preamp/power amp setup

[Revelation64]

I'm am currently looking to build a preamp/poweramp setup. I like a warm deep(kind of vintagish) tone for the most part,but would like to be able to get something really...ballsy also. Sometimes a bit of overdrive would be nice but the clean tone is my main concern. I am new to this sort of thing so any suggestions on a good preamp or power amp or a good combination? I will soon be aquiring an Ibanez btb775 that you should take into consideration on the tone part. I've always loved the btb series for their looks and playability and the tone I've gotten from the recent ones makes me feel happy inside.

EDIT: I am currently running through a (discontinued)peavey tvx412,450 watts at 4 ohms. But will probably be picking up a 1x15 neo and a 2x10 to go with this setup. Not totally sure on the exact cabs but those are the speaker configurations I've been looking at.

 

[Revelation64]

only gonna bump this once in hopes of getting at least a little input.

 

[ashtray]

Couple thoughts...

I don't have a bunch of experience with preamps, so I'll defer to searches and other people's input. I run a BBE BMax pre and I love the sound, but I wouldn't describe it as ballsy, and has no overdrive. (extremely clean sound)

I will suggest putting some money in to the power amp - that can't be understated. That's not an area where you want to cut corners. QSC or Carvin or Crest all make good products in that area that I'd recommend.

Also, let's look at your speaker cab config. You're running a 4x12 at 4 ohms, and you want to add 2 more cabs to that? Ok - that's doable, but make sure the power amp you get can handle this. For example, you're looking for a 2 channel stereo amp, able to run 4 ohms per side. BUT - that means your 1x15 and 2x10 cabs need to be 8 ohm cabs. If you get them as 4 ohm cabs, your power amp would need to run down to 2 ohms per side.

The good news is that many power amp today can do this, so check the specs and I'm sure you'll find one that works for you.

(Personally I use a QSC RMX1450 amp - which does 700 watts per side at 2 ohms if I wanted to run it that way, which I normally don't.)

Hope that gives you some insight for a start.

 

[cricketfever32]

if you can, find an old ampeg svp or an ashly bp-41.
some background info on the ashly, its an insanely clean preamp. you can produce amazing recordings with that preamp. it does produce a ballsy tone as long as you dont clip the preamp but since its a solid state preamp, it doesnt get more "tube-y" as you push the gain. if i could find another one, i would definitely choose is over the ampeg/bbe/demeter counterparts. its truly an amazing preamp, with a very distinct tone.

 

[Revelation64]

I was already planning on getting the 1x15 and the 2x10 in 8 ohms. that would make my full cab count:
1 8ohm 1x15
1 8ohm 2x10
2 4ohm 4x12's w/ adjustable tweeters
2 8ohm 4x10's
I'll have accumulated quite an arsenal by the time this is all done.
I may get rid of a 4x10 and/or a 4x12 after this is all said and done as they are each identical to their counterparts. We'll see about that later on though.

I was looking at this power amp from carvin actually.
Link Removed
It has dual eq's so biamping will be fun If I decide to. One thing that I didn't understand is how if you have 1 8 ohm cab you get 260 watts but if you have 2 8 ohm cabs you get 225 watts per channel...just doesn't seem to make sense in my head. Still, it has plenty of power any way you look at it. any gig that could use 700watts through 3 cabs should have room for a 1x15 4x10 stack and a 4x12 on the side. or maybe the 2 4x10s would go better with the 4x12. with this many speakers I should have plenty of low end. anyways, that's a discussion for another thread.

I'll be sure to take a look around for info on those preamps. Anybody have any feelings toward a sansamp rpm?

 

[ashtray]

I'd skip the eq, and maybe even get an amp with a little more power than that one. With that much eq power, you'd probably end up over eq'ing your signal and boosting too much lows and robbing you of power. An eq like that is great for PA applications for dialing in the room and eliminating feedback for vocals, etc.

Depending on how you hook it up, you might be getting less wattage than you think. That's 350 @ 4 ohms / side. So if you stack 2 8 ohm cabs on one channel, you get 175 watts into each cab. That's ok, but if you're bringing stacks of cabs, then I'd think you'd want 200-250 watts going through each 8 ohm cab.

(I don't see the "260 watt spec on the page you are referring to...)