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Thinking about making the jump to Tubes... input needed!

#121
gbarchus said:
"Seriously though, you can't call the VOX Westminster a bass amp!"

I'd say the same, Paul. After seeing The Animals in concert and Chas Chandler was using one, I had to have it. In fact, I bought the same one he was using in the concert I saw. It wasn't until I took it home and started playing it that I realized it was nothing like the British Vox amps. A valuable lesson for a 16-year-old.

Gale

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Chas was the guy that got me into bass. Never got a chance to play thru a Vox and as a kid I had no idea that the USA Vox were different than what I saw The Animals/Bealtes, etc. using.
 
#128
i run a 100w marshall superbass into an 8x10... its plenty damn loud but the headroom runs out at about 2o'clock, after that it just gets more dirty. sounds awesome, breaks up early... just yeah the headroom isnt great, and when versing another 100w marshall on top of a full stack, in order to keep up i have to crank the thing.

so thats a warning with 100w tubers for bass, prepare to get distorted if you wanna keep up with a well endowed guitarist.
 
#129
Yeah, I would think that most bassists running a 100 watt tube head while playing with a guitarist who uses the same aren't exactly looking for clean head room. If one was, I think he/she'd be sorely disappointed.

That said, in some people's situation, 100 watts will more than get the job done. When I was looking for a tube head, I considered some 100 watt ones specifically because they break up early.
 
#130
Simple math, if your guitarist is running a 100w or 50w full stack (8 cones) and you have a 100W 2x15 or 4x10 you arent gonna compete. An 8x10 might get you close.
The only guys I have seen pull that one off are being mic-ed or playing at pretty moderate levels.
100w bass heads do work fine if you are only competing with a 2x12 combo or some such.
 
#131
corinpills states:
You beat me, I've only been at it for 25- but I have owned or played Hiwatt, Ampeg, Mesa, GK, Trace, Ashdown and SWR over the years and I thought the Ashdown had the closest to real tube thumpiness, but still not quite the same thing. Certainly in your 42 years, you must have noticed a general decline in the workmanship of mass- produced gear. Every 1/2" input on anything I've bought in the last 15 years has gone bad eventually, every switch, all the plastic bits. But all my gear that's from the early 60's still works fine. I had a Gibson BR-1 guitar amp from the late 40's that sounded killer and never died (until I got stupid and sold it).
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Well, speaking from a more computer/electronics PCB point of view, in the last 2 decades the quality of hardware has suffered globally. This is mainly due to legislation from governments dealing with environmental concerns.

The issue is that there has been significant lead reduction in solder and thus, the solder's ability to withstand thousands and thousands of on/off cycles.

On older equipment, the solder had lead infused with it until this was legislated out of solder.

We, the consumer, have paid for it on nearly all electronics. Everything doesn't last like old-school electronics. This is mainly the reason why and I freely admit that this is an overly simplistic viewpoint/statement on the situation. ;)
 
#132
Well PCB mounted jacks and pots just arent as rugged as hand soldered, lugged jacks and pots. They also arent as expenisve. Or as easy to repair! Most PCB mounted jacks are fully enclosed so you cant just reach in and bend them back into true the way you can with plain old panel nount style jacks.
Cheap, good, reliable. Pick any two.
 
#133
Din Of Win said:
Hmmm, that's awesome! I hadn't considered hybrids. I am totally a GK convert since i got the 400rb... i'll have to check it out! I honestly do feel a little more comfortable with a hybrid. Touring can be rough and i have seen too many situations of busted tubes on tour with subsequent price-gouging for replacements. I have a friend with an Orange AD200b, and i don't think that thing has EVER performed without something messing up...

@Suraj: I have no experience with Mesa. I have a friend that has a 400+ though... i may have to try his out.
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Stick a EBS Valve Drive, Darkstar OD, EHX English Muffin, etc. in front of your G-K SS amp and you'll have a hybrid. Adding one or two 12ax7 tubes in front of a SS power amp DOES NOT make it tube anything. I predict it's a gimmick that will soon fade. Want a "tube" tone by a tube amp (a tube pre ain't going to cut it).
 
#134
xray said:
Stick a EBS Valve Drive, Darkstar OD, EHX English Muffin, etc. in front of your G-K SS amp and you'll have a hybrid. Adding one or two 12ax7 tubes in front of a SS power amp DOES NOT make it tube anything. I predict it's a gimmick that will soon fade. Want a "tube" tone by a tube amp (a tube pre ain't going to cut it).
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Only one question: Have you giged through a Fusion 550? Or you just blowing tube snob smoke? (Question posed by an ex tube snob ;))
And you may want to buy a tube amp.
 
#135
B-string said:
Only one question: Have you giged through a Fusion 550? Or you just blowing tube snob smoke? (Question posed by an ex tube snob ;))
And you may want to buy a tube amp.
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Fusion 550 no, so I guess I'm letting loose "tube snob gas" as i play through my SVT. I was going to buy a bass terror as a practice amp until I found out it was a hybrid - again a 12ax7 in front of a bunch of ICs ain't a tube amp.
 
#136
xray said:
Fusion 550 no, so I guess I'm letting loose "tube snob gas" as i play through my SVT. I was going to buy a bass terror as a practice amp until I found out it was a hybrid - again a 12ax7 in front of a bunch of ICs ain't a tube amp.
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Well I owned/gigged through a Magnavox SVT, V4-B, Fender Bassman, Showman and a Sunn 2000s in my 40+ years. YMMV but the Fusion's 3 tube pre and tone circuits are unique to hybrids normal treatment of tube front ends. Not all amps, tube, SS or hybrids are created equal. :)
 
#137
xray said:
Adding one or two 12ax7 tubes in front of a SS power amp DOES NOT make it tube anything. I predict it's a gimmick that will soon fade. Want a "tube" tone by a tube amp (a tube pre ain't going to cut it).
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And I think you are wrong on this. I agree a tube front end does not equal a full tube amp BUT some of us do not want a full tube amp. A SS power stage is much better equipped to drive a low impedance speaker load than a tube one. Surely tubes distort more pleasantly than do SS. I personally have been trying to be distortion free my whole career, thus I went to SS. That being said I do like to have a tube in the chain somewhere. Even a lowly 12AX7 can add some tube Mojo if it's used correctly.

Paul
 

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