The Official Reeves Bass Amp Thread

[adivin]

I am seriously considering shelling out the cash for a Reeves 225. My only concern is whether the amp will be loud enough for my needs. My tone concept is pretty clean with lots of headroom (as opposed to preamp cranked overdriven tone). I know that published specs are pretty meaningless, so I wonder if anyone has ever compared the Reeves 225 to a good old SVT for volume purposes. Also, I currently have a Mesa Boogie Strategy (which I love) and an mPulse 600 (which I also love). Can anyone compare the Reeves to either of those (again, for volume purposes). Lastly, can anyone compare the Reeves to either the Strategy or Prodigy as far as tone goes?

If it matters for your advice and comments, I play in a medium-loud bar band. I don't usually run through the PA, and I've got to keep up with 2 guitar players... one Marshall 5 watt, and one Fender Twin.

Thanks!

I think cabinet choice is a big part of volume. The Reeves is plenty loud with a 410 or efficient 212. What cab will you use?

 

[s_wood]

I think cabinet choice is a big part of volume. The Reeves is plenty loud with a 410 or efficient 212. What cab will you use?

Thanks for your reply. In most situations I use a single 8 ohm fEarful 15/6/1.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Thanks for your reply. In most situations I use a single 8 ohm fEarful 15/6/1.

Then the SVT is out of the equation.

 

[s_wood]

Then the SVT is out of the equation.

Thanks... but do you think the Reeves will be loud enough?

 

[Jeff Scott]

I am saving up to buy a Reeves; I plan to name it George.

 

[azwhofan]

I use a Fender Super Bassman 300 with a Fearless 115 (8 ohms). It does the job and keeps up with my King Kong drummer on his stadium level DW kit. So I would say yes. But if I had my druthers I would be using a 2nd cab with the SB 300 running at 4 ohms. YMMV.
I find stage acoustics play a big part on how I perceive my sound. I need to be more than 4 feet in front of my cab to get an accurate picture of what's going on outside of the confines of the stage. A long winded way of saying the SB 300/F115 rig does the job for me.

 

[edbass]

The C225 is plenty loud enough; whole bunch of headroom and stays clean further up the knob than an SVT. A Fender twin can sterilize small animals at 50' if it's tweaked right, and for those in close proximity and in the line of fire it has the capability of drowning out pretty much anything if its wound up, but I'm assuming your Twin playing guitarist is "playing nice" with the Marshall player.
Not sure if your whatchamacallit cab is enough, I'm not familiar with it and am not a fan of passive crossovers in a MI cab in general. I use a 2X15 with a C225 and also usually run without PA support in medium/large bar venues, play clean and rarely ever hit halfway on the master volume or preamp knobs.

 

[s_wood]

A Fender twin can sterilize small animals at 50' if it's tweaked right, and for those in close proximity and in the line of fire it has the capability of drowning out pretty much anything if its wound up.

Ain't that the truth! When the guy first rolled up at a gig with that thing (he didn't use it in rehearsal) and a Tele I wanted to run and hide Luckily he knows how to play in a band. And thanks for the reply... that's exactly the input I need!

 

[Coolhandjjl]

fEARful and FEARLESS cabs are highly efficient, meaning they yield higher SPLs (or dB's) per watt than many commercially available cabs. I have a fEARful 15/6, and its output can match and beat most 410's on the market.

 

[GregC]

fEARful and FEARLESS cabs are highly efficient, meaning they yield higher SPLs (or dB's) per watt than many commercially available cabs. I have a fEARful 15/6, and its output can match and beat most 410's on the market.

My impression of the Fearful cabs is that they are not on the higher end of the efficiency spectrum. Rather, their advantage over most commercial cabs is that they can take a lot of watts, and thus their max volume is louder than that of most 410s.

Here's a bit from Greenboy's site (second emphasis added by me):

• A 15/6 is as loud as most 310 cabs with one watt input, and more extended in response. With a lot of watts it can get as loud or louder than a 610 driven to its limits, and will sound fuller and more responsive while doing it.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the Reeves 225's output fits the definition of "a lot of watts" in this context. Seems like a lot of Fearful users run 500+ watts. Maybe this combo would be loud enough, maybe not.

 

[Eidolon0274]

Hey Reeves guys....I'm stuck between an ampeg heritage SVT and a reeves 225/400. I like more clean than dirty, running through and ampeg 810 sometimes and more often than not a 410. The svt cl I have breaks up too soon to get real punchy with the 410, would the 225 stay cleaner longer or would the 400 be a better be? Either amp would come out a couple of times a year for any "big venue high profile" gigs.

I like the ampeg clean tone, and I'm aware that the reeves may sound slightly different. It's the tube sound I'm after overall.

 

[Laklandfan]

I looked on Hiwatt's website and they list the DR405 as available. Are the DR405 and the Reeves 400 the same schematic? I'm curious what the differences are.

 

[Laklandfan]

Hey Reeves guys....I'm stuck between an ampeg heritage SVT and a reeves 225/400.

I'm in the same place, but there's no way unfortunately for me to A/B them.

 

[spiritbass]

Sorry, I have no input to give. I've never owned an SVT. I use my 225 in conjunction with a MAS 110 Flex to fill a small church sanctuary - not concert volume.

 

[s_wood]

Hey Reeves guys....I'm stuck between an ampeg heritage SVT and a reeves 225/400

I've got a brand-new 225 on the way, and if UPS does what it's supposed to I will have it in time for a medium-sized club gig on Dec. 5. I'll give you a gig report afterwards. I'm not an SVT guy, but near as I can tell the 225 is much more about a cleaner tone and headroom than the grind of an SVT.

As far as volume goes, I often gig with a Mesa Strategy running at half power, which produces a roughly equivalent output to the 225. The Strategy at half power isplenty loud for a gig in a medium-sized club gig with no FOH support - I never have the master past noon. I can't imagine the need for a 400 unless your band is really, really loud.

 

[FFTT]

I don't think the new SVT's are near as robust as even my '73 Blackline Magnavox SVT Head.

Nothing hard soldered in place, using automotive style clip on connectors, tubes mounted in PCB, proprietary
machine built thin board. I loved my old SVT, but I really don't have any faith in the new ones
"Assembled In USA" from pre-manufactured sub assemblies.

It was weighed
It was measured
and It was found wanting.

The Reeves sounds better and is absolutely built better.

 

[FFTT]

The 225 is 25 pounds lighter than an SVT head, but sounds richer.
I like the warmer cleans of KT88's over cooler 6550's

The 225 is adapted from the Hiwatt DR-201 circuit, but a 2 hole, 2 channel version, with a bit more power
and EQ'd more specifically as a Bass head.

A big plus for me over other amps using it for recording is NO FAN!

 

[spiritbass]

I've been using my Shaw B-150 at church for the last few weeks so the Reeves has been my 'living room amp' for a while. Beautiful and rich are two apt descriptors of its sound.

 

[FFTT]

You know how a lot of amps get thinner when you pull back the volume.
I can track the 225 at lounge lizard volumes and the sound is still rich and full of character.

 

[spellcaster]

I've always wanted to hear one of these. Seems a 8x10 or big 2x15 would be ideal with the 225.