I hear ya. But this coming from an old guy who said up until 2 years ago he would never stop lugging around his SVTs...fast forward to today...plenty of acceptable alternatives out there in smaller packages. VT bass into most any head into a bag end s15d will make you happy with your scaled down group. Just cause youre young and spry doesnt mean youre gonna be better off carrying around heavy tube gear. At least keep yourself open to considering all the great alternatives available.
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That classic tube sound.
- Thread starter Exxcell
- Start date
I hear ya. But this coming from an old guy who said up until 2 years ago he would never stop lugging around his SVTs...fast forward to today...plenty of acceptable alternatives out there in smaller packages. VT bass into most any head into a bag end s15d will make you happy with your scaled down group. Just cause youre young and spry doesnt mean youre gonna be better off carrying around heavy tube gear. At least keep yourself open to considering all the great alternatives available.
Luckydog makes a good comment!
One last comment before I get a brick thrown through the window.
I subscribe to Stereophile Magazine (so what?). I like to stay up will all the latest stereo gear. (He stills has a turntable and Lps!)
It is a fact............tube amplification is the BEST! Even in today's modern world with unbelievable electronic gear and ICs and you name it.............good old fashioned tubes are still the best for reproducing High Fidelity! I see over and over again Stereo Tube Amps are rated the Best for Stereo Reproduction! No 2 ways about it! Of course, we are talking amps that sell for $5 K to $20 K for a mono block (means one has to buy 2 for stereo!) But tube amps are the best! The best for Stereo reproduction, best for guitar amps and the best for bass amps too.
Story over!
We already know what's out there for bass amplification. We know the dollar amounts and all of the pros and cons of SS and Tube amps.
"I'm done!"
I've tried to make it with the small stuff, and I actually do like the small stuff a lot. I give it a lot of respect...for the little amount of money micros cost these days, they can darn sure sound tubey, and I have a need for it on a handful of my gigs. But there's just that little something missing, so I'm back on the tubes unless logistics dictate the smallest rig possible. I'll darn sure use light cabs, though!
I would PREFER to use lighter solidstate gear. It just sounds awful to my ears.
And no I won't be referring to myself in the third person to justify that opinion. Nor will I front on my subscription to Tape Op magazine to prove that I know what I am talking about.
And no I won't be referring to myself in the third person to justify that opinion. Nor will I front on my subscription to Tape Op magazine to prove that I know what I am talking about.
Well if my back could take it and/or I had PA support I'd do the same but such isn't the case. Not that it matters but I sincerely doubt any in the audience except perhaps another bass player is gonna notice the difference.
Just George
Fingers on 4 Flatwounds
- Dec 29, 2008
- 412
- 413
- Disclosures
- Artist Relationship: Wilkins-Ampeg-La Bella
+1,000,000....I used these All-Tube amps for many, many years in countless Concerts, Clubs and studios in the U.S., Europe and Canada.
'60 Fender Concert....Zero problems.
'64 Fender Bassman....Zero problems.
'66 Fender Dual Showman....Zero problems.
'68 Sunn 200S....Zero problems.
'70 Ampeg SVT....Zero problems.
'71 Ampeg Portaflex B15S.....Zero problems.
'06 Ampeg V4BH.....Zero problems.
All these amps had the great all tube tone & "push" that I love, especially the Sunn & Ampeg amps
....The only downside was the weight.
Giorgetto
I don't care if the audience notices the difference. I will, and that matters to me. Getting the sound I love makes me more enthusiastic about playing, which makes me play better and be able to get more into it. I guess that makes it worth hauling a rig that altogether is over 200 pounds, ha ha.
I use an Ampeg PF500 (you could go with a PF350 as well) and put an Electro Harmonix Black Finger pedal in front of it. The result is incredible. The EH black finger is a tube compression pedal that has 2x 12ax7 @ 300v. One of them is used as a pre amp and the other is part of the compression circuit. It colors the sound in the most beautiful way, opening it up and adding plenty of warmth & harmonics. You can also dial in some tube compression to your liking and adjust the pre & post gain to get some tube grit. Winner & non expensive solution that sounds way more organic than any other digital tube emulation solutions. You could get the EH BFinger with either PF350 or 500 for 450-550$ brand new. If your patient you can look for second hand offerings.
Ya, the delicate nature of tube amps is vastly overrated. They really just take a little extra care vs solid state. Now and then you might have to replace a tube or a couple caps, but there's nothing inherent in the design that makes them more prone to breakage than SS amps as long as you use reasonable care.
Yeah. For me, in the last month:
100w Pignose B100V like new $255
100w AIMS PA head, great orig tubes $125
100w AIMS PA head, great tubes $281
With those 2 last 4-channel jobs, eventually I'll go nuts on chaining and "stereo."
Another suggestion: Traynor YBA-200 800$ new or about 500$ second hand. Swap the pre-amp 12ax7s for a pair of 12at7s (unless you like your sound rather gritty) and bingo. The tube swap will cost you about 40 bucks. Use a high SPL cab that is not too boomy and voila. I have this rig and it sounds beautiful. This is one of the lightest tube amp on the market at about 42 pounds.
Nice amp but he needs to get in for under 450.
If he had 800 bones, he'd also be looking at a nice used 400+ or SVT or YBA300.
I think I paid 500 for my Buster head, so add that to the YBA200 used price class.
Seems it's 800 for 300 tube watts, 500 for 200 tube watts, and 250 for 100 tube watts.
If he had 800 bones, he'd also be looking at a nice used 400+ or SVT or YBA300.
I think I paid 500 for my Buster head, so add that to the YBA200 used price class.
Seems it's 800 for 300 tube watts, 500 for 200 tube watts, and 250 for 100 tube watts.
pedro said:
I think he's referring to eBay.
Im going to have to do a lot of research this week.
And $450 is about the highest I can go, I might be able to do $500 but that's it. These $800-$900 amp suggestions aren't helping, they're just making me wish I had more money to spend. :/
I'd like to speak in favor of the Peavey VB-2 . . . I'm not sure it's the right thing for your gig, but if an SVT will work, I don't see why not. It's got 225 watts and two channels, it can be very loud but it's also controllable IMO, and if you're looking for the tube sound, then it's plenty versatile. It's also got the impedance switch so you can run whatever cab configuration you need, and a nice DI with gold-plated connectors, a level knob, and a switch to send signal pre- or post-eq. I got ahold of mine for $400 with all the original materials and two speaker cables thrown in.
Either way, good luck with your search!
Either way, good luck with your search!
Well, I can't.
I never have more fun playing bass but when I play through my 50 watt tube amp into two 112" cabs.Amp: ~ 25 lb
Cabs: ~ 35 lb each
No hassle. Big fun.
