+1,000,000
Boy, do I regret selling mine! I had a piece of gold and didn't even realize it at the time!lol
I never warmed up to mine.
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That classic tube sound.
- Thread starter Exxcell
- Start date
I never warmed up to mine.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
No more than $400 for an all tube bass amp? Good luck! Enjoy playing through a dinosaur 25 to 50 watt amp??!!
IMHO, although an all tube amp is a MUST for a "Guitard". Solid state has the best sound for bass. Unless if a bassist wants some Jack Bruce type of distortion. Just about all bassists do not want distortion but nice clean rich bass sound. Get a distortion pedal if one wants some dirt.
Even with a big budget, the most powerful all tube bass amp is only about 350 watts and they are God Awful Expensive! Tubes suck! They break (glass!). They are expensive to replace. They very slowly and gradually deteriorate and one is not even aware that their amp is going down hill. Nobody has tube testers anymore for finding faulty tubes so one ends up replacing all the tubes even if only one is bad. Power tubes should be bought in matched sets......expensive! Tube amps are very heavy and they are delicate and thus unreliable. Tubes are not easily found at stores! Untested brand new tubes can sometimes be bad or not even work! Some tubes rattle and the annoying sound can be heard! Some tubes can have audible high frequency squeal (pre-amp tubes).
$400 is a pretty "low ball" limit for an all tube bass amp!
Most all tube bass amps, even of low wattage are "vintage '60s and 70s" and used ones command a hefty price.
Tube amps are most impractical!
IMHO, although an all tube amp is a MUST for a "Guitard". Solid state has the best sound for bass. Unless if a bassist wants some Jack Bruce type of distortion. Just about all bassists do not want distortion but nice clean rich bass sound. Get a distortion pedal if one wants some dirt.
Even with a big budget, the most powerful all tube bass amp is only about 350 watts and they are God Awful Expensive! Tubes suck! They break (glass!). They are expensive to replace. They very slowly and gradually deteriorate and one is not even aware that their amp is going down hill. Nobody has tube testers anymore for finding faulty tubes so one ends up replacing all the tubes even if only one is bad. Power tubes should be bought in matched sets......expensive! Tube amps are very heavy and they are delicate and thus unreliable. Tubes are not easily found at stores! Untested brand new tubes can sometimes be bad or not even work! Some tubes rattle and the annoying sound can be heard! Some tubes can have audible high frequency squeal (pre-amp tubes).
$400 is a pretty "low ball" limit for an all tube bass amp!
Most all tube bass amps, even of low wattage are "vintage '60s and 70s" and used ones command a hefty price.
Tube amps are most impractical!
I forgot to mention that I used to have a Mesa 400+. Made the mistake of buying a new one. HATED IT! Had a GREAT NASAL SOUND! IT'S GONE!
Hey, just look at this head too if you want that good old sound!
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f127/ebs-classic-t90-full-tube-879620/#post12589498
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f127/ebs-classic-t90-full-tube-879620/#post12589498
Bassdude51 pulls up chair next to pedro and also opens a frosty beer and awaits the fun. "Toca tu bajo."
^has obviously never owned any tube amps and is basing his opinions on hearsay.
I have tube amps that have lasted DECADES. With proper biasing a good set of tubes can last years as well.
As far as reapir and maintenance, it is actually more cost effective to repair tube amps over SMT amps. The bench fee is often much less.
As far as "glass tubes make tube amps more delicate". Any abuse that would cause the glass tubes to break in a tube amp would render a solid state amp unusable as well.
oh and on the price thing.
My tube amps;
Mesa Bass 400 $550
Traynor YBA1a $250
Traynor YGL3 $400
Traynor YBA3 $420
Ya, you obviously have never owned a tube amp in your life. I'd reply seriously, but you post is obviously just attention seeking.
Bassdude51 is 60 years old and remembers the "good old days" back in the 50s and 60s of going with dad to the hardware store to get all of the tubes from our TV checked! It was always a wonderful father and son "bonding experience"! I learned a lot about tubes from dad!
Bassdude51 is very aware of tubes and tubes amps. He used to have a Dynaco 35 watt x 35 watt stereo all tube power amp back in the late 60s.
Bassdude51 used to have a 1965 Fender Bassman 50 watt 2-12 amp and cab (it was a better guitar rig than bass!). A late 70s all tube Fender Bassman with 4 -10s. And finally a brand new Mesa 400+ all tube amp (12-6L6s!) that after 5 years of trying to convince myself that it was me and not the amp that didn't sound good. An expensive mistake for a bass amp!
Bassdude51 is not saying don't get a tube bass amp. He not saying solid state is better or tubes are better or one or the other is better or best or bad or wrong.
I'm saying that tubes are a hassel! But, if I played the guitar, I would use nothing else but only a tube amp! Bassists can do better!
Whether if someone likes tube amps or solid state or stand-up basses or P Basses, Jazz Basses, Stringrays, Gibsons or flatwounds or roundwounds or 10 inch speakers or 18 inch speakers or whatever kind of bass stuff. It's a good thing!
maybe not your thing but lots of folks here love tube amps. I go both ways... depends on the band/gig wether i go SS or tube although most of my SS are sort of hybrid with atube or more in the preamp.
love my 2 fliptops... IMHO the ampeg V4B was the best sounding bass amp i ever had, liked it much better than my SVT but didn't have enough power at times.
love my 2 fliptops... IMHO the ampeg V4B was the best sounding bass amp i ever had, liked it much better than my SVT but didn't have enough power at times.
I've tried many different solid state and hybrid amps. I've played around with amp modeling pods and IMO and IME nothing compares to a B15 in a side by side comparison. A Pod and/or solid state or hybrid may fool ya on it's own but when you A/B them it's not really that close, IMO.
YMMV.
YMMV.
Honestly in all my years back in the 60-70's playing mostly tube amps the only hassle I've encountered about tube amps is the weight.
I never got to get my hands on one of those but I have a B100R. most people think it sounds "tubey"
I just got an Ashdown Touring 330 2X10 with 2 of those tubes in the preamp and its the only amp I have tried lately that I like the sound of compared to my B100R
LOL.......Honestly!
Sometimes for low volume bass playing, I use a 1 watt Smokey amp. Runs on a 9 volt and has a 2 inch speaker! Normally used for guitar but can be used for bass if volume is kept low.
Nothing wrong with low watts, mate!
Somebody is selling an Ampeg SVT 7-PRO for $675 NIB in the classifieds. It will get you 99.9% of the way there. Read John K's mega-thread on the amp. I have one and it has stone cold killer tube sound.
