Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[mpdd]

i bought a 2000s head for 195 dollars in the mid 90s at bargain basement in kenmore ohio, nobody wanted it
it sounded way better than my screwed up bassman 100 and my old peavey basic 50

 

[Korladis]

Some people swear the only good sunns are the tube ones. Some love the solid state coliseum and concerts whether the original silver face or red knob hartzell era ones. Famously dylan carlson of earth used a solidstate sunn for the early earth albums because they were plentiful and cheap in the pacific nw. Sunn o))) inspired of course by earth took the sunn love to another level by collecting up the all tube ones while they were not killer expensive. Listen to earth 2 for the solidstate grind sound. I dig it. I like the concert bass i bought but i have to saw the warmth of the sorado i just bought is preferable. Even at 60 watts i think it'll cover my needs (admittedly my needs are uncommon since im not competing with a drummer or guitarist). These days, 300 for a sunn concert seems about right. I certainly wouldnt go higher than 400. It's a love or hate it sound for the ss amps.

I actually really want a red knob Model T.

 

[Korladis]

Also apparently I have to be on good behavior now, which is unfortunate.

 

[Korladis]

I've now tested out the muff pedal that Dunwich built for me with both Dustern and Catapult the Dead. It works splendidly with both. With the more mids setting, it has a low mid throaty roar going on. Not as much high mid grind as the Swollen Pickle I had been using, but it's also way less glitchy and holds the fuzz for the full note (the Swollen Pickle was great, but was considerably better on the attack of notes than the duration at times). By flicking a switch, I can take out some mids and it works well for use with wah.

So yeah, exactly what I wanted.

 

[socialleper]

ODB was tempting but I already have the BDPG and Gamma drive so I passed there.
Funny that I'm not even using drive pedals any more.
Been using the HSD as primary and on one passage of a song kicking in the DSOMD to add some girth.

Have not had the chance to mess with the Sunbather yet. Way too busy.
May just be for home use if the Trace works as I hope.
I'll report back soon.

This is an older post and I didn't see the word "sunbather" anywhere when I did a search. Did you have a chance to test out this pedal, and if so, what did you think of it?

EDIT: I just realized the proper name is Sunnbather, but the question still stands.

 

[D.M.N.]

I was feeling pretty awesome today. Then the codeine wore off.

So which are the desirable Sunn heads? I've seen the Concert Bass head around here a few times for like $300 and I've been tempted but I don't now enough about them.

Funny, searching SUNN threads and I find deathness, DMN & Sartori in most of them.

Yep, I technically admin the Sunn Club in the amps forum. If you're asking me, I'm going to say the valve Sunns. But really that's personal preference, I don't have anything bad to say about the SS heads, I just prefer the valve ones. As far as value, yeah, the valves are going to be held at a higher value, starting with the original '65 Model 60s (smiley logo and top controls), then likely the Coliseum T (prototype Model T built into a 1200s chassis of which I've only seen one), then the Coliseum PA heads (due to the Mountain connection), then the 1000s series heads, then the 60w and 40w. SS would go Coliseum amps, then Orion heads (just due to the rarity), then Concerts and Betas? I think that sounds about right.

 

[Turkeypills]

Sunn valve heads all day. The Betas are cool, but more power and a little more bass would be better. I love the preamp versatility though.

Talking SS, I'd love to have an Coliseum 880 or Concert bass as a backup. I prefer tube though if given a choice.

 

[deathness]

Yeah my concert bass at 8ohms doesnt quite have the heft? presence? meat? meatshake? that the sorado does thru the same 1x15 cab (carvin with an ev speaker that i'm borrowing from a friend). A little shy in the low without cranking the bass knob. That said it does bring a similar overall tone. Def enough to be a credible backup to the sorado. I might sell this concert bass because i want to spend money on a good cab but eventually i'll prolly be in the market to track one down for backup duty.

 

[Korladis]

Yep, I technically admin the Sunn Club in the amps forum. If you're asking me, I'm going to say the valve Sunns. But really that's personal preference, I don't have anything bad to say about the SS heads, I just prefer the valve ones. As far as value, yeah, the valves are going to be held at a higher value, starting with the original '65 Model 60s (smiley logo and top controls), then likely the Coliseum T (prototype Model T built into a 1200s chassis of which I've only seen one), then the Coliseum PA heads (due to the Mountain connection), then the 1000s series heads, then the 60w and 40w. SS would go Coliseum amps, then Orion heads (just due to the rarity), then Concerts and Betas? I think that sounds about right.

I really want a red-knob Model T. But the last one I saw for sale was like $2500 or something else ridiculous.

 

[mpdd]

for those of you not on facebook, the new drone noise co op is called rubber knife and we are playing at AWOL across the street from LA derby girls on friday at 1030, that is all

 

[Korladis]

I come back to find that on the amps forum there's a new round of bullcrap about why tube amps are supposedly on their way out. Ugh.

 

[deathness]

Yeah i dunno what this obsession is with obsolescence. Last week it was mosfet power sections that class d was drumming to the tomb. There's just a lot of groupthink at work. Seems to be the danger of any forum. People echo what they read by their peers rather than their own experiences and research. God forbid you dont want to own a j and/or p and/or j/p bass though.

 

[gfen]

I come back to find that on the amps forum there's a new round of bullcrap about why tube amps are supposedly on their way out. Ugh.

We taking odds on how long 'til you see the next banhammer?

 

[Korladis]

We taking odds on how long 'til you see the next banhammer?

Well, the next one is a permanent one, so I'm trying really hard not to call everyone an idiot.

 

[gfen]

Well, the next one is a permanent one, so I'm trying really hard not to call everyone an idiot.

Consider the investment:

 

[Korladis]

Yeah i dunno what this obsession is with obsolescence. Last week it was mosfet power sections that class d was drumming to the tomb. There's just a lot of groupthink at work. Seems to be the danger of any forum. People echo what they read by their peers rather than their own experiences and research. God forbid you dont want to own a j and/or p and/or j/p bass though.

I think that talkbass tends to skew towards an older population who don't necessarily realize that younger players might have different priorities than they do.

I talked about this in one of my replies on the amps forum. But most of the people in my scene are in their 20s-40s. And most of the time I see big tube amps and old lead sled solid state amps being used at shows I go to. Not saying that no one uses class D, but it's definitely rare. I think a lot of talkbass users are older than that, and don't really get that weight really isn't much of a concern to us. Also back when they were young, there was a lot of emphasis and status in buying things new, which is a cultural attitude that hasn't really translated down to Generations X and Y as much. All my bandmates bought their equipment used. The most extreme example being my drummer, who uses snare drums made in the late 50s. A lot of Talkbass users see old amps as being essentially like old CRT TVS... obsolete. The younger crowd (younger being a relative term here) that populates my real life scene does not see old amps this way.

I think also part of it is dudes on talkbass being in cover bands where everyone is essentially a hired gun and only responsible for their own equipment. It's a different scene than original rock bands and metal bands. Basically everyone I've played with, either in folk/rock or metal, is in a band where gear loading is viewed as a community responsibility. So a heavy bass head is no different from a heavy guitar head. So I think that disconnect is at work as well, with a lot of people on Talkbass assuming that everyone's bands and music scenes work the way theirs do, when that's not actually the case.

 

[gfen]

There's as much a push to own status things for younger people, as older. That's universal.

The difference is those guys re into buying smaller/lighter/techier, where as people who are younger but into the more out there music scenes put emphasis on things like "vintage" and weirdness.

Or, at least that's the general feeling I've gotten. Whether it's pride in using cheap stuff, the look of old gear, or a genuine opinion that tube is better... I mean, people still buy albums and suddenl that's having a resurgence.

And yes, I do understand the theoretical superiority of an analog LP versus a digital CD, but if we're being honest that album's signal probably went through a digital step or two along it's way and any superiority in an album is shot after you run a needle across it a few times.

But, people like what people like, and simply can't accept opinions may differ.

 

[Korladis]

There's as much a push to own status things for younger people, as older. That's universal.

The difference is those guys re into buying smaller/lighter/techier, where as people who are younger but into the more out there music scenes put emphasis on things like "vintage" and weirdness.

Or, at least that's the general feeling I've gotten. Whether it's pride in using cheap stuff, the look of old gear, or a genuine opinion that tube is better... I mean, people still buy albums and suddenl that's having a resurgence.

And yes, I do understand the theoretical superiority of an analog LP versus a digital CD, but if we're being honest that album's signal probably went through a digital step or two along it's way and any superiority in an album is shot after you run a needle across it a few times.

But, people like what people like, and simply can't accept opinions may differ.

Oh certainly, status items are something people of all age groups like.

But I think for the baby boomer generation, there's a certain status lent to something just by it being bought brand new, whereas for the generations after them, there isn't so much.

 

[gfen]

Can't argue that. I can almost see that in the fetishing of pristine basses in NBD and classified ads. I don't even use mine for evil, and they accrue enough dings and marks just being used in the hosue I can't figure out how some of these guy keep 'em fresh.

I like when they come pre-beaten, I don't have to feel bad when I don't notiice smashing into things with them (usually the ceiling with the headstock).

 

[deathness]

Yeah, there is def a generational gap and it does seem to manifest in the cover band vs originals rift... well you cant even call it a rift, it's like trying to carry on a conversation with someone on the other side of the ocean. I have respect for anyone who's kept playing for decades and yeah one day i may want to start an outlaw country band that covers only sabbath songs (called blue grass black sabbath, natch) but i rankle at that subset that insinuates the latest tech automatically sounds better. I really wanted to love the aguilar tone hammer amp. Really really wanted to. Light, simple controls, nice aesthetics. All that is catnip to me. But i played one and hated it. I dont rag people who like em. Just not my thing. (The experience put me off class d. Ive tried a few hither and thither but nothing has changed my mind.) I think a big problem is folks like to say "the best" when they mean "my favorite." I just try to ignore folks like that here and irl.