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Peavey MegaBass Club

Just wanted to mention again you will often see them listed as a 400 watt amp. This is not the case. There are two 200 watt amps under the hood, but no way to bridge them that I know of.

Regardless of the fact the 200 watts seems low, hook them up to a couple 410 or 212 cabs and be prepared to be amazed at the wall of sound it produces.
Thanks....you can drive a PA with these as well and i do believe these will run a 2 ohm load on each amp?

What do you think a quality road case is worth used? Its well built and removable front and back.
 
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Here is a shot from a month ago where I used the megabass to power a GK 212 and 410 cab when opening for a national act. I like the two cabs combined, and the megabass allows me to dial in the exact amount of each cab that I want. I use the 7 band eq to quickly tweak to the room saving me messing with my preamp. It's truly one of my favorite rigs for live sound


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Very cool setup....is this Megabass one that you have used for a while now?
 
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Very cool setup....is this Megabass one that you have used for a while now?

I go back and forth between three different amps, it just depends on my mood and the gig. I bought that megabass new in 86, give or take a few years. It's a lot like Ampeg SVT gear, where it just lasts forever. I've had it in the shop once but besides that it's always worked and never let me down
 
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Road cases can vary. Depends on how many spaces as well. A good two or three non insulated ata style case will run from 300 down. I picked up a used three space anvil for 100.00 a year ago. It just depends
Only 1 space.....it is compact and well built......what do you think of the tone as is, any comparisons?

I have a GK 800RB and an Eden Metro both great amps but sound different...i like heads only and oddly enough have a thing for 80's Peavey basses and late 80's guitars LOL!
 
Only 1 space.....it is compact and well built......what do you think of the tone as is, any comparisons?

I have a GK 800RB and an Eden Metro both great amps but sound different...i like heads only and oddly enough have a thing for 80's Peavey basses and late 80's guitars LOL!

The megabass is a two space amp, so it will need that as a minimum. I have always left an extra space because it has vents on top and the sides where it moves air from. Keeping amps cool is a key to longevity. If you aren't talking about the megabass then never mind lol
 
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The megabass is a two space amp, so it will need that as a minimum. I have always left an extra space because it has vents on top and the sides where it moves air from. Keeping amps cool is a key to longevity. If you aren't talking about the megabass then never mind lol
Sorry.....its a 2 space, the amp is mounted in the case....i noticed the fan on the back but didnt think about where the air was drawn in from....definitely cooler amps are healthier, i own lots of tube amps but bigger SS bass amps are a different thing the way they are designed and used for sure.
 
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Sorry.....its a 2 space, the amp is mounted in the case....i noticed the fan on the back but didnt think about where the air was drawn in from....definitely cooler amps are healthier, i own lots of tube amps but bigger SS bass amps are a different thing the way they are designed and used for sure.

The amp would probably be fine without any issues in a two space rack, as the 70-80's gear peavey designed was so over engineered and sturdy they could probably survive a direct hit from a neculear strike. In the end, only cockroaches and old Peavey gear will survive the holocaust.

As long as the side vents and rear fan is working properly I think you should be fine with the two space rack.
 
So I am trying to figure something out and maybe this is the place for therapy.
I am the original owner of a Peavey megabass and a 1516 cab. I have had it since the late 80’s, but it hasn’t seen the light of day or use for a year and my usual rule is if I don’t use it, it should be sold. But it’s my first real amp ever and has seen clubs up and down the west coast.
But I don’t see myself bringing it out again so it’s just a big box shoved in the corner.
Oh what to do???
 
So I am trying to figure something out and maybe this is the place for therapy.
I am the original owner of a Peavey megabass and a 1516 cab. I have had it since the late 80’s, but it hasn’t seen the light of day or use for a year and my usual rule is if I don’t use it, it should be sold. But it’s my first real amp ever and has seen clubs up and down the west coast.
But I don’t see myself bringing it out again so it’s just a big box shoved in the corner.
Oh what to do???

Do you still play bass? If so drag it out and use it for a home amp. I get not wanting to sell it. I have an Ampeg svt 810 I toured with and I still have my first amp and bass. Your cab is worth practically nothing in today’s retail world. Most here flip equipment all the time, I don’t. I’m glad too, because I would have never rediscovered what a great amp the megabass is if I would have sold it in the 90s
 
So I am trying to figure something out and maybe this is the place for therapy.
I am the original owner of a Peavey megabass and a 1516 cab. I have had it since the late 80’s, but it hasn’t seen the light of day or use for a year and my usual rule is if I don’t use it, it should be sold. But it’s my first real amp ever and has seen clubs up and down the west coast.
But I don’t see myself bringing it out again so it’s just a big box shoved in the corner.
Oh what to do???
Chiming in here- that rig is plenty adequate to play out with. Biamp it, it'll be fun! That's a solid head, has a nice solid power section.

You might use something for a more happening eq, but that's a good rig. Don't follow your rule into a loss- at least give it a good running-at first.

I'm another with good memories of that amp.
 
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Ok a little more info... it doesn’t get playing time because I play a Mesa M6 into a berg nv610 or a Mesa d800 into a berg cn212. So yes it just sits for now. But it’s been sitting for a year. At this point no reason to move it. And yes the monetary value is very little I understand that just seems like a waste to have it chillen in the corner.
 
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I have my choice of an Ampeg SVT Classic, an MB800 or the megabass for gigs, and tonight I’ll be back on this stage with the megabass head and a couple of GK neo cabs. I was using it in this pic and really like the biamped sound. (I run a 212 and a 410 cab). My other amps sound great too but I love how I can really dial the sound of the two cabs together with the megabass

301A25F1-6A0F-4ABE-8890-D665FCB5B108.jpeg
 
I just acquired a Peavey Megabass head. A gift. It's in great shape, sounds fantastic as is pretty darn loud. I do have one issue. What I believe is "crosstalk", between the two power amps. If I run one speaker on one side, but turn the other master up, a fairly feint, distorted sound comes from the speaker. It does this using either side, in any mode. I just got it yesterday, used it at gigs today, and it killed. No other issues, and it seems that maybe it's just part of the design, but I thot I might ask here, to see if anyone else has experienced this, and what they maybe done to fix it. Thanks for any info.
 
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I just acquired a Peavey Megabass head. A gift. It's in great shape, sounds fantastic as is pretty darn loud. I do have one issue. What I believe is "crosstalk", between the two power amps. If I run one speaker on one side, but turn the other master up, a fairly feint, distorted sound comes from the speaker. It does this using either side, in any mode. I just got it yesterday, used it at gigs today, and it killed. No other issues, and it seems that maybe it's just part of the design, but I thot I might ask here, to see if anyone else has experienced this, and what they maybe done to fix it. Thanks for any info.

First of all, welcome to the megabass group! I've never noticed it on mine, but then again I've never tried it. I have a gig I will use it for next weekend that I'll see if it's the case or not. It's an old school amp so it is possible. It's never detracted from anytime I've used mine though live. If you run a preamp into it, much like you would with a standard power amp, it's really flexible in what it can sound like.

I too was pleasantly suprised on how loud that amp gets for being only 200 watts per side. I run two 8 ohm cabs so it's not really even getting a 4 ohm load per amp for its rated 200 watts. I run mixed cabs with mine, so I can give the 410 cab a little more push than the 212 to even things out and not make the 12's work as hard. In theory we could run four 8 ohm cabs off the megabass and have a wall of sound, but I'm not touring any longer so that would be overkill for the gigs I play.

As a tip, running biamped or full range with the chorus activated really makes a fretless bass sound great. To my ears, it really adds a fullness and accents the "muwah" sound the fretless is known for. I accidentally ran across this perk a few years ago and loved the sound.
 
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Although I never owned one? I watched Will Lee use his on Late Night wit David Letterman for years. Always wanted one. I worked at a Peavey dealer when I was a young player, used one a lot in the store. Never bought it. Years went by. And this one showed up at my door, basically. I've gathered some decent gear over the years, but this thing really performs. I play tons, in a wide variety of projects and rooms. And have fer a long time. Tried and owned tons of rigs. But this thing is nuts. I do play Fretless, and the chorus works with it well. I also use two 8 ohm cabs, generally. I had two gigs today, used just one cab because two would've been overkill. So, it's a hundred watt amp. Ha ha ha... This thing is quite loud for that rating. Gain at 4, master at 3, it easily kept up at an outside gig. I've been reading thru the thread, folk talk about the EQ only bein "so so". Well, I tried something I remembered from old, passive graphic eqs I used about the time the Peavey was new. I turned all the sliders down. All the way. I set my gain an volume that way, and as I suspected, the volume loss was minimal. But, now I have basically a boost only eq, and I had no issue getting a lot of great sounds out of it. A hundred watts? No way, ha! I appreciate you checking yours, I've a feeling my issue is just a design thing. But I'm thorough when checking out gear. And I happened to notice it. Thank you, man. Fer all yet help. I'll get a pic posted asap. Just too long a day today. Heh.
 
I just acquired a Peavey Megabass head. A gift. It's in great shape, sounds fantastic as is pretty darn loud. I do have one issue. What I believe is "crosstalk", between the two power amps. If I run one speaker on one side, but turn the other master up, a fairly feint, distorted sound comes from the speaker. It does this using either side, in any mode. I just got it yesterday, used it at gigs today, and it killed. No other issues, and it seems that maybe it's just part of the design, but I thot I might ask here, to see if anyone else has experienced this, and what they maybe done to fix it. Thanks for any info.

Welcome, Nameless.
I just tried it with both of my MegaBass heads and I can't duplicate it. That's a new one on me I've never heard of on the Mega. If it can't be heard when using both normally, it shouldn't be a problem. That one may not be an easy one to troubleshoot and find without the schematics and an O'scope in front of you.
Peace
Eddie
 
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Yeah, I kinda hoped it was a symptom common with a few, but it figures it'd be mine alone. Ha! I've used it at a gig. It was fine. I have not yet run it with two cabs, as my two are at two different locations, and I haven't had a gig that needed two. This Saturday I do have a gig needing both cabs, I'll put it thru it's paces then. Everything else works great, I'm thinking a bad pot or switch could be leaking a small amount of signal to the other side. We shall see. I thank you for your input. Thanks fer takin time.
 
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Megabass.jpg
I just bought a Megabass from my brother ($100!) and it works fine except that the biamp button is a bit finnicky. Other than that it's great and, like everyone says, friggin LOUD for 200 watts/side. I run two Patterson Audio Systems 4ohm cabs (12/6/1, 450 watts and 3x10, 750 watts) and it's wonderful to be able to dial in just the right amount of each. Wish I could get a decent overdrive from it but that's what pedals are for, right? May I have a number please? (if we're still doing that)
 
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View attachment 2787757 I just bought a Megabass from my brother ($100!) and it works fine except that the biamp button is a bit finnicky. Other than that it's great and, like everyone says, friggin LOUD for 200 watts/side. I run two Patterson Audio Systems 4ohm cabs (12/6/1, 450 watts and 3x10, 750 watts) and it's wonderful to be able to dial in just the right amount of each. Wish I could get a decent overdrive from it but that's what pedals are for, right? May I have a number please? (if we're still doing that)


Welcome to the group and we are glad to see you have stumbled onto Peavey’s secret bass weapon. If you need any help getting it dialed in, give us a shout. Many here run a dedicated preamp into it first, which really opens up its abilities.

We really aren’t doing numbers here as the page is being kept going by a few diehard fans of the megabass. Feel free to post pictures and tell us any stories you have as we keep this alive. I use mine that I bought brand new in 1986 pretty regular these days, after rediscovering again after many years.

While they might not be the latest fashion these days, they will still rock as hard as you can.
 
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