolete when it came out?

 

[Plain Old Barry]

While my current gig rig is all MarkBass, I also own a not super old, but short lived and apparently unloved, Fender Bassman 250/210.

I LOVE the Bassman 250. I think it's got a great tone and excellent controls, it just can't keep up with the Mark's bottom end when there's no PA support.

 

[Pauly 4001]

The Hoyer is really great in an unexpected way: 24 frets, beautiful construction and materials, the pickup is very hot and bright and full range. It's really responsive through that little rig and a blast to play. I'm not sure of the date but it's probably early 60s and therefore about my oldest bass. It's also my most recent purchase as of a couple months ago and was irresistibly cheap. I've cleaned it up some since these photos were taken, the chrome is cleaning up nicely.

 

[Basslice]

Randall live

btw, NICE cover. Well done!

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Wasn't the original tweed Fender Bassman amp rather obsolete when it came out?

It was for bass lol!! Those Chicago Jensens with small paper coils blew left and right...i knew an old guy that was a Jensen speaker dealer in the 50's.

The revelation was when folks decided to plug guitars into that circuit instead of bass guitars!

Still one of the most widely worshipped circuits for guitar....Marshalls were based on it and it basically came from a Western Electric diagram originally.

 

[FugaziBomb]

Has anyone said SUNN? They're so obsolete, they went out of business. Still, great amps.

 

[retslock]

I still have two old Music Man amps, one valve (tube) and one solid state. One is forty years old, the other older still. They’re heavy but that’s ok. I like the way they sound and I have a trolly to move them around.

 

[agedhorse]

I have had more reliability issues with digital heads than SS or tube amps. I keep on SS on hand just in case I get a bad power situation (class D heads hate bad power)

Actually class D has nothing to do with digital, and even though YOU may have had more reliability issues with class D amps doesn't mean that's the experience that others have.

Class D is actually more forgiving of power issues, and the protection circuits are far more effective in protecting the amp from failure than the older gear. Many of the newer class D amps with SMPS will work perfectly well all the way down to 100V, which is better than most conventional power supply amps. The better protection circuits shut the amp down BEFORE damage, which is why the better class D amps often offer longer warranties than the conventional amps.

My guess is that used PA gear will be going for pennies on the dollar, so all the lame old excuses for insufficient systems will go away. Doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be lame new excuses though...

That sure seems to be where it's headed, I get the auction notices for the pro audio and production industry and it's really pretty grim.

How 'serviceable' is new stuff? Flimsy circuit boards, pots mounted to the boards plus less and less 'qualified techs'...is my GK 400RBIII worth repairing?

I can do just about anything to my old tube amps except diagnose some things...everything else is fairly simple after study...not the same with modern stuff.

It depends on how qualified you are as a tech. A properly qualified tech should have no problems properly servicing PCB based products, I know that I have for almost 40 years without any difficulties. As a company, Mesa still services it's early PCB based units that go back close to 50 years now, not a problem at all. is your amp worth servicing depends on how much you value it, and if your tech is capable of servicing it cost effectively. Great techs are not necessarily expensive if they are efficient at their craft. Less qualified techs i would have to agree with you on, it is becoming a challenge, but a poor tech is a poor tech no matter what amp they are working on IME.

 

[higain617]

Peavey Standard. Obsolete...and that's how we like it.

Really, if an amp makes sound and can be played through, it can never be obsolete. The Mini Disc format and ADAT are obsolete.

 

[Razman]

Sounds great to me (PV thru ol’ Henry).

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Sounds great to me (PV thru ol’ Henry).

View attachment 4084602

Holy Elf on the Shelf, Batman!!!!

 

[Rockbobmel]

Bad Question.

 

[kcducttaper]

I just picked up an Eden Nemesis RS-400 that I'm stoked about! I had a Nemesis NA-320 back in the day, but had to sell it because I needed more power that it could dish out. My Markbass Tube 800 has double the power with less than half the weight, plus a (tiny) tube, but there's something about the Eden Nemesis line (of amps) that just puts a grin on my face every time!
That and I've replaced my SVT 410 HLF tank with 2x super light MB 102HF's.

 

[chadds]

Shhh shh shhh...let me come up with new excuses to haul 2 2x15s and a pair of 4x12s to any and every gig.

I'm only one cab short of this rig, which I think is totally reasonable for small PA shows:

View attachment 4084431

I saw him use that rig. Sounded most excellent. He liked Altec 421As in place of the JBLs. I'd take either now. I would be sorely tempted if I found any in great shape the way people find old cars abandoned in great shape in garage.

 

[KeithPas]

Actually class D has nothing to do with digital, and even though YOU may have had more reliability issues with class D amps doesn't mean that's the experience that others have.

Class D is actually more forgiving of power issues, and the protection circuits are far more effective in protecting the amp from failure than the older gear. Many of the newer class D amps with SMPS will work perfectly well all the way down to 100V, which is better than most conventional power supply amps. The better protection circuits shut the amp down BEFORE damage, which is why the better class D amps often offer longer warranties than the conventional amps.


NewI am only concerned with what I have experienced. I did a gig recently that required the use of a generator; my GK MB500 went into protect mode, my Ashdown 1/15 combo did not and worked like a charm (I love my GK micro heads and will never get rid of them). I did a gig at a coffeehouse that had a history of questionable power with a Carvin 500 watt class D head; it went into protect mode and I had to use an old back up Peavey head that didn't even belong to me. I briefly owned a TC Electronics 200 watt micro head and it did the same thing that the other ones did. Different speaker cabinets were used in all of the examples and the speaker cables were of high quality.



That sure seems to be where it's headed, I get the auction notices for the pro audio and production industry and it's really pretty grim.



It depends on how qualified you are as a tech. A properly qualified tech should have no problems properly servicing PCB based products, I know that I have for almost 40 years without any difficulties. As a company, Mesa still services it's early PCB based units that go back close to 50 years now, not a problem at all. is your amp worth servicing depends on how much you value it, and if your tech is capable of servicing it cost effectively. Great techs are not necessarily expensive if they are efficient at their craft. Less qualified techs i would have to agree with you on, it is becoming a challenge, but a poor tech is a poor tech no matter what amp they are working on IME.