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Solid States More Popular Now
- Thread starter ch willie
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What about 'hybrids' - how about the lightweight bass amps that have a tube in he preamp section? That sounds like a nice comporomise. I haven't been fortunate enough to try one out yet.......
I don't agree that it's a "compromise".
The tone, purity, and coloration, you can get out of a pre-amp, even those without a single tube is not a compromise. It is the capability, the design, the value of progress.
Especially when the sound guy refuses to use anything but a DI straight off your bass.
And who really notices bass tone anyway? Mostly other bass players. But play what makes you happy. Different people require different amps for their playing style/band. Tone is all subjective anyway.I love the dynamics and response of an all-tube amp. I've tried a bunch of other heads, and although many hybrids can cop most of the tone of a tube amp (esp with the VT/SFT/a variety of other tone shaping tools) I still haven't found an amp with the feel of that tube power section. I'm not talking about those wimpy, rattly EL84s either, I mean a nice set of 6550s or 6L6s and a big-booty transformer. Not all tube amps are created equal, just as not all hybrid/SS amps are. Good design is good design, no matter what components are used.
Despite all that, given my druthers I'll take an all-tube amp 95% of the time. But that's probably not news to anyone here.
Yeah, but unless you're running it into the red all the time, I've found they don't get weak hardly at all over the course of a year. I think I might have replaced one tube in my V4B for the 10 years I had it. Sounded great to me.
Yeah, that's what people who use SS say, yet I have people who don't know the first thing about music comment to me how much bigger and fuller (not louder) I sound when I switched back to the big stuff. And if that were true that nobody can tell, then why not just use the cheapest crap you can find at the pawn shop?
I figure that if I can hear the difference, other people can, too. Even the most musically dense person in the world can tell the difference between a $500 Best Buy stereo and a fancy schmancy high end audio rig custom installed by someone like Duke LeJeune. So it's the B-15 or SVT most of the time because I care. Used the SVT tonight, albeit with two 210av's. Took an extra couple minutes on the loadout and I had to lift a little bit of weight. Whoopee.
While Peavey makes some really nice bass stuff now (the BAM is probably my favorite all-time bass combo), I'm convinced that those 70s and 80s solid state Peaveys are some of the worst sounding bass amps to ever be produced. I wasn't born yet when the 70s Peavey's were out, but I've had the (dis)pleasure of playing and hearing a few - nothing but an ugly high-mid honk that can't be dialed on either the amp or bass and a flabby bottom-end. Uggg! :scowl:
The weight factor of choosing to use a tube amp or a SS amp based on the gig is important. Another thing I almost always do when I play a new venue with which I'm unfamiliar is bring a SS amp. Some situations have less than ideal power, and SS will deal with crappy voltage better than a tube amp. I've played gigs with crappy voltage with my 400+, and I sounded like Jack Bruce all night because I couldn't get any clean headroom due to the garbage power in the place. I won't even get into what that does to the dampening.
Of course, when we're running with a trusted sound engineer in a new venue who brings their own power distro, I bring whatever amp I'm in the mood to play with no worries.
the SVT and Classic 400 are pretty far up on the weight side of the spectrum.
The VB3, YBA200, and Mesa Bass 400 are much lighter. Though still quite heavy.
The VB3, YBA200, and Mesa Bass 400 are much lighter. Though still quite heavy.
Yeah, that's what people who use SS say, yet I have people who don't know the first thing about music comment to me how much bigger and fuller (not louder) I sound when I switched back to the big stuff. And if that were true that nobody can tell, then why not just use the cheapest crap you can find at the pawn shop?
+1
Right before the end of 2011, my friend's band opened for us at a venue we often play. He's a very good player, and the band's original stuff is very bass-centric. I offered my 400+ for his set, and when he plugged his G&L into it at soundcheck, we both got all giddy. The engineer ran a nice mix that night, and it was such a pleasure to hear that amp from the audience. While there's a lot of subjectivity to "good tone," there was a mojo to the bass sound I was hearing that night. I've heard my friend play through a number of rigs throughout the years, and he always sounds good; but there was a mojo to that sound that was largely the result of plugging into an amp with 16 tubes in it. You're not gonna get that type of tone from a 5 lb. micro-amp - and that's not to bag on a good micro-SS amp.
Would the audience appreciate it as much as I did or my bandmates or other musicians? Probably not, but maybe. The audience, however, is going to respond more postively to a good overall band sound, and having a kickin' bass sound is going to add to that gestalt.
To a large degree. Like my flatback but with a little lighter bottom end. I can dial it back up easy enough, but it's slightly quieter in the lows. But once you dial it back it's eerie how it sounds like the flatback. Not as much concussion value, but right in the ballpark. The funniest thing about the twin 210av rig with an SVT is that even though the 210av is a medium duty cab, it's got about the same amount of power handling as the flatback, and that was considered pretty loud for its day.
JimmyM said:Yeah, that's what people who use SS say, yet I have people who don't know the first thing about music comment to me how much bigger and fuller (not louder) I sound when I switched back to the big stuff. And if that were true that nobody can tell, then why not just use the cheapest crap you can find at the pawn shop?
Try again, friend. I own both SS and tube heads and gig them both regularly.
JimmyM said:Yeah, that's what people who use SS say, yet I have people who don't know the first thing about music comment to me how much bigger and fuller (not louder) I sound when I switched back to the big stuff. And if that were true that nobody can tell, then why not just use the cheapest crap you can find at the pawn shop?
I guess...
Having to load up and hit the next city with tooloud house sound really makes the extra weight and slightly fragile tubes magnify the subtlety of differences in sound..
Tubes can sound pretty nice, but I dont care for driven tube sound, and, undriven I just dont think it sounds titanically better. Especially, again, with plenty of nontube DI house sound (I like mic'ing a cab, but that doesn't mean it can always be done)
I played a small tour recently, and I used my buddy's svt. One night I was astounded at how fat and juicy I sounded, then I turned around and remembered we had used my amp that night.
And I DEFINETLEY have great ears.
Tubes do sound amazing.. But how much MORE amazing..
I am sorry, JimmyM. I just don't believe that a non-music person would walk up to you and say "You sound much bigger and fuller". That's a stretch.
Your head is in the equipment too much. You have to figure out a way to get into it more and just groove away, buddy, instead of analyzing what equipment you're using. I think it's called 'The Psychoacoustical Phenomenon'.
The moral of this lesson: Don't trust anyone on TalkBass with more than 1,000 posts?
First of all women say that to me all the time.
I hope you're kidding.
Actually I have had women say that too me in the same bar comparing one gig to another. There actually was a problem with my gear the gig before.
Where I play most patrons from teens to oldsters listen to a wide variety of music and know what sounds good.
This non music person you know may not say I heard more or less 60hz. but they sure know bigger and fuller. They're dancing right in front of it for goodness sake!
Electric Bass is very present and they know when it's not there.
This is another comment or beginning of a discussion where someone tells you the experience you're not having. Fortunately you couched it in "I believe".
Come to one of my gigs and tell me and the dancing honeys it's "psychoacoustic". They'd say, "ok, call it whatever you want to call it but the bass and
drums are why I'm out here dancing.
Some of us actually care so much more about the music but we are talking gear here. The gear is a means to express that music. The more you play
the more you want your gear to do exactly what you want. In fact you may want it to be more and more out of the way.
I'm promoting tubes or SS. Use what you want.
Even carrots.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I'm happy with old Acoustic Control solid state. It sounds like it sounds, and I like it. Plus, you can drop it and nothing breaks. You will drop it, because it weighs about six thousand pounds. I need the exercise, so it is dual purpose equipment.
First of all women say that to me all the time.
I hope you're kidding.
Actually I have had women say that too me in the same bar comparing one gig to another. There actually was a problem with my gear the gig before.
Where I play most patrons from teens to oldsters listen to a wide variety of music and know what sounds good.
This non music person you know may not say I heard more or less 60hz. but they sure know bigger and fuller. They're dancing right in front of it for goodness sake!
Electric Bass is very present and they know when it's not there.
This is another comment or beginning of a discussion where someone tells you the experience you're not having. Fortunately you couched it in "I believe".
Come to one of my gigs and tell me and the dancing honeys it's "psychoacoustic". They'd say, "ok, call it whatever you want to call it but the bass and
drums are why I'm out here dancing.
Some of us actually care so much more about the music but we are talking gear here. The gear is a means to express that music. The more you play
the more you want your gear to do exactly what you want. In fact you may want it to be more and more out of the way.
I'm promoting tubes or SS. Use what you want.
I'm standing by what I said. JimmyM said that a non-music person would come up to him and say he sounded better with his bigger gear. Come on, man.
You said there was a problem with your gear the night before. That's a different story. You also twisted around what I said. Of course they'd miss an electric bass if it was missing. Cripes sake, man! I didn't say they couldn't tell the difference with the bass missing.
I also did not say the bass and drums were psychoacoustic. There is a certain mental thing going on with a bigger rig, but not to a dancing honey on the dance floor. As long as the bass is decent, solid state or tube, it doesn't matter.
So, if what you're saying is true, then, if I bring 2 8x10 cabinets and crank it up so it's big and full, the dance floor will fill up faster and the honeys will be happier?
HAHAHHHAHHHHAHHAHHHAHHA!
