SWR PB-200 - undervalued?

[Silverface]

Leading a double-life (also living in the Tele B-bender world) I've always been baffled by some bass equipment values (especially amps) compared to 6-string items. It seems like first-iteration, revolutionary (for the time) bass amps are reallly undervaued and great buys, while similar 6-string gadget prices go through the roof.

The SWR PB-200 is a prime example. It's still a practical, light, great sounding bass amp for smaller rooms (or larger ones just tapping the direct-inject signal into the board), was the first amp Steve Rabe made under th SWR badge - yet they seem to sell for under $200. Yet find a Mesa Boogie first-generation amp and you'll trade your car for it. And I don't think I've ever read a bad comment about the PB-200 anywhere (you couldn't pry mine out of my hands - I've been through a ton of rack gear and misc. amps over the years but my two "keepers" have always been my PB-200 and original Baby Blue).

Side benefit - it makes one hell of a pedal steel amp with the right cab!

It's puzzling. I'll venture a guess that a higher percentage of bass players focus on newer equipment, while 6-stringers are thinking "vintage" - I just know the PB-200 prices amaze me (and for anyone who's never played one or the slightly-newer Studio 220, just buy one and "listen" - you won't be sorry).

I just missed a PB-200 yeserday on fleabay - I would have bought it and run two in stereo. Heck, you could run 3 into a 1x15, 2x10 and 1x12 cabinet each and have a heck of a tri-amp setup for peanuts - the CAINETS would cost more than the heads!

 

[megadan]

Older solid state amps, except for GK's, some Acoustics, and a few Sunns, aren't as valued to bass players because our needs have been seen to have increased.
Old tube guitar amps are still as loud as they were back then, but old SS bass gear (minus the above mentioned) are pretty low rated, and bassist now want hundreds of watts to give them 'headroom' and 'low end extension,' and clean power to push new clean boutique cabinets. A lot of old SS amps could get loud, but got dirty doing it, and the SS dirt sound is, while more desirable than to guitarists(!), still not a hugely popular sound outside of, again, GK and a select few others.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

+1 to the underpowered comment. I used to run a PB-200 into a Boogie 210 and that rig was OK for small stages. I once tried to run a friend's GK 410 along with my Boogie on a big stage for extra oomph, and to say the SWR wasn't up to the task would be a complete understatement. But if you don't need massive volume (or midrange ) the PB-200 is still a decent amp.