The Official Reeves Bass Amp Thread

[edbass]

AP = All purpose.

I've played guitar through a Reeves 4x12 cab loaded with Vintage Purple speakers. I don't think the cab could handle bass frequencies at high volume. They don't even handle a drop tuned guitar all that well compared to some other guitar speakers. For a bass cab from Reeves, their only current options are the 1x15 and 4x10.

I've actually played bass through a Reeves 4x12 loaded with Vintage Purples using a Reeves 225 for power. The Reeves cab handles it fine; the Vintage Purples are a stout, cast frame driver and as such are far less likely to deflect and compromise the VC gap like some cheaper "flexi flyer" stamped frame guitar drivers can with a lower register, high powered bass signal.
However, the AP 412 bass thing just isn't my cup of tea.
I gigged with a Marshall Major through Celestion loaded Marshall 412's in the 70's and wasn't wild about that either, switched to 15's after a few months.

Personally, I think AP 412's are a little "thin" sounding and don't move enough air for bass; but I can cite plenty of examples of players who use/used them and make them sound great IMO.
Some players can make it work, some can’t.
As far as using an AP 412 work for bass, I’m one of the “can’t” people. Of course, I can’t make a short scale bass sound good either.

My point is I realize that it isn’t the cab's or the short scale bass’s fault they sound nasty.

 

[Fab Savage]

So I thought Id bump this thread, as I am looking at getting a 225 custom soon, however I am after a tube amp that I can push into a nice grindy overdrive on at least one channel.

All of the samples I have heard have been clean (beautiful clean though, some of the best I have heard from a tube head IMO), and was wondering if the Reeves would be suitable for my needs?

OR.... should I just spend the money on an SVT-VR, which is the other option I am pondering at the moment.

This amp will be used for Rock -melodic and tinged with grunge influences.

Thanks for any opinions on this

Mike

 

[tombowlus]

So I thought Id bump this thread, as I am looking at getting a 225 custom soon, however I am after a tube amp that I can push into a nice grindy overdrive on at least one channel.

If that is your goal, then IME/IMHO, the Reeves is not for you.

 

[JimmyM]

If that is your goal, then IME/IMHO, the Reeves is not for you.

and neither is the svt-vr. you have to turn it up so loud to get that overdrive that it'll get you fired from most venues. if you want to switch between clean and dirty live and still use a tube amp, the best way to do it imho is to use a pedal.

 

[edbass]

and neither is the svt-vr. you have to turn it up so loud to get that overdrive that it'll get you fired from most venues. if you want to switch between clean and dirty live and still use a tube amp, the best way to do it imho is to use a pedal.

Yeah, it's the same thing with the Reeves 225. To get power tube saturation you'll be at window breaking levels. The Reeves has a master volume, so you can overdrive the preamp and get some decent grind without harming small animals.
I jumper the channels and drive both bright and normal gain into a relatively low (maybe 9-10 o'clock) master setting to get that plucking hand controlled "back off rich and clean, lean into it snarl and growl" sweet spot thing going at livable SPLs.

However you can't really switch between thick and clean and saturated tube grindy at comparable levels without some knob twiddling in between.
I don't use pedals myself; but as Jimmy says, I think it's the answer to the instant dirty/clean question.

 

[tombowlus]

if you want to switch between clean and dirty live and still use a tube amp, the best way to do it imho is to use a pedal.

Or maybe go with an Eden VT-300.

 

[JimmyM]

Or maybe go with an Eden VT-300.

it does channel switching? hmmm...maybe i've been too hard on eden in the past. maybe i should give them more of a chance and not just dismiss them because i've always hated the sound of their solid state products in the past. but then again, it was discontinued and i already have pedals

 

[tombowlus]

it does channel switching? hmmm...maybe i've been too hard on eden in the past. maybe i should give them more of a chance and not just dismiss them because i've always hated the sound of their solid state products in the past. but then again, it was discontinued and i already have pedals

You can engage the overdrive via the footswitch. The VT-300A is a heck of a great amp, in my book, but unfortunately, there is something about the way that they incorporated the footpedal that seems to cause reliability issues when it is plugged in (and these issues go away if you don't use the footpedal).

Tom.

 

[Fab Savage]

and neither is the svt-vr. you have to turn it up so loud to get that overdrive that it'll get you fired from most venues. if you want to switch between clean and dirty live and still use a tube amp, the best way to do it imho is to use a pedal.

Thanks Jimmy really good to know! I do use a few OD and a boost pedal at the moment with my hybrid, and while my clean tone is very nice, I am just not that pumped about the dirt it produces by pushing up the pre-gain. Thus I thought a saturated tube amp may be the way to go.

Yeah, it's the same thing with the Reeves 225. To get power tube saturation you'll be at window breaking levels. The Reeves has a master volume, so you can overdrive the preamp and get some decent grind without harming small animals.
I jumper the channels and drive both bright and normal gain into a relatively low (maybe 9-10 o'clock) master setting to get that plucking hand controlled "back off rich and clean, lean into it snarl and growl" sweet spot thing going at livable SPLs.

However you can't really switch between thick and clean and saturated tube grindy at comparable levels without some knob twiddling in between.
I don't use pedals myself; but as Jimmy says, I think it's the answer to the instant dirty/clean question.

That sounds like what I may be after Ed, I do like to use playing dynamics to add aggression to my tone. I was worried the 225 may be TOO clean to produce this, jumpering the channels may be the answer! I dont suppose you have any 225 'growl' samples by chance

Or maybe go with an Eden VT-300.

i've always hated the sound of their solid state products in the past. but then again, it was discontinued and i already have pedals

Hey Tom. Yeah I'd agree with Jimmy on this one, I ve never really been over excited by the Eden SS gear but to be fair have not heard any of their all tube range. I did read your thread comparing an SVT to the VT-300A though and it sounds like the SVT would be more for me.


Apologies if I have derailed this thread for my own personal gain (pun intended). But I would love to hear more from others who get a a bit of bite (pedal or otherwise) as well as that beautiful creamy clean tone that the Reeves is capable of.

 

[tombowlus]

Hey Tom. Yeah I'd agree with Jimmy on this one, I ve never really been over excited by the Eden SS gear but to be fair have not heard any of their all tube range. I did read your thread comparing an SVT to the VT-300A though and it sounds like the SVT would be more for me.

Truth be told, the vast majority of the time, I'm with Jimmy, too (I typically use an EBS ValveDrive when I want to kick in some distortion).

 

[gbarchus]

I have an Eden VT300A and because of the reliability issues with the footswitch, I have never used it with the footswitch live. At home I never had a problem, though. As far as clean and distorted sound goes, the VT300 (two preamp tubes) is less colored than an SVT (3~5 preamp tubes). Live I would used either one or two 1X15 JBL cabinets depending on the size of the room. With one cabinet I could get the power tubes to distort quite easily just with string attack and by backing off return to a very clean sound. This is a much more preferable sound to me than using a pedal or footswitch to overdrive the preamp tubes.

Gale

 

[tombowlus]

Well, folks, I had an opportunity to gig with an all-Reeves rig this past weekend (C225 with KT120's driving a Reeves 4x10). As you would expect, this rig delivered a big, rich, clear, sweet tone that just wouldn't quit! This was a predominantly country gig (I was subbing in a friend's band), and I ended up playing the Sadowsky P/J 5 all night. That Sadowsky through the Reeves rig generated nothin' but smiles all night.

 

[GregC]

Nice! That looks fantastic, Tom.

One thing I've wondered about, and maybe this has been covered elsewhere. In the Bass Gear Mag review of the head, you guys noted that it tested out as a little mid-shy, even with EQ'ing. (I think I'm recalling that correctly, but let me know if i didn't.) Have you found that the Reeves cabs, either in testing or auditioning them, alter this characteristic by being a bit mid-forward?

Well, folks, I had an opportunity to gig with an all-Reeves rig this past weekend (C225 with KT120's driving a Reeves 4x10). As you would expect, this rig delivered a big, rich, clear, sweet tone that just wouldn't quit! This was a predominantly country gig (I was subbing in a friend's band), and I ended up playing the Sadowsky P/J 5 all night. That Sadowsky through the Reeves rig generated nothin' but smiles all night.

 

[tombowlus]

Nice! That looks fantastic, Tom.

One thing I've wondered about, and maybe this has been covered elsewhere. In the Bass Gear Mag review of the head, you guys noted that it tested out as a little mid-shy, even with EQ'ing. (I think I'm recalling that correctly, but let me know if i didn't.) Have you found that the Reeves cabs, either in testing or auditioning them, alter this characteristic by being a bit mid-forward?

Excellent question. Yes, with the stock KT88's the C225 is definitely a bit mid-scooped. Swapping to KT120's not only increases output by about 12%, but also seemed to decrease the depth of the notch in the midrange.

As for the Reeves cabs, the 1x15 seems to be either fairly neutral, or slightly scooped, itself, offering up big, deep, tight lows, and awesome upper midrange to treble, but with a leaner lower to middle midrange. The sealed 410, on the other hand, definitely brings more midrange punch to the table. I was able to get all the mids I wanted with that C225/410 stack.

 

[GregC]

Excellent question. Yes, with the stock KT88's the C225 is definitely a bit mid-scooped. Swapping to KT120's not only increases output by about 12%, but also seemed to decrease the depth of the notch in the midrange.

As for the Reeves cabs, the 1x15 seems to be either fairly neutral, or slightly scooped, itself, offering up big, deep, tight lows, and awesome upper midrange to treble, but with a leaner lower to middle midrange. The sealed 410, on the other hand, definitely brings more midrange punch to the table. I was able to get all the mids I wanted with that C225/410 stack.

Thanks for the very informative answer, Tom. I've yet to audition any of the Reeves stuff myself, but I love the look of the 225 with a pair of 15s under it. If that combo ends up sounding a bit scooped, I might alter the fantasy a bit. But that's all it is for now, anyway.

 

[D.M.N.]

Yeah, I was kinda wondering about the mid-scoop myself. I always though the Hiwatts the Reeves is modeled after were quite strong in the mids, not very notched at all. Maybe I'm wrong though.

 

[nysbob]

Yeah, I was kinda wondering about the mid-scoop myself. I always though the Hiwatts the Reeves is modeled after were quite strong in the mids, not very notched at all. Maybe I'm wrong though.

My only experience is with the 2X15 setup, but I found that the bass can easily overpower the mids if you just arbitrarily run all the tones halfway up...you have to be very judicious with that bass knob, because a little goes a long way. It took me a minute or two to figure out how to get it set the way I wanted it, but once I did...

 

[Fretless5verfan]

SO...

I haven't had a chance to gig my reeves yet, but I am wondering about two things:

1) What exactly is close to "flat" with the EQ? I was running all the knobs at noon thinking that was flat, but if the reeves is mid scooped, that is most definitely not flat! The mids were tearing my head off with new steel strings and a Decade, and dead strings and a DC equipped bass.

2) Has anyone had fuse issues? The amp was performing fine until tonight when I was playing around with a guitarist (HK tri-amp & Marshall 412) and i pushed the amp pretty hard for pretty long. The 8A fuse popped and I replaced it (i tend to keep extra fuses ) but after another 30mins or so, the F3A fuse popped. I'm a little confused, but I'm hoping it's just because it was the one time I wasn't using a surge protector. The power is a little weird in my basement, but I never had any issues as long as I was plugged into a Furman strip. I have an e-mail in to Reeves to see what they say.

Also, these F3A fuses are impossible to find!!!

 

[Korladis]

That would be kinda weird, if they're mid-scooped, since I thought Hiwatts weren't.

 

[edbass]

That would be kinda weird, if they're mid-scooped, since I thought Hiwatts weren't.

The 225 isn't a direct clone of a Hiwatt, it's got a bunch of bottom end which may also contribute to the "scooped" effect.