I love Class D amps. I also love standing 4 feet in front of an 8x10. But I don't like moving big gear anymore so I use a 2 x 10.
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Time for a change
- Thread starter Tomasz s
- Start date
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- amp ampeg pf-500 cab vintage
Yes, the ultimate realization that my idea of perfect stage tone was in conflict with the signals that my lower back was sending me.
“Ambiance”. So thats what I’ve been hearing from my tube gear! I never knew. Now I know why people describe my tone as-
“Tightly focused, with a beam of linzer torte, bitter cherry, plum sauce and fig fruit laced with licorice snap, singed iron and roasted bay leaf. The long finish has lots of roasted fig, tar and spice notes for extra bass, but the acidity is there as well, deeply embedded….“
(Not my words)
I just unloaded a Mesa MPulse 600 a few months back pre pandemic. I used it on a lot of gigs. I also used a subway d800. They both had their adv and disadv. Once I got a walkabout, I stopped using that Mpulse.
Before I decided to sell the 600, I set it up and played through it. I just had this moment where I felt like I really didn’t like the sound of it anymore. It is like every dislike all of the sudden stood out. It was an easy sell. I was more sad about selling the rack it came in.
It is a funny thing how gear taste changes. As our playing evolves and adapts we need different things.
But having a light amp is soooooo nice.
Before I decided to sell the 600, I set it up and played through it. I just had this moment where I felt like I really didn’t like the sound of it anymore. It is like every dislike all of the sudden stood out. It was an easy sell. I was more sad about selling the rack it came in.
It is a funny thing how gear taste changes. As our playing evolves and adapts we need different things.
But having a light amp is soooooo nice.
Some vintage stuff is great, most of what I played back in the day was crap. The technological advances in bass amplification in the past 50 years is simply phenomenal. A good modern amp can do vintage and a lot more. I have a couple class d heads, a couple Berg cabs, a Barefaced cab and if I want tubey goodness a Broughton P-15 pre. Many options, all easy to carry.
Take that head and gently perch it above two 1x15 Sunn))) cabs with a horn in the upper cab and you have my main rig of days gone by. The days of casters under the cabs, good times! My 2x12 weighs less than one of them and the 900W head is no comparison to the "totally tubular dude" amp.
This is what I use now and just as loud if not louder.. total weight of everything is 67 lbs.
If I were in a tribute band, I'd consider vintage dummy amps, but I'd still want to play ampless, or have some modern gear discretely placed.
Amp modeling being what it is, I can't think of a single good reason to schlep huge, heavy, underpowered gear.
Amp modeling being what it is, I can't think of a single good reason to schlep huge, heavy, underpowered gear.
I don’t think most of an audience at a typical gig that most of us play could even notice a bass’s tone difference between a vintage tube bass amp and a modern class D.
I've owned some nice vintage gear over the years. Mostly vintage amps with modern cabs. There was a long stretch when I was using one or another old tube amps pretty exclusively. I always thought they sounded great, performed well, and looked super cool. I've never had problems with noise or reliability.
I just recently sold off the last of my tube amps. Just getting older, doing different things musically, and mostly thinking about what I want to do down the road.
Priorities, taste, and style change - and for me, that's a good thing. I've got some absolutely killer gear right now, and I'm happy with what I have. For the most part, I don't get nostalgic or sentimental about things. Some stuff has been hard to let go, but I'll always have the memories... and If I ever want to, or get in the right situation, I can always go back and get some other cool old piece of gear, and make new memories with it.
I just recently sold off the last of my tube amps. Just getting older, doing different things musically, and mostly thinking about what I want to do down the road.
Priorities, taste, and style change - and for me, that's a good thing. I've got some absolutely killer gear right now, and I'm happy with what I have. For the most part, I don't get nostalgic or sentimental about things. Some stuff has been hard to let go, but I'll always have the memories... and If I ever want to, or get in the right situation, I can always go back and get some other cool old piece of gear, and make new memories with it.
I love class D amps, but I feel the biggest improvements over vintage gear have happened in speaker cabinets. I can almost see the appeal of some classic tube heads, but not of those gigantic, heavy old cabinets.
I've had two people in the last five years notice that I'm playing fretless (we do about 75-80 gigs a year) which is a bit more obvious...so I doubt they'd ever notice what kind of amp I'm using.
Can't say I have. Ever since I started out back in the early 80's, I've been after the latest and greatest. Vintage gear holds zero interest for me and never has. Kinda like old hot rods - sure, they're cool-looking and there's an aura around them, but modern stuff has built upon years of experience and there are improvements to be had.
But some people just love the old stuff and that's all well and good.
Most of 'em don't notice there's a band playing...
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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I've got a PF800, its awesome. Got a new V4-B on the way, it should be more awesome.
i've never been into vintage music gear --- always looked at the "latest, greatest" --- but going from analog to digital while i was in the studio business was a game-changer, for me, in the mid 90s.
bass rig/gear = lightweight works for me!
I play some basses from '73 and a guitar from '66 but I wouldn't go back to bass amps from that era.
Through the lockdown I broke my addiction to compression. There's no compressor at all on my board now, for the first time in over 20 years. We'll see how long that lasts 
. I also ditched my wireless for a 100% wired setup. I haven't been without a wireless since the 80's, but the difference in sound is amazing. I suspect I'll wind up back using wireless at least at some gigs, but I'm anticipating going without. So some potentially minor changes but significant in terms of the length of time I was using the things that were replaced.
. I also ditched my wireless for a 100% wired setup. I haven't been without a wireless since the 80's, but the difference in sound is amazing. I suspect I'll wind up back using wireless at least at some gigs, but I'm anticipating going without. So some potentially minor changes but significant in terms of the length of time I was using the things that were replaced.I switched to vintage gear but basses only.Its all player grade vintage,nothing that worth too much.
When I had modern gear I was always happy to let it go in order to get something else.
With vintage stuff I get attached for some reason.Cant let go,so cant buy anything else(no room).Less looking for gear more playing.
BTW The first paragraph made me look up the meaning of 3 words I didnt know
When I had modern gear I was always happy to let it go in order to get something else.
With vintage stuff I get attached for some reason.Cant let go,so cant buy anything else(no room).Less looking for gear more playing.
BTW The first paragraph made me look up the meaning of 3 words I didnt know
How many of times have you been asked, “Why does your guitar only have four strings?”
