This is how I have gone, in spite of having a 76 SVT rig in my collection, it's my Neox112 & MB Nano Mark that get the gig work.
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Old Gear vs. Modern Bass Tech
- Thread starter Reedi
- Start date
And he's been suspended.
....for something
I'm late to this thread but I thought I'd go ahead and post anyway. I've been playing for a while now and I started with basses and amps that are now vintage and expensive. Many of them were prone to frequent failures, and over the years I replaced them with the most reliable gear I could afford when I could. I still prefer the look of vintage equipment (as I do other household items from the same period). But I don't play out with the vintage equipment I still own ('59 P-bass, B15N) as I don't find it very practical to do so. And twice bitten thrice shy, I have had two older basses stolen over my career, one during a violent altercation. The basses I play out with now are for the most part are traditional/retro takes but modern designs.
I certainly would appreciate an SVT/fridge in a provided backline, but I will no longer own anything like this. And in the (smaller) rooms I now play in, I'm seeing them less and less.
I certainly would appreciate an SVT/fridge in a provided backline, but I will no longer own anything like this. And in the (smaller) rooms I now play in, I'm seeing them less and less.
How about a vintage-themed bass from a modern builder?
Hope no one’s head exploded….
Hope no one’s head exploded….
- Aug 21, 2003
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Sort of in the middle…
Don’t mind an old passive jazz, but an upgraded bridge and ceramic pickups.
Not a fan of modeling and the hugest fan of tubes (most of the time), but like big cabinets.
Not a fan of fan vintage amps….But ok with leed sleds.
Love graphite, but can’t have just graphite.
Don’t mind an old passive jazz, but an upgraded bridge and ceramic pickups.
Not a fan of modeling and the hugest fan of tubes (most of the time), but like big cabinets.
Not a fan of fan vintage amps….But ok with leed sleds.
Love graphite, but can’t have just graphite.
I’m another one in the “both are good” camp.
I definitely prefer modern amps but I like the old tube rigs. They are just too bulky and tonally limited for me to bother with nowadays, though I owned a couple many years ago. When I get to play through someone else’s big old tube rig, it’s still great fun.
As far as instruments, I like, own and use both vintage and modern. Two pre-CBS Ps and a 60s Danelectro but also an AmStd J5, 80s Steinberger and NS Design 5 string.
Now if this was the TB weekly “if you could only have one” poll, I’m not sure what bass I would choose, but I think that the NS CR5 would win out.
I definitely prefer modern amps but I like the old tube rigs. They are just too bulky and tonally limited for me to bother with nowadays, though I owned a couple many years ago. When I get to play through someone else’s big old tube rig, it’s still great fun.
As far as instruments, I like, own and use both vintage and modern. Two pre-CBS Ps and a 60s Danelectro but also an AmStd J5, 80s Steinberger and NS Design 5 string.
Now if this was the TB weekly “if you could only have one” poll, I’m not sure what bass I would choose, but I think that the NS CR5 would win out.
This thread made me reconsider what I think is vintage.
I thought I was pretty modern, but the newest style bass I play is a 2000s era Stingray 5.
the rest are P, J, PJ and Stingray.
I use GK amps and BagEnd speakers. I guess I have a Fender Rumble 500 combo so that kinda counts as modern, but it has a decidedly vintage feel.
My pedals are also older, and the new ones are vintage-y as well in terms of tone.
I guess I'm vintage.
I thought I was pretty modern, but the newest style bass I play is a 2000s era Stingray 5.
the rest are P, J, PJ and Stingray.
I use GK amps and BagEnd speakers. I guess I have a Fender Rumble 500 combo so that kinda counts as modern, but it has a decidedly vintage feel.
My pedals are also older, and the new ones are vintage-y as well in terms of tone.
I guess I'm vintage.
Something old...something new.
Old, old, passive, 4 string that's still completely stock, Fender Jazz.
Into:
Either a GK Fusion class D head or a Genz-Benz class D head.
Into:
Either a Neodymium driver loaded 212 cabinet or into two, Neodymium driver loaded 210 cabinets.
That's what I was doing when I bought my Lull Precision and Sadowsky Jazz. IMO best of both worlds.
Anything goes for basses, but I definitely prefer modern, lightweight amplification.
For many years, I gravitated toward old-school passive basses and a modern rig. Initially, my rig was an SWR cab with G-K 700RB heads, but this evolved into a lightweight G-K rig with MB-500 head and Neo112 cab. It sounds great, and it's easy to manage. These combinations always worked, and I still use my 1x12 G-K rig for some shows. (It's similar on the guitar side: lightweight Fender Tone Master amp with more or less traditional Strats, but that amp is trying to emulate vintage Deluxe Reverb tone.)
But since I bought a G&L M-2500, I've been perfectly happy with a modern active bass too, and it sounds great through my G-K rig and the more old-school rigs I've encountered.
I do like old-school tone, like last night running a J-bass through an Ampeg rig at a rehearsal studio. It sounded fantastic, but I prefer my G-K stuff overall, and I have absolutely zero interest in true vintage gear, whether basses, guitars, or amps.
For many years, I gravitated toward old-school passive basses and a modern rig. Initially, my rig was an SWR cab with G-K 700RB heads, but this evolved into a lightweight G-K rig with MB-500 head and Neo112 cab. It sounds great, and it's easy to manage. These combinations always worked, and I still use my 1x12 G-K rig for some shows. (It's similar on the guitar side: lightweight Fender Tone Master amp with more or less traditional Strats, but that amp is trying to emulate vintage Deluxe Reverb tone.)
But since I bought a G&L M-2500, I've been perfectly happy with a modern active bass too, and it sounds great through my G-K rig and the more old-school rigs I've encountered.
I do like old-school tone, like last night running a J-bass through an Ampeg rig at a rehearsal studio. It sounded fantastic, but I prefer my G-K stuff overall, and I have absolutely zero interest in true vintage gear, whether basses, guitars, or amps.
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When I was 11 (1977), the Sunn Coliseum was my dream rig. But no one bothered to tell me that if you're going to use this rig you really need to be on a stage in an amphitheatre in front of 1000s of people because bedroom windows will not hold up to repeated use of this rig.View attachment 7361376
View attachment 7361377
Yes!
That was my first foray into soild state vs tubes and my fall down the rabbit hole of Sunn for a while.
Technological advances really benefit the amplifier side of things. I really don't care about tubes; I don't even use tube TVs for the retro game room in my basement. I want what works and sounds good, and if you can make it lighter over time, then that will always a big thumbs up from my camp.
Basses though... matters not whether it's vintage or modern. If it has 5-strings though, I'd prefer it be red, and either built or designed in Japan or New York.
Basses though... matters not whether it's vintage or modern. If it has 5-strings though, I'd prefer it be red, and either built or designed in Japan or New York.
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If I played retro/old stuff, I'm sure I'd dig it, but I really don't like playing through old or vintage anything. I like the clarity of modern gear. When I show up to a jam and I'm playing through a Bassman, I'm usually not too happy about it.
A lot of TB'ers haven't moved past anything they liked in high school, gear, music, whatever.
Having owned some old gear when it was new, and having bought since some good condition vintage amps and cabs, for me I definitely prefer modern gear.
A Fender with sharp fretboard edges, wonky bridge and heavy a$$ tuners, with a Phillips truss rod adjuster, for 2-10x the price of a new Fender, regardless of country of manufacture? Nope, no thanks. An amp head that weighs 100 Lbs and heats my room better than the baseboard radiators for 2-3x the price of a top of the line Class D head? Nope. A 410 cab that weighs 100 Lbs but smells like stale beer and male cat spray? No thank you sir. Combine those aspects with scratchy pots and either replaced speakers or speakers that need to be replaced, and it’s a big heeel no from me.
A Fender with sharp fretboard edges, wonky bridge and heavy a$$ tuners, with a Phillips truss rod adjuster, for 2-10x the price of a new Fender, regardless of country of manufacture? Nope, no thanks. An amp head that weighs 100 Lbs and heats my room better than the baseboard radiators for 2-3x the price of a top of the line Class D head? Nope. A 410 cab that weighs 100 Lbs but smells like stale beer and male cat spray? No thank you sir. Combine those aspects with scratchy pots and either replaced speakers or speakers that need to be replaced, and it’s a big heeel no from me.
Precision and Jazz style basses are firmly entrenched at the top of the sales lists, but D Class amps and neo cabs are the industry leaders in sales and use. There might be a lot of "old" gear owners out there, guys who never sold their old gear and relegated them to the basement, but the guys who actually gig "old" gear are in the minority.
As D class amps and neo cabs have only been around for the last 20 years or so, that must mean that a majority of bass players have changed from what they grew up with and have embraced "modern" gear.
Progress is alive and well in Bassland.
