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Tech 21 VT Bass 200 Combo Amp!

#101
I am looking at the VT200 Combo for my bass player wife. It seems like the perfect amp for her ( I maybe able to get her to carry her own equipment). I am waiting for more reviews to show up and possibly a price drop along with a matching cabinet. The VT112 bass ext cab that is currently available is slightly larger 20x17.5x15 where the vt200 combo is 17.5x17.5x14, the cost is the same $499, and the ext cab(38 lbs) is 10lbs heavier than the combo ( 28lbs) but they said a matching cab is coming later in the year.
I am not worried about 140 watts not being loud enough cause right now she uses a previous generation Fender Rumble 115 (the one with wheels and the red light) which is 100 watts and has never been over 5 , if that, on the volume knob. Remember, the secret to getting lotsa gigs is to play at a volume where people can still talk in a bar, with all the modeling technology available you can get awesome cranked tones at low volume!
 
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#102
I want one of these, but I don't need it.

I have a Tech 21 Landmark 120. It's great. It's plenty loud. I've never played it with the volume above 12:00. I've used it at loud rock'n'roll bar gigs, and it's plenty loud. In fact, it was too loud (that guy shoulda said something DURING the gig, not after). I've used it at gigs at larger clubs, and DI'ed to the PA, and got compliments on the sound. With a decent PA, a huge amp isn't really necessary (unless your band's sound requires it, I suppose).
 
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#103
ratiug said:
I am looking at the VT200 Combo for my bass player wife. It seems like the perfect amp for her ( I maybe able to get her to carry her own equipment). I am waiting for more reviews to show up and possibly a price drop along with a matching cabinet. The VT112 bass ext cab that is currently available is slightly larger 20x17.5x15 where the vt200 combo is 17.5x17.5x14, the cost is the same $499, and the ext cab(38 lbs) is 10lbs heavier than the combo ( 28lbs) but they said a matching cab is coming later in the year.
I am not worried about 140 watts not being loud enough cause right now she uses a previous generation Fender Rumble 115 (the one with wheels and the red light) which is 100 watts and has never been over 5 , if that, on the volume knob. Remember, the secret to getting lotsa gigs is to play at a volume where people can still talk in a bar, with all the modeling technology available you can get awesome cranked tones at low volume!
Click to expand...

People may look at you funny when they see your wife carrying this amp, but only because they can't see how light it is! I have this amp. The variety and quality of tones is fantastic. I can't speak to the volume because thus far I've only been practicing with it at low volume. But it sounds great and if it turns out I need more volume, they should be coming out with the matching speaker soon.
 
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#104
I have this amp. I'm a big fan of SansAmps, and this is a very nice combo. My quick review:

Normally the first thing I do with a new amp is struggle with the knobs trying to find "my" tone. The VT Bass 200 sounded so good with everything at noon that I just started happily noodling for 15 minutes before it even occured to me to try other tones.

They're not kidding when they say the controls are very sensitive. I never went beyond 9:00 or 3:00 on any knob, and every combination within that range was useful. Once I set the low/mid/high knobs to taste, the character knob was the only one I needed to adjust to get very different sounds.

Playing a Fender Geddy Lee with La Bella low tension flats, my favorite setting was bite on, drive 10:00, character shift off, character 12:00, low 12:00, mid shift off, mid 1:00, high 10:00. If I wanted a more vintagey sound, all I had to do was turn off the bite switch.

I haven't had a chance to crank the volume, but the cabinet looks like it would throw a lot of sound for a single 12" driver. It's nearly an 18" cube with two huge ports in the back. (I could almost fit my fist in them!) My previous favorite combo was the tiny, sealed Carvin MB15 which was definitely inadequate for band practice without the extension cab. I expect the VT Bass 200 will perform about as well as a Rumble 100 or maybe 200, which were both adequate for my live use (garage rock/new wave on crowded stages). This is all speculation of course.

Minor/picky complaints: It's not wedge/monitor shaped. The controls are on the top rear edge. The grille cloth is not easily removable. The knobs don't have the same satisfying resistance as the pedal versions. No mute switch (though the user manual offers a not-so-useful workaround involving the effects loop and a dummy 1/4" jack).

Overall, I love it. Mine is getting sent back due to a faulty headphone jack, and now I'm struggling to decide between a replacement VT Bass 200 or a VT Bass Deluxe. I previously owned a Bass Driver Deluxe and loved the ability to quickly switch between tones.

EDIT: grammar & spelling
 
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#106
SJan3 said:
Not really a direct comparison. The Markbass has way more power @ 500watts vs 200 and the Markbass driver is rated at 400 watts. Having said this, the Tech 21 combo looks to be priced right for its specs.
Click to expand...
Markbass also went to cheaper drivers which reportedly aren't up to the same limits as the old B+C drivers. This could make the added power moot while making the additional dollars not well spent. A really good 12" cab that can handle 300w will cost you 500/600 bucks or more. Even if you drop a Bugera Veyron on it, you're up to a grand.
 
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#107
Decided to skip the VT Bass option entirely for now, since I've fallen in love with a Zoom B3n. I still give the VT Bass 200 4.5 stars though, and I will surely return to SansAmps when I inevitably get tired of all the knob-twiddling on the Zoom. (Years of lurking has honed my GAS self-awareness to a fine point)
 
#109
kringle77 said:
Ive been hoping they would give the option of moving the center frequency of the character control...
Click to expand...

I'm a little surprised that tech21 designers didn't use the paraDI parametric midrange feature. For upright, parametric mids are really valuable, and given the combo has a 4.7 mega ohm impedance, it is clearly design to be upright/peizo pickup friendly.

I suppose looking at the price helps to explain that. $499 is darn good—and there are a lot of student friendly features.
 
#110
IMG_20181004_205456.jpg


After did serious compare with ampeg micro SVT, I bought this baby today.
 
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#112
Hey all, I'm considering picking up one of these. I'm wondering about using the DI out when in an environment with a PA/sound engineer. (A critical issue during a pandemic, I know. :D)

I don't see any sort of preamp bypass, so I assume the DI out will include all the tone shaping and EQ settings on the amp. Will the sound engineer be able to work with the post DI, or are they likely to bypass it? I assume I will not change the settings on the amp once it's set up, though I will occasionally adjust the tone via other means (e.g. dial down the tone knob, change finger style, EQ/chorus pedal etc).
 
#117
LeonD said:
Thanks for the reply.

That's unfortunate though. It means if I use the amp as an on stage monitor and adjust my volume, I affect the volume going to the house. That'd be a dealbreaker for me.
Click to expand...

When I play lead guitar my amps are mic'd. What do you think happens when I turn up? That's what the sound tech is for. Chances are if you turn up so will everyone else... Just sayin';)
 
#118
That'd definitely work with a competent sound person.

Where I've been playing lately, there's no sound person. And the board is half way across the room. After the thirty second sound check, it takes an act of god to get someone to go to the board.

I guess I don't know what the advantage is to having the master volume affect the DI. Especially if there's a pad on the DI.

(For the record, I'm not trying a pick a fight here. I really like Tech 21. I've had at least one piece of your gear in my gear bag since the GT2 was first released. I just don't understand the advantage of the current configuration.)
 
#119
Our amps are different than most bass amps. We are emulating the sound of a vintage tube amp. Pre-amp, power-amp and speaker emulation. The concept is for the sound of the XLR output to be what's coming out of your speaker. Because the VT has a Drive control, it needs to be balanced with a level control. It's the way most of our amps have always worked.
 
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#120
tech21nyc said:
Our amps are different than most bass amps. We are emulating the sound of a vintage tube amp. Pre-amp, power-amp and speaker emulation. The concept is for the sound of the XLR output to be what's coming out of your speaker. Because the VT has a Drive control, it needs to be balanced with a level control. It's the way most of our amps have always worked.
Click to expand...

There's no reason why there couldn't be a level to compensate for drive and then a master for the power amp though.

As that's how every amp with a SansAmp in front of it operates.
 

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