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The Official Reeves Bass Amp Thread

#521
I'm fine with my SVT AlniCo 8X10.
Also going into 4 Ohms there's a bit more power at 256 watts RMS.
A 4X10 would be nice to have, but I actually like the way a taller cab loads just tilting it in and out of the vehicle.
I'm not lifting the whole dead weight of the cab.

A good 2X15 would be a blast too.
 
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#528
Laklandfan said:
Did swood or jeff scott get their Reeves yet?
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I got my 225 a couple of months ago, and have gigged with it several times. I really like it! It has an incredibly warm tone; very musical.

A couple of thoughts... I was concerned about whether the amp would be loud enough for my purposes, as compared to an SVT. I would say that the 225 is about as loud as an SVT, more or less. The SVT might have a slight edge, but the difference isn't a practical one - I can't imagine a gig that the 225 wouldn't cut but an SVT would. That said, my tone goals play a part in my assessment - I don't prefer the sound of an overdriven SVT or tube amp. I am shooting for warm, clean and lots of headroom. The 225 delivers that in spades.

There is some criticism floating around the internet suggesting that the 225 is mid-scooped, and I suppose that if you run it with all of the tone controls at noon that's true. Bass Gear Review mag did extensive testing that proves it. But, they also found a flat setting is easily possible with the bass-mid-treble controls set at roughly 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock and 10 o'clock, and in my own experience that's exactly right. I use a setting of 11 o'clock, 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, and to me it sounds pretty flat, except with a boost at maybe 100 Hz and below, which is what you would expect. My cabs are fEarful 15/6/1, btw.

How else can I help?
 
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#531
Laklandfan said:
Well, I have this PayPal...;) So would you say it's a completely clean machine? I do like the fur of cranked SVT.
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I haven't really tried to coax overdrive out of the 225 because that's not my tone goal. I get what you are saying about the SVT, and the best advice I can give you is if you want something that sounds like an SVT get an SVT. The 225 is really coming from a different place, tonally. It's incredibly fat and warm and has a low end that would support a your local box retail building. The amp isn't completely clean, of course. Certainly some of the incredibly warm low end that I'm describing is a function of modest amounts of distortion. I just wouldn't describe it as "fur."

I don't want to speak for the designer, but I doubt the amp was designed to do the SVT/Marshall/Orange full-on grind thing. And that's exactly why I bought it and love it.
 
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#532
s_wood said:
I haven't really tried to coax overdrive out of the 225 because that's not my tone goal. I get what you are saying about the SVT, and the best advice I can give you is if you want something that sounds like an SVT get an SVT. The 225 is really coming from a different place, tonally. It's incredibly fat and warm and has a low end that would support a your local box retail building. The amp isn't completely clean, of course. Certainly some of the incredibly warm low end that I'm describing is a function of modest amounts of distortion. I just wouldn't describe it as "fur."

I don't want to speak for the designer, but I doubt the amp was designed to do the SVT/Marshall/Orange full-on grind thing. And that's exactly why I bought it and love it.
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Inwas just wondering if you can use the channel volumes as a gain of sorts and control the overall level with the master volume. I'm thinking hot tubes will sound like hot tubes no matter the manufacture, but also I imagine the 225 or 400 at full blast could do some damage.
 
#533
Laklandfan said:
Inwas just wondering if you can use the channel volumes as a gain of sorts and control the overall level with the master volume. I'm thinking hot tubes will sound like hot tubes no matter the manufacture, but also I imagine the 225 or 400 at full blast could do some damage.
Click to expand...

You can definitely coax some overdrive out of the 225. It's not quite the same as an SVT, but usable in its own way.
 
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#535
If you need the occasional grind, grit, sag, or whatever, with your Reeves, just get a Barbershop pedal.

I gotta say, the Barbershop is so much more than an OD pedal. It's great at emulating hi-gain drive, power tube compression, and transformer sag. I use it with my Demeter VTBPM800D head, which is a clean tone design like the Reeves.
 
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