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Reeves 400 vs 225
- Thread starter Zanderwestcoast
- Start date
I took these when I was doing a comparo between the tone stacks of the C225 and C400.
Obviously low volume levels as you can tell by the K140 loaded 115 cab I used. At those levels the tone stacks seemed very similar to my ears.
You can see the differences in this shot of the C225 and C400 prototype chassis side by side;
The 225 trannies are massive, but the iron on the 400 is almost twice the size.
Both amps punch well over their rated "weight", IMO Mr. Bowlus nailed the revue in BGM. What he wrote pretty much matched what my ears told my brain. For all intents and purposes, I think the C400 is just a more powerful version of an already very powerful bass amp. There are a few nuances, and I agree with Nysbob that the 400 is probably a little easier to dial in, for lack of a better term the tone stack may be a little more "restrained", but it more than compensates with pure brute power and tonally will do anything the C225 will.
And do it LOUDER.
I currently gig the C400 through a 2X15; although even the C225 is overkill for the venues that I play, mostly because I'm not exactly sure where that C225 is currently...
Obviously low volume levels as you can tell by the K140 loaded 115 cab I used. At those levels the tone stacks seemed very similar to my ears.
You can see the differences in this shot of the C225 and C400 prototype chassis side by side;
The 225 trannies are massive, but the iron on the 400 is almost twice the size.
Both amps punch well over their rated "weight", IMO Mr. Bowlus nailed the revue in BGM. What he wrote pretty much matched what my ears told my brain. For all intents and purposes, I think the C400 is just a more powerful version of an already very powerful bass amp. There are a few nuances, and I agree with Nysbob that the 400 is probably a little easier to dial in, for lack of a better term the tone stack may be a little more "restrained", but it more than compensates with pure brute power and tonally will do anything the C225 will.
And do it LOUDER.
I currently gig the C400 through a 2X15; although even the C225 is overkill for the venues that I play, mostly because I'm not exactly sure where that C225 is currently...
The only problem with these amps is wanting another one!
And of course, the finest amp gets the finest speakers.
The Stock Vintage Purples are good, but I'm sticking with this set-up.
Either way, for best results, you run high quality, cast frame drivers to hold detail.
And of course, the finest amp gets the finest speakers.
The Stock Vintage Purples are good, but I'm sticking with this set-up.
Either way, for best results, you run high quality, cast frame drivers to hold detail.
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You guys with Reeves Bass rigs need to turn your guitar players onto these Amps and their Cabs!
My Bad Cat Loves to play with my Reeves 2X12 and it can handle the amp wide open and just smile.
My friend Johnny could not stop grinning during these demos.
No pedals were used or harmed tracking these clips.
Here with the Custom Jimmy 50
This 2X12 will beat the living snot out of some 4X12's
My Bad Cat Loves to play with my Reeves 2X12 and it can handle the amp wide open and just smile.
My friend Johnny could not stop grinning during these demos.
No pedals were used or harmed tracking these clips.
Here with the Custom Jimmy 50
This 2X12 will beat the living snot out of some 4X12's
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Single top handle, really?The only problem with these amps is wanting another one!
And of course, the finest amp gets the finest speakers.
The Stock Vintage Purples are good, but I'm sticking with this set-up.
Either way, for best results, you run high quality, cast frame drivers to hold detail.
The Jimmy isn't too heavy maybe 42 pounds, don't remember.
The 225 is 59 pounds.
I'm sure Reeves would have no problem adding extra handles to order.
42 pounds is about as much as my D-180 weighs.
One of the things I hate most about guitar heads is that they often have only a single top handle. I can't stand that crap. I feel almost insulted when I see it (yes, the intensity of my irritation at such is irrational, but whatever). One of the things I like about my Sunn is that it has two handles, not one.
Though, honestly, I think the best option would be having three handles. One on each side, and one dead center in the top.
It also irritates me when amp heads don't have one transformer on each side. Some of them, for whatever reason, put one on one side, and the other in the middle.
Not really... That is the original C225 prototype and there is no panel, the controls are labeled with a Sharpie. That amp was actually built on a British DR201 chassis which was anodized, but the transformers, turret boards, pots, etc. are Reeves. The production Reeves C225s are built on a heavier gauge steel chassis that was spec'd with the possibility that a DR405 derivative was possibly forthcoming, and economy of scale would make the end user pricing more favorable if the amps shared a chassis should the C400 become a Reeves production item. The same reason for the "extra" holes in the C225 chassis.
Sort of the same answer; it didn't take much lugging around to realize that the C400 needed another handle (I used heavy leather work gloves to keep from amputating fingers moving the naked C400 chassis around), and again economy of scale suggested a shared C225/C400 box was the end user friendly answer.
Since the final decision to go forward with the C400, the C225's have also been delivered with the two handle case. I personally prefer the single handle C225 case, because it's plenty rugged and I can "one hand" it on load in and load out.
My 225 is single handle, not really an issue.
The 400 is closer to SVT weight and really needs side handles
Even if the 400 had been available when I bought my 225, I don't think I could handle
the weight any longer.
59 pounds on the 225 is just manageable without too much strain on my old back and I totally
don't need the extra volume.
The 400 is closer to SVT weight and really needs side handles
Even if the 400 had been available when I bought my 225, I don't think I could handle
the weight any longer.
59 pounds on the 225 is just manageable without too much strain on my old back and I totally
don't need the extra volume.
Reeves= CLEAN tube tone like a Hiwatt or Sunn 2000S.
SVT= Grind tube tone (tube tone standard)
The Reeves is pretty true to a Hiwatt circuit, and IMHO, is optimized for max clean power. I have read that the tone controls are slightly tailored to make it better for bass, and of course the output patching for the speakers is totally different.
The Reeves 400 has 6 output tubes just like the SVT, but it is good deal louder clean. I have pushed Hylight era Hiwatt DR201 and DR103 output sections into distortion with bass, and it's about the worst tube drive imaginable. The Reeves 400 would destroy my speakers if I pushed it this hard, but I would expect it to produce similar results. My advice, if you want output drive, get a different amp because this is not what Hiwatt style amps are designed for. There is some nice drive available in the preamp though.
Hiwatt style amps have a drastically different baked in voicing than the SVT. Hiwatts have more extended lows and a bit of a scoop in the low mids. The high mids are pretty aggressive and can be a bit difficult to tame if you don't like a bit of clank and fret rattle. The high-mids of the big Reeves is a bit softer than a vintage Hiwatt though. One weird observation, I would describe the voicing as warm and fat with guitar, but bright and scooped with bass.
The SVT is fairly flat with a slight baked in hump around 400 hz. SVTs develop a really nice grind when pushed a little, but I think there are better amps if you want to push the output section really hard.
Ultimately the Reeves 400 and Ampeg SVT are both awesome amps, but they are very different from one another.
