The Combo Club

[GonePlaid]

It's said the VT Bass does a pretty good job of adding making Ampeg tones with anything it's plugged into. Getting closer to figuring out mine now that I have a better understanding of how it works. The setting I use most is modified "Flip Top". Drive and Character settings for the B-15, with a (sort-of) flat EQ gives me a pretty workable tone. And the cab sim also functions as a LPF. Since the VTBD is also a DI it means I can go ampless (and have, and likely will again).

What isn't in the VT Bass are models for all the other cool amp and cab combos ....

I have no idea if this thing is still made but it does a shipload of amps, cabs and efx. And it's small(5.5x3x1.5 inches). When I use(d)it, I'd EQ whatever amp 'flat' and let the box provide the tone. I guess you can go direct with it, I never have. Takes 2 AA's or a power plug.

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[GonePlaid]

So I have recently become a big fan of old Peavey amps after picking up an old TNT 150 a couple months ago. I am on the hunt for more but the ones I have found are at least an hour away. Was hoping some of you Peavey Guys/girls could give me some input on any of these potentials I am looking at. Before it comes up weight is not an issue for me lol.

Option 1 - Combo 300

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Option 2 - Mark III series

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Option 3 - Not a combo but I have my eye on it... Series 400 head

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I'm not close to you and weight is an issue but I used this KB 300 "keyboard" amp for bass for years. 3 separate channels with volume, gain, bass, mid, treble and reverb on each channel plus master volume and master reverb level. Weighs slightly less than the van I carry it in. If you find one, it's worth checking out.

 

[Count Bassie]

I'm not close to you and weight is an issue but I used this KB 300 "keyboard" amp for bass for years. 3 separate channels with volume, gain, bass, mid, treble and reverb on each channel plus master volume and master reverb level. Weighs slightly less than the van I carry it in. If you find one, it's worth checking out.
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The combo 300 is a good amp. All of them are built like iron boxes, sound good.

 

[BlacknWhite]

I'm not close to you and weight is an issue but I used this KB 300 "keyboard" amp for bass for years. 3 separate channels with volume, gain, bass, mid, treble and reverb on each channel plus master volume and master reverb level. Weighs slightly less than the van I carry it in. If you find one, it's worth checking out.
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That thing must be a beast. I was blown away by the TNT 150's volume I can just Imagine how loud that 300 watt one is!

 

[GonePlaid]

I'm not close to you and weight is an issue but I used this KB 300 "keyboard" amp for bass for years. 3 separate channels with volume, gain, bass, mid, treble and reverb on each channel plus master volume and master reverb level. Weighs slightly less than the van I carry it in. If you find one, it's worth checking out.
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AFA I remember, I think it's 3ch @ 100W/channel(?). I know it's capable of being loud. I used to have my bass in one channel and my POS keyboard (piano and left hand bass section) in another. I rarely played both at once.

 

[BlacknWhite]

AFA I remember, I think it's 3ch @ 100W/channel(?). I know it's capable of being loud. I used to have my bass in one channel and my POS keyboard (piano and left hand bass section) in another. I rarely played both at once.

Yeah that makes more sense I didn't put the 3 channels into account. I would definitely check one out if I saw one up for grabs.

 

[mr zee]

I'm not close to you and weight is an issue but I used this KB 300 "keyboard" amp for bass for years. 3 separate channels with volume, gain, bass, mid, treble and reverb on each channel plus master volume and master reverb level. Weighs slightly less than the van I carry it in. If you find one, it's worth checking out.
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What a nice big beastie.

 

[GonePlaid]

What a nice big beastie.

Yup. I put wheels on it(OK, under it)but it's still a bear to move-and lift.

 

[Flamingo21]

MarkBass Jeff Berlin Players School combo.
1x15", 250W@4ohms, so approx 150W@8ohms
Fender P (Japan 2017)
Harley Benton strap. Thick, wide (4") and cheap.

Happy bassist

 

[mr zee]

Yup. I put wheels on it(OK, under it)but it's still a bear to move-and lift.

Know where you're coming from, my Ashdown evo 300 needs an under carriage too.

 

[Ric Vice]

I may have posted this before, but there was a time when most smaller amps were combo amplifiers. So imagine this, a 2x15 refrigerator sized combo amplifier.
The poor man's V4B otherwise, known as the Kasino 200, which barely fit in the rear seat of my 1964 Chevrolet Impala. You had to open both rear doors, tip
the top of the cabinet sideways onto the edge of the seat corner, and push with all your might. One time it shot out the other side of the car onto the ground and
yes it had a slp cover that doubled as a raincoat.

 

[GonePlaid]

I may have posted this before, but there was a time when most smaller amps were combo amplifiers. So imagine this, a 2x15 refrigerator sized combo amplifier.
The poor man's V4B otherwise, known as the Kasino 200, which barely fit in the rear seat of my 1964 Chevrolet Impala. You had to open both rear doors, tip
the top of the cabinet sideways onto the edge of the seat corner, and push with all your might. One time it shot out the other side of the car onto the ground and
yes it had a slp cover that doubled as a raincoat.


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Yup. I still have mine, it still works and it has become my practice amp b/c I'm not grunting it into the van any more.

 

[mr zee]

Yup. I still have mine, it still works and it has become my practice amp b/c I'm not grunting it into the van any more.
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Oooooooh, an even bigger beastie.

 

[GonePlaid]

Oooooooh, an even bigger beastie.

I have no idea what it weighs. I'd hafta take it to a commercial scale. Lessee-load in van, unload at scale, lift onto scale, load back in van, unload at house. OR, guesstimate:too ____ heavy.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Outstanding, Fearless Leader!

Yes, a bad dress rehearsal ensures a great show! Goes along with the saying, "Break a leg!" Kind of a reverse-psychological Murphy's Law.

Love the "Bowl of Super" pep talk! Also, reverse-psychological. The stinking is all over at that point!

I assume the junior black belt and holders were all students? I would never doubt a jr. BB, but who aspires to be a good holder?? Put the grain running the wrong way and it's, "Hello, ER!"

And nothing says Grand Finale like a stage full of people, especially young people, jumping around to music(?) of any kind.

Congrats, Mike. No wonder the shows you produce in The Combo Clubhouse venues are so popular. You've got a flare for it!
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Thank you very, Sir Dog. Yeah, the BB was one of our fifth graders. No ringers in this production. Our basketball three-point shooter, who had to shoot eight threes in one minute (and fell short), was a fourth grader. While it sounds young, he looks like a sixth or seventh grader back when I was a kid. Our music teacher and I were the only adults who performed and we pretty much act like kids anyway.

As for those sterling club productions you mentioned, I seem to remember one G'Dog faking sickness last month during my passionate production of, "The Bass: Can it be Played Upside Down?" Ah, you're forgiven though. Just make sure you're sitting in the front row for "The Life and Times of Phil Jones' Hairdresser." I predict that'll earn me a Golden Combo award next spring.

 

[mr zee]

I have no idea what it weighs. I'd hafta take it to a commercial scale. Lessee-load in van, unload at scale, lift onto scale, load back in van, unload at house. OR, guesstimate:too ____ heavy.

Just weighed my ashdown on bathroom scales, weighs in at 7stone, approx 98lb or 45kg.

 

[iagtrplyr]

iagtrplyr: "After school, I packed up all my gear and loaded up the SUV. No roadies, no autographs."

Congratulations Mike that it went over so well. Great write-up of the whole occasion, although I had to have a pee break half way through.
Please sir can I get your autograph.

Thank you, kind sir. That is why, my friend, I tossed the intermission in after the 45-minute mark. Autograph? I'm hardly worth it. The kids were the stars on Friday; I just gave them the vehicle to do it. I did receive a wonderful note from the band's lead singer, who's also one of my homeroom peeps. That alone is enough for me. Of course, being able to narrate the day's event online to a bunch of wonderful people who are like yesteryear's next door neighbors is a pretty nice perk. Thanks to all for reading and/or responding!

 

[iagtrplyr]

It's said the VT Bass does a pretty good job of adding making Ampeg tones with anything it's plugged into. Getting closer to figuring out mine now that I have a better understanding of how it works. The setting I use most is modified "Flip Top". Drive and Character settings for the B-15, with a (sort-of) flat EQ gives me a pretty workable tone. And the cab sim also functions as a LPF. Since the VTBD is also a DI it means I can go ampless (and have, and likely will again).

What isn't in the VT Bass are models for all the other cool amp and cab combos ....

+1000! Don't you wish Tech 21 would begin a series of pedals that do what they do for the Ampeg legacy? I totally agree with you, M. I loved anywhere from the Fliptop (noon) to the Fat Tube (I think it was around 9 or 10:00), and felt it gave added flavor to whatever 'Peg I happened to have at the time.

Thinking about it, right now I'm Ampeg-less and it's the first time in years that I'm in this situation. It's weird because no matter whatever else I'm playing through there was always a B-series or Portaflex amp waiting patiently to be played. Hey M, my birthday is in 11 days and there's a BA108 v2 in my Amazon cart. Just sayin...

 

[Count Bassie]

I may have posted this before, but there was a time when most smaller amps were combo amplifiers. So imagine this, a 2x15 refrigerator sized combo amplifier.
The poor man's V4B otherwise, known as the Kasino 200, which barely fit in the rear seat of my 1964 Chevrolet Impala. You had to open both rear doors, tip
the top of the cabinet sideways onto the edge of the seat corner, and push with all your might. One time it shot out the other side of the car onto the ground and
yes it had a slp cover that doubled as a raincoat.


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I like the big combos, had a Kustom 310 until it proved too big to handle in/out of the house. Also it wasn't my fav amp after all.
Bill Fitzmaurice has a design I bought the plans for and have never built... money and time. But I want to build an airhead version and drop my Trace AH250SMX into it.
Either that, or a 310 cab w/airhead slot. Time. Money. They are not only interchangeable, they are, for now, out of reach.
Things change... watch this space...

 

[iagtrplyr]

Well, since "Rockin' 'Peg" is the default on my ol' trusty B-DEC, and it sounds similar to some the Studio presets using that amp, I tend to search out other presets. Besides those I mentioned previously, I really like "Three Days" as it puts me in a Woodstock kinda mood. I also like to mess around with the Octobot and Synth effects for some wildly different sounds. Which reminds me, "Twelve String" is really fun, and usable! It sounds a lot like that setting on my Variax bass, which I probably over-used in my country cover band. And others I can't recall just now are fun, too.

But, it seems the punchy attack, even without a pick(!), and the nicely blooming decay (with sustain!) of "Deep Rumble" keeps pulling me back! Its quite a soothing simple sound to the ear, but complex to describe. Ye olde Black Box Principle!
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Great reply. Yeah, 12-string sounds cool. A totally different vibe on a bass. The synth stuff scares the heck out of me, but I haven't put enough time to find something that would be funky enough to work. Everything's loud and swirling all around me with headphones on. I do like the shimmer effect. There's so much to mess with I may have to retire early just to get to all of them.

Last night I cleared my show presets (my OCD was at DEFCON 1) and decided to give the Jazz the weekend off and pulled out the Beatle bass, which I literally haven't played for an hour since picking it up a few months ago. I think I mentioned a bit ago that this bass was built by someone happy because it's got mojo and a lot of it. Besides being able to alter the tone enough not to be a one-trick pony, I can't stop listening to it. It fits my hands better than any other short-scaler I've previously owned, plays too easily, and copped Paul's sound perfectly as I went through my fave Beatles tunes.

My amp model? It sounded best through my Stage 800 using the incredibly simple Basic Tube Preamp. I messed with the tone controls a bit, but basically left it alone. No speaker emulation, with only a little room verb and compression. I have more experimenting to do, but I think this hollow body is going to be my summer choice of instrument. Plus, being only six lbs doesn't hurt either!

Anyone else with either the Studio or Stage (or the new LT25) amps are welcome to join the discussion in telling us the settings you like and are using at home or on the road. I know Ghosty has mentioned his likes. 'Dog, I'm gonna give your Deep Rumbler a listen too.