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Punk Bass Rig

#22
zachoff said:
I had a Bassman 135/215 & it wasn't loud enough so I bought an SVT/810. :D Different strokes, right?! :bassist:

In all honesty, I loved the tone of my Bassman & preferred it to the Ampeg but it just wasn't loud enough.
Click to expand...

Curious point:

How does the Bassman 300 Pro/Sunn 300T stand up to the old Bassman tone? Is it just a Bassman in name?

I've only played the New 300w versions and never an actual old Bassman...
 
#24
Din Of Win said:
Curious point:

How does the Bassman 300 Pro/Sunn 300T stand up to the old Bassman tone? Is it just a Bassman in name?

I've only played the New 300w versions and never an actual old Bassman...
Click to expand...

I haven't played the 300W Bassmans, but having played other 6550 powered heads (SVT/Peavey VB), I'd figure they're pretty different. The old Bassmans used 6L6s for power and they have a pretty abrupt breaking point. The more you hang on that edge of breaking the awesomer the tone is but once you're over that edge it's fart city. The 6550s don't really do that at reasonable volumes. I'm not sure if the new 300 Pros employ the old tone stack either...
 
#27
Whatever setup sounds good enough for you, suits your needs, and literally makes you want to keep playing and playing and playing. Seriously, when your gear sounds go good that it makes you not want to put your instrument down, you know you have the right setup. Buying used/cheap is good too. It allows you to pour the money you saved on gear into more punk endeavors like getting the tour van fixed, getting t-shirts printed, recording (and possibly self-releasing) an album, etc. etc. etc.

I've said it before, but I've found the perfect setup for me, and I play music that definitely falls into the vast genre of
"punk:" Gallien Krueger 800RB. Ampeg 8x10. Tech 21 VT Bass. Rat pedal. P-Bass. I don't need anything else.

I also love the older Mesa Boogie 2x15 cabs. If you can find one of those for cheap (and they ARE out there), get it. The EVM-15L speakers have a bright edge to them that sounds like it would suit you nicely.

It's kind of cliche to say, and it's been said many times before, but the 800RB is kind of the ultimate punk amp to me. It's dirt cheap. It's pretty spartan (compared to lots of modern solid state gear anyway). It requires little to no maintenance, ever, unless abused or hooked up improperly. And it's ****ing loud. I personally prefer the Ampeg tone, but I don't like taking my SVT on the road, hence the VT Bass in my signal chain.
 
#30
Din Of Win said:
*bro hi-five!!*

I use my 400rb through an old Acoustic 610.
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dearlandlord_highfives.gif
 
#33
Larry Boothroyd " Victims Family" uses Mesa Boogie 400. His bass lines are the best punk bass lines ever. Hands down. His sound is incredible. This driven me to purchase MB 400+ with two 1x15 EV Road Ready. It kills for Punk Rock sound.
 
#34
It really depends on how much money you are looking to spend. I was talking with the bass player from Against Me! about a year and a half ago when my band opened for them, he had an old GK 800RB in his rack along with a Mesa Big Block something (don't remember the exact one) but he said his GK is his workhorse, the thing never dies and it sounds awesome and is always his backup amp. That's a good enough endorsement for me!
 
#35
GK, I think the LH Hartkes have a good punk sound, SVT 3/4/6/8/whatever...

I dont personally like a tube amp in a punk setting... but thats just me.

Genz Benz can get a killer punk tone but you may get some strange looks and be called a sellout lol
 
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#36
GK 800RB, Peavey 2x15. Total stack cost is like $400 if you get lucky at music-go-rounds or craigslist.

The best part about getting something like the GK that is so versatile is that if you wind up with a gig outside of the punk scene you have something that never breaks and will fit the bill.
 
#37
If you go GK, go for either a 800rb or 700rb, maybe even a 400rb.

The higher wattage amps are a bit too "pillowy", at the same loudness they have a tone more suitable for jazz, funk, reggae, etc. But the lower wattage GKs just grind.

Jason Black from Hot Water Music has recorded a few albums with a 700rb, so if that's what you're looking for.

My dream rig:

800RB
412 Neo
with a
Peavey VB-2
215 Tour cab.

You've got the tubey warmth of the VB-2, the grind of the 800rb, and the roundness of 12s and 15s (I'm not a big fan of 10s). Of course this rig could fill an arena easily, but you could probably find it all for way under $2k.

While I do agree with a lot of posters that solid state does sound good with punk, if you're into the more hardcore genres nothing beats a Bass Muff + a tube amp of your choice. Lately I've been digging the bassist from Gallows tone on Grey Britain (I don't think he's got a pedal, but still).
 
#39
I've been playing punk and ska since 2005 and I've used just about everything:

My favorites being:
gk 400 and 800rb into ampeg 15s
mesa 400+ into powerhouse 1000

and my last show this weekend saw me use a svt350 into the powerhouse 1000. I sold that head and am going to use an acoustic 150b first thursday of january for a show. Not my first choice but Im saving for a new rig and thats the only head I have left...
 

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